Foodie Friday- Brunch

Hey,

So I have been wanting to write a post on brunch for a long time now but I haven't got around to it. Lately I am finding it hard to find the time to write posts. Work is very busy and during the weekend I am having too much fun to sit down to write. Haha.

As you may have seen on my Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. I like food.. a lot! I am always eating and when I'm not, I am either thinking about it or sleeping. I wake up hungry! Parker laughs at me some mornings because I wake up and say, "I am starving". I have to eat very soon after I get up or I am like a bear. Lol! So breakfast or brunch is my favourite meal of day.

Below are some pictures of places I've been to, in case any of you are taking a trip here. Toronto is foodie heaven and I will continue to share its amazing food with you.

My top 5 favourite so far are:

• Lisa Marie - 638 Queen St W, Toronto,
• Come and Get it - 676 Queen St W, Toronto,
• Evviva - 25 Lower Simcoe, Toronto,
• Milred's Kitchen - 85 Hanna Ave, Toronto,
• Cacao 70 - 485 Queen St W, Toronto.

However the list is endless when it comes to breakfast places here and I know what you might be thinking, is there any health options? the answer is, yes, plenty! But any place that has bacon and Eggs Benedict, I'm sold! Have a great weekend everyone, I am off to the Christmas markets this weekend to stuff my face.Come see me on Snapchat: zitajames

Talk soon xx

Zita

Halloween: The Mad Hatter

I know Halloween is over and already there is talk of Christmas everywhere. (Don't get me wrong I can't WAIT  for Christmas this year!) but I said I would share of few pictures of my Halloween with you before its too late and everyone has Christmas jumpers on.

We started the night in a friends apartment. They went to such a great effort with decorations, they even painted all the light bulbs red (old school style), it was great fun. After that we had tickets bought for place called the Amsterdam Brew house. It was transformed into a haunted house and looked very different to its usual brewery style restaurant.

Canadians put a lot of effort into Halloween here and I love it especially as Halloween was a huge event in my house when I was young.

Every year I try my best to make as much of my costume as I can from stuff I had at home or buying cheap things and fixing them up. I find it way more fun than buying a ready made costume, but that's just me. When I decided to go as the Mad Hatter, I was a bit nervous it wouldn't work out the way I wanted but in the end I was really happy with the result.

The best part about it, it didn't cost me much to make. The pants, shirt, blazer and boots I already had. The rest I bought.

The Hat: Originally a pirate hat in the dollar store for $2, I took off the pirate badge on it and added cardboard into the inside to give it more structure, as it was a floppy hat when I got it.

Hat Accessories: The ribbon on the hat was $1.25 in the dollar store. The 10/6 card I wrote on a piece of paper and burnt the edges and the leaves were from fake flowers in our apartment.

The bow tie: I found this a bit difficult to make. I bought a yard of material for $10 and tried my best to get it to match the pattern the mad hatter had (close enough). I cut the material, tied it in a bow and safety pinned it together, I then cut more material for it to hang down from the bow tie, I put a few stitches in it, so you couldn't see the underneath of the material when I moved around and I also safety pinned that on to the bow tie. It nearly broke my balls to do haha.

Hair and make up: I curled my hair into really small sections and then backcombed it to the point that I could of went as Diana Ross. I then sprayed it with orange hair spray. My make up was mainly white paint with powder and I contoured it with pink blusher. My eyes were, one eye pink and one green/blue. I also lightened my eyebrows with this orange tinted primer I had and voila I was done.

Really happy with how it turned out, hope you like it too. Here is more pictures of the night.....

And there I am as usual, in my own world... As mad as a hatter!

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Filling you in...

So its nearly been a whole month since I last wrote a blog post. oops! Honestly I haven't found the time to sit down and write something and I actually really miss it. One of my friends also requested that I bring back foodie Friday, so I will try my best. Its not like I don't have places to write about, I have about a million restaurants and fast food places I want to share with you. Its just trying to find the time to sit down and type.

I feel so busy lately.I am about two months into my job now and to be honest the first few weeks were really hard for me. Learning something completely different can be really exhausting, on top of trying to fit in and be the newbie. Most days I come home and I just want to collapse. I think I am doing pretty good now though and as I am a contractor they informed me  they would like me to stay on until January at least. After that it'll be decision time if I want to stay in Canada longer or if I will go home after my current visa is up. So the next few months is decision making time.

