On dessert-duty at your next Sunday brunch? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Try this scrumptious blueberry peach crisp recipe courtesy of Chef Yvette Kerns — Owner of Petite Cook Charlotte — that’ll have the entire party calling you a seasoned baker.

What to Do:

1. Prepare the fruit: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a 9×9 inch pan with cooking spray. Open and drain peaches. Wash the blueberries and place them in a medium bowl with peaches. Stir in the maple syrup or honey, flour, lemon zest, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice.

2. Prepare the topping: In a separate medium saucepan, heat the butter and coconut oil over medium heat until melted. Whisk in the brown sugar until blended. Continue by sprinkling in the oats, white wholewheat flour, cinnamon and salt. With a silicone spatula, fold to combine ingredients, stirring until moistened. Add the chopped pecans or walnuts. The mixture will be crumbly.

3. Assemble and bake: Stir the blueberry and peach mixture before transferring it to a baking dish, ensuring all juices from the bowl are included. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the blueberries and peaches.

4. Place the crisp in the oven to bake and cover with foil for the first 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 – 20 minutes until the topping is bubbly and light golden brown. Top with whipped cream and a mint leaf for garnish.

Need more brunch inspiration? Check out this delicious salty paloma recipe for any occasion and this stellar one-pan breakfast recipe.

Images courtesy of: Tasty Treats and Eats (Peach Pie Filling); Cooking Classy (Peach Crisp).

Hosting a Sunday brunch but not sure what to serve? We’ve got you covered. Try this delicious one pan BLT frittata recipe courtesy of Chef Yvette Kerns — Owner of Petite Cook Charlotte — that will have your guests reaching for seconds… and thirds.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Makes: 8 servings

What to Do:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Add oil to a 12-inch cast iron or non-stick oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces, shallots, and garlic to the pan. Saute for 3 – 4 minutes. Add arugula and stir in grape tomatoes.

2. In a separate dish, whisk the eggs together adding the half-and-half. Add in salt and pepper.

3. Pour the eggs over the arugula and tomato mixture. Distribute 4 ounces of goat cheese on top. Allow the eggs to set. Use a spatula to slightly raise the eggs off the bottom of the skillet.

4. Once the frittata has had time to set, transfer it to the oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until the top is deep golden brown.

5. Remove the frittata from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes.

6. Top with arugula, a tomato slice, bacon crumble and goat cheese before serving.

Need more entertaining inspiration? Check out this delicious salty paloma recipe for any occasion and five essential entertaining tips for an intimate gathering. Happy brunching!

Brought to you by TORLYS.

When we think about laminate flooring, many of us are transported back to our childhood when grandma’s house was decked out in square-tile flooring that both felt and looked like plastic. The truth is, laminate flooring has evolved quite a bit since then, with a comeback that closely resembles the look of hardwood. Thanks to advanced engineering and manufacturing improvements, laminate flooring has become a go-to option among homeowners. Read on to learn how laminate flooring has transitioned from second choice to sought after when it comes to today’s flooring options.

Brought to you by Movement Mortgage.

Ready to purchase a home? Congratulations — it’s an exciting but daunting time, and you probably have a ton of questions. Down payments, qualifications, costs, and interest rates all sound scarier than they actually are when you don’t know who to ask for advice. We sat down with loan officer Michael Nasserfar from Movement Mortgage to dispel some of the most common misconceptions about financing to ensure that you have the utmost confidence on your new home journey.

Myth #1: You need to put down a minimum of 20% for financing.

In the past, putting 20% down was a requirement as banks tried to mitigate their exposure risk when lending to homebuyers, but not anymore. “Most buyers think they have to put 20% down for financing or to get ‘good’ financing, but this is nothing more than a common misconception,” says Nasserfar. “There are a variety of loan programs available with as little as 3% down for Conventional, 3.5% down for FHA, and even some zero-down programs such as VA Financing and USDA loans.”

Myth #2: You don’t qualify as a first-time homebuyer.

There are some financing programs that do require you to be a first-time homebuyer to use, but there are even more that do not make this a prerequisite. “The good news is that when it comes to financing a new home, there are no stipulations that state you must be a first-time homebuyer,” says Nasserfar. “Many of the first-time homebuyer financing programs reset a few years after you’ve purchased a home, at which point you can requalify.”

Myth #3: You don’t have the money for a down payment right now, so you have to wait to buy until you have 100% of the funds needed.

Did you know that you can save up for your down payment while your new home is being built? “Contrary to what some may think, 100% of your down payment funds are not needed until your home is completed and you’re ready to finish the loan process,” says Nasserfar. “If you need time to save up, take advantage of the construction timeline on your home to get there.”

Myth #4: New homes are more expensive than resale homes.

Now more than ever, the market is proving this statement false. “New-build homes can provide far more value when you consider all the special features and finishes you may not find in a resale,” says Nasserfar. Think green-built homes and energy-saving warranties or incentives. “With a resale, an individual would have to spend a lot more for a balanced offer compared to a new-construction home. When you’re comparing apples to apples, a new home is far less expensive than a resale property.”

