As New Year’s Eve approaches, many families are looking forward to hosting parties in celebration of this monumental occasion. Whether it be early evening festivities for the little ones or a fun-filled cocktail party with long-time friends, savoury treats, tasty sweets and a dash of sparkle are essential elements for a memorable event. This New Year’s Eve, avoid a mad dash to the grocery store while preparing for the big night and wow your guests with a New Year's Eve Essentials Kit from Loblaws.

Starting today, you can take advantage of Loblaws Click & Collect New Year’s Eve Entertaining Essentials Kit, a charcuterie board in-a-box designed specifically for New Year’s Eve. Available at select GTA store locations from December 27-31, this kit includes a selection of meats, cheeses, crackers, dried fruit and even a round acacia serving board. There is enough yummy food to serve 6-8 people.

To get your hands on a New Year's Eve Entertaining Essentials Kit, place an order online at Loblaws.ca and enjoy same-day pick up at one of select Loblaws locations in Mississauga, Etobicoke, Richmond Hill, Markham and Toronto. Each kit costs $84.99 and includes the following:

Take it from a professional procrastinator: nothing beats time-saving solutions such as this convenient Loblaws Click & Collect New Years Eve kit. But don't delay because quantities are limited. Order online today by selecting your nearest Loblaws pickup location and select a pickup time. When you arrive at your selected location during your chosen time slot, simply park in one of the dedicated Click & Collect parking spots and call to let them know you have arrived. And be sure to link up your PC Plus account with your Click & Collect account, too. 

Disclosure: I am participating in the #LoblawsNYE campaign and have received special perks. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Last week, the family and I attended the Royal Winter Fair to meet celebrity chef David Rocco. It was there that we enjoyed a fun filled morning as we watched the SuperDogs perform incredible feats, sampled a variety of foods, and visited a myriad of exhibitor booths. 

After an early lunch, we headed over to the main stage for David's cooking demonstration featuring Barilla Pronto pasta. It was a great opportunity to watch an Italian chef in action and learn some tips of the trade, while learning about the convenience of #OnePanPronto.

After the demo, we had the good fortune of meeting chef David Rocco at the Barilla booth where we received a free copy of his newest cookbook "Dolce Famiglia".

We also received samples of Barilla Pronto pasta so I'm pretty much set to try out David Rocco's delicious caprese pasta salad recipe which he had demonstrated on stage.

About David Rocco

Celebrity chef David Rocco is the television host of David Rocco’s Dolce Vita, David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway, and his newest program, David Rocco’s Dolce India. The author of two internationally bestselling cookbooks, and his newest, David Rocco’s Dolce Famiglia, David is seen in over 150 countries around the world–including in 80 million households each week in the US alone–on networks including National Geographic Channel International, Scripps Television’s Food Network and Cooking Channel, BBC Food, Discovery Travel + Living, Hola! TV, Chello, Fox Life and TLN. In addition to his own programs, David can also be seen on television’s Donut Showdown, Iron Chef America, and Top Chef Canada. His has recently ventured into wine-making with his own wine label, David Rocco’s Dolce Vita, featuring a prosecco, a Chianti and a pinot grigio.

Barilla Pronto is an innovative, new pasta that helps make mealtime more convenient. Prepared in just one pan, there’s no waiting for the water to boil or fuss over draining excess water. Now, home cooks can save time on meal prep and clean-up without sacrificing the delicious taste and al dente texture they’ve come to expect from Barilla.

Win a Barilla Pronto Prize Pack!

Would you like to try one of David Rocco's pasta dishes? Barilla Canada has kindly offered a special prize pack featuring Barilla Pronto pasta and David's new cookbook "Dolce Famiglia," as seen below.

To be eligible to win, please complete the Rafflecopter form below. Open to Canadian residents, excluding Quebec.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Of all the different types of cuisine, Italian food is my ultimate favourite. I could eat it every day and never tire of it. Pasta aglio olio, pasta al forno, pasta con sugo, lasagne, gnocchi,... you get the picture. One summer, I spent a month in Italy where I studied at the Università per Stranieri di Siena. It was there that I discovered incredibly delicious Italian dishes and found myself surrounded by people who shared a mutual love of pasta, prosciutto and profiteroli. I was in heaven!

For those pasta lovers who will be in the GTA this weekend, you're invited to celebrate pasta with celebrity chef David Rocco. On Sunday, November 6, you can join David for a cooking demonstration with the new Barilla Pronto at The Royal Winter Fair on the main stage from 12:00pm – 12:45pm, in Hall A at the Exhibition Place. Following the demo, he will be at the Barilla booth (booth number 1727) from 1:00pm – 2:00pm doing a book signing of his new cookbook, "Dolce Famiglia". I suggest you get there early because the first 50 guests in line will receive a signed copy of the book for free, and will get to meet David! Plus, everyone who drops by the Barilla booth anytime throughout the fair can receive a free sample and a box of new Barilla Pronto

About David Rocco

Celebrity chef David Rocco is the television host of David Rocco’s Dolce Vita, David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway, and his newest program, David Rocco’s Dolce India. The author of two internationally bestselling cookbooks, and his newest, David Rocco’s Dolce Famiglia, David is seen in over 150 countries around the world–including in 80 million households each week in the US alone–on networks including National Geographic Channel International, Scripps Television’s Food Network and Cooking Channel, BBC Food, Discovery Travel + Living, Hola! TV, Chello, Fox Life and TLN. In addition to his own programs, David can also be seen on television’s Donut Showdown, Iron Chef America, and Top Chef Canada. His has recently ventured into wine-making with his own wine label, David Rocco’s Dolce Vita, featuring a prosecco, a Chianti and a pinot grigio.

Barilla Pronto is an innovative, new pasta that helps make mealtime more convenient. Prepared in just one pan, there’s no waiting for the water to boil or fuss over draining excess water. Now, home cooks can save time on meal prep and clean-up without sacrificing the delicious taste and al dente texture they’ve come to expect from Barilla.

Stay tuned for a special giveaway and hope to see you at the Fair!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

My sister-in-law prepared a strawberry beet juice that was actually quite good, seeing as I don't like beets. 

For her entree, she prepared a Canadian wild rice risotto with broccoli, peas and avocado topped with cubed mango. 

After sampling all of the dishes, we each voted and the decision was unanimous. My daughter won and received the honourable title of Master Chef Toronto! As you can tell by the expression on her face, she was rather proud of her efforts and quite frankly, so was I. Clearly she gets her cooking talents from my husband's side of the family.