Favourite Things – Page 7

21 Favourite Things

March 26, 2013

My birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, which means I’m turning 22, which means I can watch this video even more than I already do. It also means I am feeling a pull to look back on the past year and take stock. If you haven’t already noticed, I’m very fond of taking stock and reflecting and such and etc. I won’t be 22 until the 7th, but since I haven’t been blogging very much lately, I thought I’d start now (also I was just having the most fun ever writing this post, and wanted to share). This list of the 21 favourite things from my 21st year was inspired by Elise. I’ll also be sharing my 21 favourite moments on a future blog post. I just love this idea because it gives me a chance to reflect on all of the wonderful things that happened to me when I was 21 and preserve/remember what made 21 so special. Without further ado, my 21 favourite things this year!

running. Maybe this is an obvious one, but running has re-appeared in my life this year, and I’m so happy with it. It’s a type of exercise that just vibes so well with my lifestyle, it keeps me sane, it pushes me, it’s interesting, and it makes me feel good.

toms. These things were glued to my feet all of last summer, and I am already planning much of the same for this coming summer. They don’t work out so well for a Montreal winter, but I could not love them more. I was reluctant to jump on this bandwagon, but they quickly became my all-time favourite shoes.

avocado toast. Preferably on toasted baguette with garlic aioli and a sprinkle of salt. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

Afterglow app. My favourite photo processing app for iPhone. I got so sick of Instagram filters, and this app is just full of dream filters and features. Amaze. (apparently it is now called Afterlight? whatevs, same difference.)

salted caramel brownies. ’nuff said, but they’ve become my go-to dessert. Apart from one disastrous batch in which I accidentally scrambled the eggs, they are the most perfect of perfect desserts via smitten kitchen.

8tracks. This website has gotten me through awful study seshes, set the mood, cheered me up, and introduced me to a lot of great new music. It also allowed me to listen to the new Taylor Swift album to my heart’s absolute content and…that’s irreplaceable.

Feedly. Google Reader is going the way of the dodo, but I don’t mind because I never really used it anyways. I did recently get into using Feedly, which is an awesome blog reader that is slick and shiny and integrated on both my browser and my phone and I love it. The list of blogs I wanted to keep up with grew too long to just check every morning from memory, so this was helpful.

Tiny Beautiful Things. I had a moment with this book. I can’t really explain it, but I just connected really deeply to the stories inside. It’s razor sharp, deep, wise commentary that is just so powerful. Cheryl Strayed is an amazing writer and seems like she must be an amazing person. I really do feel like Tiny Beautiful Things should be required reading for humanity. I reference sections of it if I’m feeling lost. It’s the best.

runny eggs on toast. My new favourite breakfast. Earlier this year it was smoothies, and that lasted a while, but now I’m all about eggs. I cook them using this method, and it has never failed me.

Sarah Addison Allen books. I really just fell in love with this author this year. Her books all take place in the South, which I’ve always been fascinated by because of their fruit trees and debutante society and traditions. The books always have a hint of magic to them, even though they very much take place in the real world. I just really enjoyed all of her writing this year.

Goji Tarocco Orange Voluspa Candle. Normally candles give me headaches because they’re so perfumey and flowery. This candle just smells fresh and citrusy, and I have yet to shove it under someone’s nose without them loving it. I splurged and bought myself the one in the large glass container, but I also have the tiny version they sell, and it does the job just as well.

my library card. I don’t remember exactly when I got myself my library card, but I do know that this has been the year I used it most. We have an amazing public library downtown Montreal, and I’ve spent many a peaceful afternoon wandering around that place. I’ve also read a ton more than I would have otherwise.

happy hour. I think this was the summer of happy hours. I have so many great memories of sitting in the late afternoon sun, drinking delicious cocktails and having long conversations with great friends. I can’t wait to do more of the same in a couple months.

