Friday Favourites

A white Christmas is one thing, but at this point I am just plain sick of greysish winter weather and seriously lusting for some spring sunshine.

Sadly that seems to have come across in my Friday Favourites, which are a little 'blue'...

See what I mean?

1) Michael Kors Charm Riding Boots, $199.99

These are a bit of a splurge but so worth it. During the spring and summer you have so many choices of footwear....Winter, not so much. It all comes down to boots. And these have become my new go-to. They're the perfect combo of stylish and (with a little water protectant) functional during this never ending snowfall.

2) Tardis Mug, $19.99

I couldn't help myself with this one. It combines my obsession with the best things to emerge from Britain: tea and David Tenant Doctor Who.

3) Belle of the Ballet Dress, $89.99

This dress is stunning. I can imagine wearing it out during the day with a pair of sandals and vintage leather bag or out at night edgified (technical term) with a pair of pumps and leather jacket. I must have it!

4) Stila Liquid Eyeliner, $26.00

I am constantly wearing a cateye, so I speak from experience when I say this is the best liquid eyeliner pen out there. You can get the most precise lines and it never runs or smudges.

5) Essie Butler Please Polish, $8.50

I've never gotten more compliments on a nail polish than this one. It's bright enough to amp up your nails but also cool enough to be a winter shade.


In other news, the Olympics are here! Pretty much my favourite sporting event of all time because it's what us Canadians were made for.

And I get to feast my eyes upon these fellas...yes please

Love, Milly

Museum Tavern

I know I know I already did a Winterlicious post but this week I headed out to the Museum Tavern for a taste of their Winterlicious lunch menu.

The tavern's sort of an upscale pub. Extremely rustic and extremely cozy.

And get this, the lunch menu, for three courses, is only...

$15. That's right five dollars a course. Winter is getting more and more bearable by the minute.

Added bonus...you get one of these baby's...

I'm getting ahead of myself, first off the appetizers.

Since I had already decided before I got there that I was gorging myself on one of their delicious cheeseburgers, I started off with something a little more light.

The Albacore Tuna Tartare is extremely fresh. I will say that the tuna gets a little lost in everything else but still so yummy.

The real star was the perogies.

No matter if you're going to try out the Winterlicious menu or their regular menu, you have to try the perogies.

And yes, they are smothered in sour cream, onions, and bacon (lots and lots of bacon) just as every perogie rightfully should be.

Now on to the main course...

The Hearts of Romaine Salad with duck confit ended up being a ceaser salad overly dressed with duck. Don't get me wrong, normally I love duck, but it just didn't seem to fit in.

 Personally, I have no idea why someone would choose the salad when they go to a restaurant with the word tavern in the name, but hey that's their decision.

I was much more inclined to a good ol' fashioned cheeseburger....

I'm practically drooling just reliving this moment...feel free to join in.

The burger was perfectly smokey yet juicy and paired with some of the best fries.

Again, drooling at the sight of these crunchy, salty goodies.

For dessert we both had the carrot cake. So moist and fluffy-the perfect end to the meal

Definitely planning on going back to the Museum Tavern to try the full menu. I've heard the spaetzle in the House Crafted Sausage is the best in Toronto.

You can find the website and full menu here

Not exactly a place to eat clean, but who needs that when it's hibernation season?

Love, Milly

Winterlicious Sassafraz

Something miraculous has happened to me. I have finally discovered the magical land of Winterlicious.

Maybe it's not really a magical land, but it is a reason for me to try the most delicious restaurants in Toronto at a fraction of the usual price. And that makes it pretty magical.

Every winter, hundreds of restaurants in Toronto create fixed-price lunch and dinner menus as part of Winterlicious. Lunch ranges from about $15-$25 and dinner from $25-$45 and include an appetizer, entree, and dessert. A meal for a deal! My favourite!

To break out of the winter blues, I headed down to Sassafraz in Yorkville with Ellen for my first taste of Winterlicious.

Photo Source

Sassafraz is normally extremely expensive (you can find the menu here) with three course lunches starting at around $40. So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard that they would be offering a $25 Winterlicious lunch menu....is it time for a happy dance yet?

Sassafraz's Winterlicious lunch and dinner menu can be found here.

I started off with the purple watercress salad. For some reason it's not listed on the Winterlicious menu online but it is de-lish!

Ellen started off with the red pepper and smoked tomato soup. So good.

For an entree I ordered the Harrison Co-op artisanal chicken breast and Ellen the Bell pepper risotto. 

It took quite a while to come out but was by far the most moist yet crispy chicken I've ever had. In Ellen's and mine there was just so much flavour packed into every bite...prepare for a foodgasm.

By this part of the meal we were so stuffed that we couldn't remember our own names let alone our already ordered desserts. 

