I had so much fun this month! I went on a couple of road trip adventures, tried a few new restaurants and had an amazing stay-cation. Here’s the scoop:

  • I met up with the Libra Gang at The Ace so we could celebrate Becca before her wedding. We shared a bunch of dishes, including a salmon crudo that I was very proud of myself for trying and ended up being delicious.
  • Sarah and I went for a long walk along Cherry Beach to Tommy Thompson Park and then got take-out from Cherry Street Barbeque which was OUTSTANDING. We got a sampler, so we got to try a little bit of everything (pulled pork, brisket, ribs, sausage, potato salad, slaw, cornbread) and it was all so good. We’re already planning our next visit.
  • Heather and I went on a little road trip out to St. Mary’s to visit our old FBC friend Jan at Betty’s Bookshelf, her bookstore (which is so cute, I’m obsessed). On the way home we stopped in Waterloo to pick up Lady Glaze Doughnuts (which we loved) and Taco Farm (which sadly isn’t as good as we remembered).
  • I had a cancelled trip this month, but kept my days off and had a staycation at The Pearle Hotel & Spa in Burlington. On my first night I went to Burro for tacos, which were just as good as I remember, and after that I ate exclusively at Earth to Table Bread Bar which is part of the hotel! I ate many treats from there, plus an amazing breakfast wrap and fingerling potatoes for brunch and then wolfed down a fantastic Bee Sting pizza for dinner. Obviously I picked up Sunshine Doughnuts for casual snacking throughout my stay, and my favourite one was Blueberry Crumble (this is the box pictured above!).
  • I got Gaby’s last cookbook for a steal of a deal at Chapters ($10!) and made a bunch things out of it, including: Kale & Leek Crostata, Salmon & Smashed Avocado Burgers, Salmon Larb with Asian Cucumber Salad and a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie.
  • Here’s my recipe round-up for the month:
  • Stuff I made from the archives: Kale Caesar, Shawarma Hummus Bowl (this time with chickpeas & sweet potatoes instead of chicken)
  • Some of my favourite go-to dishes: Everyday Meatballs, Country French Omelet, Harissa Chickpea Bowl, Cashew Crunch Salad, HSE Summer Salad with Rotisserie Chicken
  • New things that I tried and liked: Garlic Lime Shrimp, Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
  • Homemade Snacks! (a new category for as long as I keep making them): Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Bites

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

  • I continued my slow Harry Potter re-read this month with my #1 fave of the whole series: Half-Blood Prince. I tore through it, and went for lots of long walks listening to the Binge Mode podcast. It was fantastic.
  • Because of my week off, I also read a pile of other books which was great! I read We Are Not Like Them (liked it, but would recommend The Hate U Give over it, which is also about the police shooting an unarmed Black teenager), Marrying the Ketchups (LOVED this – just a story about two sisters and their cousin and their lives working at their family restaurant), The Guest List (crazy thriller, good for a quick read) and Wahala (this was also great, but kind of went off the rails at the end).

Flashback!