10 Favs in Month 10 | October Favourites

Another month has flown by, which means another favourites post (woo!) October was such an amazing month for me! Everything in September felt overwhelmingly new, but throughout October, everything felt refreshingly new. I pulled myself out of my shell and let myself enjoy Ottawa and experience the new life that I'm making for myself. 

Here are 10 things I loved throughout October; the 10th month:

1. Kindle Unlimited

I'm a huge book worm, but when you get through as many books as I do in a month the cost really does add up. I downloaded the Kindle Unlimited app at the beginning of the month and I've really been enjoying it. It's only $9.99/month and you get unlimited access to tonnes of books. You can access your library on any device that supports the Kindle app just by logging in. I recently just finished re-reading MockingJay in preparation for the upcoming movie!

2. Hot Cocoa

As the weather gets cold, I'm all about feeling as cozy as possible. Making homemade cocoa is one of those things that instantly puts me in a good mood (and the little caffeine boost has been helpful during midterms haha). To make my cocoa I bring 1 cup of milk to a boil in small pot. I then add in 3 heaped teaspoons of raw cacao powder, 2 level teaspoons of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. I let it simmer over a low heat for about 8 minutes, stirring quite frequently. It's so delicious and warms not only the body, but the soul as well!

3. Body Fantasies

I won't go into too much detail about these two body mists because I did a whole review on them that you can read here. I've been wearing one of these two scents everyday this past month and absolutely loving them! 

4. Astoria by Mariana's Trench

I've been waiting for 4 years for Mariana's Trench to finally come out with a new album, and let me say: it was worth the wait! Their new album, Astoria, is absolute perfection! I especially love the songs This Means War, Dearly Departed, Who Do You Love, Wildfire, and End of an Era!

5. Personal Writing

I took a little break from writing when I first moved to Ottawa. I was so busy and uncomfortable in my surroundings that writing didn't seem like a priority. I'm still busy, but now that I'm really getting settled in and loving living here, I feel that my mind is in a good place to be writing again. I picked up this book of 300 writing prompts from Chapters to get my creative juices flowing again and it's really helped me get back in to writing. I've been whacking out short stories and poems like crazy and I feel great about it! Writing is such a release for me. 

6. Down Town/Byward Market

Coming from a small town, I've never experienced a real downtown aura. Being in downtown Ottawa from the Byward Market, to Parliament Hill, to Bank Street... I love it all! It's always busy and so full of life; there's always something going on. It's such a vibrant and energizing place to be that I can't imagine myself ever getting sick of it.

7. Bras Across The Bridge

I was lucky enough to be able to make it to the Bras Across The Bridge fundraising event on October 30th at Mackenzie King Bridge in Downtown Ottawa. This was an event to raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer. Over 3000 bras were donated- for every donated bra, $1 was given to Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation in support of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was such a beautiful experience to see just how many people were passionate about raising money and awareness for a cause that affects so many women (and men) around the world!

8. Thanksgiving Weekend

I was able to make the 10 hour drive home with a few friends for Thanksgiving weekend! It was so great to be able to see my friends and family since I hadn't in over a month. Being home was wonderful and I enjoyed every second of it. Can't wait for Christmas break to be able to go home for a longer period of time- 3 days just didn't cut it!

9. Once Upon a Time

I've fallen into the Once Upon a Time vortex and at such a bad time too! Midterms are getting in the way of my Rumple time! I'm still only on the first season but I'm absolutely hooked and loving every second of the show!

10. My Friends!

I've met a bunch of great people here in Ottawa, but these 3 are definitely my core group! I absolutely adore each of them- they have been such a blessing to have as friends. I feel like we're all on the same sort of wavelength for a lot of things, but different enough to keep things interesting. Definitely my favourite people that I've met so far!

What did you love throughout October? Please do let me know- if you wrote an October Favourites post, leave a link below so I can check it out!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Food Friday | April 24, 2015

Cocoa and Cookies

Oh my goodness, just looking at this photo makes me hungry! Cocoa and my oatmeal cookies is my all time favourite snack. I have to consciously ration myself with these cookies or else I will end up eating an entire batch in one day.

Cocoa

*Makes 2 cups of cocoa*

Ingredients

2 cups milk (I use 2%)

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use Hershey's 100% cocoa) 

2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Measure the milk into a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Heat to your preference (I usually wait until it begins to bubble, right before it would boil).

2. Remove from burner. Use a fork to scrape the film from the top.

3. Add in the cocoa powder and mix as well as you can.

4. Add the sugar and vanilla. Mix well.

5. Get a strainer and your mug. Strain the cocoa into your mug so you don't have cocoa powder lumps in your drink.

6. Enjoy! You can top this with whipped cream or anything else of your choosing but it is delicious just as it is!

Oatmeal Cookies

*Makes 30-36 cookies typically*

Ingredients

1 cup butter (softened or melted)*

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

11/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup boiling water

2 cups quick oats

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, both sugars, and vanilla.

3. Add flour, mix well.

4. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Mix in to large bowl with other ingredients.

5. Stir in oats.

6. Add cinnamon and dark chocolate chips and mix in (these are optional add ins but I highly recommend them both!)

7. Place 1 teaspoon balls of the dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet.

8. Bake for 10 minutes (should be golden brown on bottom and around edges).

9. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

10. Enjoy!

*If you soften the butter the cookie dough will be more firm and the cookies will not fall as much in the oven. If you melt the butter the dough will be more sticky and runny and the cookies will turn out as pictured. Both ways are fine, they both taste amazing, and both ways make chewy cookies. It's up to you if you want bigger, flatter cookies or smaller, more round cookies.