Favourites: Goodbye July, Hello August

Dark Horse Espresso Bar in Toronto (Queen West location)

I have my arms wide open for August. Having summer school come to an end for me last week was a great relief and I still can't believe that pretty much burned up 3 months out of the 4 of my summer. With today being August 1, I've decided to make it a productive month. But, before I jump onto that, I would love to share what I've found myself loving in the month of JULY. For the 7th month of the year, I have 7 things that I absolutely loved: 

1. Where can I begin with dark chocolate? I always find myself purchasing a new bar of dark chocolate every couple of days. It was not friendly to my wallet, but my tummy (and PMS) was surely a happy one. I always ended up buying the Lindt Excellence brand of dark chocolate since it was the most closely and readily available around me. My most favourite ones must be the Intense Mint (that contains 47% of dark cocoa)and the one that is straight up 90% dark cocoa.

2. Water with lemon, more lemon, and some lime. Just trying to make things a little different for me as I tried to just pass my summer courses, my daily consumption of lemon slices in my water became an addiction. And to make things even fancier, adding a slide of lime made all the difference. In fact, drinking warm lemon water is a great way to kick start for your day!

3.Getting toned with PILATES and YOGA.I really didn't do much in between the days that I didn't have any class. This summer I began running - I haven't done this type of running since high school phys ed. class. I found out my heart was really weak and after running just two blocks, it would be the most uncomfortable pain in my chest. I know, I know - it should get better after a while. But, with so many pilates/yoga studios all around Toronto, I took advantage and did many of the studio's intro. offers. Now, it's a regular practice of mine - probably find me at the mat for at least 4-5 days a week. 

4. The lovely green fruit. Avocados have always been a great favourite of mine and it has re-entered my life again on a consistent basis. I just love eating it with my sandwiches and burgers...mmmm. Fun fact - during the first year of university, how I became great friends with my current boyfriend was through splitting an avocado every night. I know - we're weird. But, it was great to find someone who was willing to eat an avocado straight up with you on a regular (almost daily, but not yet) consistent basis.

5. As much as I am a tea lover, I found myself crawling back for iced coffee for the warm weather. Dark horse espresso has several locations throughout Toronto and I always find myself near one of their locations. They got me HOOKED on their iced mocha with soy! And they recently implemented a point system that you can bank up! That is definitely bringing me back! 

6. Smelling good is always a nice thing to do for yourself and to those hanging around you. Tocca Giulietta was the one scent that I used all month. I actually own the rollerball for it, so it was easy to carry it around with me when I need to quickly re-apply it. It's a very light scent - I promise, it won't be overwhelming. I don't think I'll be changing this scent any time soon either.  

7. Having slow days, the only person to get me through was Bon Iver. An american indie band/singer, his tunes get me through the days. The two albums I been listening to nonstop - For Emma, Forever Ago and Bon Iver (self titled album) - are both around 30 minutes long. Great to listen to when I was taking a study break, getting ready for bed, or just internet surfing. 

Tons of food favourites - kind of expected from me! But, July has been a bumpy ride for me. Can't wait to see what August has for me. 

Talk to y'all soon,

-Susan 

Tea: What I'm eyeing on!

It's slowly becoming an accomplishment! With my (almost) daily tea and the help of my dad's daily tea, my tea stash has drastically decreased. But, this isn't going to last for long! I'm estimating by the end of summer, I'll be able to lift my tea ban and finally re-vamp my tea stash with some new ones! I've been eyeing on some new teas for a while now... so, I just wanted to share with you all what I'll be excited for when summer comes to an end.

TEALISH

• Apple Cinnamon Chamomile
• Sencha - Organic 
• Jasmine Dragon Pearls 

DAVID'S TEA

• Sweet Dreams - Organic
• Green Seduction - Organic
• Cinnamon Rooibos Chai - Organic

NOURISHTEA

• Cresting Cranes of Legend - Organic

From the look of this quick list, seems like I've been having my eyes on Organic teas lately! 

Of course, this is just a quick list of teas to smell when I go to the stores. But, tea is one expensive thing to love. I'll have to control myself and limit myself to only 3 new teas at the end of summer and then slowly build my new tea collection throughout the year. I'll definitely do a tea haul for you all when this day comes.

Until then, I'll still be steeping my tea collection away! 

-Susan

Food: Crepes filled with Cottage Cheese

Lately, I haven't made anything interesting to feel motivated to have it documented on my blog. When I was making crepes last week, a old memory hit me. Back when I was in high school, my friend brought crepes filled with cottage cheese as a snack and it was delicious. After finding a few recipes for it, I decided to modify it to how I wanted it to be. Thankfully, they turned out good and edible!

I began making the batter for crepes. You will need:

• 1 3/4 cup of flour (I used a mix of blending flour and all purpose flour since I was short of one of them)
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter
• 4 eggs
• a pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 cup of milk

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs till fully blended (yolk + whites). Add a pinch of salt and give it a quick mix. Add the milk and mix till well blended. 

Add the flour into the same bowl. Give it a quick mix.

Add the sugar and mix till you no longer see any of the dry ingredients. Add the melted unsalted butter and give it another quick mix. 

The batter should be a semi-watery consistency. There may be lumps, but that is okay. The batter is now ready! 

I used the measurement of approximately half a cup for each crepe. Do not flip the crepe over until you fully see bubbles all over the top of the crepe. Flip and keep checking to make sure it does not burn. 

As the crepes were in the works, I also alternated to make the filling. I used about 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup of cottage cheese; 1/4 cup of sugar; and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The end result should look something like the picture below. 

Put some filling onto the crepe and roll it up...And just like that, it's finished! 

