Anxious.

I went home for lunch today and decided to enjoy the sunshine before I had to go back to my desk job. I basically just sat there and thought about all the things that are going to be happening in my life sooner than later!

My last day as a Creative Writer is on June 15th and I'm starting to get really anxious for all the big changes coming up in my life. I start my serving job on June 18th and will hopefully be working there a lot to prepare for our big move on August 1st which is a whole other change in itself.

It feels like it's still so far away before we take the next big step in our relationship but I know it's going to be here before we know it!

The past week we had to house sit his Mom's while she was out of town and it's been so nice, just the two of us... doing what we both want to do whether it's together or seperate. It's nice to have that comfort of knowing that we're both just in the other room... there's no waiting to hang out, waiting for him to pick me up to go out, etc. We're both just there and there's something so comforting about it.

I seriously can't wait.

Parm Cheese & Bread Crumb Coated Asparagus

I found this recipe on Pinterest from a really cool new food blog I found!! Go check them out!

Last night, John and I had to babysit my stepsister. We had tons of food that we bought at the beginning of the week to cook up so we thought we'd have a barbecue! I had a bunch of Asparagus saved so when I found this recipe, I thought I'd try something new. My boyfriend wasn't a fan, but my step sister and me loved it! Best part? It's SO easy!

What You'll Need:

• One Bunch of Asparagus
• 1 tsp of Chili Powder
• 1/2 cup of Bread Crumbs (I used Panko)
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
• Salt & Pepper to Taste
• 1 egg, beaten.

What To Do:

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Lay out some tinfoil on a baking sheet and put olive oil or PAM on it.
2. Mix together your bread crumbs, cheese, salt & pepper and chili powder.
3. Dip each stem of asparagus (make sure to cut off the ends) in the beaten egg and then in the bread mixture.
4. Once all asparagus stems are coated, put in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until asparagus is soft.
5. Enjoy!

Hunger Games Soundtrack

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.
For some reason, I was wide awake from 4-6 in the morning...so to say that I'm tired today would be a complete understatement. Poor John has to put up with cranky me... and I'm really cranky.

Something getting me through the day today is the beautiful music from the Hunger Games. It really relates to the story but you can compare it to real life too and the struggles and stresses we face from everyday life!

For example, I'm super excited to be moving in with John come August, but it's going to be bittersweet not living with my parents anymore... I mean that's all I've ever known so it's definitely weird. But that doesn't mean I'm any less excited. But ya gotta grow up sometime!

Beef Stroganoff

Last night for dinner, I made a really delicious Beef Stroganoff.
I didn't take any pictures though and let's face it, it's not the most attractive recipe in the world... but it sure did taste good!
I'm more so writing this out for my OWN reference because everytime I make it, I stress out because I can never find an exact recipe that I'm willing to follow.
So now that I'm a bit more confident when it comes to cooking, I somehow managed to make my own and it's definitely the one I'll be using time and time again. So I need to write out, or I'll forget.

Beef Stroganoff

What You'll Need:

• One Large Sirloin Steak (the better the cut, the better it tastes!)
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 3 tbs sour cream
• 3 tbs white flour
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 green pepper
• 1/2 yellow onion
• salt & pepper to taste
• 5-6 tbs of butter
• Egg Noodles

What To Do:

1. Trim the fat off the Sirloin Steak and cut into narrow strips and then cut the narrow strips into halves.
2. Salt & Pepper both sides of the Meat to taste.
3. Start cooking your egg noodles according to the package.
4. Dice the green pepper and the onion.
5. Put in 2-3 tablespoons of butter in the frying pan on medium high heat. Once it melts, add in the steak and make sure the meat is browned all the way through (or so the way I like it) and on both sides.
6. Remove the meat from the pan, set aside.
7. Add in 2-3 tablespoons in the same pan you used for the meat and wait for it to melt. Add in your green peppers and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until the peppers are soft the onions are browning on the outside.
8. Slowly, pour in one can of beef broth. Mix in the flour. The sauce will begin to thicken.
9. Add in your beef and mix together.
10. Add in sour cream and mustard.
11. Cook until sauce is thoroughly mixed, thick and hot.
12. Serve over egg noodles.

Serves 2.

