The Banff Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is back for Mothers Day weekend, featuring something for everyone from 65 different exhibitors. The Grand Tasting Hall will be bustling with local food and beverage exhibitors,leaving taste buds seduced and craving more. Guests can look forward to a fantastic weekend indulging in delectable cuisine from Banff’s most popular restaurants, as well as a wide selection of local and international wines, premium spirits, single malt and blended scotches, specialty liqueurs, and import and micro-brewed beer.

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I really wish I could have a mini-getaway and attend the festival this year, but unfortunately I'm tied down in Edmonton for the weekend. I'm drooling while I read the festival menu, and there's so many drinks available.. it will be so much fun in the mountains, especially with the amazing weather Alberta has been getting lately!

Sounds like fun, no? Well guess what, I have been given two pairs of tickets to give away to two lucky readers for the event. One pair for Friday night, and one pair for Saturday night The tickets will gain you entrance to the event *valued at $64*, but tasting for the food and wine will cost coupons, priced at 50 cents each.

Mandatory Entry
- Leave your name and contact email address for me in the widget below! Also specify which day you prefer to attend.

Optional Additional Entries
- Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (+1)
- Follow me on Twitter @littlmissandrea (+1)
- Tweet "Enter to win tickets to the @RockyWineFood Fest in #Banff this weekend from @littlmissandrea! #yegfood #yycfood" (+2)

For additional information, please visit the festival website here.

Contest opened to individuals 18 years of age and older. Please note that this event will NOT allow minors - not even if you are bringing an infant along with you. Winners will be chosen by random and announced on May 9th, 2013. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Monday! Or unhappy. I'm back in school for the Spring semester, and bracing myself for the crazy amount of work that's about to come my way. But on the bright side, Spring has finally hit Edmonton and I've been enjoying every minute of the warm, sunny weather.

Today I have the last shade that I have from the OPI Euro Centrale collection to share with you - Vant to Bite My Neck? It's a seductive, dark shade of grape purple that will look great with any skintone. While it doesn't scream Spring, sometimes there are those gloomy, rainy days that call for a deep shade like this one. I found that the formula was slightly streaky, but with two coats, this polish levels out nicely, drying to an opaque, glossy finish. It wears for up to 4 days chip free, and I added a little interest with Polka.com as an accent on my ring finger. It really is an interesting shade, which varies it's look under different light settings - I couldn't stop looking at my nails this week!

On my last trip to Vancouver, I was able to squeeze in some catch up time with my girlfriend Lucy. I had previously seen these desserts called 'toast boxes' and was pretty intrigued with the way they looked. And since Edmonton does't do anything remotely familiar, I took the chance to visit What8ver Cafe (how are you even supposed to say that?!) in Richmond to see what the toast box was all about.

What8ver Cafe - #1108 8328 Capstan Way - Richmond BC

Located in a strip mall amidst an area full of restaurants and other dining establishments, What8ver Cafe is little place serving up bubble tea and Taiwanese snacks from the afternoon into the late hours of the night. The interior is small and intimate, typical of your usual bubble tea establishments.

Sitting down at the cafe, we perused the menu, only to find out that the toast box isn't on the menu! I asked the server about the item, and apparently it's an off menu item and actually quite popular - maybe it should make its way onto the menu? With that aside, the toast box comes in three different variations: strawberry, vanilla or matcha green tea.

Essentially, the toast box is half a loaf of bread with the middle cut out into 9 strips. The bread is drizzled with honey and sugar, reassembled into box form, is toasted, and then topped with your choice of ice cream and toppings related to the flavour that you choose. Lucy ordered the green tea version, in which the ice cream was served with red bean, custard and decorated with cheerios.

I ordered the vanilla version for myself, which came with strawberries, bananas, custard, an oreo, pocky sticks, and was lightly drizzled with chocolate syrup. I'd have to say this is probably the most unique dessert I've ever tried, and apparently it's really popular over in Taiwan. My toast box was actually a little burnt on the outside, meaning it was over baked and the bread was quite hard and dry. It was basically impossible to eat the outer "box", but the strips on the interior were lightly sweetened and much softer. The ice cream and custard added just the right amount of sweetness, making it a pretty delicious afternoon snack.

Having had the toast box experience, it's probably not something I would do again. I'd say eating it is more for the novelty experience - which seems to be working for What8ver Cafe, because they get long lines on the weekends with patrons hoping to try it out. The item itself does take a while to prepare, so be ready to sit and wait for yours. Do keep in mind that this toast box is a massive amount of carbs - I was stuffed for hours, so time your visit right. If you're looking to have this for dessert, bring a buddy to share the experience with!