It’s been awhile since I last posted but once again I plan on brewing up an awesome recipe of my own.

I recently started working at a tap house and we’ve had a couple pumpkin beers offered lately (tis the season) and they’ve inspired me to do a little baking.

I’ve seen a few “pumpkin ale cupcake with maple frosting” recipes however nobody has yet to actually make a pumpkin and stout cupcake…

This is where I come in!

It’s my goal now to have an awesome pumpkin and stout cupcake recipe made up by the end of the week. 

So once I pick the stout and figure out the perfect ratio of ingredients I shall upload some pictures and a recipe for you guys so stay tuned! =D

No added sugar August - Update

I definitely forgot to write yesterday about how my challenge has been going…

My mind changes a lot so the next day after posting my outline of the challenge I decided not to post everything every day and just do weekly summaries, because there will actually noticeable changes between weeks rather than between days.

And here we go:

So after my first week, I no longer actually have sugar cravings. If anything I find myself craving fruit, but nothing like chocolate or any type of sugary dessert or snack. These cravings actually kind of disappeared after the third day.

Within the first week, my acne has also noticeably cleared. Anyone who knows me can agree that my acne is pretty shit for someone who is no longer a teenager. However going sugar free has helped with it even more than being on the pill did when I was younger.

I’ve discovered a “cheat” in terms of bread. It’s not actually cheated but I didn’t expect to be able to eat breads because they would have sugar as one of their ingredients, however baguettes do not require sugar, to be made. So if you’re really craving a nice sandwich baguettes are the way to go.

That’s about all that I can say for now, but so far no added sugar August is going quite well! =)

This breakfast kicks off my second day of “no added sugar August”. I would’ve been able to count from August 1st except I’d forgotten and ate a muffin at work on Friday… Yes that is my breakfast. It’s roasted potatoes, kale and avocado salad, and cherry tomatoes. I’ve finally after all these years grown bored of oatmeal. Mind you 4 years is a long time. So I suppose if anyone else in interested in challenging themselves to a “no added sugar August” feel free to join me and send me a message and we can battle through it together! The rule is: Eat whatever the hell you want as long as there hasn’t been any sugar added to it. This means fruit is fair game, but anything like breads with sugar in the ingredients are off limits. This also includes low calorie sweeteners. They are off limits as well. I know it’s possible because I managed to do a no added sugar April, and if I can go sugar free during finals I can certainly go sugar free during the summer. I suppose I could do daily posts about what I ate and how I’m feeling? If I remember… That’s the plan as of now (while I’m typing this). Here is to eating healthier and stuffs.
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This breakfast kicks off my second day of “no added sugar August”. I would’ve been able to count from August 1st except I’d forgotten and ate a muffin at work on Friday… Yes that is my breakfast. It’s roasted potatoes, kale and avocado salad, and cherry tomatoes. I’ve finally after all these years grown bored of oatmeal. Mind you 4 years is a long time. So I suppose if anyone else in interested in challenging themselves to a “no added sugar August” feel free to join me and send me a message and we can battle through it together! The rule is: Eat whatever the hell you want as long as there hasn’t been any sugar added to it. This means fruit is fair game, but anything like breads with sugar in the ingredients are off limits. This also includes low calorie sweeteners. They are off limits as well. I know it’s possible because I managed to do a no added sugar April, and if I can go sugar free during finals I can certainly go sugar free during the summer. I suppose I could do daily posts about what I ate and how I’m feeling? If I remember… That’s the plan as of now (while I’m typing this). Here is to eating healthier and stuffs.

Something I recently discovered was the flavour pairing of cherries and tomatoes. Add basil into that mix and it’s quite lovely. I’ve been working in trying to find a really good dressing to go with this but so far some olive oil, balsamic, and a tiny bit of chili seems to be doing the job for me. I’ve only been using bing cherries but I’m interested to see how rainier cherries taste, because they certainly would look nicer.
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Something I recently discovered was the flavour pairing of cherries and tomatoes. Add basil into that mix and it’s quite lovely. I’ve been working in trying to find a really good dressing to go with this but so far some olive oil, balsamic, and a tiny bit of chili seems to be doing the job for me.

I’ve only been using bing cherries but I’m interested to see how rainier cherries taste, because they certainly would look nicer.

Whole wheat thin crust pizza


1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp active dry yeast 
2 tsbp olive oil
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp sugar 

In a large bowl mix together your flour and salt and then create a well in the centre. In a small bowl, mix together your yeast, sugar, and water. Once the yeast has bloomed pour your oil and yeast/water into the well that you made in your flour.


Gently mix the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients until a gooey mixture has formed, then fold the rest of the flour into your mixture.

Lightly flour a clean surface and begin kneading the dough until it is no longer sticky. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rise for about an hour. Punch the dough to release built up gasses and let sit for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425F

Stretch out your dough and add any toppings that you want to be cooked. Let the pizza bake for about 15 minutes or until the crust is firm. If you have any toppings to be put on fresh, toss them on once the pizza is ready to be cut and served.

— For this pizza I brushed the dough with tomato sauce and artichoke hearts then I baked it. Once the pizza came out of the oven I tossed nutritional yeast and spinach on top.

   
   Light and fluffy pizza dough

  • 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 1/4 cups tipo 00 flour

In a large bowl mix together your flour and salt and then create a well in the centre. In a small bowl, mix together your yeast, sugar, and water. Once the yeast has bloomed pour your oil and yeast/water into the well that you made in your flour.

Gently mix the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients until a gooey mixture has formed, then fold the rest of the flour into your mixture.

Lightly flour a clean surface and begin kneading the dough until it is no longer sticky. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rise for about an hour until it has doubled in size. Punch the dough to release built up gasses and let sit for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425F

Stretch out your dough and add any toppings that you want to be cooked. Let the pizza bake for about 15 minutes or until the crust is firm. If you have any toppings to be put on fresh, toss them on once the pizza is ready to be cut and served.

— For this pizza I brushed the dough with olive oil and pressed garlic then I baked it with a little bit of arugula on top. Once the pizza came out of the oven I tossed more arugula, and some mixed greens on top with chive flowers.