After a month of indulgence, I really tried to rein it in this month and cook a lot more at home. There were still a couple of foodie adventures though:

  • My imaginary best friend Alison Roman was in town on her extended book tour, and I went to see her (again) with a couple of friends from work. She talked more about her book, new podcast and general approach to cooking (and life) and I just loved it. We went for dinner at Bar Reyna before and shared so many tasty things (Crispy Artichokes, Labneh with Caramelized Onions, Beet & Cashew Tzatziki, Manchego & Cauliflower Croquettes, Halloumi Souvlaki and the Reyna Salad). A perfect night.
  • Heather and I did one of our trademark cross-border runs (Trader Joe’s, Target, Crumbl, Olive Garden) and I didn’t get too many things this time around, but did pick up some Poppi prebiotic soda (Orange and Strawberry Lemon) that I keep seeing on Tiktok.
  • One of my fave former co-workers is getting married next month, so I organized a little get together for a bunch of us to toast her at Paradise Grotto (which another fave introduced me to back in the summer). We made in time for Happy Hour and had some fun cocktails and snacks.
  • Our work holiday party was at The Drake Hotel and it was pretty amazing if I do say so myself (I’m on the social committee). I haven’t been to The Drake since the pre-pandemic years, and haven’t eaten there in longer than that, but everyone was super impressed with the food (fancy sliders, frites, mac & cheese boats, buffalo cauliflower and more).
  • Here’s my regular recipe round-up for the month:
  • Stuff I made from the archives: Warm Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad, Santa Fe Salad with Peanut Lime Vinaigrette
  • Some of my favourite go-to dishes: nothing here, but I tried so many new things below!
  • New things that I tried and liked: Hearty Kale Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette, Parmesan Tahini Kale Salad with Crispy Breadcrumbs and Roasted Chickpeas (I would make this again, but sub in other recipes for the dressing + chickpeas), Vegetarian Chili, Shawarma Stuffed Peppers
  • Recipes from Smitten Kitchen Keepers (listing them here instead of blogging about them all separately): Swiss Chard Enchiladas (these were great but reminded me why I don’t like enchiladas – SOGGY tortillas!)
  • Homemade Snacks: Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies, Smoky Squash Hummus, Buffalo Wing Hummus, Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites

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

  • Kristine and I had a Day of Leisure and went for SCALP FACIALS, something I did not even know existed until she told me about it. We went to Gyoker Hair in Oakville for 120 minutes of pure bliss; scalp exfoliation, steaming, massage and deep cleaning. It was glorious. We followed that up with lunch, Indigo and a movie (The Marvels) and it was just the best day.
  • I tried not to binge The Crown Season 6: Part I all in one night and mostly succeeded, spreading it out over a weekend. So good, but so sad, and hard to watch the last couple of episodes know how it was going to end with Princess Diana’s death.
  • My reading was all over the place this month in a wide range of categories. Historical Fiction: I finished Weyward which has been getting tons of good reviews, and I found fairly entertaining, if a bit predictable. Sports Non-fiction: Prehistoric is a must-read for Raptors fans as it chronicles the story of how the franchise ended up in Toronto and its first season. Terrible YA: A group of friends from work decided to read the Hunger Games prequel A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and then go see the movie and they were both too LONG and not interesting to me at all. Depressing Feminist Non-Fiction: All The Single Ladies is basically the history of how single women have been treated like shit throughout history. Looking forward to some more fun/uplifting reads in December!

Flashback!