Monday, December 21, 2020

Almond Flour Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I love eating sugar cookies around the holidays and was so happy to find a healthier option with almond flour! These cookies turned out perfectly soft and kept well for a few days! I skipped the frosting since I'm not a huge fan of it but please let me know if you try it!  

Original recipe can be found here: Ambitious Kitchen.




Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns

I'm such a big fan of Teighan over at Half Baked Harvest and watch her instagram food stories daily! As soon as I saw this cheddar pesto bun, I knew I had to try it out! They are perfectly cheesy with the right amount of herbs! I love these so much and will definitely be making them again! 

Original recipe can be found here: Half Baked Harvest



Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Earl Grey Blueberry Tart

I was inspired to make this gorgeous tart for my friend's (socially distanced) birthday and it turned out so well! The earl grey / blueberry combination was not only tasty but so beautiful! I topped the tart with dragonfruit and fresh berries as well! 

Original recipe can be found here: Alpha Foodie



Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Oh my goodness these cookies are to die for! This would make such a great hostess gift or great to just eat all on your own as well! The recipe is surprisingly easy to follow and I was so impressed and how well the cookies turned out. They were a hit and I hope to make them again soon! 

The original recipe can be found here: Seasons & Suppers



Monday, November 23, 2020

A Touch of Copper

I love pairing metallics with white and I'm so thrilled with how this manicure turned out thanks to my striping tape! People often ask me how long a design like this would take but since I've been doing my own nails forever, this one took less than 10 minutes! The longest part is remembering to still (somewhat) still afterwards so you give your nail polish time to dry! 




Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Pumpkin Pasta with Rosemary Walnut Crispies

Wow! This pasta recipe is so simple and absolutely delicious! The walnut "crispies" topping is a must! We eat Banza pasta which is a great alternative to regular pasta. I'd love to make this again sometime soon! 

The original recipe can be found here: Pinch of Yum

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Tomato Farro Risotto

This tomato farro risotto is one of my new favourites! It's delicious as a light lunch, or perfect as a side dish. While it's easy to make, it does take a little bit of time to simmer but the wait is so worth it! 

The original recipe can be found here: Well Plated 





Monday, November 9, 2020

Flower Power

I found these adorable nail decals that are probably 20 years old but still stick! Such a fun way to jazz up  my nails and lighten up an otherwise dark manicure! 


Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

I think I just found my go-to soup recipe for the winter!!! This Thai Curry soup is filled with flavour and is so easy to make!! 

The original recipe can be found here: Damn Delicious

Monday, November 2, 2020

Atomic Coffee Roasters: House Blend

Atomatic Coffee Roasters is based in Salem, MA and began in 1996 by two brothers. They roast in small batches at their Salem roastery, and even have a cafe in Beverly, MA. 

Trade Coffee sent us the House Blend from Atomic this week. The coffee was nice with hints of milk chocolate balanced with nutty tones and a dry finish. I found it a bit light for my taste but very easy to drink still. It's medium bodied and takes well to cream.

Fun Fact: Once competitive cyclists, Atomic's founder launched the brand to busy themselves during retirement - which quickly ended their retirement.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Pumpkin Cookies


It's officially pumpkin season!!!! I tried these healthy pumpkin recipes for the first time last year and they were such a hit! This year, I made them again for us and they did not last long. I tried to frost them but that was a bit of a fail. Next time I'll need to figure out how to keep the frosting a bit thicker.

Original recipe here: Ambitious Kitchen

Monday, October 26, 2020

Glitter Fade



Monday, October 19, 2020

Café Flor

My friend introduced me to the most gorgeous plant shop called Raul in our neighbourhood which also happens to have a coffee shop connected to it! We stopped Raul's by so she could pick up some fall decor and flower arrangements. I immediately fell in love with all of their furniture, decor, plants and of course their dog Lucas! 

Once we finished browsing the gorgeous collection and admiring the plants, we stopped by Café Flor for a snack. We ordered some hot chocolate, a hazelnut cappuccino and a ham and cheese croissant to enjoy outside! I loved everything about this place - the chic interior decor, the gorgeous floors, and the gallery wall.  The outdoor seating was also so cozy and we really enjoyed soaking up the sun! 

Cafe Flor serves coffee and pastries and also has a wine selection for happy hour! You can reserve their space for private events! More info here.









