Wild Ones

I kept myself busy with baking and canning projects in September which was a nice distraction from everything else going on in this dumpster fire of world right now. Here’s the scoop:

  • My favourite twins turned 1 this month! While COVID robbed me of the joy of attending their birthday party, I was still there in spirit/cake. Their party was jungle/animal themed and Lusina asked me to make a 6″ brown sugar cake with zebra stripes, a dozen chocolate cupcakes with “grass” icing, a dozen chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing, and two little smash cakes for the babies (which they turned out to not be interested in at all!). I was so stressed about the zebra stripes, but they turned out so well (in my opinion). I can’t believe the babies are already 1! I better be there for their 2nd birthday.
  • Lydia asked me to make a chocolate cake for Andrew at the beginning of the month for his birthday (it’s the one pictured in this post). I needed a little more inspiration so I asked her what his three favourite chocolate bars are, which usually gives me a few ideas for flavour combinations to incorporate. Her reply? Jersey Milk, Aero, Flake. LOL. So a pure chocolate cake it was!
  • Five years ago I made Bread & Butter Pickles for the first time and my canning equipment has been gathering dust in my storage locker ever since. Well, I wiped it all off at the beginning of the month and made a batch of Bread & Butter Pickles on Labour Day, and a batch of Dill Pickles the next weekend. For the Dill Pickles, I used my friend Heather’s secret recipe, but for both batches I followed the method in The Canning Kitchen. It takes a bit of organization and coordination, but honestly wasn’t that hard. Both batches turned out great! I’m so proud of myself. Next summer: canned peaches and pickled beets!
  • I actually put on jeans and left my home this month to meet Krishna on the Cactus Club rooftop patio. I drank Frosé Sangria and we caught up on life over a few hours. Note that COVID cases skyrocketed the following week and I have basically been back at home ever since.
  • Normally I’d be cooking up a feast in late September for the Emmys with Kristine and Nicole coming over to watch with me. I still wanted the night to feel a little bit special, so I made a treat I’ve had my eye on forever from Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Gooey Oat Bars. These are a very Hello Dolly-esque bar that I loved: shortbread crust and sweet-gooey topping with oats, coconut and chocolate chips.
  • And now the regular recap of what I was cooking this month, broken down into three categories:
  • Stuff I made from the archives: Chicken Parmesan Meatballs & Kale Caesar, Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad, Honey Buffalo Meatballs, Kung Pao Chicken (but as lettuce wraps), Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Galette (mini ones!)
  • Some of my favourite go-to dishes: Honey Garlic Shrimp, Coconut Curry Salmon, Butternut Squash & Black Bean Quesadillas, Broccoli Cheddar Soup
  • New things that I tried and liked: I tried a couple of new recipes this month but didn’t like either of them
  • Take-out: Nothing notable!

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

  • The Planet Byn Book Club read The Vanishing Half this month and everyone agreed that it was a thought provoking and interesting read. We highly recommend it. Next up: Leave The World Behind.
  • I can’t even tell you what I watched this month. I think it was basically NBA Playoffs every single night.
  • The one standout was Next Stop, a web series that was picked up on CBC Gem. It’s four short episodes about life in Toronto and I watched each one about five times. One of the stars is Jordan Hayles (who I follow on Twitter for his Raptors hot takes) and he’s so natural and hilarious. If you, like me, downloaded CBC Gem to watch sad Marianne and sad Connor from Normal People, open it up again and watch this!

Flashback!