Huge, Massive Changes

My life has managed to spin in a completely different direction that I ever dreamed possible.
The biggest thing is that I quit my full time Creative Writing job to be a server at Swiss Chalet.
Let me explain.
My contract in writing is up come August and there were no opportunities here for me when it's over. So after 2 years, I decided to look for work elsewhere in preperation for going back to school in September! ANOTHER huge change. I'll be taking the Child & Youth Care program which I believe will make me happier in the long run anyway then working in media. At the end of the day, I'll be able to say that I helped people and that means a lot to me. I'll still be working as a part time Weather Anchor at the station for the extra experience & money. Basically, come September, I'll be SUPER busy as I'll be studying, working and trying to pay for everything I have to pay for. I'm getting tired just thinking about it! But I'm 100% sure I can do this as I am one determined cookie. And when you're determined, you can do anything!

The pictures above are from last night when John & I went out to the lake!!! I was telling him last night that I'm the happiest when we're out there in the quiet. Everytime we go, we just have such a blast. It's always the same thing.. BBQing a delicious dinner, having some drinks, sauna's, and talking until we get tired. I wish we could live out there but alas...

Have a great weekend!

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

I have been SO into fruit lately it's not even funny.
Everything is so ripe and juicy right now and no other taste seems to beat it. I've been enjoying a big bowl of fruit alongside every meal lately...and you KNOW that's good for the waistline.

Anyway, last Friday, John had to work late and I wanted to make him a delicious yet simple dinner. So I did some research. What's manly but tastes so so good at the same time? That's when I found a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Tacos!!!
Seriously guys, easiest recipe ever and I could have had like 7 of them. Too bad I didn't have whole wheat tortilla shells at the time otherwise, I probably would have. But it's bikini season, ya'll. Like I care.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos from How Sweet It is.
Head over there for the recipe but just know I ditched the gargonzola, cilantro, and extra sauce (as I mixed up a TON with the chicken).
Enjoy.

A Pug, An Avacado, and a Recipe!

 Egg and Avacodo Sandwich. Simple but Delicious Recipe Idea from Pam

One day, I'd really like to learn to take beautiful photos and edit them to make them even prettier.. but right now I just can't get over the convenience of my cell phone camera. I mean it takes pretty rockin' pictures and it's just so easy to snap a quick image and then get right down to eating!!
Yum.
Anyway, I had a craving for quinoa because I keep reading about it every 5 seconds so I bought a package yesterday along with some chicken.
The thing I like about quinoa is that it's so versatile and you can make a big batch of it and then store it away for future use! Can't go wrong there! HUGE money saver.
Without further ado, a recipe I made up yesterday:

Quinoa Salad

What you'll need:

(serves 1. Add additional ingredients as you see fit) 

(dressing)

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• garlic clove (mashed with a knife)
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp of parsley

(salad)

• 2 Romaine Lettuce Branches
• 1 cup of Cooked Quinoa
• 1/2 Avacodo
• 4-8 Baby Tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 Red Onion, chopped
• 4-6 Cucumber Sliced, quartered
• 1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh, Baked and Chopped

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make your dressing. Combine all ingredients...make sure to mash up that garlic clove and stick it in. Set aside.
3. Season your chicken thigh(s) with sea salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you wish. I used an onion powder and some garlic salt. It's really a matter of preference in my opinion.
4. Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
5. Start cooking your quinoa according to the package directions.
6. Once everything is all cooked and ready mix into the salad (make sure chicken is cut up nice and small to mix well also). Add dressing.
7. Not much of a recipe but it sure is delicious...and healthy!
8. YUM!!

The Next Step: Me & John

These pics are taken from a couple weeks back.. I felt I need to say that considering my city is going through a flood right now so the weather is definitely not this nice. Puttin' Thunder Bay back on that map! Anyone? Anyone? lol

Anyway, I mentioned a while ago about an exciting opportunity for me & John I couldn't talk about it at the time because it wasn't official. Well, folks! It is now!

August 1st, John and I are FINALLY moving in together!!!

Woohoo!!! I'm seriously so excited and I can't wait to embark on this new journey together!!!!! We practically live together now but in the most annoying, inconvenient way possible.

As much as I love my family, I'm excited to be able to come home from a long day and just be able to relax on my living room couch while having a glass of wine and making dinner whenever I feel like it without getting in anyone's way. I also have two younger sisters, so my house right now is SUPER loud.. It'll be nice to not have to listen to that all the time and just be able to enjoy peace and serenity! When I do crave the noise, I'll just go to my Dad's or Mom's house to visit or invite the kids over for the day and it'll balance out!

