while i am waiting

right now i live in the boonies, and i travel to detroit often because it's where my heart resides.  i've spent enough time waiting in line at the border to contemplate making a list of things i enjoy doing while i wait to cross over to the other side.

- paint my nails
- knit
- fix up a weird hair doo
- apply make-up
- clean my car
- eat emergency nuts
- eat the fruit i meant to eat on the way to the border but forgot about 
- make a cute list


 

all i want for christmas

is a gift certificate to Good Egg!

good egg is a beautiful shop in kensington market

267 Augusta, Toronto

it is a lifestyle shop, it is a kitchen boutique, 

it is a book store--a bookstore for people who dont think they like books!

plus so much more

 

i stopped in one day, as i always do when im in the market

& got hyper for nick-knacks--the effect that this shop has on me

instead of splurging, i started a visual list

  good egg is easily my favorite store in the GTA

and that's saying a lot!

this list is just the tip of the iceburg...

i thought of going to visit good egg again to expand it

but its already pretty big & beautiful

saying that, good egg is a one-stop-shop gift-shop for all ages

super cute kids stuff, amazing selection of gift cards, products in spectrums of colour

if you've stuck on what to get someone for christmas

go to good egg for inspiration or get them a gift certificate here!

one: citrus juicer (i own this product and use it EVERY day) 

two: Pantone postcard set (i got this for my birthday last night!!!)

three: pretty Poketo planner

four: David Shrigley Essentials (my favorite books)

five: Moleskine graphpaper (a must!)

six: ORK city neighbourhood maps (comes in all your favorite colours & cities)

seven: knit a bestfriend books! 

eight: the Flavor Thesaurus by Niki Segnit (ok, the thesaurus is actually my favorite book)

nine: Vegan Lunch Box by Jennifer McCann (some inspiration when you need it)

ten: Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara

eleven: How To Design A Typeface by The Deign Museum 

                (for a rainy day when you're ready to start)

twelve: Best In Show card game by Polly Horner (super cute! learn the dog breeds)

thirteen: Baggu tri-pack bags (multi-colour & design options. LOVE!)

fourteen: THIS IS... books by Miroslav Sasek (warms your heart with beautiful illustrations, and memories of trips past. comes in many a city)

fifteen: Crafting With Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya & Amy Hirschman (HOW hilarious)

 

things on toast

these images are part of a beautiful series called: things on toast

 as prepared by Drea; a lifestyle blogger from south-florida

her fantastic blog is  'oh dear drea'

donut / doughnut

it started with a malasada

a portugese donut. the one with the cream filling.

my darling friend gave me one, and i think i've thought about them every day since

doughnuts in general, are my newly found favorite treat

the top rated portugese bakery in toronto is next to the studio i work at

 and the third best is one block from my home

it's almost unbearble to research donut pictures 
and not go over there and get one

 

i've decided to take a short break from doughtnuts

until i visit NYC again next month

  

i'd like to try to make these apple cider doughnuts

with my moms deep fryer the next time i visit her

one .. two .. three .. four .. five .. six

supercute

cutesy cake topper diy 

by say yes to hoboken

favorite lunch

quinoa salad with lots of fresh raw vegetables 

is a lunch i've been making for myself a lot lately

 

here's what i usually throw in:

tomato

red onion

cucumber

shredded carrot

yellow bell pepper

chopped spinach

parsley

feta cheese 

(if not using feta i'd throw some salt in)

olive oil

lemon juice

black pepper

i'll usually prepare 1/4 cup quinoa per-person 

if you've never prepared quinoa before, it's super easy, 

but requires a bit of prep time.

you must rinse and soak the quinoa because it grows a natural pesticide on itself. some people have an intolerance to this pesticide, like my friend heather, who can't eat quinoa without getting sick unless it has been soaked for 24-hours.

***

with a fine strainer rinse the quinoa for a few minutes under the tap

then soak for at least an hour

rinse the quinoa again post-soak

strain, throw in pot

add water

(1.25 times the amount of quinoa you're making)

 bring it a boil - then - reduce to low

cover with lid and cook for 15 minutes

fluff with fork and let quinoa come to room temperature before adding to salad

***

bon appétit!

nourriture d'hiver

they forgot riz au lait

source

solstice cake

i made a cake the other day, and had friends over to eat it. 

 we did crafts and drank lemonade

fresh strawberries+ angel food + cool whip

muffins A+

i have been making banana muffins once a week for the past 4 weeks, 

using up the nanas I stashed in the freezer

today was my last time adjusting the recipe

i am satisfied

all it takes is two lucky bananas

as well as...

1 egg

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c, unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 t. bakingsoda

1 t. bakingpowder

pinch of salt

1/2 T. cinnamon 

1/2 c. oats

chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350F

2. egg + banana + brown sugar + apple sauce 

it will look psychedelic

2. flour + b.soda + b.powder + salt + cinnamon

3. mix the dry and wet mixtures together

4. add oats + chips

5. lightly grease a muffin tin for six (no cupcake liners!!!)

6. bake 15-20 minutes 

7. cool on rack

voila!