I really went all out with my Valentine’s baking this month (see here + here); it was so fun to be able to share treats again after two Valentine’s in lockdown! I also got invited to a Galentine’s Party! Here’s the scoop:

  • I kicked off the month by going to Campechano with my Libra Gang of work besties. I had only heard of this place the week before when Kristine went there and posted about it, so I was super excited when Jess picked it for dinner. I had a fantastic margarita, we shared guac, salsa & chips, and then I had a few tacos: Pescado, Tinga de Pollo and Chorizo Con Papa.
  • I couldn’t stop baking Valentine’s Day treats, and in addition to the other recipes I posted about this month, I also made these Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies, and they were so cute (even though my Bulk Barn was out of red sanding sugar?!)! I had about three more things I wanted to make, but drew the line there.
  • Jess also threw an epic Galentine’s Day Party! She put me in charge of savoury snacks (I truly love an assignment!) and this is what I went with: Molly Yeh’s Smoky Squash Hummus (from her latest book, but that recipe is basically the same), Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Rosemary Cashews (which I’ve made many times before and are always a hit) and Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tartlets (I used puff pastry which made these very quick to make and they were DELICIOUS). Everything was devoured!
  • I love a good no-knead bread recipe, and I made Molly Yeh’s Crusty Chocolate Chip Bread from her latest book and it was SO GOOD. I ate it toasted with butter and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (as directed by Molly) and it was just amazing.
  • Roselle celebrated their birthday/anniversary this month, and I finally made the trek over to pick up some treats. They shortened their hours considerably during the pandemic, and are now only open for brief windows on Friday nights and Saturday/Sunday afternoons, so for me, I have to make a special trip! I picked up their Very Very Chocolate Birthday Cake and a few cookies. I forgot they add passionfruit to their Birthday Cake cookies, so I promptly went to St. Lawrence Market to pick up some of these so I can try to re-create them at home.
  • Here’s my regular recipe round-up:
  • Stuff I made from the archives: Jon & Vinny’s Spicy Fusilli, Kale Caesar, Cheesy Butternut Squash Rigatoni, Panko Crusted Fish, My Favourite Waffles
  • Some of my favourite go-to dishes: BBQ Meatballs
  • New things that I tried and liked: Nothing this month (besides the below)! After all my disasters in January, I stuck to things I know I like this month.
  • Recipes from Smitten Kitchen Keepers (listing them here instead of blogging about them all separately): Falafel & Grandma Pizza – both of these recipes are INCREDIBLE!
  • Homemade Snacks: Pecan Pie Energy Bites

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

  • I finally finished all 15 seasons of ER! I feel FREE! I also forgot how George Clooney and Juliana Margulies came back for one episode in the last season, which I loved. Now onto a Friday Night Lights re-watch!
  • I read a whole stack of great books this month (and decided to read all Black authors for Black History Month): Memphis, Get a Life Chloe Brown, and Swing Time.
  • Of course Kristine and I went to see Magic Mike’s Last Dance and and I think it was my favourite one out of all three!
  • I also went to my first (and only?) Raptors game of the season and it was SO FUN! I forgot how stressful it is to be there in person for a close game! It was great and they WON!

Flashback!