happy halloween weekend!

{ festive cupcakes }

Happy Halloween! What do you have planned for this weekend? We're headed out to Prince Edward County with two car loads of friends tonight - we're going to bike to wineries, dance the night away at a costume party and totally indulge in a late morning brunch. It was a busy work week but I cannot wait to relax, sip on wine and have fun with friends. And even better, the count down is even closer to our B.C. getaway!

Have a spooky, sugar-filled Halloween weekend! xx

{ morning mugs, coffee & grapefruit juice }

{ my favorite halloween candy }

{ a new fall bag }

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Here are a few fun posts from around the web....

Ten delicious Halloween cocktails to enjoy this weekend...

A gross reminder of something that always concerns me..

Attractive seasonal Halloween house decor

A beautiful braid

This almost sounds too good to be true

A turtleneck PSA

in case you haven't heard

Adele's new song 'Hello' is amazing!!! I can't wait for the rest of the new album and I'm quite sure I must be one of millions who currently have this song on constant replay... Listen HERE

pecan blondies

I've been on a bit of a roll lately when it comes to time spent in the kitchen. These days I'm really enjoying preparing meals and have been baking more then usual. Last week D and I had curled up to watch How to Get Away With Murder (anyone else totally addicted?), and we both agreed that we wish we had a little sweet treat! We didn't have much in the house but I had seen this recipe earlier and figured I had all the ingredients on hand - only thing missing was the M&Ms which I substituted pecans in for. They were simple to whip up and had a rich sweetness, which satisfied all cravings. 

Here is the link to the recipe, they would make a great treat for the Halloween weekend!

have a great weekend

{ we took home quite a few of these Halloween sugar cookies... }

What do you have planned for this weekend? We had a delicious homemade steak dinner with crispy potatoes and are currently cheering on the Blue Jays. Tomorrow, I'm catching up with a friend before we head out to a bachelorette party together  to dance the night away. The weather has been hit or miss this week, but the few mornings I was able to ride my bike to work made the rain completely bearable. We have a busy two weeks ahead, but the countdown is on until our trip out to B.C. and I cannot wait!

Well, these are now what we're having on Saturday for breakfast

Talk about wanderlust, ten new beaches just added to my bucket list

'How' to Snapchat

A friends Vancouver restaurant suggestion that I'm hopeful we'll check out

These Ugg boots would be so cozy for winter days

A beautiful pink coat.

Beautiful hand made place cards

I cannot WAIT to return here next weekend. Only 8 more sleeps!

{ last weekends coffe-in-hand walk through high park }

{ new hair accessories from anthropologie }

{ a little gift for a great friend }

{ homemade chili from my mom }

diy holiday wreath

With the weather slowly shifting, I can't help but enjoy an occasional distraction about the approaching Christmas holidays. One rather major addition to the living room that was made since Christmas last year is our dining table. It's an addition that we have thoroughly enjoyed, but the single and most major sacrifice of the purchase was knowing that we would no long have a space for a Christmas tree. So I'm trying to get ahead of my disappointment and find other festive craft ideas to bring some green into the house for the holidays. This wreath would look beautiful in the kitchen and bring a California-chic touch to the traditional decor. It's officially been added to my November to-do list. Click here for 'how-to' instructions. 

smoked salmon puff pastry

We we're asked to bring an appetizer to a friends place recently and my mind went into overdrive trying to think of something other then my typical cheese plate go-to. Although it might not qualify as a fall themed appetizer, smoked salmon always seems to be a big hit. We decided to check out our local fish shop De La Mer and they had two house cured varieties to choose from - one cured in gin & beets and a second in vodka & dill. Knowing I wanted to pair it with dill, I chose the vodka & dill. I bought the store made puff pastry roll for the first time and was so impressed at how easy it was to roll out and bake. Luckily for me, this was one of those made up ideas that worked out even better then I had imagined.

Smoked Salmon Puff Pastry

1 sheet of store bought puff pastry

150-200 grams of smoked salmon

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

3 large sprigs of fresh dill

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 cup of cream cheese
1 egg

1 lemon 

1. Take puff pastry out of freezer and let thaw. Unroll on baking sheet and brush top with beaten egg. Bake as per instructions and let cool.

2. Whip sour cream and cream cheese together in a bowl. Stir in half of the dill and juice of half a lemon.

3. Spread cream evenly over cooled tart with offset spatula. 

4. Lay smoke salmon on top of cream. Top with red onion and dill. Squeeze lemon on top before serving.

5. Cut into serving portions and enjoy! (I imagine you could cut the pastry into smaller bite sized portions before baking if preferred)

sunday in high park

Yesterday D and I had a late sleep in then bundled up, grabbed a coffee and croissant and headed over to High Park. It's very rare that I'm able to keep my bearings once we're in the park, so D led the way on a three hour adventure. Here are a few photos if you care to see...