Myth #5: Interest rates are way too high to buy and the payments are out of my budget.

Historically speaking, current market interest rates are low. Just ask anyone who purchased a home in the 1980’s when rates ranged from 10% to almost 19%. “With mortgage interest rates averaging around 8% historically, current rates are substantially lower in comparison,” says Nasserfar. “What’s more is there are many incentive programs to help you yield a lower rate than what the market is currently offering, helping you save money and drive your new mortgage payment as low as possible.”

One incentive program is a rate buydown which lowers your interest rate for the first year and then increases slightly per year until the final and fixed rate period takes place. This program allows you to take advantage of low home prices and low payments. “If and when the rates drop, you can refinance into a lower monthly payment for the remainder of the term when the opportunity is available,” says Nasserfar. “This specific rate buydown holds your funds in an escrow account so if and when you refinance, the balance of the escrow fund is applied to your principal balance.” This way, you won’t lose any of your incentives like a permanent rate buydown.

Brought to you by Moen.

Picture this — it’s a Sunday night and you’re in the kitchen meal prepping for the week ahead. Your kitchen island is filled with ingredients needed to create a week’s worth of healthy lunches and your hands are messy from all the chopping and mixing. Wouldn’t it be ideal if you could turn the water on without having to touch your faucet and get it dirty? Enter Moen’s Smart Faucet with Motion Control. Featuring advanced touchless technology, this latest innovation allows you to control temperature and water flow with voice activation or a simple wave of your hand. Trust us — once you introduce this product into your kitchen lineup, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

4 Reasons You’ll Want to Switch to a Smart Faucet

Just bought a home with Empire and interested in upgrading to a smart faucet? Moen’s products are available at our Design Centre — all you need to do is ask about them during your design appointment. Before you go, explore the newest edition of our Everyday Beautiful Magazine for more inspiration and tips to transform your home.

We don’t know about you but we’re always searching for ways to improve our homes. When we shop in-store or online for furniture pieces, decor or more general household items, we’re immediately drawn to products that are multi purpose. I mean, why buy a soap dispenser and a tray for your sponge when you can buy one item that has both? Instead of scouring the web looking for one-of-a-kind items that simplify your everyday routine (and shopping list), what if we told you that there’s one company who specializes in smart designs and dual-purpose products? Browse through Umbra’s site during your next online shopping trip or try out 5 of their most clever products yet.

Shop Umbra’s products by visiting their site. Next, discover the best double-duty pieces for your home.

Chefs across Houston, Charlotte, Toronto and Atlanta showcase their city’s distinct regional fare through four delicious recipes prepared with love in our Empire kitchens. Give them a try in your home.

J.D. Woodward has been immersed in the world of food for as long as he can remember. “My grandfather was a chef, so growing up a lot of my memories revolved around cooking,” he says. As a lifelong Houstonian, Woodward proudly cites his hometown as his favourite food city and for good reason. “The city is diverse and eclectic. The spirit of the people who live here is what makes our food so authentic.” This was the inspiration behind the chef’s Texas striped bass recipe. “Since the fish is very much representative of Texas, I wanted it to be the star ingredient while playing on hints of Asian and Cajun flavouring.”

Yvette Kern has called a number of places home including Ireland, Japan, Germany and over 11 different states, helping her to really appreciate a region’s local cuisine. With her and her family’s roots currently planted firmly in Waxhaw, North Carolina, the founder of personal chef service Petite Cook Charlotte is sharing her tried and true quintessential North Carolina dish: Brunswick Stew. “I attended East Carolina University with some of the best barbecue places just steps away,” she says. “My goal was to recreate the incredible Brunswick Stew I vividly remember eating throughout college. To me, this dish is the true representation of North Carolina and the warm and inviting people who live here.”

While many of us were in the kitchen whipping up banana bread during quarantine, Toronto chef Ryan Campbell was busy perfecting his peanut butter pie recipe. “In the summer of 2020, my girlfriend and I made a peanut butter pie and shared it on Instagram,” he says. “After receiving a ton of positive feedback, I started to think that this could be a dish people would want to try for themselves.” The recipe, and his new pie company Gerdie’s, were inspired by Campbell’s mom, Gerda, and the early memories he had of the two of them making the pie together. While the pie is native to the Carolinas, Campbell — chef and partner at Il Covo restaurant — was insistent on sourcing local ingredients in his Canadian rendition. “The farmers who are raising chickens, collecting eggs and processing milk are friends of the restaurant world — they support everything we do and as local chefs, it’s our responsibility to support them by shopping locally.”

With a host of unique cultural influences and an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients, Atlanta’s dynamic food scene has made it the unofficial capital of the south. “Atlanta is surrounded by farms, which makes it really easy to be intentional with where and how you source ingredients,” says Chef Pat Pascarella, owner of Atlanta-based restaurants The White Bull, Grana, and Bastone. Pascarella’s Italian roots were the foundation upon which his love of food and fresh produce came to be. “My grandparents used to farm, and everything that was left in their cart at the end of the day is what they ended up cooking with,” he says. This was the inspiration behind his Cavatelli alla Carrettiera dish, an homage to his first introduction to true farm-to-table cooking, and the importance of using fresh, local ingredients.

