orchard.

monday night orchard played a show at rancho relaxo for the first time in quite a long time. it was pretty exciting to see them live again and to hear the songs they have recently been working on!!! it was a great show, and i've got a few clips below of their newer songs :)

i was lucky to have the day off after the show, and sam didn't have to head over to waterloo, so we hung out, found a new coffee shop on queen street called niche, where we found a pretty decent gf chocolate chip cookie, and some other interesting drink offerings.

hope you have a great week!

krush.

lately.

oh hello there,

seems i haven't been the greatest with keeping up with my blog, but i'm hoping to change things! to be fair, i have been quite busy, and grad school applications have taken up all my time (it's no excuse, i kno!)

it's funny how different my days are now that i work most of the week, instead of going to class. i never thought i'd say this, but i sometimes miss being a student... just a little bit...

as i mentioned, i am currently applying to grad programs, so i may soon (hopefully) be back at school, doing the student thing and all :) by christmas time i should have everything sent in, just waiting to see what happens next!

besides working and applying to school, theres been plenty of holiday parties and catching up with old friends these past few weeks. andddd tonight i am really excited to be seeing orchard (sam's band) play again! it's probably been over a year since i've seen then perform and they have a new album coming out shortly :)

stay tuned for some photos and videos from the show tomorrow, and more regular posts starting next week!

krush.

lately.

hello hello hello!

to be quite honest, there hasn't been too much happening around here lately. i've been working a lot because my boss has been away at a baby show, so that's pretty much taken up most of my time. i do have saturday off though, so i'll be heading over to waterloo for a bbq (probably the last one this year) and sunday my family plans of spending the day in toronto, celebrating my brothers birthday!!! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

been drinking a lot of this lately.

hanging out with this sweet boy.

gluten free goats cheese, pear, and honey crepe at chococrepe on queen. (not too pretty, but delicious!)

sam's been going heavy on the chai lattes. seriously.

and i've been relying on my usual americano :)

hope you're pumped for the weekend, i sure am!

krush.

best ever pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

looking at these pictures is making me want one of these rolls sooooo bad! i must say, these have got to be the best cinnamon rolls i've ever made, and the addition of the pumpkin makes them extra special.

the recipe i used comes from just eat love, but i made a few minor changes with the ingredients i used.

pumpkin cinnamon rolls with coconut icing

dough: 

- 3/4 tapioca starch

- 1/4buckwheat flour

- 1/2 rice flour

- 1/3 potato flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tsp xanthan gum

- 1/2 brown sugar

- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree

- 2 tbsp coconut oil

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/3 cup almond milk

- 2 tbsp yeast

cinnamon filling

- 2 tbsp vegan butter

- 1/4 cup cinnamon

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

coconut icing

- 2 tbsp coconut milk, creamy part at the top

- 3/4 icing sugar

add 1 tbsp of sugar and the yeast to a bowl of warm almond milk. let the mixture sit for a couple minutes to proof. once the mixture is frothy, you know it is ready to use.

mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gun. add the sugar and salt.

once the yeast is proofed, add the oil, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. stir in the flour till a sticky dough forms. 

turn the dough onto plastic wrap and roll it into a rectangle shape. the dough should be about 3/4 of an inch thick. once the dough is rolled out, spread the butter and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the entire surface of the dough.

now it is time to roll the dough. taking a piece of the platic wrap, roll the dough in a log shape. cut the pieces about 1 1/2 inches thick, and place them in a buttered baking pan.

cover the rolls and let them sit in a warm place for an hour. once they have risen, pop them in an oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit, and bake them for 20-25 minutes. you want them to be lightly browned.

while the rolls are still warm, glaze them with the coconut frosting and dig in!!!!

not only are these gluten free, but vegan as well! the perfect snack for the chilly fall weather we've been having these past few days.

krush.

i'm still here!!!

since i've last written here, a lot has changed! i suppose the reason why i've avoided posting anything is because of all that's happened these past few weeks. 

so as you all know, my last post was about school, new schedule, and how excited i was to be starting my new program. well... things went a little off. basically into the second week of school i began to experience a lot of pain in my hands, which made it difficult to perform the basic tasks we were being taught. the first week i thought it would pass, but as i continued it became unbearable. 

