canada Archives • Serendipity by Sara Lynn

Caramel + Coconut Nanaimo Bars

Published on July 24, 2018November 1, 2018 by serendipitybysaralynnLeave a comment

Caramel & Coconut Nanaimo Bars

Easy Nanaimo Bars

Hello from beautiful Oregon! I’m here for the next few days road tripping through the state, and I have big plans of drinking lots of beer + coffee and buying all the cheese at Face Rock Creamery! Yesterday, we went fishing on the Umpqua River, and I caught 20 fish! I even stuck my thumb into a few of their mouths, because apparently this stiffens them up and keeps them from flopping everywhere. I wasn’t totally down with this method of fish-holding, or any method for that matter, but I did it for the ‘gram. The Umpqua River might be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, so for most of the journey, I sat back on the boat and admired the view. I saw at least a dozen giant birds, including some bald eagles which you can recognize because they have white butts.

Today, I head over to the coast, and apparently there will be wine tasting involved! I’m also in desperate search for some good coffee, because being in the middle of nowhere Oregon = little to no coffee options, and I’m dying of caffeine headaches. On the other hand, I found a legit drive-up ice cream spot today, which I honestly didn’t even know existed anymore, and they had cherry-dipped cones (a.k.a. the way to my heart). I vote that Reno gets an ice cream drive-up that specializes purely in cherry-dipped cones. I will invest actual money into this enterprise. Continue reading “Caramel + Coconut Nanaimo Bars” →

Tater Tot Poutine

Published on November 23, 2017November 23, 2017 by serendipitybysaralynn2 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!! Today, my Canadian friend, Stephen, comes into town to experience ~~real~~ American Thanksgiving, so to celebrate, here’s a classic Canadian recipe! If you read about my Canada trip, you know that I spent one late, post-beer night at Smoke’s Poutinerie, which I’ve been told is the classic around those parts. I ate “traditional” poutine, some drunk college kids told me I look like Bjork, and then we piled into an uber and I woke up with a gravy hangover the next day.

Tomorrow, I also plan on waking up with a gravy hangover although I’m hoping this gravy is topped over a mountain of mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing. Yesterday I went to the liquor store after work, which was absolute utter madness, but I got some fancy gin, and I’m ready to party. I will be spending my weekend surrounded by 40+ people who share my DNA, and I have dubbed myself the official gin + tonic maker for the weekend.

When I asked in my Toronto post if it would be sacrilege to use tater tots instead of french fries in poutine, Stephen came back with a resounding “YES”. However, because I have no manners, and because deep frying foods in my own house is something I avoid like spiders and vacuuming, tater tots were the obvious choice. Plus, tater tots ♥

While we’re on the matter, would if be totally inappropriate for me to top mashed potatoes with gravy and cheese curds? Do you think Stephen would just totally leave the country and never come back??? Would mashed potatoes + gravy + cheese curds be delicious with gin + tonics? Or is that the gravy-hangover remedy?? If you have answers for these questions, pls let me know ASAP. There isn’t much time before I pick up the Canadian from the airport and the festivities begin.

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Tater Tot Poutine
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 lb. tater tots (I eyeballed 1/2 of a 2 lb. bag)
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. beef broth
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 c. cheese curds
Parsley, for garnish

Heat oven to 450* F. Place the tater tots on a greased baking sheet making sure the tater tots don’t touch. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flip, and bake for another 10-15 minutes. You want them to be super crispy but not burned.

Meanwhile, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Whisk in beef broth, salt, pepper, onion powder, and thyme. Stir until thickened. Keep warm.

Drizzle gravy over tater tots. Top with cheese curds, and broil it in the oven until the curds are slightly melted. Top with parsley, if desired.

Serve immediately. Extra gravy optional, beer required.

xo Sara Lynn

*Song of the day: Cosmic Sass by Good Morning

Toronto + Niagara Falls 2017

Published on November 9, 2017November 9, 2017 by serendipitybysaralynn1 Comment

I’m taking a short commercial break from posting about my Europe trip so I can talk about my visit to Toronto a couple weeks ago! I partially doing this because I love the pictures, but mostly because my Canadian friend, Stephen, asks when I’m going to post this at least once or twice a week. (Here you go, Stephen. Thanks for being a loyal reader, and A+ for enthusiasm!).

After I got back from London, I had a couple of weeks at home, and then I headed off to Toronto for some classes at the Canadian Barista & Coffee Academy! I got to talk about coffee for four whole days with all kinds of well-respected roasters, baristas, and coffee shop owners – it was a dream. Plus, I got to work on some really beautiful espresso machines, and I poured my first successful tulip! I got so excited that I forgot to take a picture, but here’s a visual: it was symmetrical and had 5 whole layers!

After my coffee classes were over, I took a few days to explore the Toronto area, and luckily, I had my friend Stephen to show me around. Stephen and I originally met while we were both studying abroad in London, and he’s been trying to get me to visit ever since. Suffice to say, he had a long list of places to show me, and I had a long list of coffee shops to visit!

One of my favorite nights involved Thai food and meeting up with Stephen’s friends to visit some of their favorite bars. After a couple beers, they all decided it was time to give me a real Canadian experience, so we walked to Smoke’s Poutinerie. I finally got to try poutine, and a group of drunk college kids spent the good portion of the night telling me I look like Bjork (which is just the least true thing I have ever heard in my life). All in all, it was the best late-night Toronto experience I could ever hope for.

The next morning, we grabbed a coffee and headed to Niagara Falls! The falls were on my bucket list, and I still can’t stop thinking about how beautiful they were. After taking approximately a million pictures, Stephen and I went to an amazing Greek restaurant, found a cool brewery, and then he beat me at mini golf. On our way back to Toronto, we stopped in Niagara-on-the-Lake where, in true fashion, we ended up at a British-style pub and listened to a live band! It was the perfect last night in Canada.

Things to do in Toronto & Niagara Falls:

Country Style Hungarian Restaurant – I have a newfound love for Hungarian food, which is not easy to find in Reno. Luckily this place has plenty of good options like paprikash and schnitzel!
Put a Cone on It – this is a coffee/ice cream shop in Korea Town that I stopped at every morning before class. They only have espresso drinks, but they make great cappuccinos.
The White Brick Kitchen – a restaurant on Bloor that has really great sandwiches and fries. It’s also close to some artsy, local shops!
Bellwoods Brewery – probably the most beautiful brewery I’ve ever seen. Apparently, it gets ridiculously busy some nights, but when we went, it was such a lovely place to relax and try local beer.
Ramen Isshin – this is an insanely popular ramen joint, but if you’re willing to wait about 20 minutes, it’s definitely worth it.
Get Well – a local barcade where I played Mrs. Packman and somehow won a Star Wars game purely by pressing a lot of buttons!
Salad King – a restaurant that does not, in fact, serve salad but does serve delicious Thai food. It also has huge windows with a great view of downtown.
Smoke’s Poutinerie – only for the purest of Canadian experiences.
Manic Coffee – a recommendation by one of my instructors!
Koutouki – a lovely Greek restaurant near Niagara Falls.
Niagara Brewing Company – lots of beer choices and live music! We got a flight, and I think their cream beer had to be my favorite.
Boxcar Social – probably my favorite coffeeshop in Toronto, I finally found pour-overs, and the aesthetic was beautiful.

xo Sara Lynn

*Song of the day: Im Glad She’s Not my Girlfriend by The Soulboy Collective