The holidays are on their way and the Apple App Store has everything you need to throw a fabulous Christmas bash. While styleathome.com has all of your party planning, decorating and tabletop ideas covered, these 4 apps are ideal for getting the best food and drink recipes at your fingertips.
1 Jamie Oliver’s 20 Minute Meals ($7.99)
He’s British, he’s cute and now he’s gone mobile. With 50 brand new recipes and over 1000 hi-res step-by-step photos, this app doesn’t mess around. It also includes a shopping list for each recipe that you can cross off once you’ve purchased. Even better? Once it’s downloaded onto your Phone or iPod Touch there’s no internet connection needed to access the recipes.
2 Canadian Living Mobile (free)
Finally, the great recipes that our nation’s own food mag produce every month are now available in mobile format. Follow their holiday countdown or check in daily for the featured ‘Recipe of the Day’. Plus, check out tips on entertaining, holiday and style and bookmark recipes and articles that you want to keep close at hand.
3 Mixologist: Drink Recipes ($0.99)
A party isn’t a party without a great selection of mixed drinks. This app literally has every combination you can think of — over 7,900 drink recipes, to be exact. You can browse recipes, search by what’s in your liquor cabinet and also by category (Jello shots, anyone?). Definitely a must-have app for discovering your party’s signature drink.
4 All Recipes Dinner Spinner (free)
From the net’s best user-contributed recipe website comes an equally wonderful free app. With thousands of recipes to choose from, it may seem overwhelming at first, but the Dinner Spinner portion makes it easy as pie. Just choose the dish type, ingredients and ‘ready in’ time amount and the app selects all the recipes that fall under those categories. Need something that’s gluten-free? When using the recipe search function, you can filter what you’re looking for, whether it’s a variety of vegan dishes or meals with no wheat or milk.
Okay, so I know it’s freezing outside and popsicles are probably the last thing on everyone’s mind, but hear me out! The Zoku Quick Pop popsicle maker is the neatest thing I’ve seen in a long time, so I need to spread the word, regardless of the weather.
It’s a let-down when you want a frozen snack, but making popsicles takes a couple of hours of freezer time. Enter the Zoku popsicle maker which creates fully frozen popsicles in just 7 minutes! No word of a lie, all you do is pour your favourite fruit juice into the molds and 7 minutes later, voila!
The maker uses a proprietary solution sealed inside that ensures uniform freezing. Just store the maker in your freezer so you can be ready to create yummy popsicles at a moment’s notice. At only $50, this is a total steal, and a fab gift idea.
Available at Williams-Sonoma.
Okay, so I know I’ve been on a Twitter kick lately, but how sweet is this cocktail napkin? I just couldn’t resist! I think I’ll stock up on these and bring them at out at the next Style at Home get together — we’re always tweeting our exciting ideas for upcoming issues. These cuties are available on Etsy for only $5 US per pack of 30.
Want to follow the Style at Home editors on Twitter? Read on to see what each of our editors are tweeting about.
Natalie Bahadur, senior web editor: Our resident Twitter-er on everything that’s happening on styleathome.com
Laurie Grassi, executive editor: She’s got all the goods on the hottest eco items for your home and lifestyle
Brett Walther, associate design editor: Let Brett hook you up with info on the latest and greatest finds in the world of homewares
Lauren McPhillips (me!), senior editor: I’m a tech gal, but only have a love for the cool and stylish goodies
Margot Austin, senior design editor: You’ll love all of the great design inspiration that Margot offers … plus pics of her adorable French bulldog, Lulu
Jane Francisco, editor-in-chief: Meet our new editor and follow her tweets on an exciting life in the magazine world
This week I was oh-so-lucky to get a sneak preview of the swag room at this year’s TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival, for those not in the know, like my oblivious boyfriend). Situated at the Intercontinental Hotel, the Britannia Room has been taken over by Tastemakers to pamper celebs with goodies and beauty touch-ups before being interviewed in an adjoining room.
Sponsors included Joe Fresh (with the lovely make-up artist, Simone, who made me sparkle), Mattel (look for a further blog post on their tech-y Pictionary), AMC (helllooo, Mad Men!), Rowenta (their new line of hair appliances is incredible), and Guats clothing (amazingly soft activewear made from bamboo). Croma Design pimped the place out, with a lot of the furniture and accessories being sourced from PC Home (gotta love the affordability!).
I have to say though, my fave sponsor was War Child, and I was speaking to the fabulous Rosie Levine, a Toronto-based photojournalist. Since 2004, Rosie has snapped candid pics of big-name celebs at TIFF, each of them raising two fingers in the international sign for peace. She’s in the process of compiling the photos into a coffee table book, in which all of the proceeds will go to War Child. What a fabulous idea from an extraordinary woman.
I managed to snap a few pics of my own, so check them out below:
Although I don’t have any little ones running around my apartment, I can appreciate a good product when I see it. Check out the Babycook from French baby food maker, Beaba. This small counter appliance multitasks as a steamer, warmer, blender and defroster to prepare fresh food for your babe. It basically steams the food first, then purees it to the desired consistency. What a great way to save some cash and be absolutely sure what’s going into your baby’s food.
Available at Williams-Sonoma, $150 US.
I’m not sure about the rest of you Canucks across this fine land, but summer here in Toronto has been less than desirable, to say the least. Alas, this does not make my cravings for ice cream dissipate, and I’m constantly feeling the urge to pound back a tub of mint chocolate chip.
Check out this neat-o White Mountain electric ice cream maker at Williams-Sonoma. Just follow the instructions, and your gallon of ice cream or frozen yogourt is ready to go in 20-40 minutes. It’s also available with a manual crank, but I’d rather be sipping on a mojito while waiting for my frozen goods to be ready.
$170 for manual or $230 for electric, available at Williams-Sonoma.
If you haven’t tried David’s Tea yet, you don’t know what it is to live. It’s my newest obsession and there’s no wondering why: with over 150 types of tea, this modern and sleek shop attracts the tea curious and connoisseurs alike.
With the first retail environment opened at Queen St. W. in Toronto of September 2008, David’s Tea has now gone nationwide, with two more stores in Toronto, two in Montreal, one in Vancouver and another opening in Laval come November. It’s a Canada-wide tea invasion, and 27-year-old owner David Segal shows no sign of stopping.
A few of my faves?
Strawberry Bai Mu Dan (Chinese white tea with a sweet strawberry aroma)
Cinnamon Heart (Chinese black tea with cinnamon, spices, and oranges… smells like cinnamon hearts and Christmas)
Swampwater (named after the swampy colour that the water turns, this tea is anything but icky; tangy and sweet with green rooibos, guava, passionfruit and candy sprinkles)
Organic peppermint (simply peppermint tea, but the aroma will knock your socks off)
Citron oolong (perfect for settling your tummy after a big meal, this tea is refreshing with lemon myrtle, jasmine, and natural citron essences)