Besides work, summer is almost coming to an end here. Although it technically Autumn now, the weather hasn't realised that yet and its still 20 degrees most days. I keep thinking its going to be cold and I wear warmer clothes and by the time I get to work I am stripping. Haha. I am NOT  complaining though because apparently the winter is going to be horrific this year. With February reaching -40. Fuck! I think Cuba will be seeing me then.

We had such an amazing summer here. Some days were very humid and I did say I prefer the winter at one point but I will 100% take the statement back in a few months. This city is so different in the summer, its weird. All the restaurants have patios open, there is more people out, everyone seems happier, its great. I have said to family and friends to come in the summer time because of the weather but they haven't listened to me yet. There is always next summer guys! Wink wink.

Speaking of family and friends, I have an exciting few weeks ahead and I am wishing away my life because I am getting VISITORS! Ahh. One in 3 weeks time and two 2 weeks later. All my nagging eventually paid off and I couldn't be happier. Being away from family and friends is not easy at all. There is so many times during a day or week where I wish they were here, to tell them something funny that happened or just to talk about my day. Sometimes Skype or texting just isn't the same. So I can not wait for the next few months eeeeek!

So that is pretty much an update on my life at the moment. I am looking forward to this Friday too as a few of us are heading to Oktoberfest. Its always great fun so I can't wait. I will leave you with a few photos of my summer here.

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Scarborough Bluffs

I have wanted to see Scarborough Bluffs for awhile now but for some reason we kept putting it off. Last Saturday it was such a nice day (Summer, please don’t leave) so we decided to head there. By car, getting to Scarborough should take about 30 mins. We had to get the streetcar, subway, bus and then walk; it took the bones of 2 hours. I was nearly odd with the place. It was so worth it though.

When we got off the bus and started walking we weren’t sure where we were heading so we followed people we assumed were heading to the bluffs. You know what they say don’t ever assume anything...bla bla. Well they weren’t heading to the bluffs; they were going below the bluffs to the beautiful beaches and park area, where a lot of families were having BBQ's and enjoying the sunshine. It was great though because we got to see the beaches and we got ice cream so I was in my element. Yes I am really 5 years old in my head.

After our ice creams, we tried to figure out how we were going to get to the top of the cliff where we originally wanted to be. We knew if we went back the way we came after getting off the bus we could probably find a way but sure I love doing things awkwardly so we decided to go through woods that said  “do not climb. Fine of $2,000”....be grand!! There was a pathway so we thought, why not?  By God did we pay for it! It was so steep and difficult and I was not wearing the right shoes or clothes for a trek through an ant infested woods. It reminded me of the times my dad used to bring me and my sister on adventures through woods in Kerry or across lakes, except this time I am not fit and I was more worried my make up being sweaty for pictures at the top. Lol.

We made it to the top and wow it was so worth it. You actually are not meant to cross a barrier to look out over the cliff but everyone does it (I’m like a sheep). It was the spot to take amazing pictures. It’s kind of scary though as there are no barriers, just a big drop into the water. My hands are sweating just thinking about it. Anyway here are the pictures from up there. Definitely a must see but probably only in the summer time with no winds seeing as it is a cliff. By far one of the nicest places I have seen in Toronto.

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Someone get me a chips,cheese and garlic please!!!

So besides the obvious of missing family and friends, there is a few things about Ireland that I miss lots. Mainly food, surprise surprise. Now, don't get me wrong, Toronto has some of the nicest food I have ever eaten and the amount of options is huge. However there is food in Ireland that just doesn't compare to here. I wish I never took them for granted when I lived there haha.

Sausages: People living in Ireland.... Listen up, you have no idea how lucky you are to get to buy the sausages you want in every supermarket in Ireland because I  will tell you something, there is no such thing as normal sausages in Canada. Its mind blowing. I remember a girl I used to work with who lived in Toronto before telling me to eat as many as I can before I move, as you cant get them here. I remember thinking, ah there has to be some! THERE IS NOT! They all are massive things with herbs, or spices and even the ones they call breakfast sausages are NOTHING like Irish sausages. One day though I did have breakfast in a restaurant where the sausages tasted very similar, I was so excited that I wanted to ask the chef where he got his sausages from but that would of been a bit weird!

