Love List - June

I'm so pleased that summer is here! In an effort to get some regular posts happening on the bloggy, I'm beginning a monthly series of my current loves including any places, sounds, treats and things that are making me happy. Here's June:

My new bicycle
I finally took the plunge and ordered a new bicycle!!

My previous bike was a beach cruiser that was too heavy and clunky for daily commuting and fun rides anywhere but the boardwalk. I opted for a Bobbin, and she arrived from England(!!) a couple of weeks ago. There will be a whole post dedicated to her in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! She is absolutely gorgeous. 

Royal Wood

Corbin and I went to see Royal Wood (with Peter Katz) a few weeks ago at the Winter Garden Theatre as I had bought him tickets for Christmas. It was well worth the wait! It was an incredible night and so awesome to see such talented musicians play stellar music. I'm loving Royal's new album, The Burning Bright. 

Pretty manis and pedis

Summer means open-toed shoes which means a sweet excuse for a pedicure. I got to pay a visit to the new location of The Ten Spot in the Annex last week and am enjoying my sweet gel mani and pedi. Purple and sparkles go with everything, right? 

OPI 'Don't be a Budapest' on my toes and Gelish 'Oocha Coocha Bing Bang Bam Alakazy Alakazam' on my fingers 

The Kind Exchange

The Kind Exchange recently opened a location on the Danforth and it's already becoming one of my very favourite places to shop. You can bring any unwanted clothes, accessories and shoes and the store's buyers will decide which of your pieces they would like to take and offer cash or a store credit in return. The store's inventory is then made up of other people's items at really great prices, with a portion of the proceeds going to local charities. My favourite finds have included brand new Dr. Marten's with floral insides and ribbon laces (for $45!!) and an adorable poodle dress that one of my co-workers spotted on The Kind Exchange's instagram  

New items are constantly being added, and the Danforth location's small size makes it easy and fun to shop. There are locations all over Toronto now with all different merchandise, which is awesome! 

The return of the summer of popsicles

I see many more popsicles in our future and I couldn't be happier. 

Trips to Target with Lindsay

Linz and I have started a new tradition where we take visits to Target to a) pick up anything we need and b) kick the blues if we're having a bad day. Our adventures have been hilarious so far... more to come. 

What's making you happy in June so far?

Popsicles for Ashley

Ashley was coming over for a lunch date yesterday and I promised her popsicles. 

I posted the link to my Summer of Popsicles Pinterest board and asked her to weigh in on which she preferred. She gave me a few options and I decided on the mango-kiwi-raspberry ones. We had a super yummy lunch, and amid our epic chat enjoyed some delicious popsicles for dessert. We also discovered that popsicles make great fuel for cabaret discussions. Oh yes, the next one is coming. 

They were awesome. Ashley even quipped that they were like "an f-ing orgasm in [her] mouth" - I don't disagree. I tweaked the recipe a bit, subbing agave for the simple syrup and only using it in the kiwi and raspberry segments and didn't really wait as long as the recipe called for before pouring in the next fruit puree. Yes, I'm getting cocky with my popsicle making, but if these guys are any indication, I'm getting pretty freakin' good at it. 

We've both been busy and haven't had a lot of time to recharge together, so yesterday was really important to both of us. She's such a big part of my life, and when we don't see one another for a little while I feel a bit incomplete and off. She's someone I bounce ideas off of, a person who makes me laugh about the most ridiculous things, someone I can count on when I'm down and the person who goes off on tangents even worse than my own. (Yesterday it had to do with sperm whales and then sperm and whales). When she's not around I just feel disconnected and I really don't like that. 

We talked a bit about an article I had tweeted yesterday that discussed why it's harder to make friends as we grow older and it reinforced why I feel so lucky to have such an amazing group of friends like Ash, my Jessie and my Melly in my life. They've been with me through a lot, and know the back story to the back story and sometimes I feel like they know me better than I do myself. I feel so blessed to have them as a part of my life. This does not discredit the relationships that I've built and established more recently, as I am incredibly thankful for them as well (and they are awesome!), but there is something truly unique and special about those friends who have known you the longest. 

