Every January most of us make resolutions to get healthier, lose weight, change our bad habits into stellar new ones and then within two weeks most of us are back to our old routines. By the end of six months 46% have completely abandoned their resolutions. Why the failure rate? There are many reasons we …
New Years Resolutions: Tips to make those healthy lifestyle goals stick Read More »
My mom taught me that you always bring a host/hostess gift when you get invited over to someone’s place for dinner or a party or a tea party or a, well, any kind of invite. And as a good daughter I took her advice, at least on this one thing. Some other bits of wisdom, …
Host Gift Season ~ thinking beyond wine, flowers or chocolate Read More »
Looks like winter is finally hitting us here in the Great North! Oh, joy, oh bliss, let’s shovel snow! Always an optimist – on a positive note – the snow signals COCOA SEASON! Love my cup of heart healthy hot cocoa. Yes, depending on the ingredients, cocoa can be the perfect winter drink for your …
Growing up in the Smith house Christmas was THE most magical time of the year for me. My Mom was Christmas itself. She loved everything about Christmas. (For the record my birthday or as I like to call “It’s all about Mairlyn Day” is the other most magical day) Our house was so festooned over the …
A hot breakfast made with oat bran cereal can be ready in about 5 minutes. Quicker to make than regular steel cut oats or regular large flake rolled oats, hot oat bran cereal is high in cholesterol lowering fibre aka soluble fibre. New research suggests that diets filled with fibre can not only support the …
You haul yourself off to bed with a million details buzzing around your head and big surprise the coveted ZZZZ’s don’t happen. Here are some tips for helping you get to sleep every night: Say bye-bye to caffeine late in the day. Many woman as they approach menopause become caffeine sensitive, which explains why they …
Chai is made with black tea, spices and milk and is served all over India. With the huge influence of Indian cuisine in the UK, the best cup of chai I’ve ever had was at Dishoom’s in Edinburgh With a big nod to them, here is my spin on their house chai, a strong cup of …
These how to cook a turkey instructions are for the Turkey Novice and a refresher for the Turkey Expert, as if you need to be refreshed, but you never know. Christmas dinner is a feast, complete with many fancy side dishes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and the star of the event: the big gobbler. Home cooks …
After an appearance on Cityline in September I have had so many emails asking how I cook a roast, so I thought I’d better share my method. After I wrote Homegrown with the Ontario Home Economics Association and member Joyce Parslow PHEc shared Canada Beef’s method for cooking the perfect roast, it has become my …
This is my eleventh year attending the Toronto International Film Festival I can say that I know how to “do” the festival. Every year my best friend and I do the festival, we’ve been to Galas and we’ve done the trenches. Last year i was in a wheelchair because i had fractured my ankle the …
Tips for Surviving Toronto International Film Festival from a TIFFER in the Trenches Read More »