And with our very own home, do you know what means?

LOTS and LOTS (and I mean, lots!) of new recipes and home decor photos!!!!

I'm so excited to share it with all ya'll! :)

London, Ontario

One of my best friends Andrea got married to the love of her life a couple weekends back so I did what any good friend would do! Took a little mini vacation to London, Ontario to see her tie the knot!!!
But what kind of mini vacation would it be if John and I didn't make an actual vacation out of it?
We stayed for 3 nights and seriously had an absolute blast!! We ate at the cutest little restaurants and drank at fun pubs (and one seedy bar..oops), we had an amazing brunch at our hotel restaurant (best brunch in London! Holla), went on a Labatt Beer Brewery tour.. I swear John was like a kid in a candy store! We even got to have samplings after the tour there which was neat!
I think it's really important to do stuff like this with your significant other.. you don't have to go anywhere far, but it helps to keep the relationship fun. :)

Flooded.

*none of these photos are my own.
you can find the proper credits here and here

So as you can see, my city (Thunder Bay) got flooded pretty good.
It's obviously nothing compared to places like New Orleans or Japan.. but for our sheltered town, it's pretty bad. Nothing usually happens here.. we never get natural disasters. Our sky turned green once when I was a toddler..that was weird. But that was probably the last bad thing.
Roads are completely wiped out, that last picture is of a mall parking lot.. not a river. Cars have been taken down. It's completely crazy. The worst part?
It just keeps raining. The rain doesn't seem to want to go away. We just need a couple weeks of nice sunny weather. In the meantime, I know people are going around to the areas that were really affected and offering their help (pumps, blankets, coffee...). The thing is, is that our city's water tank completely failed because the mass amounts of water it was pumping out (I'm not too familiar on how it works but I think that's why it failed). So basically, we really need some nice dryness for a bit because if not, people's basements are just gonna keep on flooding.
My side of town is really lucky, we're higher up on a hill so we didn't get affected, thank god. Because my room is in the basement. I just feel really bad for the people who I know got affected by this ugly flood.

Quiet & Still

This morning I woke up in the most peaceful state I've been in in a long time.
It was around 6:30 in the morning and I hadn't woken up once throughout the night. Not once, which is a rarity for me.
The sun was shining through the window and everything was quiet and still.
I was lying on my back and so was John, his arm wrapped underneath my neck and me sort of huddled into his "nook". It was just really peaceful.
I then remembered, I really needed to go to the bathroom but I didn't want to ruin this precious moment. A moment that has been replaced most nights with the feeling of just trying to get comfy and getting away from the snoring. It was a moment of pure love and beauty.

Why am I telling you this?
I have a lot of issues I need to work through.
Insecurities, jealousy, and sometimes a good case of the grumpies.
But I'm working on it. Really hard.
Right now, I know me and John have so much love in our relationship but that doesn't mean we don't need to work on certain aspects of it either.
It's too easy to get caught up in the little loving moments of relaxation and peace and then forget those moments when something the other one does pisses us off.
Keep working and keep loving. Never stop forgetting those moments, even in the hard times.  And stop to appreciate those times even when you do have to pee.
:)

Boringest Weekend of All Time

1st Pic: Scrambled Eggs LOADED with vegetables and Feta Goat Cheese
2nd Pic: Mustard Crusted Chicken recipe from Pam.. SOO good.
3rd Pic: Tabbouleh (Lebanese Salad... not sure if I spelt that right though)

This past weekend John went out of town for work and normally my weekends are spent doing whatever we decide to do... but this weekend, I didn't have my BFF to hang out with.
Which basically gave me a huge reality check that I should probably make more time for friends considering I was bored stiff, lol.


But in actuality (is that a word?), I wasn't a complete lump all weekend.. I did do something things.


Friday I watched My Week with Marilyn which was such a beautiful film... seriously, watch it. You won't regret it. And I also sobbed my eyes out to Marley & Me. Please keep in mind I was by myself and if you were looking down on me, I probably looked more than pathetic haha.


