The DIY Girls

Authors of 3 DIY 99 Ways books, the Compai Girls are on fire! Check out their video on how to make silk scarves into some very wearable tops!!

Time for Some Winterlicious

It’s that time a year again to hit up your favourite restaurants for Toronto’s Winterlicious. From January 30th to February 12th, you can enjoy mouth watering, delicious cuisine at some of the city’s top restaurants (a choice of 150 restaurants to be exact)! With prix fixe 3-course meals priced from $15-$30 for lunch and $25-$45 for dinner, you’re sure to leave with a full belly! Most restaurants are still accepting reservations, so book your spot asap!

Bon appetit!

Mexican Feast Part 2: Chili con Queso

Another one of my loves-cheese! The second recipe in my Mexican series is chili con queso (chili with cheese). This is a very yummy appetizer, but it can also be used as a condiment on fajitas and tacos. Another recipe that's easy to make and delicious to eat!

Milk (about 1/2 cup)
Rotel 10 ounce can (original with diced tomatoes and green chiles or you can substitute with the Herdez version)
Velveeta cheese (chop into small cubes)
2 or more diced jalapenos (pickled or fresh)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
Tortilla chips

1. Using your double boiler fill the bottom pot with water and boil. Keeping away from the heat, skim the top pot of the double boiler with milk (just enough to cover the bottom).
   
2. Add can of rotel and jalapenos. Stir well.
   
3. Add Velveeta and put the pot on top of the double boiler on the heat. Gently stir.
   
4. Once cheese is melted turn heat down to medium low. Then add garlic powder, chili powder and cumin. Stir well.
   
5. Keep on low heat stirring occasionally for 30 min.
   
6. Serve warm with your favourite tortilla chips and enjoy!!
   

Girl Friday Dress Sale!

Check out Girl Friday's 1st annual dress sale this week at their Queen Street location. Feminine, but never fussy, Girl Friday dresses flatter a variety of figure types. Clean lines and timeless silhouettes, the Girl Friday look never goes out of style. With over 400 dresses on sale with prices ranging from $60-$80 (I know the flyer says differently, but I got the inside scoop from designer Rebecca Nixon), you'd be crazy not to hit up this sale!

Get in there quick before you miss out!

Wish List

Cut-it-Out by Yelena Konovalova is a line of cotton jersey dresses, tunics, hoodies and tanks that are covered with intricate, detailed prints. The Russian-born designer uses influences from Russian folklore and creates each pattern through a process of cutting and folding paper-a process very similar to making paper snowflakes as a child. Their new spring/summer collection uses their signature patterns but offers new combinations of rainbow foil prints on liquid rayon fabrics and new bright colour palettes. This colourful oversized caridgan is my favourite piece from this collection and is going straight on my wish list -love it, want it, sold!!

Mexican Feast Part 1: Sangria

I love food from all parts of the world, but one of my absolute favourite types of food is Mexican! Below is the first of four recipes that I will be posting from my boyfriend's family's secret recipe stash. They are all super delish and easy to make! The first recipe is sangria which is a yummy fruity drink that is normally a summer time staple but who says we can't have some fun on these cold winter days?!

Makes: 6 litres

2 bottles of red wine
1 can frozen lemonade
1 can frozen orange juice
1 cup of brandy
2 bottles of ginger ale
1 lemon thinly sliced into rounds
1 orange thinly sliced into rounds
1 tray of ginger ale ice-cubes

1. Pour wine, lemonade, orange juice, brandy, 1 bottle of ginger ale into large canister and stir well.
   
2. Add fruit and then refrigerate until ready to serve (the longer the sangria sits the more the flavours will blend therefore the yummier it will taste).
   
3. Just before serving add the 2^nd bottle of ginger ale and the ginger ale ice-cubes. Stir well.

Serve and enjoy!!!

*If you would like a smaller amount of sangria you can just halve the recipe to make about 3 litres.

