I have watched the renovation bug flourish both north and south of the Danforth driven by amenities for families like great public schools like Jackman and Withrow. A property that sold then was originally $200,000 and is now more than $1,000,000 — so we have up and come!

But what would Riverdale be without its great diversity of nationalities and the confirmed foodies who live in the area? Where else can you find wonderful fruits and vegetables, Alex Farm cheeses (377 Danforth Ave), Sweet Tooth  desserts (508 Danforth Ave), and the best assortment of tastes from around the world? The big problem is figuring out where to go first.

Riverdale is also home to the yearly weekend celebration in August, Taste of the Danforth , one of the country’s largest street fairs that celebrates, you guessed it, the food and shopping.

The Danforth offers wonderful shopping sprees where you can find anything for the urban professional. Then take a break at Allen’s (143 Danforth Ave)  with its comforting wood interior and lovely back patio or Mezes (456 Danforth Ave) known for great Greek food and service. But if what you want to eat is not on the Danforth? A short drive  gets you Indian at Siddhartha (1450 Gerrard St E), Chinese dim sum at Pearl Court (633 Gerrard St E), Vietnamese at Mi Mi (688 Gerrard St E), or French at Batifole (744 Gerrard St E).

Whether you live-to-eat or eat-to-live, it is hard to beat Riverdale and the great Danforth!

Turkey in a Bag

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Generously grease a large brown paper bag inside or out with butter or margarine.
3. Stuff the turkey with your favourite stuffing, either bread or rice…mine is a rice pilaf stuffing but any will do….You can also rub the outside of the turkey with some great spices.
4. Place the turkey in the bag and tie the bag closed.
5. Pour 2-2 1/2 cups of water in the Roasting pan.
6. Place the bagged turkey in the roasting pan and cook uncovered(bag acts as a lid).
7. No need to baste turkey.
8. Cooking Times:

8-10 lbs.  2-2 1/4 hours

12-14 lbs  2 1/2-3 hours

16-18 lbs. 3 1/2-4 hours

20-22 lbs  4 1/2-5 hours

24-26 lbs. 5 1/2-6 hours

Pull the Turkey out of the oven, let it sit for about 15 minutes, carve, serve and enjoy. It will be moist, not dry, and best of all….you will be the star of the Thanksgiving Dinner. 

Try it and let us know how it works below. Make sure you visit Mark Michelin at the St. Jamestown Steaks & Chops . He can be found at the south west corner of Winchester and Parliament Street in Cabbagetown and they can supply the meat and all the fixings.

The biggest misconception that I hear because of my business is that there seems to be a concern out there that resale housing draws HST. It does not. HST is only on New Constuction. However, HST is payable on any of the services that are used in the Buying or Selling of property. But again: RESALE HOUSING AT ANY PRICE DOES NOT DRAW “HST”, only the services that are involved.

For a full view of what is taxed, I’d like to thank Lori Nichol of Forest Hill Realty Inc. who forwarded me this great summary. To make it easy to view you can easily make it “Full Screen”.

If you would like it in .pdf format jusr click here.

For those of you who have not YELPED before…Yelp  is a website that is a repository of peer reviews, mashed with GPS . It uses the GPS to find you, allows you to search under numerous categories for whatever service you are looking for and once you start narrowing down your search offers up peer reviews to help you make your decisions.

That night we ended up only a few blocks from the Hotel we were staying at, ate in a very non-descript inexpensive Restaurant and had one of the best meals of the trip. We based our choice on the peer reviews and on leaving could have added our own views on the experience to the Yelp  web site with photos.

Now I am a confirmed Yelper. I have downloaded the Yelp app to my Blackberry and have a profile that you can visit, become my friend or leave a review of my work as a REALTOR. Check it out in your area and write some reviews to help build the content that will make it a more valuable tool as time goes by. Get out there and start YELPING !!

Here are the photos of our trip to Antarctica, a 20 day cruise on HollandAmerica from Chile to Brazil.

Click on View Photo to see High Resolution photos of the journey.

Dec 21          Valparaiso, Chile
Dec 22          At sea
Dec 23          Puerto Montt, Chile
Dec 24          At sea
Dec 25          At sea, Strait of Magellan, 570 km long, 2 km large
Dec 26          Punta Arenas. Chile’s southernmost city
Dec 27          Ushuaia, Argentina, 55 degrees latitude south, southernmost city in the world
Dec 28          Cape Horn, most southern point of the continent, 424 m height
Dec 29-30               Antarctica, 99% ice covered
Dec 31          Elephant Island where Shackleton’s expedition were stranded for 135 days in 1915
Jan 1                   At sea, where the sun shines about 20 hours a day, about 1 Celsius
Jan 2                   Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, 500 km east of Argentina
Jan 3-4                 At sea
Jan 5                   Buenos Aires (Paris of the South), Argentina, established in 1536              
Jan 6                   Montevideo, Uruguay, port was close due to strong winds
Jan 7-8         At sea
Jan 9-10                Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1565

It was there and then that I tried my first fresh Artichoke and I have been enamoured with the vegetable ever since. We eat them fresh as often as we can because they are very high in anti-oxidents, low in fat (except for the butter or Mayo that they are dipped in) and are great fun to eat. They are a very social vegetables because they take time to consume and you have to be somewhat careful. Try preparing them split, steamed and grill them on the BBQ before serving.

