Hang all the mistle toe

In the midst of all the papers, exams, presentations and with all the fall classes wrapping up, it can often get really crazy during these weeks, and everything gets a little gloomy. What keeps me optimistic during these times is the thought of weeks after it is all done..the Christmas festivities!! December has and will always be my favorite month of the year for a number of reasons MY BIRTHDAY (dec 11), Christmas, and boxing day! Although this month is panned for consumerism at an all time high I get pretty caught up in the spectacle. I love it all, the atmosphere during these weeks brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. The hot coco nights, all the baking I tend to do, the buzz in the malls, the christmas music and movies playing all day everyday, the candy canes, the rich colours, the santa pictures, skating at nathan phillips square, the lights on yorkville and everywhere, but most importantly cooking with my mother on christmas day and my family coming together. I come from a Filipino background and during these times the following traditional dishes are brought to the table:

For breakfast: Tapsilog

This consists of fried rice, eggs sunny side up, tomatoes, and tapa meat
aka cured meat

Palabok: a noodle dish, jam packed with greatness

and lastly for dessert Halo-halo this dish usually comes out during the summer time
but in my household its a year round dish. It consists of crushed ice, cream, sugar,
red beans, mangos and many other things, with a scoop of ube(taro) ice cream.

Photocredits: off_wut post (cochina)

Local Love: Smoke's Poutinerie

So who loves poutine? Poutine in my opinion is one of Canada's well kept secrets. I remember when my cousin's came from California in December 2004 and they had never even heard/tasted/seen poutine before, and when they first tried it, they were in complete awe. Every time I go back to California they ask me to bring poutine..of course the border would/will  never allow it. Anyways so Michelle and I recently went to Smoke's poutinerie on 218 Adelaide St W to simmer down the poutine craving we both coincidently had at the time. The journey was well worth it, they sell pop shoppe drinks which brings in a little vintage diner feel to the place and have free stickers which I took advantage of. Smoke's is a cute little place, with a pretty cool aesthetic , the atmosphere is pretty darn chill, and the menu ranges in all kinds of poutines I didn't even know existed. Check it out, and the prices range depending on the kind of poutine you get. Very well worth every dime and it doesn't dent the wallet either. 

On a lighter note

I recently went to a wedding the food was amazing I got too

 busy to take pics of the full menu

so I took pics of some of the desserts instead :) 

This right here is a filipino dessert called puto it is a steamed 

little rice cake and often made in various colours it looks really 

plain but its amazing with coffee or tea

Just a bit of the desserts offered there was more

including the most delicious strawberry short cake

 I have ever tasted ever!