This is definitely a sweeter treat - more like a dessert type. I hope you all enjoy this recipe! Let me know in the comments below if you have made this or something similar! 

-Susan

Tea: Chocolate Chili Chai...say what?

Yeah, I know...the name already doesn't give this tea a good start. I came across many teas before that have chocolate thrown into them, which makes great sweeteners for your tea; but, chocolate and chilli peppers?!

David's Tea just simply describes this tea as "HOT, HOT, HOT"

I do agree that when you initially smell this tea, it reminds me of hot chocolate. Even during and after steeping, it has the same smell. What am I saying? This tea has a pretty concentrated smell that the kitchen will smell like hot chocolate once you begin steeping the tea!

Don't get misled by the name. This tea is not a chai tea, it's actually just a black tea. But, after steeping, it does give a chai tea kind of colour to the tea. 

David initially released this tea during the holiday season. I found it in my stash of tea and since I'm slowly trying to finish my stash before I buy any new teas, I'm going to have the winter holiday spirit in the middle of the summer. 

Good thing the weather today has cooled down drastically ending the week long heat wave we had last week.

So, this is my cup of tea today and it is perfect for this "chilly" summer evening. 

-Susan

Toronto: But...I don't love the heat.

What is up with Toronto's weather? Last week we had that massive storm that made the city unable to function and people are still talking about it. This week, it's a massive heat wave. The temperature is at mid-30's C, but with other factors, such as humidity, involved, everyday has been feeling around mid-40's C.

So, Toronto - you just can't make up your mind with the weather eh?

In all honesty, I've been trying my best to keep shelter, also known as trying my best to not leave my seat in the basement, the last few days. But, here are some activities that I've done this week with some old friends and myself to beat this heat!

1. Air conditioning is such an energy eater. It's kind of tempting to turn it on, but at the same time, is it worth the higher energy bill? Do seek out for cooler places, such as your basement (or a friend's basement) and public spaces. Do some window shopping at the mall; sit in a cafe and browse the internet there or read a book or even catch up with friends over coffee; Go watch a movie at a theatre.

2. Running outside in such humidity SUCKS. Opt out for some introductory prices/memberships at gym, yoga/pilate studio, spin studios, etc. These places tend to be air conditioned and even after you sweat from getting fit, there's usually a shower there to use before heading back home.

3. Definitely stay hydrated. If water isn't your thing, try making iced tea/coffee at home, pop a few drinks in the fridge the night before to have for the next day, or put a slight flavour into your water by adding lemon/lime/cucumbers.

4. Watermelons x infinity. Chilled watermelons is probably the best treat to have on summer days. I'm obsessed and hope to consume as many slices as possible in the coming hot, hot days.

5. Especially with the extreme heat alert, Toronto parks have most likely extended their pool hours. Find your local swimming pool and cool down in the chilled water. If you have a local indoor pool, that is even better.

6. Yes, I know it's unbearably hot to even have the thought of being outside - but some parks have wonderful shades to spend the day under. Bring a picnic of cold treats and enjoy it with some friends! Toronto island is also a nice spot.

Also, with such great weather, use it to your advantage and turn off those clothes dryers! It would take less than a day to dry your clothes outside!

I hope this gives you some ideas. Wherever you are, the summer season is always hot and sweaty. How are you beating the heat? Let me know in the comments below or email me your tactics - I'll love to hear new ones!

-Susan

Beauty: Chinchilly by ESSIE

I had a phase where I brought way too many bottles of nail polish in a short amount of time. I can't even keep track of which colours I have or not...so, just like tea, I made a self-imposed ban for nail polish.

Except for Saturday...

I saw on the flyer for Shoppers Drug Mart that there was a one day sale on Essie nail polish for $7.99. I also got a coupon online for $3 off. So, it as kind of hard to pass off on $4.99 deal. I have no self-control on sales.

After deciding to break my self-imposed ban, the second challenge was to pick a colour. Stood in front of the Essie stand for probably 30 minutes trying to decide which one to get. As always, I'm drawn to blues and greens - but, I knew I had to expand my colour selection and try something new. That's when I settled on Chinchilly.

It's a grey nail polish, but with a mauve undertone. So, it's a nice light looking grey. I'm really happy I settled with this colour - however...it definitely doesn't scream summer along with it. A colour that will be perfect to fit with the fall and winter season. Can't wait for the fall season to come and it'll feel more fitting to wear this colour regularly!

AND hey - look at how clean my fingers look! Essie's brush is thin, which is a hit and miss for different people. Definitely a hit for me since I'm such a messy nail painter with regular brushes!

-Susan

Tea: Rooibos de Provence is as fancy as it sounds!

Rooibos is from an African plant and it is a natural energy-fueled tea that contains no caffeine. When I was first introduced to a rooibos tea (it was way before my tea addiction evolved), I was not much of a fan of the one I sampled, so I pretty much steered away from it for a while. It was not until I was introduced to Rooibos de Provence. It was literally a gift from nature - taste, smell, and colour; it was absolutely amazing. David's Tea does a pretty good job at describing this wonderful mix:

"The scent of lavender never fails to evoke the south of France, with its fabulous mix of tiny villages and celebrity-filled beaches and yachts. So imagine yourself in Aix or St-Tropez, leisurely sipping on this smooth blend of rooibos, rosehip, black currants, rose petals and dried blueberries. It's filled with sophistication"

-David's Tea

David, you sure got it right. It is DEFINITELY filled with sophistication...and I have found a way to make this tea even tastier (and fancier...kind of...)! 

After letting the tea steep for about 5 minutes, mix in a spoonful of honey (I prefer fresh honey) and a splash of milk. The taste just works together so well! 

This is how I always drink my Rooibos de Provence and of course...

This is my jar of tea today. 

-Susan