It was a bittersweet month here on Planet Byn as I left my department of the past two years and moved on to a new one. I’m going to miss my co-workers tremendously; they were excellent snackers and eaters of all baked goods I brought in. The first two weeks of June were my last in the department, and then I started my new job right away on the 16th. This is what was going on in my foodie life in the midst of this transition:

• On my flight home from Ottawa on the 1st, I was brainstorming all of the treats I wanted to bring in for my last two weeks of work. You might remember I did this when I left my last job (see: Byn’s Farewell Tour of Treats). I then showed up on Monday to a beautiful Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake baked by my friend Janelle. This kicked off two weeks of my co-workers bringing in treats to thank me for everything I’ve made them over the last two years. I was so incredibly touched by this. You can see everything that they brought in on Instagram.
• Tasty G invited me to an event at Smoque N Bones where we got to try just about everything on the menu and tweet our little hearts out. The standouts to me were the ribs, pulled pork and spicy sausage, but I wasn’t really a fan of the brisket. I definitely want to go back with a purse full of wet naps and go to town.
• For Father’s Day I didn’t cook anything new to blog about, but went with Dad’s requests of steak, twice-baked potatoes with caramelized onion and bacon, grilled veggies and this Rhubarb Custard Pie for dessert.
• I celebrated/drowned my tears on my last day of work with my friends at Barhop.  They have like 36 craft beers on tap and 100+ more in bottles and cans, plus some delicious snack options. We had the best time.
• I’ve resumed my Sunday morning trips to the Square One Farmer’s Market, and it’s just bliss there. So far I’ve been picking up strawberries, cherries, plums and tomatoes, and everything has been perfect.  My friend Christina wrote an excellent post about Ontario strawberries; she totally gets it. We’re strawberry soul mates.
• I find it so hard to cook actual meals in the summer when it’s hot out, but did get it together enough to make this Banh Mi from my friend Gwendolyn’s blog (with turkey instead of pork) and I was obsessed with it. I didn’t take any pictures, so that just means I need to make it again.
• I met my FBC girls at 7 Enoteca in Oakville after hearing good things from my brother and friend Lydia. They don’t take reservations, but we were able to get a table for 7 with no problems (it was a Tuesday), but it was jam packed. I had a beet salad that was mediocre to be honest, but then a pretty amazing pizza. I gave the girls these for dessert!
• I went to Pai for lunch with a new co-worker and we split Pad Thai (I believe you have to order it the first time you go to any Thai restaurant; I feel that will tell you if they know what they’re doing) and Panang Curry. Both were delicious. I kind of love how it’s sort of in the basement and has a cozy vibe. I can see this being added to my regular lunch rotation.

Other non-foodie things I was obsessed with this month:

• I went to see The Fault in Our Stars and just openly WEEPED amongst all the tweens. There was audible sobbing and “awwwwww”ing pretty much constantly throughout this movie and I loved every minute.
• After reading and loving Eleanor & Park, I picked up Fangirl, and (this won’t be a surprise) LOVED IT. I went to see Rainbow at the Toronto Public Library a couple months ago and she spoke about how Levi from Fangirl was her favourite character to write. I now see why!
• Okay, this might sound crazy, but I’m among friends, so I’m going to disclose this. Since I started my new job, I’ve been taking selfies of my outfits every morning and putting them in an OOTD folder on my phone. It’s totally making it easier for me to get ready for work now, because I can look through the pictures, remember what looked good/fit properly/was comfortable and throw it on without changing 2698317 times. I kind of feel like Cher in Clueless, but I highly recommend this. It’s also helping to edit my closet, because if I wear something that doesn’t look good/doesn’t fit/needs to be altered, I can either trash it/donate it/alter it and move on with my life.