Perfectly Popped Stovetop Popcorn (or Kettle Corn)

Popcorn has always been one of my favourite snacks, but I don't have a microwave and I burnt out my air popper. I decided it was about time for me to learn how to make popcorn using the old stovetop method. My aunt has been making it like this for years and I've always liked they way she did it. Its not only easy to make, but you can control the amount of oil and toppings that you use.

What you'll need
3 tbsp Canola or Grapeseed Oil (These oils have a high smoking point)
1/3 cup Popcorn Kernels
2 tbsp Butter or Margarine (optional)
Salt to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat. Put 3-4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pot.

When you hear the kernels pop, add in the remaining popcorn kernels. If you want to add in salt, do it now. Cover and remove from heat for 30 seconds. This brings all the kernels to a near-popping temperature so they'll all start to pop around the same time, ensuring that you get the most kernels popped.

Return the pot to the heat and the kernels will start popping. Holding your hand on the lid, gently shaking the pot back and forth over the burner. Hold the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Once the popping starts slowing down to several seconds between pops, you can removed the pot from the heat and dump into a wide bowl.

If you're adding butter or margarine, you can melt it in the empty hot pan and then drizzle over the popcorn. Add more salt if needed.

There are lots of other great toppings that you can add such as grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil with thyme and sea salt, chili pepper, nutritional yeast, curry powder or even cinnamon and chocolate chips!

You can even make this into Kettle Corn by stirring in a 1/4 cup of sugar in with the kernels before you cover it for 30 seconds. Continue with the remaining steps and then add salt to taste at the end.

Whiskey was quite happy to eat all the popcorn that I accidentally dropped while I was transferring it to the bowl. He sure does make for a great sous chef :)

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Unionville in Summer

Last year I did a post on Unionville, the original set of the hit TV show Gilmore Girls. Little did I know that it would become one of my most viewed posts. The pictures that I used were from Christmastime and while the town is very pretty in the winter, it is absolutely gorgeous in the summer. This quaint town, which was founded in 1794, is a popular location for film and television productions and just last week, John Stamos (Uncle Jesse from Full House) was spotted filming a murder mystery.

For those of you who are fans of Gilmore Girls, you might recognize that building down the street.

Any guesses?

It's the original set for Luke's Diner. When the show moved to LA, they changed the look slightly, but kept some of these shots in the opening credits.

Nowadays it is a dress shop, but I'll always think of it as Luke's Diner.

I've always admired the glass paneling above the bay windows. The light bounces off of it beautifully in the evening when the streetlights come on.

Another shop that is often shown in the background is this quaint little building.

You can see it here in the first episode of Gilmore Girls.

I absolutely love this town and always have a great time walking around looking at the older homes. Seeing as so many of you enjoy charming places like this too, I thought I'd bring you along for a little tour and show you how great it looks in the summer (not that it doesn't look equally charming in winter!).

Walking up the street from Luke's Diner, there is this sweet little shop with an adorable white picket fence and a sweet little porch.

Wouldn't you just love to sit on this rocking chair with a nice cup of tea? I also adore that ruby red door and the symmetry of the two large bay windows.

Almost every home boasts its own charming architectural features. From the large porch to the beautiful window frames and even the whimsical pitched roof, this sunny home is incredibly inviting.

Some homes have a much more regal touch with expertly manicured lawns and striking features, like the Juliet balcony of this two storey house.

Vegan Blueberry Buckle

What do you do when you need to quickly make a dessert for a get together with friends and you open the fridge to realize that you have barely any ingredients? Well, this happened to me recently - I didn't even have eggs! Thankfully I was able to dig through the pantry and find just enough ingredients to make this delicious Vegan Blueberry Buckle.

 

This easy-to-make cake is packed with delicious blueberries, while the streusel topping adds some great crunch.

I found it to be a little on the dry side, so I suggest serving it warm with ice cream or even yogurt sweetened with honey. 

What you'll need:
Streusel:
3/4 Pastry Flour
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
4-6 tbsp Canola Oil

Cake:
1 cup Pastry Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup Maple Syrup (I ended up using low sugar Table Syrup because its all I had around)
1/3 cup Canola Oil
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Salt
4 cups Fresh Blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and wrap bottom with foil.

To make the Streusel:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir in oil 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture starts to look crumbly. Set aside.

To make the Cake:

In a small bowl, whisk together syrup, oil, vanilla and salt.

In a large bowl, combine flours and baking powder. Stir in syrup mixture. Fold in the blueberries.

I love how the blueberries turned the batter purple!

Spread batter in pan.

A Sunday Dose of Puppy

This week I stopped by at a friend's place for an impromptu BBQ and look what the neighbour brought over...

A 12 week old Shar Pei/Bulldog puppy. Can you believe how cute she is?

I'm always a sucker for a cute puppy. I just can't resist their energy and clumsy charm.

I couldn't stop myself from picking her up and I was rewarded with a big lick across my chin. She was unbelievably soft and still had that new puppy smell. Although she weighs the same as Whiskey right now, before you know it she'll be a big girl.

She was quite the curiously little sweetheart and spent the whole time running under the table and going up to greet everyone. This pup has learned quickly that if you act cute you get cuddles and treats.

I think its the worrisome wrinkles and black button nose that really pushed me over the edge. I kept looking at Garrett and trying to encourage him of "how great it would be to get a puppy for Whiskey to play with". Thankfully he is the responsible one in the relationship and reminded me of how small the apartment is and how much time a puppy needs. But it was still a fun thought. And how can you resist when you see one as cute as this!

