Blouses Galore

This summer I have been wearing blouses almost every day because they are great on hot days, are very versatile and can easily be dressed up or dressed down. Here are some of my favourite ones: 

                                    

Favorite Summer Pieces

The start of the school year is slowly approaching, which means summer is almost over. With this in mind, I thought I would do a post on my favourite summer pieces. This summer I have been all about the prep/nautical/floral looks. I simply love timeless, classic pieces that can be mixed and matched. However, I will enjoy incorporating all the summer trends in the fall!

Centerpieces

All I can say about these centerpieces is that they are: fabulous, glam and so me!

Sweet Potato Poutine

Originally from Montreal, I have always loved poutine and decided to make it tonight for dinner. However, there’s a twist! I will be making it with sweet potatoes. Here’s the recipe! 

Ingredients

3 large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 large shallots, sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

2 cups organic beef stock

handful parsley, minced

pinch of thyme

pinch of brown sugar

1 litre peanut oil

1 cup cheese curds 

Directions

1. Push potatoes through a french fry cutter or hand cut so that pieces are uniform in size. Soak in ice     water for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Heat a pan on medium, melt butter then add flour and whisk vigorously for about 8 minutes until the roux is amber colored. Remove from the heat.

3. In another pan, lightly sauté shallots in olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add sea salt and pepper. Deglaze with organic beef stock, add thyme, brown sugar and bring to a simmer.

4. Whisk in the roux and let reduce on medium low for 15 minutes. Stir in fresh, minced parsley.

5. Strain chilled sweet potato fries and dry them in a salad spinner. It is important the fries be thoroughly dried before cooking.

6. Heat peanut oil in a heavy pot on medium-high until oil thermometer reaches 375 degrees F. Fry the potatoes in small batches for 5 minutes, then lay them on a wire rack to drain.

7. Place the fries on a plate, top with cheese curds and smother with gravy.

Finally indulge and enjoy!

Success Story: Kingston By Forks

This is an example of a successful entrepreneur by Queen’s student, Julia Segal.  Her bright and unique summer venture is called Kingston by Forks. An idea formed with the aid of the Summer Company Program with KEDCO. Segal developed this food tourism company to promote Kingston’s vibrant culinary scene with guided tours. However, the initial idea was brought about by her past experience as a tour guide, her passion for food and a recent exchange to France, where she got to “learn about different cultures and how food was tied in with culture and identity.”(The Whig). Kingston by Fork offers two different afternoon tours, both of which last two hours: ‘Homegrown Eats’ showcases the local food community in the downtown area and concludes at the renowned AquaTerra Restaubistro for a 3 course lunch made with homegrown products; and ‘Taste of the World’ explores the international flavours Kingston has to offer.

Check out Kingston by Fork's website and it's Youtube Promo! 

Entrepreneurship - Can’t Find a Summer Job You Love?

After attending a Lunch & Learn workshop this afternoon hosted by Queen’s Career Services for Summer Work Experience Students, I learnt some valuable information about starting a business. The session was given by Jan Dines and Lindsay MacDonald from the The Entrepreneurship Centre at KEDCO (Kingston Economic Development Corporation). As this was only an hour long session, they covered the basics of helping you get your business idea off to a running start and prospering, hence financing options, young entrepreneur programs, benefits, success stories etc. So as student who will be hopefully graduating next June, I hope to possibly start up my own company afterwards (sorry folks I will not be sharing any business secrets on here!) and thus I very much enjoyed this information workshop! Then again, plans change but I am open to anything as long as I am passionate about what I am doing.

Also while this may not apply to me, I am always willing to help others. Check out the following, it's ideal for high school or undergraduate students returning to school in the fall.

Create a Business with Summer Company!

And you could get up to $3000 to run it.

Apply now at ontario.ca/summercompany

Tagliatelle with Mushrooms, Lemon and Breadcrumbs

Last night, my friend and I decided to have a girl’s night in. Hence make a lovely dinner followed by dessert (Oreo truffles!) and a movie. Oh and of course catch up and gossip! The dish that we made was amazing and quite simple to make. Just a quick note: I substituted the leeks for green onions and did not use the chicken stock as my friend is vegetarian. Also, you can make the sauce and breadcrumbs ahead of time and boil the pasta just before you need it. 

Ingredients

12 ounces tagliatelle
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 leeks, white and light green part only, sliced
1 pound mixed mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1)  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add tagliatelle. Cook according to package directions or until just al dente. Drain, reserving ¼ cup (50 mL) pasta cooking water.

2) Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp (5 mL) chopped garlic and bread crumbs and sauté until breadcrumbs are crisp, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped parsley, season with salt and transfer to a bowl. Reserve.

3) Heat remaining 3 tbsp (45 mL) oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and sauté for 1 minute or until slightly softened. Add mushrooms and remaining 2 tsp (10 mL) garlic and cook another 3 minutes or until mushrooms are limp and exuding some juice. Stir in lemon rind and 2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice. Add stock and basil leaves and cook for 30 seconds or until basil has just wilted. Season well with salt and pepper.

4) Toss tagliatelle with mushroom mixture. Stir in reserved pasta cooking water, remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice, remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) parsley and extra virgin olive oil. Toss with breadcrumbs. Divide pasta between 4 individual serving plates and

serve immediately. Enjoy!

Recipe was found on foodnetwork website

Oreo Truffles

Image from thegcafe 

Ingredients:

2 packages of Semi Sweet white Chocolate

Package of oreos

Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Directions:

1) Mix/Crush cream cheese and Oreo cookies  in a bowl

2) Place chocolate in a separate bowl and heat/melt in a microwave

3) Let cool for a bit

4) Using the Oreo and cream cheese mixture, shape into balls with your hands and place on tray with foil. Then let rest in the freezer for at least 15 minutes—this will help everything stay together when you dip them in chocolate.

5) Next, dip the balls in the melted chocolate and place back on the tray

6) Once complete, place tray in the fridge for an hour, to allow the chocolate to set. 

Enjoy!

Thylane Loubry Blondeau

Image from Ascot Friday

At only ten years old, this young French girl has already been featured in Paris Vogue and has even walked in a Jean-Paul Gaultier show. There is no doubt about it, Thylane is beautiful.

She is a Child Prodigy.