Monday, October 12, 2020

Thanksgiving Nails


Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! This week's nails are simple but festive! I love mixing dark colours with gold accents and decided to go for a dotted look.

Monday, October 5, 2020

Olive & Rosemary Foccacia


While this quarantine has been hard, I'm trying to find ways to make the best of it!! Like many others, I've been testing out new recipes since I just love eating! One of my favourites so far has been this olive and rosemary focaccia! It's a crowd pleaser and so easy to make!!!

The original recipe can be found here: Rhubarbarians

Monday, September 28, 2020

My Nail Polish Rack


Has anyone else been watching The Home Edit? I'm obsessed and want to re-organize my whole life! Instead, I'm starting small by colour coding my books and decluttering!

I wanted to share my home-made nail polish rack which I've been using for almost 10 years now! My cousin and I followed a YouTube video and made this from foam board and a glue gun - I couldn't be happier with the result! 

It's moved with me between 3 different apartments, two provinces, and one country and it's still going strong! 

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Gatsby Inspired Nails

I love how this week's nail design turned out! The metallic coat is OPI's Cozu-melted in the Sun. I'd love to re-create this design for New Years Eve. 


Sunday, September 13, 2020

Doma: Carmela's


I'm loving our newest coffee delivery from Trade. This week we receive Carmela's by a roaster named Doma Coffee based in Post Falls, Idaho. 

Carmela's has aromas of brown sugar and almond, dark chocolate flavours and aftertaste of caramel. It's mild and smooth with a hint of sweetness. It's delicious any time of the day and I'm definitely giving this one a thumbs up! 

Fun Fact: Coffee is not the only thing cooking at DOMA. This roaster throws epic pizza parties with its wood-fired oven!





Sunday, September 6, 2020

Fall Nails

Fall is almost here and I could not be more excited to pull out all of my cozy sweaters and my dark red nail polishes of course! 



Monday, August 31, 2020

Joe Coffee Company: The Amesterdam

Our latest coffee from my Trade subscription is the Amsterdam blend by Joe Coffee Company! 

This is a rich, sweet, smooth and comforting cup of coffee. It has a little bit of a sweet note which reminds me a bit of chocolaty fudge or toffee. The Amsterdam blend has note of dark chocolate, walnut and molasses.

It's a simple brew that is very consistent and exactly what I'm looking for in the mornings! 

Fun Fact: Joe had an impressive two finalists in the United States Coffee Championships in 2018 with David Castillo coming in fourth in the barista competition and Andrew Oberholzen getting sixth in the roaster category.



Monday, August 17, 2020

Quills Coffee: Inkwell House Blend

Hi Everyone - we've hit another jackpot with our latest Trade Coffee order! We received the Inkwell House Blend by Quills Coffee, a roaster located in Louisville, KY. This blend has notes of cherry, vanilla and milk chocolate and it's another 'traditional' coffee if you will. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to add it into the queue again.

Fun Fact: Quills comes from the shared last name of co-owners and brothers Nathan and Gabe Quillo. 

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Revelator: Petunias

Revelator Coffee Company is based in Birmingham, Alabama. The Petunias blend has to be one of my favourites so far! It has notes of cherry and chocolate and it's perfectly balanced with a little bit of cream. I will definitely need to add this one to my queue again! 

Fun Fact: Revelator created a program for baristas entering the competition circuit that sponsored five new talents in its first year.


Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Galaxy and Black Nails

I'm such a fan of dark nails year round. I had some fun adding some black tips to this holographic base coat by OPI!





Sunday, July 12, 2020

Augie's Coffee: House Blend


Our latest and greatest Trade order is from Augie's Coffee in Redlands California. It's a family owned roastery by father-son duo Andy and Austin Amento and has been operational since 2009.

This is an excellent brew and is perfectly balanced with a bit of cream. It's medium bodied with traditional base hints of sweet vanilla and ripe fruit. It's another perfectly "classic" coffee in my opinion and I look forward to waking up in the morning to brew this!!

Fun Fact: in 2016, co-owner Austin Amento won the US Cup Tasters Championship and barista Blair Smith placed fourth at the US Brewers Cup.


Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Summer Stripes

I love a nice bright pink for summertime! 




Monday, June 22, 2020

Black and Gold Tips

I love black nails but sometimes it's fun to just add a simple black accent! I loved this black and gold inspiration photo I found online on Pinterest and tried to recreate it myself!


My version is a little harder to see, but I'm still happy with how it turned out!