Both Saturday & Sunday I got my Hot Yoga on so I took the time to at least take care of myself.
Also Saturday, my friend Andrea and I went to the Folklore Festival (which is a cultural festival in town featuring all types of activities, performances and the best part... food from all over the world!). I had such a delicious Lebanese Salad... I'm not even sure of what they put in it to make it so amazing but I find myself craving it now. I finished Saturday off by watching 2 more movie (MoneyBall and We Bought a Zoo). I didn't like MoneyBall... I though it was boring. But I LOVED We Bought a Zoo. Such a cute story.


That was basically my weekend.
And the award goes to me for the boringest post of all time!!! Gold star.

Gloomy

 My lunch today.

It's been raining for practically 2 weeks straight here in Northern Ontario and I'm one of those people where the rain really, really affects my mood.

John is leaving town today for work and it's sort of weird because this is the first time he's left me. We were apart for 10 days when I was in Florida and I really missed him but I was kept so busy that it didn't really phase me.

So, this weekend will be spent baking lots of delicious goodies (hopefully), yoga and video games on my new TV because I'm nerdy like that. Also, me and my friend Andrea are going to check out the Folklore Festival in town...which is basically a day full of culture and food.

My plan for this evening was actually to go to yoga but I just feel so tired that I'd rather just go home, make some enchiladas for my family and call it a night!! Sounds good to me. :)

As for the photo up there, it doesn't look like much but it tasted so good! I didn't realize that asparagus and eggs complimented eachother so well. I attempted to make poached eggs but after it failing completely and me doing a bit of research, I realized I made them completely wrong. Oh well, there's always next time!

Salmon Salad & Dill Gouda

Man, not having a computer sucks.
I swear to you that I've actually been taking photos of my cooking but I have no where to plug my camera into! So for now, I give you instagrams!!!

Anyway, I'm trying desperately hard to enjoy salmon because it's so so good for you... but I'm sorry. I just can't... UNLESS it is on the Barbecue in which case, it gives it a smokey flavour and doesn't taste like I just scooped up a salmon from the water with my bare hands and ate it. That's what baked salmon reminds me of...marinated or not. Sigh. Sorry.

But I did create a final attempt at the fish last night and sort of masked the foul flavour with all the veggies and dressing that were in with it. And for salmon lovers, hey. Maybe you might just enjoy this!

The Recipe is from an amazing new blog that I just found but slightly adapted by me. Enjoy!

Oh and before I forget, here's a picture of Gouda because well, Gouda is just awesome.

Salmon Salad:

What you'll need (Recipe is for 1 so you can adapt for your family or friends):

Salad

• Marinated Herb & Wine Salmon (I only used 1 fillet because I made it for myself)
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1/3 of a Red Onion
• 1 Avacodo
• A TEENY Bit of Orzo Pasta (To cut down the carbs ;) )
• 4-5 Artichoke Hearts, Sliced.
• Lettuce of your choosing.. I used a mix of Romaine and Red Leaf.
• Crumbled Feta

Dressing

• 1/3 cup of Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup of Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp Onion Mix
• 1 1/4 tsp dry oregeno
• 1 1/4 tsp dry basil
• 1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp of Sweet Onion Mustard

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix up all the ingredients for your dressing and then set aside.
• Wrap your salmon in tinfoil and put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or when salmon is flaking.
• Cook your orzo according to package.
• Slice all of your veggies.
• When the orzo is cooked, put in a salad bowl and add 1/3 of your dressing mix and toss to coat. Then add in all of your vegetables and add the... 2nd 3rd? haha.
• Your salmon should be cooked by now, so take it out flake it with a fork and then add to the salad.
• Add the remainder of your dressing. Toss to coat... ENJOY :D

Looking Forward

Ever since I got back from Florida, I've been in a bit of a rut.
But I guess the saying is "it has to get worse before it can get better" and I already feel like that's coming true.
I can't say too much right now because nothings for sure yet... but John and I may have a very exciting opportunity ahead of us. One I've been waiting for for a while now. Something that's going to make us grow & enjoy life more in general! More on that later.

Something I can talk about however, is how we have a little mini trip coming up in a couple weeks. We're going to London, Ontario to see a really close friend of mine get married! I've never been to London before but I've heard great things. It'll be fun to just enjoy eachothers company too for the weekend considering we've never been on a trip just the two of us! I'm expecting a nice hotel room, delicious dinners, and lots of wandering! haha.