Masterchef. I just can’t help myself, I adore any and all Masterchef programs, but especially the ones out of Australia. They do it best and they have the cutest accents of all time so…yeah. I love watching this show while making dinner, it makes me feel really accomplished even when I’m just chopping up sweet potato fries for the third time that week.

that pink dress. It was a labour of love, for sure, but I am so happy I set myself that challenge and came out on top. And I actually do wear it!

podcasts. This was definitely the year of the podcasts. Disregarding the fact that I created two podcasts this year, I also just fell in love with the medium. My two favourites are the Joy the Baker podcast and This American Life. I love to listen to them while I grocery shop or cook.

photo (5) — Not pictured: my equally beloved parents and grandparents

my family. Do I get points for being a sentimental sap? Prolly not. But I spent my birthday last year with my family and it was such a beautiful weekend. I’m getting old(er), and I am appreciating my family more and more, and enjoying the time we get to spend together. I felt like I got some quality times with ma loved ones this year, and I want to keep that up in future! Ya!

tacos and sushi. These two food groups (yes, food groups) made up the majority of my food cravings in the past year. I can’t get enough of either of them, in all their incarnations. Perfect food!

Pentel Energel pens. My all-time favourite pen ever, of all time. They are the ultimate!

the book club. I’m ever-so-happy we threw together a book club with a few of our friends. It’ll be over soon because everyone’s going their separate ways after graduation, but it was a nice thing, and I’m glad we did it. We read some amazing books that I may not have read otherwise, and we talked about them and it was educational and inspiring and great.

“Be about ten times more magnanimous than you believe yourself capable of being. Your life will be a hundred times better for it.” – Cheryl Strayed, Tiny Beautiful Things. I didn’t necessarily have this quote in my head throughout this past year, but I think I have been trying to embody the sentiment. I am trying to move away from being petty and towards being generous. I am trying to move away from criticizing and towards appreciating (in myself and in others). I am trying to act in a way that I’m proud of. I am trying to be true to myself at all times.

This was an incredible year for me. Amazing. So much has happened, both within and without me. Love you, 21!

Hot Toddies

February 25, 2013

Dude, it’s so damp here. And so overcast. These are a few of my least favourite things. There are these huge moats that surround every street corner? I don’t even know how best to describe it. Every time I try to go around one by walking on the parts where it’s super snowy but not yet slushy, the only thing I can think is “I’m making it worse! Soon there will be nowhere dry(ish) left to walk!” (Irrationality sometimes takes over. Sometimes you just have to let it happen.)

The past few days have been #dark, for reasons beyond it just literally being dark all the time. I won’t get all up into it here, but suffice to say things got weird, and sad. My midterm today (replete with more than a few answers I was sadly unsure of) was the icing on the cake and all this is to say that I believe a hot toddy is in order for myself, and for yourself.

Do you know what a hot toddy is? Despite being the fodder for a hilariously awful but catchy song by Usher and Jay Z (go, go now), it’s also a delicious alcoholic beverage! It combines all things that are good, and is basically just a really good excuse to spike your evening cuppa tea.

There are approximately one million hot toddy “recipes” on the internet, but so far I’ve loosely followed this one. Perhaps at some point in the future I’ll make one with lavender syrup or hibiscus blossoms or whatever the heck Martha Stewart is recommending that week, but for now this simple combo is working out well for me.

Coat the bottom of a glass with honey
Brew your favourite type of tea (I used Earl Grey)
Pour a shot of rum, or brandy, or whiskey over the honey
Add the tea up to the brim
Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice and leave a lemon wedge all up in there
Serve to happy people with moustache mugs (see Fig. 1)

This is far and away my favourite alcoholic drink for the dreary winter months. That is not to say that I have any other favourite drinks, for any months, but however, this is still my favourite. #YOLO!

Okay going to go fix myself a hot toddy and stare listlessly out at the frozen tundra. Just kidding! Instead I think I’ll watch this show Enlightened that I’m really into right now.

(But seriously, just listen to this song.) Kthanksbye!

Salted Caramel Brownies

February 12, 2013

What the what?

What is happening?

Can we just say that February is a confusing time? Can we just chalk it up to that? Can we just all admit that it’s been too long since last summer and we still have a little too long to go before this summer? Can we just say that salted caramel brownies are among the only remedies for the Winter Blues?