Lennoxs: Anyone who knows me well or even knows my mums side of the family will know that Lennoxs is our ultimate weakness. Hands down its the best chipper in Cork and nothing compares to it, not KCS, Dinos or any of them. However, I do crave a creole from KCS from time to time. There are really good fast food places here and so many choices but nothing beats some chips from Lennoxs on a hungover Saturday or Sunday. I'd murder someone to get my hands on Lennoxs some days! Haha. It's the first place I am going when I get off the plane at Christmas, I know ya.. Relax Zita J!

Crisps and Chocolate: It's not as bad as chocolate in America but the chocolate here just isn't the same as home. Anyone living aboard can back me up on this. You even see it online when care packages are sent from Irish mammies to their loved ones, it usually contains all the good stuff like Dairy Milks, Freddo Bars, Curly Whirlys, Moro Bars, ugh I would love a Moro bar right now! Well ya, its all that good chocolate from Ireland that just doesn't tastes the same here. Crisps are another one or chips as I sometimes have to refer to them as. First of all they don't have cheese and onion, like why not? That's the best flavor. They do however have nice bacon ones and other unusual flavors, but nothing like good ole Tayto!

Driving: Staying away from food for a minute. I miss driving so much. I have been driving since I was 17 and it feels weird that I haven't driven in over a year. I walk everywhere, to work, to the shops or to friends apartments. The only time we don't walk is if its too hot or too cold. We get the streetcar, subway, uber or a taxi instead. I really miss having the freedom of getting into my car and going wherever I want.

Penneys: I am not even joking, I wish I appreciated Penneys more when I lived at home. Clothes can be expensive enough here, its not ridiculous or anything but when you are use to buying most of your clothes in Penneys it seems insane. H&M is probably the cheapest alternative you can get here but then you go up to pay, and you forget about TAX.. FUCKING TAX.. Every time! I miss just being able to go into Penneys and buy a cheap top for a night out or cheap shoes. I have been finding good bargains lately though because I either shop in the sales or go to this vintage shop where everything is $10 or less. Its not for everyone but you have to go in there with an open mind. When I come home at Christmas, I am bringing back an empty suitcase and buying all of Penneys! I have even contemplated going to Boston just so I can get my fix, I am sad, I know!

The last thing I miss is, people understanding me when I speak. The amount of times I have said, how are you getting on? and got a blank stare and a reply of " getting on?, " I'm not on anything!" or even when I use words/ phrases like, post, crisps, the press, rubbish, naggins, a rubber(yes this has caused an awkward office moment, I will forever call it an eraser now), tipex, a hoover, a jumper, being allergic. The list is endless. To be fair, most of my friends at home don't understand the phrases I come out with half the time.

I really do love it here but there are obviously things I miss. At times missing family and friends can be unbearable so missing things like food and clothes is easier sometimes. Appreciate all the good shit you have Ireland, you don't realise what you have until its gone. How dramatic I know, you'd swear it was serious the way I am going on. But seriously, next time you are in Penneys or standing in a queue for your chips or even having a cuppa with a Moro bar, think of this looper over here, who is so jealous of you right now! 

Talk soon xx

Zita J

P.s Will someone be so kind and vacuum pack a chips, cheese and garlic and send it over...Cheers!

Worlds apart.

Hey,

Happy Hump Day! We are nearly there so hang on. Last Monday I started my new job and I said I would fill you in, So here is goes... I'll start by telling you why I left my old job.  Basically to make a long story short I felt that for the amount of work I was doing there, the pay was not reflecting that. I felt I wasn't being appreciated or valued for the hard work I was putting in. After being told I would be waiting 18 months to possibly get a raise, I knew it was time to move on. I really enjoyed working there and got on really well with everyone but sometimes you need to know your own worth and move on. This was not an easy decision and there was a few times that I wasn't sure I had made the right one but I had to take the chance.

Within a week I had a receptionist job in a good company with good money but I am not joking it was quite possibly the most boring thing I have ever done. I had nothing to do...nothing! The phone would ring a max four times a day and when I asked for more work I was told there isn't much else to do. I also had to ask to use the bathroom every time I needed to go too. An bhfuil cead agam dul go dti an leithreas? I really felt like I was in school again. I understand if your a busy receptionist but this was just insanely quiet so I should of been allowed pee whenever haha. After the manager, who was so lovely may I add, asked was I bored and advised me to look for another job. I decided to leave and was gone after a week. It would be a perfect job for someone who enjoyed doing nothing all day but that just wasn't me.

