By Chantel Simmons on December 31, 2008
The randomly selected winner of Entertaining with Booze is…
Suzie G.
Suzie, send me an email to iheart (at) chantelsimmons.com letting me know how you’d like Ryan & David to personalize the book, plus your mailing address and the book is yours!
Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!
Posted in Deals, Food | Tagged Cookbooks |
By Chantel Simmons on December 18, 2008
When I worked at ELLE, one of my favourite memories were staff birthdays. Because that was when Ryan Jennings, our Photo Editor, would pull out his icing bag and make the most beautiful birthday cakes ever. His concoctions were so pretty we didn’t even want to eat them. (But of course, then we remembered that there were starving models on the runway, and we should not let perfectly good ganache go to waste. So we’d eat the whole cake.)
Now, Ryan is not only a food stylist, but he and his partner-with-a-martini-shaker David Steele, are authors and their second cooking-and-cocktail book, Entertaining With Booze, has just hit bookstores.
From the publisher: Bigger, louder and boozier than ever, Entertaining with Booze is the much anticipated 2nd book in the Cooking with Booze series and it’s arrived at book stores everywhere! Featuring wine and beer guides, pantry stocking tips, hangover remedies and, of course, great food and drink recipes, Entertaining with Booze has everything you need to become a party host extraordinaire.
From me: Entertaining With Booze is so fabulous, it gives you a reason to throw a party when you have no reason at all! From the It’s All about Me party to the Fruit Picking and Preserving (aka the Put Your Friends to Work Party), the photos are gorgeous and inspiring, the cocktails are fruity and delicious and the recipes are funny and easy to follow.
I asked Ryan for his favourite recipe, and here it is:
Prosciutto-Wrapped Scallops with Maple Bourbon Glaze
A twist on a classic, this recipe uses prosciutto instead of traditional bacon so there’s no need to worry about the possibility of undercooking the bacon while overcooking the scallop. The addition of a glaze balances the salty with a quick hit of sweet and smoky.
8 large bamboo skewers
16 large sea scallops
16 slices prosciutto
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp (45 mL) maple syrup
2 Tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar
3 Tbsp (45 mL) bourbon
Pinch cayenne pepper
Soak the bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes in warm water.
Preheat grill to medium-high.
Wrap each scallop in a slice of prosciutto, allowing any excess to overlap. Secure 2 scallops onto each bamboo skewer. Lightly brush them with olive oil and set aside.
Whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Grill the skewers for 3–4 minutes, then flip and brush with glaze. Grill the second side for another 3–4 minutes, or until the center of the scallops is opaque. Brush once more with glaze and serve.
Want to win your own copy of Entertaining with Booze, autographed and personalized by Ryan and David? Leave a message in the comments or send an email to iheart (at) chantelsimmons.com.
Good luck!
Posted in Deals, Food | Tagged Cookbooks |
By Chantel Simmons on October 8, 2008
You know how some people can eat just one square of chocolate after a meal — just to satisfy that craving for a little something sweet — and then stop eating the chocolate bar, wrap it up and put it away for another day?
I never understand those people. For me, it’s all or nothing.
Which is why Green & Black’s Miniatures Collection is just so cute — and perfect for those days when you need a little chocolate fix (okay, like every day). The collection includes two bars each of six flavours (including Cherry, Ginger and my favourite, Butterscotch) — for a total of 12 bars. Which should last 12 days. Maybe. And each bar is exactly like its large-format counterpart, complete with itsy bitsy perforations in the bar, so you can trick yourself into thinking you’re getting to eat an entire chocolate bar, when surely the calories are equivalent to just one little square.
Plus, Green & Black’s are all-organic, so it’s really like you’re being totally healthy and not at all indulgent. Which we think means you can even have two bars in one sitting, if you want.
Shopping info: Green & Black’s Miniatures Collection, at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Posted in Food | Tagged Chocolate, Green |
By Chantel Simmons on October 1, 2008
I am the world’s worst vitamin-taker. I put a bottle on the kitchen counter, leave a bottle on my desk at work and even stash one in my handbag, but still, days go by where I don’t take a single supplement.
For me, getting my vitamins through my favourite foods is a much better option. Not only does it taste good, but it’s guilt-free since you know you’re giving your body goodness.
Four fab ways to get your vitamins (no pills required!):
Genuine Health Greens+ Multi+. One scoop of the vanilla flavour mixed with yogurt and fruit creates a tasty smoothie with all the benefits of a multivitamin.
Booster Juice with Go-Girl booster. This calcium booster packs 225 mg of calcium into your favourite smoothie.
Motts Fruitsations contain just 50 calories and the Apple Pomegranate Plus Antioxidant has 22 mg of vitamin C, while the Harvest Apple Plus Calcium has 125 mg of bone-building goodness.
Glaceau Vitamin Water comes in 15 fun varieties, like Defense, Focus and B-Relaxed, and contains all the minerals you need to fight a cold, concentrate at the office or chill out after a tough week.
Yum.
Posted in Food | Tagged Booster Juice, Genuine Health Greens+, Glaceau Vitamin Water, Health, Motts Fruitsations |
