100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know

I know, the title caught my attention also! When I first saw this cookbook in Glamour magazine last summer, I was instantly intrigued! I raced to the store and picked up a copy, flipping through the recipes and chuckling at the cute titles! The book contains 99 of the magazine's most loved and best reviewed recipes, all claiming to bring you whatever you ask for in life. I know what you're thinking, that is QUITE the promise!

However, the recipes are so enticing to try, it may just be worth the shot! Recipes include "Prove to Your Mom You're Not Going to Starve Meat Loaf" and "Impress His Family Chardonnay Cake," all accompanied by real life stories and funny jokes by real life women who swear these recipes work!!
I can't wait to try these meals and desserts out- and I encourage everyone to check out a copy of this book!
I mean come on, you never know when you'll need to impress!

All my love,
Pam x

April Fools Day

When I was younger, April Fools Day was a big deal. I would spend weeks trying to come up with deceptive schemes that would trick my friends and family!
Today, i am not as inclined to prank the ones I love. I feel as though since I've grown older, my closest friends can tell when I'm trying to hide something or attempting to be sneeky.
As I spend my Sunday morning surfing the web (pinterest, to be exact), I couldn't help but notice the multiple "Deceptive April Fools Recipes" out there! There were tons of way to trick those around you and their taste buds!!
The recipe I found the most deceptively appealing was the "Faux Berry Pie", a meat loaf and potato dish that looks exactly like a fruity tart!

I know I may have said I wasn't going to play any tricks this year, but I think I may have to go back on my word after this one.
To those of you I am making dinner for tonight, WATCH. OUT.

Recipe Link: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/fauxberry-pie-688637/

Happy April Fools
- Pam x

Salads.

Truth be told, I do eat a lot of salads. Personally, I believe that they are the perfect lunch or dinner and if topped with the right ingredients, can be a healthy AND satisfying meal!

As I flipped through the pages of my mom’s “Montreal Cooks” cookbook, I came across a recipe (for salad of course) that really caught my eye (and got me super hungry.) The “Roasted beet, walnut and goat cheese salad” served at Taverne sur le Square (1 Westmount Square) looked so delicious-and with the richer ingredients the flavours work perfectly with the warmer weather (that I hope will soon reappear!!) I really wanted to try it-so I’ve decided to make it for dinner tonight. 

Since I’m having dinner alone - I’m blogging as I munch away, and I must say, this salad IS AWESOME.

I’ll write the recipe down below- hopefully you like it as much as I do.

Now that dinner is almost over-I have to go prepare my schedule for registration tomorrow! I cannot believe my first year of university is almost over. Times flies! I just felt really old for saying that :s

Happy Wednesday (it’s almost Friday)

Pam x

Recipe:

4 medium beets - scrubbed, trimmed and cut in half

            1/3 cup chopped walnuts

            3 tablespoons maple syrup

            1 (10 ounce) package mixed baby salad greens

            1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

            1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

            1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

                        2 ounces goat cheese

Beer Cake for St-Patty's!!

Let’s be honest, St-Patrick’s Day is another excuse for us crazy college kids to go out, party and drink ‘til we drop. Now, I’m all for a little fun once in a while, but I always play it safe. So I’m going to make sure that this St-Patrick’s Day my friends have some food in their system, but keep their St-Patty’s day insobriety in tow!

This recipe is one I tried a year ago at a St-Patrick’s day themed pot-luck dinner (kinda lame, I know)

This cake is chocolatey, rich and moist, yet the best ingredient is an unexpected one: beer!

Surprisingly, chocolate and beer have a lot of rich, husky flavor notes in common, and combined with flour and sugar, the two are a match made in heaven!

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson’s website. I love when cool recipes from famous chefs are posted on the net! So much time can be wasted looking through countless cookbooks when you’re really just looking for that one perfect dish!

I hope you love this cake as much I do!

Party hard (and don’t paint yourself in too much green paint- I know from experience it’s quite hard to remove)

Pam xx

Whole Foods: Online Feature!!

Hey fabulous followers!

As I write this post, I’m sitting on my balcony basking in all the Florida sunshine! I’ve only been here for a day and I’m already burned to a crisp (totally underestimated yesterday’s overcast!)

Since I opted to stay out of the sun today, I offered to do the groceries and make tonight’s dinner for my family! My favorite go to spot for fresh produce and delicious meals when travelling to the US is Whole Foods Market. They offer the highest quality in natural and organic products, and have a food bar stocked with delicious home-made meals.

