As per annual tradition, I spent August trying to eat as much Tomato Toast as possible, and basically have no other notes from the month. But, first up, I had hands-down the best meal of my entire summer, and it wasn’t even at a restaurant. More on that below:
- Doesn’t the photo above look like it was taken in a cute home in the French countryside? Nope, it was at my friend Tania’s house, and I was obsessed and just had to take pictures of her gorgeous shelves and styling. She had a few of us over for lunch, and just absolutely spoiled us with the most beautiful, seasonal and delicious lunch I could possibly imagine. A flaky tomato tart with burrata and fresh pesto, roasted cauliflower with chimichurri, homemade gnocchi, a beautiful salad and homemade focaccia which didn’t make it into this picture. Dessert was a sponge cake with lemon curd, meringue and freshly whipped cream. I can’t even believe I was lucky enough to experience this.
- After a crazy August last year, this year I was determined to make it my best Tomato Girl Summer ever. To that end, I made a mission to Brodflour on a random rainy day off to pick up a loaf of sourdough for Tomato Toast. While there, I had another epic breakfast sandwich (tomato, egg, cheddar, arugula and chive aoili) plus took home a slice of sourdough with almond butter, saskatoonberry jam, hemp hearts and cinnamon to eat later. Absolutely delicious.
- My first Tomato Toast experiment of the summer was this version with fried provolone. My verdict was that it was good BUT you don’t need to go to the trouble of messing with fried cheese to enhance your Tomato Toast.
- Tania continued to spoil me later in the month, surprising me with a loaf of her homemade sourdough for further Tomato Girl Summer meals. Look how cute it is! I also copied Brodflour and made some toast with peanut butter, sliced banana, hemp hearts and cinnamon and it was SO good.
- My friend Devon came to visit with her family at the end of August and Lydia and I took her to our fave place in Oakville, Por Vida, for some margaritas and snacks. We also introduced her to Fresh at the end of her visit and I even tried some new things (BBQ Cauliflower and Dragon Fries) which is a big deal since I’ve basically been eating the same thing there for 20 years (the Balance Bowl!).
- Now here’s my regular recipe round-up for the month:
- Stuff I made from the archives: Chicken Shawarma Hummus Bowl, Panko Crusted Baked Salmon, Honey Buffalo Meatballs, Gochujang Salmon
- Some of my favourite go-to dishes: SO MUCH TOMATO TOAST!, Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme, Meal Prep Breakfast Sandwiches
- New things that I tried and liked: Avocado Peach Salad with Tahini Dill Dressing, Red Curry Chicken Stir Fry with Spicy Cashew Sauce, Kale & Couscous Salad
- Homemade Snacks: Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
Other non-foodie things I was obsessed with this month:
- My Mom and I went to see Pink and it was so much fun! She has wanted to go see Pink for a while, and when she extended her Summer Carnival tour, I knew it was a sign to go. We loved it.
- All Kristine wanted to do for her birthday this year was to get day passes to LifeTime and have a wellness day. We started off with a yoga class in the morning, then had smoothies, then did some cardio and weights, followed by using all the spa amenities (sauna, steam room, hot tubs, pools). Considering a membership for next year!
- Can you believe Missy Elliot has never had an arena tour before?! Kristine and I have been waiting our whole lives to see her live, and it was the best night of the summer. All our fave songs, plus Busta Rhymes and Timbaland (and Ciara), it was incredible.
- I had a month of reading romance books and it was full of high highs and low lows. I adore Rainbow Rowell and her new book Slow Dance will end up being one of my faves of the year. I felt like I was on the verge of tears the entire time I was reading it, and the chemistry between the two main characters simply JUMPED off the page. I also read A Novel Love Story, which was cute and whimsical (compliment!), The Summer Pact (which was disappointing as a long time Emily Giffin fan) and How to End a Love Story, which I HATED.
Flashback!
- One year ago [August 2023]
- Two years ago [August 2022]
- Three years ago [August 2021]
- Four years ago [August 2020]
- Five years ago [August 2019]
- Six years ago [August 2018]
- Seven years ago [August 2017]
- Eight years ago [August 2016]
- Nine years ago [August 2015]
- Ten years ago [August 2014]
- Eleven years ago [August 2013]
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