Cupcakes & Cannoli

This past weekend included the Victoria Day holiday in Canada, so I decided to make a trip home. Since my brother and dad were up North on a fishing trip, my mom and I decided to have a girls weekend, filled with shopping, movies, biking, and a LOT of delicious food! My favourite part of the weekend (aside from spending some time with my lovely mom of course) was all of the food we consumed. 

It seems to be a tradition that whenever I come home on a Friday night, my mom and I always end up at our favourite Thai restaurant. They make the most mouthwatering Pad Thai I've ever tried, and I constantly crave it. When we're feeling extra hungry (which we usually are), we like to pick up a side of their crunchy spring rolls, complete with their sweet chili Thai sauce. 

Since there is a Starbucks conveniently located in the same plaza, we always pick up a post-dinner caffeine and sugar boost. I had been admiring the new S'mores frappuccino for some time, but I wasn't sure if I could consume a full size considering how sweet it looked. Luckily, Starbucks was offering their mini-sized frappuccinos, so we grabbed a couple of those. The size of the mini was ideal because it was just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth (and it was super cute). 

We started off the next day with shopping (yay!). With graduation money from my parents, I was able to pick up a few new pieces of clothing for my summer job and for school in the fall. After shopping, my mom and I decided to watch Pitch Perfect 2, considering that we both loved the first movie. I have to say that the second one was just as amazing as the first!

It was obvious we were in a theatre full of Canadians as we all burst out laughing when the Canadians, armed with their very red and white apparel, came out on the stage in the final scene. Lucky for us, Team Canada was the incredible real-life acapella group Pentatonix (even though they're actually American). After spending lots of times with German friends when I was studying abroad in Sweden, I really appreciated the German team and their accents. Especially the lead male, who is one of my favourite comedic YouTubers (Flula). We actually watched a few of his videos in Sweden, and may have even convinced a couple of our German friends to repeat the best lines in the videos in their strongest German accents. The movie was a great reminder of all my incredible friends from abroad.

For dinner on the Saturday night, we figured we would try out Kelsey's new summer menu. Since my mom and I are constantly on the search for the best fish tacos (we basically order them every time we go to a restaurant), we gave them a shot. We each ordered one fish taco and one shrimp taco. While the fish taco was good, the shrimp taco was definitely the winner of the night. The crispy coating on the shrimp was the cherry on top for this taco. Of course, we also decided to grab a couple sangrias to pair with the tacos. Both of the sangrias were delicious, but I have to say that white wine is generally my preference over red wine. They were light and fruity and a perfect touch to our meal. 

Rounding up our weekend of dining experiences, we decided to try out a local bakery for lunch on Sunday. When we arrived, we discovered that not only did they have fresh bread and sandwiches, but they also had a delicious array of treats too. As a creature of habit, I went straight for the red velvet cupcake to pair with my grilled turkey sandwich. My mom picked out the hazelnut cannoli and she let my try a bite of it as well. Both of the treats were mouthwatering! I will definitely be returning to this tasty little bakery next time I'm home. 

After our lunch, we figured we should burn the dessert calories off, so we went for a bike ride around the neighbourhood. Biking always brings back great memories of Sweden, and luckily I've gotten much better at riding a bike since I had to do it daily. While we were biking, we were lucky enough to pass by some gorgeous trees in bloom that were all over town, and I just had to capture them. I tried to get a good shot with my iPhone (as I couldn't quite carry my large camera around) as I half-parked on a stranger's curb.

To send me on my way on Monday morning, my mom whipped up a batch of pancakes topped with fresh strawberries for breakfast. It was nice to have the opportunity to spend the whole weekend with her, bonding over food and shopping, as we always do. I was also pretty thankful that the storms held off so we could enjoy our bike rides under the sun!

Until next time, 

Kaitlyn xo