Yes we can, I just did.

I made a version of salted caramel brownies in December, but they didn’t quite work out. I messed up the caramel slightly, so it never really set even after hours in the freezer. The brownies themselves were meant to be taken out of the oven 5 minutes early, but I’m afraid it might have been more like 1o minutes because those were a bit soft too. Anyways, moral of the story: womp, womp (although they were still totally 100% delicious..)

But as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I was so ready to try my hand at them again. And this recipe is perfect! It really and truly is. The brownie recipe and the caramel recipe are tailor-made for each other, and the idea of putting caramel chunks INSIDE the brownie batter? Well, that’s just genius.

The brownies are fudgey and caramel-y and honestly, this is my new favourite dessert recipe. It’s been about a week since I’ve made them, and one by one each day I’ve had a ready-made, bite-sized treat to enjoy in my fridge. I’m one of those people who prefers chocolate chip cookie dough to the baked thing, and in a similar vein, I think I prefer cold brownies to warm gooey ones. Blasphemous, I know.

My only issue in making this recipe was not letting the caramel set *quite* enough. I was very close, but I also had class in an hour so I couldn’t keep waiting around for the freezer to work its magic. I had no real problems taking it out of the freezer a touch early, I was still able to cut the caramel into pieces and work it into the batter. The caramel “squares” on top ended up being more like caramel blobs, but once baked it made no difference.

I think a new batch of these is warranted in the immediate future. I have friends visiting soon! I have Girls nights to attend! These might just be my be-all-and-end-all dessert. Go! Get your nom on!

These Two Hands

January 7, 2013

These two hands have been making a lot of lovely things lately, and I wanted to share! I saw this Pin the other day, and thought it was wonderful. If you don’t want to click over, the text is “I need to make things with my hands every day”. I think it’s absolutely true for me. I’m not always making something beautiful – it could be as simple as writing a quote down in my journal or stirring brussels sprouts until they brown (I’m obsessed, sprouts + eggs is such a great meal!). But using my hands to create is wonderful, and I’m sure many of you would agree.

I read a great op-ed in the Globe and Mail when I was home over the break, about knitting! The piece quotes Chuck Palahniuk: “My working day involves jotting down ideas while doing a seemingly mindless physical task”, and the author of the article turns to knitting as her ‘mindless physical task’. While I had never thought of knitting that way, it made complete sense to me – it’s fairly mindless, and I get to use my hands to make something. Win-win. I’ve knitted a lot lately. It’s been fun. I’ve knitted so many things + subsequently given them away before I even had a chance to take a proper photo of them! But that’s okay. That’s the spirit, anyways.

I made both my beautiful sisters striped cowls for Christmas. And I saw both of them wearing them at some point in the weeks after, so success! They ended up being slightly big, but plush and cozy nonetheless. If I make the pattern again, I’ll be casting on less stitches to start. The grey cowl I’m wearing in the above photo is one I totally improvised because I was desperate for something to wear around my neck 24/7, and wear it around my neck 24/7 I certainly have! It’s my favourite. It’s seed stitch (learn how to do it here) that I made on US #10 needles with not-quite-chunky-enough yarn, but I love it anyways. I went on a hat craze, so far I’ve made 3 – one for my mom, which is pink and white pinstripes, the solid band version for myself above, and a green and white pinstripe one that is currently making its way through the mail system to a good friend who lives far away! Surprise! The knitting bowl that my sister got me for Christmas has been life-changing, or at least knitting-life-changing. Yes, I have to re-wind all my skeins of yarn into balls but it is a small price to pay to have an easier time knitting! Also there is no longer lint and dust all over my yarn from dragging on the floor. Yay.

I’m currently tackling another hat for a friend of mine, then I want to make myself another cowl, and maybe learn how to make gloves! Luckily, since I’ve gotten some new needles, I can make projects properly, and that makes me very happy. I haven’t lost the spark yet, and I’m going to exploit it for another little while yet, until it runs out until the next cold season. For right now, I’m going to make cozy things for winter with my own two hands.