Preloved Sample and Warehouse Sale

For those of you who haven't heard of Preloved, you're definitely missing out! Preloved is a line that creates one of a kind clothing from reclaimed vintage fabrics. Check out their upcoming sale for deals on last fall's merchandise and spring 2009 samples.

January 26, 4pm – 7pm

January 27 & 28, 12pm – 7pm

24 Ryerson Ave. (Queens St. W. & Bathurst St.)

416-703-1936

Happy Shopping!!

Mmmmmm Macaroons

You will soon realize that I have a huge sweet tooth and love baking. One of my favourite things to bake are coconut macaroons and I have a super easy recipe that I use which is absolutely delicious and low in fat!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes: 32 cookies

1 (7-ounce) package of shredded sweetened coconut
½ cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon coconut extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 ̊F. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.
2. Combine the shredded coconut, condensed milk, flour, coconut extract, and vanilla in a box; mix well.
3. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl until stiff peak forms (about 3-4 minutes). With a large rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of the beaten whites into the coconut mixture just until blended. Repeat 2 more times.
4. Drop the dough by rounded teaspoons onto the baking sheet, 1 inch apart, making 32 cookies. Bake until lightly golden (20-22 minutes). Cool on the baking sheet until the cookies are firm enough to remove from the baking sheet, about 20 minutes. Transfer the cookies with a spatula to racks to cool completely.

*Please note to NEVER double this recipe. I once doubled it thinking more is always more with dessert, but in this case it just equals disaster!

Mangia mangia-enjoy!!

Trend Alert: Wrap Yourself

Rachel Bilson with a mustard yellow knit scarf.


Our version from Banana Republic for $130 (100% cashmere).

Rachel with a grey and purple tone patch pashmina.


Our version from Top Shop for €15 (ladderweave with wide stripe).

Rachel in a purple print silk scarf layered over her piped blazer (another spring trend)!

Our version by Uzbek for $34.99 (hand painted and hand woven 100% silk)

With -30 degree temperatures here in Canada, we need to find ways to look cute but still stay warm. Scarves are a great way to kick your look up a notch while maintaining some warmth on these crazy cold winter days. Scarves are also a big trend for spring’09. Look for silk and light weight cotton scarves in bright colours that can take you into the warmer months. We here at Eat.Live.Shop adore Rachel Bilson’s great style so you may see her around here more often than not. Above she shows you a few different ways to wear scarves for any temperature. We’ve also given you some inexpensive options so you can get the same look too!

Ready Set Doodle

Remember the days as a kid when writing on the walls resulted in a time out by your parents? Well John Burgerman is giving you full on permission to write all over your apartment! The British artist who is known for his bright colours and hand drawn characters is now offering wallpaper in white and black so you can fill in any colour your heart desires. He will even send you a bag full of goodies if you send him a picture of your masterpiece. Go ahead and fulfil your creative desire!!

To buy nineteenseventythree.

For more information and to email Jon http://www.jonburgerman.com/

Welcome!

Welcome to Eat.Live.Shop- your fashion, lifestyle and food fix. You can just call me your average girl who has a HUGE passion for fashion and great style, a love for cool interiors, a dedication to being healthy through nutritious food and exercise and an extreme weakness for delicious recipes (and cute shoes)!

Are you someone who loves to shop and is always searching for the newest and coolest for your personal and home style? Are you someone who likes to hunt for the best possible deal? Do you enjoy up to the minute fashion news and do you want to dress like your favourite celebrity but don’t have the cash to do so? Are you short on time, but still want to be fit and eat yummy wholesome food? Well Eat Live Shop will cover all of that! Our blog will also include Designer Q&A’s, a DIY section, info about upcoming events and fashion shows, trend alerts, tips on finding your perfect look, inspirational looks off the street and runways, boutique features, contests, giveaways and lots more! Dig in and enjoy every Monday and Thursday! xoxo