So with this whole COVID-19 thing, which I hope will soon be a distant memory, birthdays are being compromised. Again, if you know me, I LOVE birthdays. Almost as much as I LOVE NYE. Those are tied up there. So, obviously I celebrate birthdays in their much deserved way and high class taste. This year, well, COVID has put up a barrier for me. Erin, my best friend, her birthday was planned. Let me visualize this for you- a weekend getaway to Regina, SK (hey! there is NOTHING wrong with a staycation and local hot spots) where we check into the infamous Hotel Saskatchewan- high class- told ya! We spend our weekend going to Avenue for dinner and cocktails, Prim Brow Bar and Skin studio for the ultimate refresher facials and masques, brunch at another local spot that was undecided, and just having fun wherever the night took us. Well, SCRAP that, thanks to COVID- that was allll cancelled.
So, thinking on my toes, how can I create the BEST birthday amid a pandemic? The real bummer? My bestie was supposed to be in Italy for her birthday celebrations to continue which was also cancelled. My heart broke for her as I knew just how excited she was to embark on this adventure. So here I am in my kitchen, working away and planning a birthday. I decided – if she can’t go to Italy, how can I bring it to her? I called up one our local markets- Ingredients- honestly if you haven’t been here, the time is now! This place is literally one of my favourite stores in Saskatoon. Erin actually introduced me to it. I think I had walked past it several times as it’s connected to Earl’s and I never really noticed it. Anyways, it carries the best wines, artisan groceries, imports from Europe, finest of cheeses (I would know) and things you can’t get at a grocery story- duck fat, cooking lavender, champagne vinegar etc… The lady that owns this place (I think, anyways) helped me out over the phone. I told her what I was looking for: EVERYTHING FROM ITALY AND TRUFFLE! She went over so many different products for me and explained them in detail, where they are from, how to use them, the notes in the wine. It was the best service I’ve had over the phone! Needless to say, I bought a lot.
I decided that I want to bring Italy to Erin and I was going to try my hardest to make the perfect basket for her. I am such a perfectionist so it needed to be precise and it needed to be everything she loved.
In my basket, there is one item that is missing as it did not arrive in time, but I will post it on here, SURPRISE!, Erin! – here’s the last of your gift that hasn’t arrived here yet. But it was supposed to be the key focal point. I purchased a coffee table book of Italy. It is beautiful- it had the most stunning and colourful cover. It’s exactly what her living room needs. To make up for that focal point, I had to go a different direction, I decided to look for a magazine that was Italy inspired. To MY surprise, I found the most perfect one- a Rachael Ray Italy Pasta edition. Like could that be any better? A) it’s her favourite chef and B) It was ITALY!
I added a few other surprises in the basket that aren’t 100% Italy focused- one being creme eggs (I just know she loves those), a Just For You Day Spa giftcard- this is somewhat related, because she can use it to get a pedi before her next Italy trip ;), lemon printed dish towels (actually, that is Italy inspired) and a framed photo of Braceland- this needs no explanation as it is an inside joke. All gifts need some humour.
Here are some of the products that make up the majority of the basket.
Let’s start with the creme de la creme, shall we? Truffle essentials. (well, I knew she had recently purchased truffle salt, but I was originally looking for truffle zest for her popcorn decadence. Sadly, this product hadn’t shipped from Italy due to the whole pandemic crisis.)
I found two other amazing products I knew would be perfect for her. Dehydrated Truffles- these are the motherload–apparently you don’t need much- they have an intense flavor you can use for pasta’s and risottos. It was a no brainer to get her truffle oil as that is a necessity for her kitchen, and finally, I purchased black truffle pearls (pelage tartufo Nero)- think truffle caviar. I am very excited on how she will use these in her cooking. She is already dreaming up eggs with truffle pearls- sounds like a rich decadent breakfast coming her way. With the truffle pearls, they have a shelf life of 30 days once opened, so research needs to be done here on how to use them and get the most out of them. Should Erin guest blog on her 30 days of truffle pearls? I think so!
Dehydrated Truffles 
Truffle Oil 
Truffle Pearls (think caviar)
Next up, I purchased sauces and noods. This is my kind of “send noods!” So the pizza sauce is a cheat, it isn’t from Italy- so disregard that is says Vermont and let’s pretend. I know she likes a good pizza and you need a good sauce. I also purchased her a pasta sauce sourced from Italy- this one is good when you’re in a pinch and don’t feel like doing the whole damn recipe to make a sauce, this is simple, quick and tasty. To go with the sauce? Noodles! Rummo noodles are one of my faves- a bit more money but definitely worth it than that store bought stuff. So many shapes and sizes. Finally, I added in the holy grail- you called it, Truffle Pasta! I can’t wait to see what she does with that.
Pizza Sauce 
Pasta Sauce 
Tagliatelle Noodles 
Truffle Pasta
Now, with all this food, you need a good quality wine to dine with. I wish I could remember the exact description the lady over the phone told me. She sold this wine (and every other one) to me in seconds. The smoothness, the notes, the aroma- I was salivating over the phone! This one is from the vineyards of Tuscany. Honestly, if you need a good quality wine, go there.
The Rachael Ray Every Day Italian Pasta recipe magazine. Special edition! GO NOW! It is filled pages full of the most delicious sounding recipes. I was pretty excited about it, that I bought myself one! (stay tuned for a recipe blog coming your way.) The other addition to the basket, was a real photo taken by Erin which is one of her favourite spots of Italy.
Lastly, this is something small I did for her. I surprised her with some goodies on my balcony. (can’t wait for the new house so I can actually do a better job.) Also, do you know HOW difficult it is to find helium balloons in the city when Party City is closed? I found these stars though! Kristyn and I ordered her a flower arrangement- soft pink orchids. I went to Crave Cupcakes for birthday cakes. I made strawberry sangria slush (SOOO Tasty) and Colin barbecued burgers with kale caesar salad. We ended up zooming with some friends and even sang HBD to 50cent’ In Da Club. I wished we could have made this MUCH more extravagant or actually had friends over but this is what COVID has done to us. Challenge accepted. I’m just glad I could treat her to a birthday cheer and give her something special as she deserves the world and more!