While I had time to myself I tried to figure out what I should do, should I go back to childcare? Should I look for a busy receptionist job? I really didn't know. After a week of job searching and with help from my recruitment agency I got the job that I am in now and it couldn't be more different than any job I have had. Which is one of the main reason I moved here ( To be completely out of my comfort zone)

The role is an office manager and securitization administrator. In the job description they said accounting preferable but after one week I have realised accounting would of been a huge advantage alright. Ha ha. The office admin stuff I am confident about, as previous jobs have taught me a lot for that role, however its the securitization role I am more nervous about. Basically what it is, is I will be securing the funding that people require for car leases. I have no business, finance or accounting background and for the first few days I felt like I was put into the job as a mistake haha.

I have spent the past week googling finance terms, watching YouTube tutorials, improving my excel skills, crying that I can't do things (at home, obviously) feeling sick, feeling nervous, feeling anxious but I have also spent the week learning a new skill, making new relationships, broadening my knowledge, laughing (mainly when I did't know what was going on) , feeling excited, feeling brave and feeling proud. 

This is so new. This is scary, but I am ready. I have overcome lots of challenges in my life both personally and professionally. I don't know if I will get the hang of it, I don't know will I be any good at it but what I do know is I am going to give it one hell of a go. Its the only way I will grow. Its worlds apart from an Early Childhood Degree, to go from Sesame Street to Wall Street is a big change but a challenge I am ready to face.

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Foodie Friday- Cacao 70

Happy Friday Friends,

The weekend is here...Finally! I have started a new job so its been a long week. I'll write a post about it soon and fill you in on what challenges I have brought upon myself this time.

For now it's Foodie Friday and today I am talking about a place that I have been to twice and both times were amazing! Its called Cacao 70 and for anyone living here they opened recently on Queen St West. Chocolate lovers, listen up because if you want chocolate on everything and anything you can think of, then this is the place for you.

The have grilled marshmallows, crepes, waffles, cheesecakes and fruit all served with chocolate. They even have a chocolate pizza menu. I know what your thinking, yuck. Wait, It's not like cheese and tomato sauce with chocolate on top or anything like that. It's pizza crust with toppings like strawberries, bananas, white chocolate chunks and melted chocolate. Its definitely what I am going to get next time I am there. It looks incredible when I saw it being served.

What I did order was the black and white waffle, which is a classic waffle with whipped cream, chocolate and vanilla ice cream with melted white, dark and milk chocolate drizzled on top! My god it was to die for. See the picture below..Ugh!

It doesn't stop there. Not only do they do chocolate everything, they also have milkshakes, a whole menu page dedicated to hot chocolate and a wide selection of tea and coffee. Best of all and what I would 100% go back for though is their brunch. With things like meat lovers omelette, hangover omelette and lazy breakfast as your options, its a brunch heaven. They even give you a starter of fruit with, wait for it...chocolate, just to get your endorphin's going, I think it's the first time I can ever say I had a starter before brunch.

                          

                                     

 Chocolate lovers really need to visit this place. After all it's good for you, right? 

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Foodie Friday-Chocolate Mars Bar Cake

Hi Guys and Happy Foodie Friday,

Today I said instead of talking about places in Toronto that I love to eat or want to go to eat, I would show you the step by step guide to making the chocolate mars bar cake I made last week seeing as lots of you liked the look of it!

This was my first time making chocolate cake actually, as some of you may know cheesecakes is my thing really so this was exciting making something new. I am no expert baker just a girl who likes to try different recipes once and awhile for a bit of fun!