Sometimes life just calls for simple things - amazing friends (who sometimes share your name), popsicles and epic conversations in the sunroom. 

Thoughts on making friends as you grow older? What do you think the difference is (if any)? Do you feel differently about the friends that have known you for ages or the ones you've made more recently?

Ashlicles filled with Lemongrass, Apricots, Ginger and Love

I'm terrible at making rice.

It seems like a really silly thing to be bad at, but I swear I'm awful. The last guy I dated was always in charge of making rice if we were having it with dinner. In spite of this, these apricot rice pudding popsicles sounded so delicious that I decided to try and get over my ridiculous rice cooking apprehensions. 

Apricot Rice Pudding Popsicles 

(inspired by bon appetit) 

gluten free & vegan

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1 cup coconut milk

1 lemongrass stalk, outer layer removed, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (mine came from sweet Lisa's travels!)

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp short grain rice

1/3 cup 1/4" pieces dried organic apricots

1/8 cup agave

Instructions
Combine non-dairy milk, coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, and water in a medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to a boil; remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place rice and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl; let stand for 10 minutes (to soften and release some starch). Drain.
Strain coconut-milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan. Add rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer (try to keep the stirring to a minimum so things don't get too starchy) until rice is very tender, 30-35 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Stir in apricots and agave. Transfer mixture to a large glass measuring cup to divide mixture among popsicle molds. You will need to spoon the rice and apricots into the molds. Freeze until firm and then enjoy.

Yields 4-6 popsicles depending on the size of your molds

So much deliciousness! I swear, coconut milk in popsicles is making my whole summer infinitely better. And the lemongrass and coconut (and mango I was eating while I was making them) reminded me of St. Lucia

Coming next week - NYC post (I promise!) plus all sorts of Fringe fun!

Minty Chocolately Goodness for the Long Weekend

An art store on Yonge is clearly down with the Summer of Popsicles

Love it! This week we had mint chocolate... 

I ran out of agave so I couldn't make the chocolately drizzle and instead I melted chocolate chips and added a chocolate coating. Not the most attractive picture of life, but it tasted delicious. My roommate and I even had one without chocolate, and they were just refereshing and minty with a wicked texture. So far I've been delighted with the results and my roommates' enthusiasm for my project. Next week: something fruity and awesome with a new recipe in the works. Stay tuned. 

Stoked for lots of fun in the city this week! Happy Pride! Happy birthday Canada! And Fringe starts on Wednesday (What are you seeing? I'm excited to blog about some great shows!!). And it's a long weekend... though given my schedule of late it just feels like some more great summer days ahead. 

Summer is oh so sweet... 

Where are the Boys, I have a Milkshake...

Yesterday I declared it the summer of milkshakes popsicles

I wanted last summer to be the summer of popsicles, but somehow it never panned out. We've had a bit of a heatwave this week and I've felt inspired to keep cool in as many ways as possible. especially since we don't have AC at home. I decided that awesome homemade popsicles would be the only way to go. 

I procured some popsicle molds at iQLiving (love that store), started up a pinterest board and the Summer of Popsicles was in motion. First up? Roasted strawberry and coconut 

So maybe roasting strawberries in 34 degree heat wasn't the best idea I've ever had, but to be honest, our house was so hot that I don't think it mattered, and it was only about 30 minutes of oven time. Roasting the strawberries with a bit of sugar made them so sweet and juicy and I used my immersion blender to create a delicious puree. Mixed with coconut milk and a bit of agave, 8 hours later (at midnight) one of my roommates and I were enjoying delicious popsicles

Oh. My. Gosh. They're so f-ing delicious. Creamy and strawberry-y and not too sweet. So easy to create, making them the perfect treat for summer. The worst part is waiting for them to freeze... I think these guys are up next. 

Yes, this WILL be the summer of the popsicle. And maybe they'll even bring the boys to the yard. That's if I want to share...

What's your favourite popsicle flavour? Post links to your favourite recipes / pins in the comments!