But we happily embraced the spirit of surprise as we were greeted with heavenly raspberry cream roulade and warm chocolate cake.

As Ellen so whimsically put it, this mouse is so fluffy that "it's like eating a cloud." Perfect to lighten things up after having quite a heavy entrée.

Most adorable homemade pistachio marshmallow

Overall we were so pleased with the meal. It was very crowded when we first came in--I mean every table in the cafe was filled--so service was slower than we had expected.

We ended up arriving for our 1:30 reservation and not leaving until around 3:30, and even by then it was still quite full.  

Some of the best lunch I've ever experienced even if the wait was a little longer than I'd hoped for. For anyone wondering where to kick off Winterlicious, look no further than Sassafraz.

Love, Milly

Valentine's Day Ideas

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and that means for exactly 24 hours you can stop suppressing your delightfully soppy side and get away with the most mushy nicknames and puns out there.

Lovebug or pumpkin anyone?

V-day can also be extremely stressful because you have to find the perfect balance between leaving your special someone underwhelmed and sending them running for the hills.

For this reason I've popped a little gift guide together...

Ladies first:

My sister's boyfriend recently gave this to her as a Christmas present but in my opinion it is just too darn romantic to be wasted on any holiday other than Valentine's Day. 

The necklace above is a map of Toronto (I'm a bit impartial) but there's also a boatload of cities in Europe, Japan, and America.You could choose the city where you first met, your girl's hometown, or maybe even an upcoming surprise trip...

City Map Necklace, Aminal, $50

Perfect for the bookworm in your life...just remember you get the dates right!

Story Library Card Print, Not On The High Street, $34.82

 Sure, diamonds are a girl's best friend, but I think these rings are still pretty perfect.

Remember when you used to be told to tie a string around your finger to help you remember something? Give this along with your favourite memory of your time together and she'll never forget just how romantic you are.

Forget Me Knot Ring, Kiel Mead, $50 (silver)

Every girl loves a good candle. These candle holders are incredibly cute, plus it means more romantic candle-lit nights for you. Double whammy!

Valentine Candle Holder, Sorbet Living, $32.97

This one's only applicable if she's cute as a button (couldn't resist that one!).

Button necklace, J.Luxe, $115

For the more domestic gal...

Personalised Birch Wood Vase, Not On The High Street, $60.85

Classic bouquet of roses. You can spend a lot or a little depending on how big you wanna go, but remember to order them from before they're sold out!

For him:

Bring yourself, that's it.

Buuuttt if you'd like more of a traditional gift..

I'm a bit of a keychain hoarder myself, so I think this is the perfect gift for him or for her.

Put the day you met, you first kissed, you fell in love, you got engaged, and never forget it again.

Never Forget Keyring, Not on the High Street, $22.63

Otherwise you've got your pick from Victoria's Secret, Asos, or if you're looking to spend a little more Agent Provcateur

(Left) Victoria's Secret
(Right) Agent Provocateur

If you're a bit more body conscious a corset or babydoll dress is the perfect choice.

Think about gifting an experience as well (I know, crazy, people actually want to get up and move). Make them breakfast in bed with my fluffy pancakes recipe or pull a Julia Stiles/Heath Ledger (circa 10 Things I Hate About You) and feel like a kid again paint-balling!

Remember, Valentine's Day doesn't mean you have to be automatically miserable if you don't have someone special in your life. If you're planning on going solo call up the girls and make a night of it!

Pull out anything chocolate and 50 First Dates, Titanic, Pretty Woman (my personal favourite), the Notebook, or really anything based off of a Nicholas Sparks book.

I've got this fella as my date...

Am I lucky or am I lucky?

Love, Milly

Friday Favourites

I've seen a feature like this on quite a few other blogs and it's always one of my favourites to read, so here we are: my friday favourites.

1) Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, $44 (1.7oz)

I may be a little biased towards this moisturiser since it's the same one I've been stealing from my mum since I was 12 (sorry mum!). But in all honesty it's the perfect remedy for dried out winter skin.

2) Topshop Aline Skirt, $72

This is a little pricey, but it's the perfect winter staple. When it's this cold it's incredibly easy to end up wearing jeans everyday. Every now and again throw in a skirt like this and some thick black tights to have the perfect combination of winter style and warmth.

3) Gun Alarm Clock, $14

Okay this one's a little out there, I'll give you that. But come on, imagine waking up every morning to a little (laser) target practice...all you need now is a James Bond to wake up next to!

4) Cashmere Anchor Scarf, $105

Again, a little pricey, but for me a dreamy cashmere and anchor combination is well worth it.

5) Hidden Animal Mug, $29.30

I'm a not so secretly closeted Brit with makes these just my cup of tea. Added bonus, they're beary cute. (I'm sorry I couldn't resist!)

Had so much fun doing this post, let me know what you think x

Love, Milly