| Hint of Vanilla

Whenever I think of my travels in Italy, I think of hazelnut gelato. My first trip to Italy was when I was 12 years old and it was just me and my Mama. I think I had gelato two or three times every single day of that trip (thanks Mum!). Most of the time, that gelato was straight up hazelnut.

There were tons of flavours in every gelateria, but hazelnut was just something different. I could've gone for chocolate, stracciatella, nutella, or vanilla (all my favourites), but in the end, hazelnut won me out. Now, every time I eat a hazelnut flavoured dessert, it brings me back to Italy with my Mama.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Coffee Cakes with Almond Streusel

Breakfast | Cake

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Is it spring yet? Sure doesn't feel like it. I mean, yeah, everything on Pinterest is "Grow your own garden!" and "Spring cleaning tips!" and "Strawberries and rhubarb and asparagus and peas!". And I'm just sitting here in rainy Vancouver with no rhubarb or strawberries or asparagus or peas. And it's cold.

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Pecan Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Bread | Chocolate | Fruit

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Remember last week when I was bummed about my new job and how I just felt like I was doing a bad job every day, no matter how hard I tried?

Yesterday, I decided that I had had enough of the stress, anxiety, and confusion. I talked to the pastry chef and told him how I felt about the job and how overwhelming it was for someone with such little experience in the industry. And I told him it just wasn't working for me. I quit.

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Caramelized Hazelnut Macarons

Cookies | Macarons

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You ever have those aspirations and dreams and hopes of doing something? You know it'll be hard, but whatever, you can totally do it because you're different than the rest! You're awesome!

And then you do those things and it way harder than you ever imagined and you feel very un-awesome.

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Maple Cinnamon Creme Brûlée

Custards

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The first signs of spring are here already. Buds are popping up on trees, there are days when I only have to wear one jacket, and some days are partially sunny. Compared to the rest of North America, Vancouver has had (as it always does) a mild winter. No snowpocalypse, no snowmaggedon, no Polar Vortex. Some rain, a couple days of half an inch of snow, and some more rain.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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