Meet the Chefs

Interested in other recipes that can take your cooking skills to the next level? Try out Chef Sous Chef’s Sunday Best Lasagna, this 20-minute Carbonara recipe and the cookie that will win every holiday bake-off.

Margaritas tend to be the go-to cocktail for those in search of a cool refresher on a hot day, but Amanda Chen would argue that it tastes just as satisfying on a chilly evening. Chen, mixologist and founder of Toronto’s Salty Paloma, knows a thing or two about making a killer cocktail. When she’s not creating one-of-a-kind flavoured rimmers, she’s keeping busy bestowing her whisky wisdom, teaching mixology classes.

Among her vast repertoire of boozy recipes is this Fall Margarita. With the introduction of flavours like apples and cinnamon, and a Canadian touch with a hint of maple syrup, Chen creates a cocktail exuding autumnal warmth, both in colour and spice, you’ll be sipping all season long.

Pro tip: Before you start mixing up your cocktail, make sure your bar cart is fully stocked with all of the essentials you need.

Next, discover our secret to making entertaining so much easier. Plus, check out these beginner cocktails ideal for any celebration at home.

Whether you’re new to the hosting game or are ready to graduate from Fireball shots, there are a few basics everyone needs for upcoming parties. What are three must-have items for both novices and liquor connoisseurs to have on their bar carts? 

Besides the alcohol and mixers, the three basic needs for your bar cart are tools, glassware, and garnishes. Cocktail tools can vary; you can either get a cocktail tool kit that comes with a stand or pick and choose what you want to feature. In order to make a cocktail, you definitely need a jigger to measure with, and a cocktail shaker with a strainer. If you’re more into spirit-forward stirred cocktails, I’d also invest in a mixing glass — I love a wide bottom Japanese yarai.

And of course, you’ll need glassware for your guests to drink with. I love stemmed glassware with a gold rim to add a special touch. Another essential is a decanter to store your favourite spirits.

Speaking of lime juice, garnishes make a bar cart complete. Whether you want to have a bowl of fresh citrus or have them precut, there are no rules! And of course, some bottles of Salty Paloma cocktail rimmers and a couple bitters will definitely impress a crowd.   

How often should you restock or replenish your supply? What about leaving spirits out for longer periods of time?

There isn’t a hard rule for this. I would generally replenish my supply whenever I’m at a low quantity of something. It’s also an excuse to try something new! If I’m running low on vermouth, I’ll check out another brand to try it out.

Most spirits don’t really expire in the sense of “going bad” enough to make you sick. They just diminish in flavour as time goes on after you’ve opened the bottle. Because of this, you’d want to prioritize finishing up that fancy golden Tequila Reposado over a clear spirit like vodka or gin. I have some spirits sitting on my bar cart for years until a new guest comes over and wants to try it. However, some of the sweeter liqueurs should be kept in the fridge, specifically sweet and dry vermouth, and any cream or coffee-flavoured liqueurs.

A well-stocked bar cart isn’t just about the liqueurs. What decorative elements would you add to boost your bar cart’s decorative appeal? What bar tools would you leave out on display?

Like any piece of furniture in your home, your bar cart is a representation of you. Don’t feel like you need to stock up like an actual bar. Besides assembling your favourite spirits, the whole point of bar cart styling is in the accents.

Think of it like a coffee table — stack up some mixology books that have beautiful images for your guests to flip through. Make it really stand out by choosing something with a pop of colour. I prefer adding a vase with flowers or a bright ceramic pineapple. Pineapples are a huge element in bar carts because they represent the symbol of hospitality, and that’s why you see the pineapple “crown” piece made as a centerpiece in many food platters.

And of course, you’ll need your tools to go along with your booze for easy access. Proudly display your cocktail shaker, ice bucket, and your favourite glassware. Don’t forget the mix! I like to add some sparkling drinks like Perrier, and even a bowl of fresh limes. Vodka sodas, anyone?

Empire interviewed Sandra and Nicole Shleifman, owners of At Home by Papergrafix, share insights on their thriving stationery business and why they love calling Avenue Road home. 

Empire Communities: You and your daughter have built a business dedicated to enriching people’s lives. What inspired you to open a stationery store in 1989?

Sandra Shleifman: Having a background in printing and stationery, I knew I could provide the service and quality I wanted to see in the industry. The focus of our store has changed over the years from being strictly stationery into home and lifestyle products to service the needs of our growing clientele. Our background and experience in design has allowed us to curate a unique collection of products for the home.

EC: What inspired this evolution, and what do you love most about selling home goods?

Nicole Shleifman: After attending the gift shows and seeing what was available and appealing, we slowly established the “at home” branch of our business. Style, quality and great service has always been our number one priority. We are also driven by that feeling of elation when you see something you feel in love with looking like it has always belonged in someone’s home.