let me take a step back and clarify that i've been having problems with my hands for over a year now, but it has never been too intense, and i just put off going to see a doctor about it. well. as i learned, sawing, drilling, filing, sanding, basically using any hand tools requires strength as well as a good grip, both of which i've been having problems with. 

a couple days before the deadline to drop out of the program before losing all my money, i had to come to a decision as to whether i should stay and stick it out, or drop out. after discussing it with my teachers, parents, and sam, i felt it was a wise decision to drop out for now, and get everything checked out. 

since then, i've seen my doctor and he has referred me to a specialist, who will run a few tests and try to figure out what is going on. it could be carpal tunnel, and i might require a procedure, but right now its still uncertain. 

it took me a few weeks to accept the fact that i couldn't carry on with the pain i was having. but to be honest, right now i feel pretty good about my decision  thinking about it now, i feel it's better not to go into a career that relies on your hands. if i have issues now, it will only get worse, and it would be harder to give up once i had been working in the field for a while. 

so, right now i've decided to take the year off. i'm working four days a week at the baby store, and looking into my options for school. i must admit, i never looked into any masters programs, as i had already set my mind on the jewelry program. i've been pretty excited to find a few programs that are different from just general art history masters. right now i'm doing my research and looking at all my options. i'm also enjoying just working and not worrying about schoolwork. 

now, enough about school and my silly hands. i've missed posting on the blog, and i've decided to get back to it! 

i'll leave you with a few photos from my thanksgiving in guelph with the fam!

i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving!

krush.

september schedule.

i finally got to choose my schedule for september! although i didn't have that much choice, i still managed to keep my friday school free, so that i can still pick up at least two shifts at the baby store.

a big difference between my university and college schedule is the amount of class hours. throughout my time at u of t i rarely had more than 10 hours of class per week... now i have 21 hours per week... big difference! but a lot of those hours will hopefully be spent at the lab, working on my projects, so it wont feel the same as just sitting in a lecture hall for hours on end.

here is a complete list of courses i will be taking this year:

SEMESTER 1
JEWL1013      Goldsmithing I
JEWL1017      Metal Finishing I
JEWL1047      Jewellery as an Industry
JEWL1038      Technical Drawing
COMM1007   College English
COMP1082     Computer Skills and Applications  

SEMESTER 2
JEWL1030      Goldsmithing II
JEWL1019      Metal Finishing II
JEWL1045      Jewellery Casting
JEWL1073      Gemmology for Jewellers
GHUM1023     History of Jewellery
GHUM1049     Design and Colour Theory

as you can see, they're pretty focused, and it's all about the jewellery. now that i have my schedule, it feels a bit more real, and i'm also a bit nervous, just because it is a new school, and a different way of learning. but i am far more excited, and eager to share what i'm learning, as well as my progress with you!!!

hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

krush.

gluten free & vegan coconut marshmallows.

so i've been meaning to share with you some of my favourite food products that are in most cases gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan!

to start this series off, i'd like to present you with sweet and sarah marshmallows.

not only are these guys gluten free, but they are also vegan!! this is a big deal because most marshmallows contain gelatin, which is not vegan. i'm really pumped about these because i have a few vegan friends who've mentioned how much they miss marshmallows, especially now during cottage season, where the thing that many look forward to is sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, and making smores!

there are quite a few flavours to choose from, such as the classic vanilla, strawberry, cinnamon pecan, and toasted coconut (which are the ones i went with). these guys are soooo yummy! they're a great treat and after dinner dessert. they have the exact texture you want in a marshmallow, and you wouldn't know that there's no gelatin present to make them gooey. there is also just enough vanilla sweetness, that goes well with the toasted coconut. 

overall i think these are some of the tastiest marshmallows i've ever had, and they're free of both gluten and animal products! you can find them at most health food stores. i bought mine at essence of life in kensington market.

cute packaging! 

i love how they're all different shapes and sizes because they're handcut.

if you get a chance to pick them up, i hope you enjoy them as much as i do! 

krush.