Home, Furniture & Kitchen

New Year’s Eve – for millions of people around the world it’s a time of renewal, when everything old is washed away and there’s nothing but fresh new days ahead. But how do you kick off the New Year in a way that will bring the most peace, prosperity, and happiness to both you and your family?   The answer really depends on where you live.  

Every year around this time, I, like so many others, start thinking about my New Years resolutions. Not surprisingly, they typically revolve around ways in which I can (and should) be more healthy. This year, the plan is to get to the gym more, cut back on adult grape juice, and jump on the smoothie bandwagon.   I’ve long known the health benefits that come from starting every day with a nutrient and antioxidant rich smoothie, but every time I try to whip something together, my blender falls short. That’s where Blendtec Designer Series Blenders come in.

Are you tired of sugar cookies yet? Does the idea of one more piece of shortbread make your stomach lurch? Do you get a headache at the thought of consuming yet another snickerdoodle? If so, you might just be suffering from Christmas cookie overload.   But don’t worry, help is here – when you’re tired of the same old, same old treats on the table, you need to try something different. And by different I mean from an entirely different country.

More often than not, multifunctional kitchen appliances do an average job executing their full arsenal of tasks, but rarely do they do any one task exceptionally well. But if you’re anything like me, that just won’t do. You want it all and are willing to invest in something that can slice, dice, and cut tin cans in half. Well, you’re in luck. While BlendTec Blenders can’t cut through tin cans (or can they??), they take chopping, churning, pureeing, and everything else that comes with blending very seriously. 

Have you ever wondered how the Holidays are celebrated in a different country? Although we always spend our Christmas close to home, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to hop on a plane and immerse myself in another culture in December. After all, that would be the best time to really see, smell, and taste all of the different goodies that are truly authentic to the places they come from.

Canada is a country that can’t be defined by any one way of life. We’re a country based on multiculturalism, and you can easily see that whether you’re on the East Coast in Prince Edward Island and Quebec, steadfastly in the middle of central Canada, or on the West Coast and way up North.   

If you do a search for Montreal online, you’re almost always going to pull up the term ‘food’ on the first page. That’s because as far as Canadian cuisine is concerned, Montreal really is in a league of its own.

Throughout November Shelly has been featuring recipes from across Canada. She began in British Columbia, where she now lives. Last week she wrote about the prairies, where she was raised.  This week she asked me to guest post, since my family is originally from Southern Ontario before we headed west to BC. We love the west coast, but still cherish our French Canadian heritage, especially the tradition of serving our family’s version of tortière for Christmas