New blog page

Hi everyone, Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. I just wanted to let you know that I have transferred over to another webpage. My new site can be reached at: inspiringolivia.com Thank you for the continued support! Olivia

Ottawa+ Holiday Market Guide

The holiday season is approaching and you might be starting to think of gift ideas. I always find a great variety for friends and family at local holiday markets. I mean, who doesn’t want to gift handmade items from a local business? Here are all the holiday markets I have found and I’m always welcome…

Local Coffee Guide

Since one of my friends recommended I grind my coffee beans every time I want some caffeine, I have discovered a whole new world of coffee. I recently started scouting out local coffee roasters in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. You can often find these in locally owned coffee shops or at farmers markets. The price…

Baked Pumpkin Donuts Recipe

I feel that it’s required to bake pumpkin treats during the fall because they are ample during this season. I based my recipe off of the Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts Recipe from the Food Network by Valerie Bertinelli. I did however, make some adjustments and added a cinnamon glaze to the donuts. First and foremost, you…

Ginger cake recipe

I was at a reception recently and ginger cake was one of the dessert options. It was my first time trying it and I fell in love. Fast forward to this week – I wanted to recreate the scrumptious dessert and found the perfect recipe for it! Based mostly off Once Upon a Chef with…

The little things

I wanted to share the little things that I have been doing these past few years to reduce my environmental impact. No matter how small the impact you are making, it’s progress and you know the difference you are making. 1. I have been using reusable tumblers water bottles for as long as I can…

Blueberry Crumble Tart Recipe

I had some wild blueberries in my kitchen, although not enough to make a pie. I decided to fuse two recipes of together, pie and crumble in one. Since blueberry pies contain few ingredients, I wanted to mix it up a bit and add in some oat and cinnamon crumble. The fusion yielded very pleasant…

Soft pretzel recipe

I was walking by Mr. Pretzel the other day and realized I was craving a homemade pretzel. I was able to follow the Food Network’s soft pretzel recipe and throw together a batch of delicious pretzels. I have adapted the recipe slightly and the changes will be reflected below. Ingredients 1 cup milk 2 1/4…

Favourite Dark Chocolate Brownie Recipe

I have been using the Epicurious brownie recipe for a few years now and without a doubt, the brownies have always been a hit! They are rich, dark chocolate and almost flourless brownies. I am, personally a fan of dark (70% or more) chocolate. I have made a few changes to the recipe and included…

Apple hand pie recipe

It’s apple season in Ontario and soon enough the apple baked goods will be rolling out all over. I wanted to bake something that is easily transported to work so I made apple hand pies. The biggest aspect of baking I have discovered is being creative with what you make. I made some pear hand…