When navigating their website pre shopping experience I noticed that a shop online feature was also included! The system tracks the customer’s current location and offers the service to order groceries from your local Whole Foods online! This reminded me of the Fresh Direct online grocer located in New York City that we discussed in Information Systems a few classes back!

Although I decided to visit the store to pick up my groceries, I found it really cool how such a popular chain could employ an online feature! Goes to show how the Internet can take over mundane tasks such as grocery shopping!

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I can’t really seem to decide..

What do you guys think? Comment below!!

Now I’m off to enjoy the quinoa salad I just bought

Talk to ya later!!

Pam J

Spring: Please Come Faster

You know you’re cool when you spend your Friday night catching up on readings and browsing through various recipe websites.

With spring approaching (even though it seems like the dead of winter outside!), we’re all bound to start craving light and refreshing meals.

My theory is if spring weather won’t emerge outdoors: bring it to life in the kitchen!

Epicurious.com is one of my favorite websites since it holds a wide collection of comfort meals, light snacks and mouth watering desserts.

The Greek Salad Pita Sandwich that I stumbled upon reminded me of the warm days of summer that I’m really starting to miss! (I say this as I’m sitting freezing cold under my covers!)

I plan on making this dish for lunch tomorrow, perhaps it’ll revive the summer spirit in me and signal mother nature to bring us some sunshine and heat!

I’ll link the recipe down below, tell me, would you try it?

Please comment!

Stay fabulous (and warm!)

Pam x

source: www.epicurious.com

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Greek-Salad-Pita-Sandwiches-240435#ixzz1S2XOvIZT

Sunday Brunch: L'Avenue

What’s better than catching up with an old friend? Doing it over great food of course! This morning my friend Karen and I hit up L’Avenue for a late breakfast. She warned me that there might be a bit of a line, and boy was she right! THe short 15 minute wait was thanks to the fact that we agreed to sit at the small table near the door. We were pretty humgry.

Located at the heart of the Plateau, L’Avenue serves up AWESOME breakfasts, brunches and lunches! The meals are kinda pricey, but the portions HUGE-so you really are getting enough bang for your buck

The ambiance is also really cool-it reminded me of a hip place you would find in New York. It’s small and super narrow, but the entire wall is decked out in a graffiti like design-and there’s a motor cycle suspended from the ceiling!! (not gonna lie, this freaked me out-I tend to dislike large and heavy objects floating over my head)

Most importantly, the food was really good! I opted for a lighter breakfast of yogurt and granola, which was served in a huge parfait glass. Karen tried the goat cheese omelette, which was served with baked potatoes and a fruit kabob. The portion was huge-two could have easily shared! I hear the eggs benedict is supposed to also be popular and delicious and the smoothies super tasty and thick.

Would I go back? Sure. I’m not a huge fan of waiting in line and sitting in tight and narrow spaces, but I would probably make an exception. The Plateau  is adorable and something new from the downtown, St-Catherine area that I tend to stick around.

Final Verdict: I recommend it. Anything that reminds me of New York City makes my “good” list.

Enjoy the last day of break!

- Pam x

Laurier Gordon Ramsay...Now Just Laurier?

Ever since becoming increasingly involved in the twitter community, I’ve begun to notice the perks of this system. I now “follow” newspapers, magazines and breaking news channels, knowing very well that I am more likely to keep informed if I see the news on the web, rather than pick up the morning newspaper or listen to the radio.

The latest piece of information I discovered was via @mtlgazette. On Wednesday, the news channel broke the news that Gordon Ramsay’s participation in Montreal’s famous Laurier BBQ was terminated. Owner Danny Lavy complained that Ramsay was too famous to come to the restaurant and participate in key managerial tasks, and was in the process of removing “Gordon Ramsay” from the restaurant’s new name: Laurier Gordon Ramsay.

Although I’ve never eaten at Laurier BBQ after Ramsay’s arrival, it was certainly on my to do list. I have to say, this news was somewhat disappointing. Lavy argues that

“[Laurier BBQ] is a local restaurant with a lot of heritage. We want to respect the clientele and deliver what they want when they come here. He didn’t understand what was important to us” (Montreal Gazette).

Being a management student, I understand Mr. Lavy’s point. The key to success in the restaurant business is keeping the customer happy. However, many customers liked this new flair that Laurier offered. Maybe they were driven to try the popularized visions and creations of a celebrity chef?