My First Trip to West Elm

I've always been a big fan of the West Elm website, but it wasn't until this week that I got a chance to go see one in person. There is a big store located down in Liberty Village that opened a few years ago, yet I've never made a point of going down there. I wish I hadn't waited so long!

Right away I walked in and made a beeline for the couches. The sectionals were so inviting and full of pillows, just the way I like them.

As much as I love the look of a leather couch, I know that it would be scratched in no time by Whiskey's nails. If I could pick a couch from this store, I'd have gone with this beautiful microsuede sectional. I gave it a little test run and I can vouch for its comfiness.

I think the key to a cozy and inviting couch is fun and functional pillows. There is nothing like burrowing into a pile of pillows and watching a great movie. Whiskey can agree.

One of my favourite pillows was this knit cover with wooden buttons. I'm hoping that I can recreate something like this using an old sweater, similar to what I did on my bed last Winter.

They had another similar pillow cover with smaller buttons on a vibrant fabric. I'm really digging this look!

Another popular trend I was loving were these sweet white owls. Remember the 243 Owls at my aunt's house? Maybe she wants another one for Christmas this year :)

Although these mercury glass mushrooms weren't really my thing, I did like the votive candle holders. Mercury glass creates a lovely lighting effect in the evenings, but still looks fantastic during the day. I have a few pieces already, but its one of those things that you can keep adding to the collection.

Although I've always liked the look I have in my bedroom, I'm been meaning to make some changes soon when I have some more time to brainstorm ideas (Hello Pinterest!). This look is something I would definitely pin. I love the vibrant fabrics they chose against the dark wooden frame.

Cucumber Bean Salad

For the Girl's Martini Night a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to bring a fresh Summer salad that would travel easily and taste great. Using some fresh vegetables and a few pantry staples, I was able to put this together in no time.

The crisp fresh taste of the cucumber combined with the creamy salty feta in a tangy dressing made for a great side dish. I ended up dipping into the leftovers in the fridge throughout the weekend and it just kept getting better and better. I'm sure that this will be a staple in my packed lunches this Fall!

What you'll need:
4 cups Cucumber, peeled and diced
2/3 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup Red Onion, slivered
1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
1 can Beans (White Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Red Kidney Beans or Black Eyed Peas)
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Dried Oregano
Fresh Ground Pepper

Combine cucumber, beans, pepper, onion and feta together in a large bowl. 

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, oregano and pepper. 

Add to salad and toss to coat.

This is great served at room temperature or chilled.

It also travels very easily and keeps well in the fridge.

Printable Version

Bathroom Before and After

I've given you before and afters of my apartment Living Room, Kitchen and Bedroom, so it seemed like it was about time to show you the bathroom as well.

AFTER

I have a tiny little bathroom, with a slanted roof on one side, so I knew when I moved in that I could add a little colour, but be careful not to go overboard in such a small space. This is how my place looks right now, but it didn't look like that when I first came in to view it.

BEFORE

The whole place was such a bachelor pad - shaving cream everywhere, haha!

BEFORE

This is a better shot from before I moved in, that shows you how tiny the shower really is. It has a hand held shower head (it falls from the holder when the water is turned on) and looks to originally be a footed tub that was titled in and then painted. The curtain that originally was there just draped on one side and took up most of the space in there.

When I moved in I bought a new shower curtain and from this came the whole colour scheme for the bathroom. I loved the way the turquoise (top), lime (middle) and navy (bottom) all looked together. These photos don't really seem to do the colours justice, but it is hard to get great photos when you don't have any natural light source in there.

My sweet Great Aunt helped me pick out the towels and we went with turquoise and lime to match the curtain (again, the picture doesn't show how great these colours look.)

AFTER

I like to have all the facecloths in a nice little basket for overnight guests to help themselves. I also found a cute vintage cover of Good Housekeeping to frame for some fun art. Its ironic that the little puppy looks like he's having so much fun in the bath, because every time that I give Whiskey a bath in there he freaks out.

You can't see it very well in these photos, but I cut the curtain to fit the angle of the roof and then stitched along the edges to give it a more polished look. Before, the curtain just hanged in a bunch and in a small bathroom like this, the more free space you have, the better.

I try to keep the bathroom free of clutter (easier said than done), but I do like to have a few little details in there whether it is a pairing of small bud vases or even this sweet waterlily votive holder my sister gave me a few years ago. This is one of those pieces that I love to bits - not just because it is stunning when it is lit, but also because it reminds me of the person who took the time to pick out something I really love.

On the opposite wall of the shower (technically it is in the shower), I have a long towel rack to hold bath towels and occasionally a shower radio - if I can remember to buy more batteries.

I've even been lucky enough to find Christmas towels that match the colour theme (turquoise and lime!) and I love to dig these out closer to the holidays.

Between the towel rack and the bathroom door is my medicine cabinet - full of makeupy goodness. There is also a large closet (about 1/2 the size of the bathroom!) behind the bathroom door which I use for storage. It has several deep shelves for extra towels, cleaning supplies, stocked up canned goods and a small cart that holds more makeup/bath stuff.

Thus concludes my little bathroom tour - emphasis on little.  Its got its quirks (no hot water until 7:45 am, an outlet that is actually in the shower stall and no water pressure if the laundry machine is on), but overall its a cute little place. If it was my own place and not a rental, there is so much more that I'd have liked to do in there, but for now I'm content to just keep it looking cheery!