Productive/Food Weekend

I realize that it's already the middle of the week but last weekend had such good photo ops that I couldn't pass out on them; plus, I've been on a productivity high(ish) so I'm excited for when (what I'm currently working on) is finally done... (and I can unveil it on the internet).

I think that productivity high was the result of me actually taking the time and effort to take care of myself in one aspect of my life (at least starting to). I always tend to neglect myself due to other priorities, so it was refreshing to have some "me time" that wasn't entirely dedicated to either freelance work/design, or a mental break that would usually result in myself endlessly browsing the internet. Now if only I get around to using that facial mask... lol.

Currently, I'm in the middle of a "design renovation" for a personal project of mine (aka my portfolio). Maybe it's just me, but I get kind of antsy when I see that the stuff/layout I'm displaying on the web right at this moment is already two years old. It feels a bit dated, especially my colour choice back then, and there are some visual adjustments I've already made that I want implemented so badly. But patience, because I still have quite some work to do...

After a good chunk of Sunday morning dedicated to project photography, It's that time of year again where Minh and I celebrate our good friend's birthday, but this time we had brunch instead. We went to Wish, a quaint little cafe that had gorgeous patio fixtures and water pitchers that were absolutely Instagram/blog worthy. The food was delicious too.

Avocado on rye toast with heirloom cherry tomatoes and fresh fruit, sans goat cheese

Challah French toast with blueberries and caramelized bananas

Charlotte — poached eggs over smoked salmon, leek and parmesan fondue 

 Eggs in Purgatory

I loved what I ordered, and I'm so glad I was able to request not to have goat cheese on it! The poached eggs were a little awkward to eat (I have this weird thing where I don't like to have the egg yolk spread everywhere, so I try to eat as clean as possible), but other than that, I enjoyed my meal. The avocado, poached eggs and cherry tomatoes complimented the rye toast well enough that I didn't notice if the rye toast was particularly dry or not, and there was plenty of avocado for me to consume. The portions were not too little and not too heavy, which was great as well (then again, I did end up eating some of Minh's portions because she couldn't finish hers... so that may contribute to that as well). I think that if I didn't eat some of Minh's portions, it would be even better if they included a little more fruit in there; perhaps a branch of grapes, or a slice of orange? Either way, still good.

After late brunch and some browsing at Zara, I headed back home to prepare for cooking with the boyfriend. We decided to try making Arancini that night, and we were both really pleased with our result! I got the recipe here.

We modified the process a little bit by using an air-fryer instead of deep frying in a pot like the recipe suggested. Other than that, we pretty much kept things the same. I wanted to make Arancini since I still fondly remember that time when I first tried the Mac-N-Cheese version at the Food Dude's food truck years ago. I loved it so much upon discovery that I had always wanted to make at least a similar version to it, which I now have. I won't eat this too often, but it's definitely nice to make this every once in awhile!