A week ago we had ten people over for dinner. I searched far and wide to find large Artichokes (California) rather than the smaller grown local kind. I hit all the markets and supermarkets before I ended up at Whole Foods Market where I purchased 10 of them. I did all my research on the Internet to find the best way to cut, steam and serve them as well as some videos on what to do with them. 

http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blartichokes.htm or http://www.oceanmist.com/products/artichokes/artichoke.aspx

When we served them for dinner they were a big hit. Of the 10 worldly guests, only 6 of them had ever had them fresh, and I was led to believe that they have become converts. If  life is really boring or you are a fan of fresh Artichokes, I would check out the sites above. Pick up some tips and get dipping! You will not be disappointed! YUM!

Related Links:

Cabbagetown: The Latest News From Regent Park

Call for Entries Cabbagetown Nuit Blanche Proposals: February 18th, 2009

Toronto Real Estate: Cabbagetown

REALTORS from many different Companies have adopted Schools (our Company has adopted two), the Toronto Real Estate Board has become a sponsor, and recently the staff at TREB have adopted a School, as well. There is an ongoing need and you can come to the event below, make a donation for the Silent Auction (I donated a case of Fat Bastard Wine because I liked the name), make financial donations or get involved by volunteering.

Please read the press release below and help get the word out. This is a really great cause!

A FUNDRAISING EVENT TO FEED CHILDREN

Everyday thousands of children in Toronto show up for school hungry. In fact, most of these same students do not eat a meal the night before.  It’s a widespread problem that affects their health and ability to learn.  But we can do something about it, and we need your financial help!

Our commitment began in December 2006, when Carolyn Griffis became aware that Secord Public School was losing funding for its breakfast program. Carolyn immediately rallied her co-workers at RE/MAX Hallmark to financially support and volunteer at Secord to keep the program alive. 

Two years ago we held our first ever fundraiser for the Children’s Breakfast Programs. The proceeds from this fundraiser went towards building a kitchen at First Nations Public School and initiated another breakfast program in Regent Park.

With the assistance of 100 volunteers, we are now supplying nutritious breakfasts to 1,500 children in ten public schools each and every day. 

It costs $1.00 to feed a child each and every day. The three levels of government provide funding of just 30 cents per day which places all of the breakfast programs in financial jeopardy by December of each school year. All money donated to the programs goes directly to the purchase of food.

Unfortunately, there is still a great need in our neighbourhoods for these programs to continue. The Toronto District School Board has identified 80 additional schools in immediate need of a nutrition program. They have estimated that 36,000 children across Toronto arrive at school hungry.  To ensure these programs continue, we are having our second Fundraiser for Children’s Breakfast Programs.

It will be held on Thursday May 7, 2009, 7:00pm at Myth Restaurant, 417 Danforth Avenue with an entry fee of $25. Please come and take part in the silent and live auctions, and enjoy some great food and dancing. You may even win a terrific door prize!!

Your assistance with this event is urgently needed. You can help by making a financial contribution (tax receipts issued) or supply an item for an auction to be held at the Fundraiser.

The participants of the Children’s breakfast Programs have a common goal, to eliminate the hunger problem in our schools by adopting one school at a
time.

For more information contact Carolyn Griffis, 416.462.1888

My friend Susan, a great cook, but also a dynamite Business woman ( those are not divergent in one person, however, I digress)…is known far and wide for her Award Winning Rib Recipe. I have made it a couple of times at home, though it seems daunting at first, the most difficult part is getting all the spices together for the rub that begins the process. This Rub can also be used will Chicken and Seafood and when making the Ribs try them with Beef Prime Ribs as well as Pork (just don’t tell my grandmother as she kept a Kosher home).

Susan has graciously consented to allowing me to Blog her ribs as the only thing I’m am known for is my almost Flawless Popcorn…that recipe will follow at a later date. Make these ribs and you will be really glad that you read this very important blog…so will your friends and family!! Let me know what they think!

Related Posts:

My Favourite Time of Year!!! Winter…licious!!

Community: A Great Cabbagetown Post.

Toronto Real Estate: Riverdale…It’s All About The Food!