#GSList

It’s almost midnight here in Toronto and I promised to lovely Katie to finish this post tonight… First of all, thank you Katie for this nomination. You made my day 🙂 I had to put everything aside and think what are those important things that make me happy? Often times, I rush through a day without having time to pause and contemplate..and I am sure most of us do. So, I really enjoyed preparing this post. 

Mustache blog tag

Hi there, how are you guys doing?

Krista from From food stamps to a future has tagged me to this cute/fun Mustache blog tag. She is a wonderful, crafty woman with big imagination 🙂 Make sure you check her blog and etsy shop. Thank you, Krista.

The Liebster Award- Thank you

Many thanks to Cory from Adventure and Food for nominating me for Liebster Award. I had to look it up what Liebster means first 🙂 Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, valued, lovely, endearing… Such a sweet nomination. I am very happy and humbled again. Thank you!

Perfect holiday gift- homemade raspberry jam!

I can never get enough of the incredible flavours that available at the market in the summer time. One of my favourite ways to hold on to the season’s freshest berries is by making jam. It is easier to do than it sounds. You just need few basic ingredients that you probably have at home and some fresh berries. Today, I choose black and red raspberries. Savour the summer and make some jam! I plan to give it away as gifts for holiday season, and will present my jam in personalized cute mason jars. Touch of summer in the mid of winter. Can’t wait for holidays to come!

Coffee crepes with creme fraiche and peaches

Juicy golden peaches and crème fraiche conjure up the sweet taste of summer. They are delicious and sweet as the filling for these light coffee-flavored buckwheat crepes. This recipe is lighter than the one I used to make Russian blini. I serve these crepes for breakfast, lunch or sometimes as a dessert after dinner. Enjoy 🙂

The power of your passion

“I believe it is important for everyone to find something they are passionate about. For me, it is team sports. When I was younger I became a synchronized swimmer. It taught me about teamwork, dedication, friendship, sacrifice, expression and probably every good quality that makes me who I am. I just loved the water and always felt safe there. If I had a bad day at school, or when my boyfriend broke up with me, or when my cat died, or when I was feeling stressed out, as soon as I jumped into that pool all those problems seemed to disappear. It was my outlet. I didn’t realize how important a role it played in my life until I stopped swimming when I was 18.

Versatile Blogger Award-Thank you

I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying this beautiful summer. I have been very busy lately but finally I made some free time for my blogging community. I would like to thank one of my favourite bloggers – Auntie Doni, for nominating me for Versatile Blogger Award, I am so happy and humbled. Thank you very much!

If you wish to learn what is life in Hawaii like, to see some beautiful sunsets and scenery, to learn few Hawaiian phrases or to find many delicious recipes (cinnamon buns  and chunky apple sauce are one of my favourite ones) then that’s the blog to visit 🙂 – My kitchen in the middle of the dessert.

The courage to share with the world…

“Empowerment – the word means different things to different people. For me, the road to empowerment means challenging and overcoming my fear of criticism. Looking back over my younger days, I remember some crucial moments when I let my fear of criticism get the best of me. Literally my BEST evaporated under the stress of fear and humiliation. My younger, less confident formative years were filled with a debilitating fear of criticism. But around the age of 15, I started to find my courage. In our high school, we had a Friday night coffee house set up in the library, for aspiring folk singers like myself to take the stage and entertain the crowd with a couple of songs.

empowerment quotes

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right-for you’ll be criticized anyway. You will be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t” – Eleanor R.

“The giving of love is an education in itself” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Jam filled butter cookies

These cookies make perfect holiday gifts and sweet treats for someone special year-around. Bake a batch with ingredients you probably already have at home, and share them this weekend 🙂 You won’t see it on this picture, but I have filled cookies with different types of jams (apricot and cherry) so it came out colourful and beautiful. Give it a try!
Start by sifting flour and baking powder together, set it aside.