I for one would have loved to.

What do you think? Are you happy or disappointed with Ramsay’s departure?

I’ll link the online article so everyone can read it.

Looking forward to your feedback!

Happy reading week fellow students!

Love always,

Pam x

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Celebrity+chef+Gordon+Ramsay+appears+done+Montreal/6159135/story.html

Pinterest Pandemonium!

Ask anyone of my friends, and they will tell you I am pinterest obsessed. I first discovered this site in the summer, when midterms and extra curriculars did not dominate almost every minute of my life. However, do not worry, I still find to browse…daily.

Pinterest is defined as a “photo sharing website,” designed to connect everyone from around the world based on the things that interest them. You pin your favorite photos to a board, a collection of pictures on a given topic, and voila-your photos are saved and ready to share.

Pinterest classifies its photographs and videos in order to be found easier, so as you can imagine, my favorite section is clearly the “Food and Drink.”

All types of tantalizing, mouth-watering dishes from around the world are displayed, and better yet, following the picture’s link will lead to you the recipe and original source of the photo. More often than not, the picture is redirected to a blog of some sort, whether it be lifestyle, fitness or just food themed in general.

With over 2 million active users a month, posting a picture and linking a personal blog is an excellent way to gain exposure and generate traffic on your site. Small businesses could flourish by posting pictures of their products and hoping that pinners are intrigued and captivated by their images to check out the link. You can even link your account to a twitter account and facebook page, doubling potential exposure instantly!

Pinterest is another awesome way to use the internet and information mediums to promote yourself or business without added costs.

I’ll provide the link to pinterest in addition to the link to my “Favorite Recipe” board.

However, I do warn you all, it’s highly addictive.

Happy browsing (and Friday woo!)

http://pinterest.com/

http://pinterest.com/pamela_poulakis/favorite-recipes/

Blog of the Week: The Pioneer Woman

It is no secret that I have a blog addiction. I often peruse through food blogs, getting hungrier and hungrier as the pages move forward. My latest blog discovery is one worth sharing. The blogger’s name is Ree Drummond, otherwise known as The Pioneer Woman.

She identifies herself as a  “ lover of butter and Ethel Merman” blogging about her home, garden and most importantly, southern cuisine. In fact, this pioneer has been on quite an adventure in the past few years. Ree’s blog was named Weblog of the Year in 2009 and 2010 at the Annual Weblog Awards and has been featured and discussed on Good Morning America, The Today Show and the View. In addition to writing articles for the Ladie’s Home Journal and Southern Living magazine, Ree published her first cookbook in 2009, stemming from some of her most popular online recipes, and now stars in her own daytime television show on The Food Network entitled, Pioneer Woman.

The rapid success of her blog, which only started in 2006, reportedly earned over 13 million page views a month!! This number grew in 2009, as her monthly reach exceeded 23 million viewers!

I admire Ree’s determination towards success. Time magazine named The Pioneer Woman one of the top 25 best blogs in the world in 2009, an outstanding accomplishment for such a small town girl (or anyone for that matter!)

In my opinion, the visually descriptive recipes and high quality, captivating images is really what drives viewers towards her blog daily.

The tantalizing images of southern cuisine seem so real, that you almost feel as though you can reach into the page and take a bite!!

Through blogging, twitter, a facebook page dedicated to the Pioneer Woman and a TV show, Dee is an inspiration to any blogger wishing to hit it big! Putting yourself out on the internet can be difficult at first, and southern cuisine does not appeal to everyone (especially the health conscious, do you have any idea how much butter is used? Yikes!) However, Dee has successfully used information systems to promote a brand and lifestyle that is flourishing year after year. The key is to use multiple sources on the net in order for a multitude of people to connect with your product. Now, she’s spreading her knowledge (and recipe for beef with creamy cheddar gritz) for the world to learn how easy it can be to be a chef, home-maker and woman on the frontier.   

First Post!!

My name is Pamela, Pam for short. I am a free-thinker and open-minded individual, always looking for something new and exciting to learn and discover. I love spending time with my family and friends and taking on new adventures in the city I know and love: Montreal. One of my passions: Eating. I believe that trying new dishes and experiencing new cultures through their cuisine allows us to learn far beyond what any textbook could possibly address. So, I embarked on a mission: To see how modern day information systems have changed and adapted the culinary world. Lets take this journey together and discover if our facebook, twitter and blog addiction is actually helping our growing and evolving palette.