How-to

I’m by no financial expert, but I have two things going for me that have made me somewhat of a pro in the “know where your money is going” category. First, I work for a large financial institution and part of my gig is to understand what we all “should” be doing with our finances. Second, my financial history is very similar to the Titanic—an epic fail—so I have had to make changes in my life to avoid future “icebergs.” So with that said, here are some tools, tips, and tricks to help you know where your money is going and be a financial rock star in 2015 and beyond.

Eggs benedict, maple bacon pancakes, and monkey bread – these are just a few of my favourite breakfast foods. But if you’re eating healthy, having a big and heavy breakfast might not be in the game plan. You don’t have to miss your favourites too much though, because there are substitutions you can make for your favourite recipes to make them into healthy breakfasts. Here are a few of my healthy breakfast recipes:  

It’s the start of another year, full of possibilities and potential. A good friend of mine recently mentioned that she’s planning to get serious about her photography this year, and I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there who’ve had the same idea. So I thought I’d put together some ideas to help our readers here on the Plug-In blog push their photography further.

This past year I decided to get into baking, but I quickly realized that there is a lot more to baking than eggs and flour. I found the key to decorating cakes like a pro is using the right equipment. Here are some tools and tips to help you successfully decorate cakes like a pro!

If you’re looking for some good luck recipes to start your New Year off on the right foot, look no further – I’ve got a few great good luck dishes for you to choose from. 

With four kids in my house, we’ve done New Year’s at home more times than I can count, and just like our Christmas traditions, we have New Year’s traditions we like to do every year to make the night memorable. Here are a few ways you can celebrate New Year’s Eve at home.

Hot dips, cold veggies, wings, and delicious bites wrapped up in bacon or puff pastry – there are so many different types of appetizer recipes, you could make something new and different for every occasion during the year.  

We have a few Christmas traditions over at my house. We do Christmas eve PJs for everyone, even the pets, and we always have to go to the local mall and donate a few toys to the local toy bureau. But my absolute favourite Christmas tradition is my annual bake day for my top 5 favourite Christmas cookies.

Tis the season to be jolly and that includes attending or hosting holiday parties, and it doesn’t hurt when you’re hosting if you serve some great traditional and no-so-traditional Christmas drinks. If you’re hosting a special holiday party or you’re wondering what to bring to a small get-together, here are some great drink recipes for the holidays.

Can I just start by saying how much I love Christmas cakes? I love how, when these types of cakes are baking, they make my house smell like the holidays, and I love how they look as pretty as they smell. Whether you dress these types of cakes up or serve them plain with just a drizzle of white icing, they’ll still be the first thing people grab from the table. Here are my absolute favourite Christmas cake recipes.