Maybe our next trip can be somewhere a bit more extravagant? I was thinking Bora Bora? ha.

My original intent for this blog was to document my Pinterest Journey of Food...
I've been noticing more & more how that is not happening and it's becoming more just about my life again, which isn't what I wanted.
Something keeps pulling me to write about what I did that day or how I'm feeling or what's going on in my life in general. I don't ever take pictures though to document anything.
I'm so all over the map with this blogging experience... but it's MY blog and if I want to just ramble about what makes me happy or sad or whatever, then that's what I'm going to do.
See? Ramble post.

:) Basically what I'm trying to say, is I really have no idea what this blog is about. It has no direction, but I've quit blogging numerous times and I always find my way back to it...because I guess I like sharing tidbits about my life...and I suppose that's not going to change.

Freestyle Writing

I'm not quite sure how to start off this post... but I guess I'll begin by saying I have a lot of insecurities which leads to a TON of other issues in my life.
I managed to gain more confidence before my trip to Florida, by attending regular yoga sessions and focusing on the finer things in life (cooking, baking, time with friends, family & john). I realized that if you start feeling angry or upset, think about how much it actually matters.
Is it going to matter tomorrow or the next day, next month or even next year?
If it won't... then stop worrying about it and move on! Find your happy place, so to speak.

Well something must have changed while I was in Florida because ever since I got back, I've been feeling glum.
Maybe I'm experiencing reverse culture shock?
I mean, take me away from a place so beautiful and full of sunshine and bring me back to cold, wet weather and some not so fun things happening in other areas of my life, and you have one crappy feeling girl.
Lately, I've been snappy and edgy with those most important to me and in general, hate the way I feel.
It's not so much fun.
I managed to talk about it with my boyfriend last night and woke up this morning feeling better.
I just hope it stays that way and I can find that girl that I managed to become before my vacation because being grumpy and gloomy sucks.

Lemon-Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I had a bit of time to myself tonight and decided I wanted to get cooking/baking again! It's been WAY too long since I've created something with my 2 little hands!
I was looking through my Pinterest Sweet Treats board, and found a recipe where I had basically everything on hand.
So without further ado, Lemon-Blueberry Streusel Muffins from the Joy of Baking!

And I may or may not have already had 2 of these tonight! They're REALLY good.

Make sure you go to the original source to check out the recipe!

When I was a teenager and even approaching my early 20's (who am I kidding, I'm still in my early 20's!) I thought there was nothing better than a good old fashioned McDonald's Cheeseburger with a side of fries! I ate junk food often and enjoyed every bit of it! However my heart and my waistline probably didn't like that much.
Ever since I found a good group of blogs in the blogging community, I started to look at food a hell of a lot differently. I started discovering that cooking food with unique ingredients was a lot better than buying it from a fast food joint. I think I got tempted from all the beautiful food photography I'm constantly exposed to.
Anyway, from pesto to fresh parmesan to sun dried tomatoes... there are so many different ingredients you can use to spice up a simple dish and the finished product is always much more satisfying than a cheeseburger from McDonald's! And I think my health likes that much better too.
Don't get me wrong, I still love ordering a pizza on a Friday night or picking up a cheeseburger as a treat once in a very blue moon, but 90% of the time, I'd prefer to go to the grocery store and cook up a storm in my own kitchen!
It tastes better and it feels better afterwards to not be collapsing on the couch from carb-overload!
And that's how I feel about that!

Salmon

I'm sort of new to the whole seafood thing but over the past couple months, I've started to really enjoy lobster and even crab!
I've tried Salmon in the past but I always found it very fishy tasting so I turned up my nose to any offerings.
But on Sunday, I ate dinner at John's house and his parents barbecued a herb and wine Salmon and I tried a bit... and holy man was it ever delicious! I didn't taste any fishyness at all!
So last night, I decided that after yoga (and a really bad back strain.. ugh) I was going to bake salmon! And I did.. with dill and lemon.. and I think it turned out pretty good!
I had to mix it in with brown rice though because on it's own, I sort of felt like I was drinking "fish water". That's just how it seemed, okay?! haha.
I'm going to try one more method maybe next week and that's to put maple syrup on it. It might mask the fishy flavour.. but if not.. I'm going to stick to keepin' it on the Barbie! :)
And I forgot to take any pictures because I was too hungry.. but you would've liked the look of it, I promise!