Welcome to a mid-summer weekend! We’ve had some rainy and stormy days here lately and honestly I don’t mind. Part of our house has a flat roof and the sound of the rain on it at night is so relaxing. Also the shift in temperature (however brief!) is always welcome. It’s been a balmy summer for sure.

My family came over for dinner last night, which was nice! It’s been a busy week, so I’m looking forward to some rest time on Saturday and probably some gardening/outside projects on Sunday. Very chill!

With work things, I’m already mapping out Fall and holiday recipes. Obviously it feels early, but to have it all laid out this far ahead of time brings me a bit of calm haha. I’ve also really been on a muffin recipe testing streak in preparation for cooler days. It’s funny having a recipe blog focused on seasonal foods, but constantly having to take yourself out of the current season to work on those recipes 🙃. I’m not exactly ready for soups and stuffing, but I am excited to share them eventually.

Hope you’re keeping well and staying cool!

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. My Benihana, Myself
2. Empty Office Buildings Are Being Turned Into Vertical Farms
3. Scientists Found Ripples in Space and Time. And You Have to Buy Groceries.
4. Is It a Meal? A Snack? No, It’s ‘Girl Dinner.’
5. Can Tepache Survive the RTD Treatment?

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Esther Perel’s podcast is back!
2. Wanda Sykes on NPR’s Fresh Air
3. I love the sound of this Sleepy Girl Mocktail.
4. Katharine Coulson is one of my favourite gardeners to follow on Instagram.
5. I updated the recipe and photos of this granola recipe that I originally posted in 2011! Forgot how much we love this granola :)

5 Questions:

1. Dream photo studio setup?
   I post pictures of my ramshackle “pro setups” on Instagram as a joke all the time. Usually a background board on top of a bench next to whatever window in my house has decent light. And also a chair with this mount on it nearby for my phone. At my old house, I had a window/countertop area in my kitchen with perfect lighting for most of the day. The kitchen in this house is dark and it’s a challenge to find reliable good light. My dream studio setup is a deluxe kitchen “shed” in our backyard with skylights and big windows. And maybe a little bonus comfy room for the dogs to hang out in :)
2. I’m travelling with 7 non-vegan friends soon and need to cook dinner one night. Any suggestions?
   I would go with something simple, but also comforting and familiar! My easy lentil bolognese comes to mind. You can serve it with vegan parm (or non-vegan parm if you think your friends might not be on board) on the side and a simple salad (may I recommend the red wine vinaigrette from my pizza night salad?). Something like my crispy BBQ pulled mushroom sandwiches might be fun too! You can “pull” the mushrooms up to 5 days ahead of time (and also shred the slaw, make the dressing) to make the prep a bit easier on yourself. This spice roasted cauliflower with coconut tomato sauce is also a nice option! You could make the sauce and cut the cauliflower before your trip (if you’re driving to your destination) and simply serve it with warm rice or flatebread.
3. Easy summer lunch ideas?
   I am really bad about stopping to eat lunch, but especially in the summer. The three strategies that help me in that department: 1️⃣ the snack plate (hummus/other dip, veggies, crackers, fruit, nuts, olives, maybe a vegan cheese if I have it, nut butter, fresh bread etc!), 2️⃣ I make my smoothie at lunch instead of for breakfast, and 3️⃣: dinner leftovers or a grain/bean/pasta salad that I’ve prepped earlier in the week. I know that none of these options are terribly imaginative but! They help me actually stop to eat lunch and that’s the goal 🤷‍♀️
4. Do you ever think of moving elsewhere?
   I fantasize about it a lot (Italy! Sweden! BC! Turks and Caicos!), but ultimately my partner and I are too close with our families to even think about doing it seriously. We also have it pretty good here in the Niagara region of Ontario, all things considered. And just from a practicality perspective, my partner has a secure job that isn’t worth sacrificing right now. I can do my job anywhere, but the stability of it long term isn’t guaranteed unfortunately.
5. Summer book recommendations?
   One of the better “beach reads” I’ve enjoyed recently was Every Summer After by Carly Fortune. I just added her new one to my eReader because I’m a bit tired of reading self-development, climate change, and sleep-related research books 🫠. I need a bit of summer lightness in my life!