Ingredients:

• 250g butter.
• ¾ cup caster sugar.
• 1½ cups of self raising flour.
• 3 eggs.
• ¾ cup of milk.
• ¾ cup cocoa.
• 4 Mars Bars or 8 mini ones.
• 1 extra mars bar to decorate.
• Betty Crocker chocolate icing.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease the base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with butter or parchment paper .
2. Cut the butter and place into a microwave bowl until the butter has melted.
3. Place the butter into a large mixing bowl then add the caster sugar. I have an electric hand mixer so I used that to mix the butter and sugar together but it is possible by hand also.
4. Fold the self raising flour and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Slowly mix it through.
5.  Then add the milk and eggs to bind the mixture together to bring that wet consistency that your looking for. Use your hand mixer for this part.
6.  Add the Mars Bars which you should have chopped into small pieces to your bowl and fold into the mixture. The mixture should be thick yet still easy to pour into the cake tin.
7. Pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin and bake for 35/40 minutes.
8.  To know if its ready, when you place a skewer in the center of the cake and it comes out clean then its ready.
9. Leave the cake in the tin for about 10 minutes after you have taken it out of the oven and then place on a wire rack.
10. When cool use the Betty Crocker icing to decorate, use the extra mars bar to decorate. I also used lindt chocolate to have chocolate shavings over the cake to make it extra chocolatey:-) 
11. The last step is to eat it all to yourself because its too good to share!

Let me know if you make it and how it goes!

Enjoy! 

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Foodie Friday- Sweet Jesus

Happy Friday and you know what that means now... #FoodieFriday.

Today I thought I talk about something that everyone loves...Ice cream. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like ice cream and if you don't like it...don't admit it, it's weird! Haha. The place I am going to talk about it called Sweet Jesus and I wanted to go there for awhile as I had heard so much about it. We actually went a few months back when the weather was still cold and the minute we came outside it started snowing. I would like to try it again when I can sit in the sunshine instead of taking off my gloves to hold an ice cream.

Sweet Jesus is attached to an amazing Mexican restaurant, La Carnita that I may do a FoodieFriday on sometime as that is worth the visit too. The restaurant and ice cream shop is located on John St but I know Sweet Jesus has other locations in Toronto also.

The downside of this ice cream shop is the line up. Some people can be waiting 45 minutes to an hour to get their treat, yes I know! Luckily we didn't wait too long, but then again it was snowing outside!

The exciting thing about this place is that you can get the oddest toppings on your ice cream from rocky road to candy floss. If it wasn't so busy all the time it would be nice to take in the surroundings of the industrial style interior with marble counter tops and the gorgeous turquoise lights.

Sweet Jesus is also a very popular espresso bar and besides there most famous item being the soft serve cones they also have Mexican popsicles and sugar coated churros.

The ice cream cones are huge and very tasty! It is well worth a visit even just to get a picture for Instagram!lol

 Have a great weekend!

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Foodie Friday- Porchetta & Co

Happy Friday!!

Finally it's here, don't know about you but I have had the longest week ever.( I will fill you in next week). For now its #FoddieFriday and the second post featuring all things food. Last week I wrote about RibFest and this week I am going to fill you in on a place I have wanted to go to for awhile and finally got the chance to last week.


Porchetta & Co.

If some of you don't know already, I am obsessed with rashers! Like its a proper serious thing haha. My parents used to call me " Rasher Kid" when I was smaller and nothing has changed really. Naturally then its only right that I had to go to a place that has a pig as its logo. Porchetta & Co has two locations and for anyone who may visit or is living in Toronto, I went to the one on King St West.

The signature of this sandwich shop is slow cooked porchetta. But it simply does not end there. The menu has a few amazing mouth watering options and of course myself and Parker got two different options so we could try both. Well that was the plan anyway.

I got the Porchetta plate and added poutine, just to be extra fat! For those who don't know, poutine is a Canadian dish, very similar to our gravy chips that you'd get in the chipper. This dish however had an extra special twist that I (being a pig lover) really enjoyed.....Crackling! Ugh, I can't cope thinking about it I just want to eat it again. The pork was so soft and the fries( yes I said fries instead of chips) were crispy and just the way I like them.

Parker got the fried chicken sandwich which is suppose to be one of their most popular sandwiches, oddly enough but I understand why. I of course had serious food envy! It always happens me that I want what he gets and he has to share with me then. I think every girlfriend is like that right? We did agree we would do that when ordering though to be fair haha. The buttermilk fried chicken is placed between two crispy yet soft buns with lettuce, pickles, hot sauce and creamy herb sauce. The hot sauce does have a good kick to it if like a bit of spice in your life.

You can enjoy a cosy (by cosy I mean its very small) sit down on their gorgeous red stools inside the industrial style interior or you can take it away and have some time alone with your amazing sandwich! Be warned though you might need a nap afterwards...It's that good!

I want to go again now after writing this!

Talk soon xx

Zita J