Homemade Gifts - One of the best kinds of gift

In Toronto, we experienced an ice storm the weekend before Christmas.  At first, the trees looked so beautiful, nature's ice sculptures as my partner put it.  But, the trees began to sag or branches began to break under the weight of the ice causing havoc for many in the GTA, including myself.  We lost power...

A day without power was okay but as the days dragged on, heat and hot water dwindled, we were feeling it.  Luckily, I had family to turn to and friends who had power offered their homes.  (Thank you!!)  It sent a reminder that during this holiday season it is a time to thank those in our lives that mean something to us and have always opened their hearts to us.  I know not everyone was as lucky and as I write this, there are still people without power.  My thoughts go out to those that are still left in the dark and hope that their power is restored soon and they have found a warm place to stay.

During this time, I received gifts from my 2 very good and talented friends.  Some homemade goodies - cookies and chocolate!!  Many years ago we made a decision not to buy gifts for each other but since we still were in the gift giving mentality, we usually baked or made something.

Here are some pics of the lovely treats I received.  (Thank you!!  They were delicious!!)

 For packaging and basic cookie recipe, see post from the Craft Bandit.

Figs Breakfast & Lunch - Basic Breakfast Place

344 Queen Street E. Unit 4
Toronto, ON M5A 1S8

(416) 913-7205
www.figsbreakfastlunch.com

First impression: Local, home-cooking type breakfast place
Second impression: Ok taste wise, but why so little potatoes?!

Last weekend I had to pick up something downtown in the east end so we decided to have brunch in a part of town we do not frequent often. Thanks to Yelp, we found Figs Breakfast & Lunch.

It definitely had that local vibe to it and luckily there were still a few tables available. Menu selection was pretty good and they offered a special Meat Lover's plate for $9.99.

Main
House Omelette - $9
Swiss cheese, peameal bacon, and mushrooms (mmmm, mushrooms!)

Comes with toast, potato hash and a bit of roasted potato. The omelette tasted great but I was surprised at how little potato was served. I'm quite accustomed to breakfast places serving a decent amount or huge amount of potatoes but this was new for me. However, if you're concerned in any way about carbohydrate intake, then this would be the perfect amount! For me, I was full so I really shouldn't complain...I guess I was just surprised and my preference would be more potatoes and only 1 slice of toast.

No decaf coffee available, ended up having earl grey tea. Basic Twinnings tea but I do like the little stainless steel tea pot you get at places like this.

Unfortunately no pics of the meat lover's plate. It consisted of different kinds of breakfast meats (sausage, ham, peameal bacon, bacon), choice of eggs, toast, baked beans and the same potato sides. One thing to be aware of though, you only get 1 piece of each meat which also is surprising but once you're done eating, the amount is okay for the price.

Would I come back? I would...if I was in the area. But, since I'm rarely in the area, I don't think I'll be back any time soon. There are a few breakfast places near my place that I think are the same or better.  Breakfast places like Figs should be that place that a local resident would say "hey, let's walk over to Figs, I have a craving for their (fill in the blank)".

Looking for Something Fun to Do? Try Curling!

During the winter I often find it hard to keep active or find fun things to do. So, when some friends organized a curling event, I thought that was pretty neat! My first experience curling was last year and it turned out to be a lot of fun. This winter I wasn't able to participate as I have a baby on the way (I'm not that hardcore!), but I got to see my partner in action (one of his many talents)!

There aren't many curling rinks in Toronto but if you'd like to try it out, we went to one in Leaside called the Leaside Curling Club. You can rent ice time in 2 hr blocks and for newbies, they can also provide instruction but you'll want to talk to them more specifically about it if you decide to try curling. I heard prices are going up, but if you get 8 people per sheet of ice, the price is around $20/person.

the lounge

The first time might be a bit awkward as the motion and form is something most people are not used to.  However, although the ice is slippery, it's pebbled (droplets of water sprayed on the ice to allow the rock to curl) so it's not as slippery as you'd expect when walking.  The hardest part is keeping your balance when throwing the "rock" or "stone".





One of the surprising things about curling is the rock is quite heavy (about 40 lbs)! You shouldn't lift it off the ice 'cause chances are, if you're not careful and the rock drops on the ice, you damage the ice. That's a definite "no-no".

It's something different and a lot of fun when you get the hang of it and start to think about strategy. I'd definitely recommend it as a fun activity in the winter, but ice time books up quickly so if you're interested, you should book soon!

Side Note:
The Toronto Sports and Social Club also organizes Learn to Curl events and tournaments which you can check out on their website here:  http://www.torontossc.com/events/

The White Brick Kitchen - Comfort Food

641 Bloor Street West, Toronto

(647) 347-9188
http://thewhitebrickkitchen.com//

First thought: Wow, the portions are big!
Second thought: Yum!!

The White Brick Kitchen was our place of choice last Sat night. We wanted to go to a place that served comfort food but a little nicer than your usual greasy spoon. And, they definitely delivered on taste and service!

Known for serving an awesome brunch in a part of Toronto labeled "Koreatown", I was surprised that they were also open for dinner. We didn't have to wait for a table that night which was nice, especially since it has gotten considerably colder this weekend.

Mains
We shared 2 mains and added an extra side dish.

Half fried chicken with choice of side (our choice: the greens) - $17
Chicken was crispy, not overly battered, meat was moist (even the white meat)!
Lightly seasoned so if you're looking for something spicy, this is not it. If your looking for really good homestyle fried chicken, this is it!

Joe fries - $14
Huge plate of fries topped with sloppy joe beef brisket, sriracha mayo, tomatoes, and an egg.
Tasty, greasy, old-school sloppy joe flavour spiked with the sriracha mayo for added flavour.

Side order of Cider Slaw - $4.5
Beautifully balanced in terms of sour and sweet. It went very well with both our mains. Again, a large portion size which we loved!

Dessert

Sticky toffee pudding - $5

Before we ordered dinner, my friend was already thinking about the sticky toffee pudding, hence sharing 2 mains and a side between 3 people. So, we definitely had to order it and it was a decent portion size, not fancy but was a well made traditional sticky toffee pudding.

Lindt hot chocolate with whipped cream - $4
Hot chocolate on a cold night - sweet!

Service
Friendly and attentive, we didn't feel rushed. This may be because dinner is not as busy as brunch but our server was great nonetheless.


I would definitely recommend this place and although Koreatown has lots of great Korean food, this is worth the trek to this part of Toronto.