Author: Ashley

Garden Companion Planting Guide

Garden Companion Planting Guide

I’ve been growing vegetables in some capacity since I was about seven or eight years old. When I was growing up in Toronto, my best friend who lived around the corner from me had a pretty large back garden and would grow some veggies every 

Nine Days in Italy: An Itinerary

Nine Days in Italy: An Itinerary

In early September I set off on a three-week trip around various parts of southern Europe with my roommate Alyssa. Our adventure began with nine fantastic days touring around Italy. We started in Venice, then hit Rome, travelled to Naples and explored the Amalfi Coats 

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cups with Toasted Buckwheat

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cups with Toasted Buckwheat


Back in December I went to the One of a Kind Show in Toronto to get a bit of holiday shopping out of the way. For those of you that are not familiar, the One of a Kind Show is a large multi-day convention of Canadian vendors that is open to the public to attend (for an entrance fee). The vendors’ products range from food, to art, to ceramics, to clothing or accessories. It’s a super fun way to spend a weekend day, which is exactly what we did. While we were there, I stumbled upon a business called Allo Simonne that sells a variety of different hazelnut butter spreads. I sampled a few of them and ended up walking away with the Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spread with Toasted Buckwheat. It sounds like a bit of a weird combination, but oh my goodness was it ever good! The flavours from that hazelnut spread are what inspired the flavours for this recipe. Continue reading Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cups with Toasted Buckwheat

New Years Sustainable Swap: 2023

New Years Sustainable Swap: 2023

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a nice holiday season and that your holiday plans weren’t derailed too much by the crazy winter storm that seems to have swept right across North America. Every year I make a point to make a 

Strawberry & Pistachio Bark with Flaky Salt

Strawberry & Pistachio Bark with Flaky Salt

It’s no secret that I love chocolate. I have never been huge on candy, but chocolate is something that I always keep on hand. I especially love dark chocolate. If we’re getting specific, I love the Lindt Excellence Ecuador 75% Cacao chocolate the most. I 

Sweet Raspberry Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sweet Raspberry Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting


Happy Sunday everyone! I hope that you are all enjoying your long weekend. I unfortunately came down with Covid on Thursday, so my long weekend has been spent indoors in isolation. Definitely not ideal, but it is what it is. On the plus side, it gave me the time I needed to get ahead on some final projects for school and to write out this recipe to share with you. Continue reading Sweet Raspberry Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo Journal No. 3: Green Valley Lake, CA

Photo Journal No. 3: Green Valley Lake, CA

This past December I visited my extended family on the West Coast in California. During my time in the LA area I was lucky enough to get to spend a few days at the family cottage on Green Valley Lake at an elevation of 7,000 

Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Salad with Lemony Tahini Sauce

Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Salad with Lemony Tahini Sauce

At the end of the winter semester when I was in the thick of group projects and was bouncing between group meetings I had one evening where my meetings went well past 10pm. Between meetings, I scored the pantry and fridge looking for something I 

Vegetarian Lasagne

Vegetarian Lasagne

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for a while. When I was in grade 11 and 12, I worked worked for a catering company in my hometown over the summers. One of my responsibilities was to make lasagnes for the storefront, which sold prepared foods and lunch items like soups and sandwiches. There was no specific recipe that we followed to make the lasagnes, there were just rough guidelines. After two summers of making lasagnes, I got pretty good at it. I have always wanted to share my lasagne recipe, but I had never actually measured anything out or written out a recipe, I’ve always made lasagne by feel. Continue reading Vegetarian Lasagne

Decadent Hot Chocolate

Decadent Hot Chocolate

With the unfortunate resurgence of winter weather we are currently experiencing here in Southern Ontario, I thought there would be no time like the present to share one of my favourite winter recipes, but who am I kidding? I make this hot chocolate recipe all