Did I mention how much I love Sprinkles cupcakes? No, I’ve never had the real deal… so sad. But one of these days, it will happen.

Until then, I will be perfectly content with going to Williams-Sonoma and picking up tubes of authentic Sprinkles cupcake mix and making it myself at home (or making it with Sindy in this case at her home… and yes, Sindy with an “S” not a “C”… in fact, I think it’s the oddest thing when I see Cindy spelled with a “C” now… just looks kinda awkward now. But I digress…).

A couple of weeks back, we had a bit of a Sprinkles cupcake party. Well, it wasn’t much of a party given that it was me, Sin and Ava in attendance… and technically, Ava doesn’t count as people numbers because she’s a dog. A cute dog, but a dog nonetheless. Graham was gone for the week to San Francisco and I would have gone along hiding out in his luggage but alas, he only took a carry-on and it just wasn’t meant to be. So, I opted for the next best thing… cupcakes, Korean eats and reality TV at Sindy’s place. De-lish!

The dark chocolate cupcakes are quite good… though I think the icing can afford a drastic downplay of the icing sugar and still be amazing. 2 1/2 freaking cups! Once you know all the ingredients that go into the cupcake making process, I can’t justify eating more than one… and that’s so sad because they sit on that tray silently pleading with me to eat them all!

Ever try sifting icing sugar in a colander? I can say that I have now. I think I know what needs to go on Sindy’s gift registry for her wedding…

I love the first moment that cupcakes come out of the oven… just so tasty-looking, patiently awaiting their icing topping moment of glory.

Ava! She is quite adorable. Not much help in the kitchen but a great cooking mascot and cheerleading section!

She’s really taming those unruly shoes for us. Job well done!

The pure focus with a hint of anticipation of what’s to come…

She really is that happy to be eating that cupcake… I’m starting to salivate just looking at this picture.

There they are… like obedient little cupcakes. They know what their mission is: to be the tastiest cupcakes ever eaten!

Oh Sprinkles… one of these days, I will be in Cali with an authentic Sprinkles cupcake in my hand and then I will be able to die with a smile on my face.

Happy Wednesday!

Ooh, dinner was good tonight. My favourite combination of garlic and mushrooms… this time with some chicken and some brown rice. I have to admit, even as a naturopathic doctor, I was never really a big fan of brown rice… until recently. In a self-epiphany kind of moment, I guess it made sense that I should be eating it if I was recommending to all of my patients. Duh. Oh brown rice, I’m sorry to have mistreated you and turned my back on you all these years. You really are quite tasty… with the right combination of spices and flavours.

Which leads me to my recipe for tonight… this one’s for you Jo. I decided to take photos along the journey of making brown rice tasty and it’s all because of your suggestion from my last recipe! I was contemplating it before but your recommendation gave me that extra bit of motivation to actually pull my camera out and document my cooking process! Thanks girl!

Garlicky Chicken Fried Brown Rice

• 2 tbsp coconut oil, divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 cups of various mushrooms, sliced (I went for organic Bella, white and Portobello mushrooms)
• 3 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar (this seems like an odd ingredient, but it makes all the difference!)
• 2 pinches salt (the good stuff… there should be some colour to the salt, like pink or gray)
• Optional: 1 tbsp Korean chili pepper paste (gochujang) or 1 tsp chili pepper flakes (for those who like a bit of kick to your food, this is a good addition!)

Just a note: this recipe makes enough for two plus leftovers for lunch the next day! Mmm… leftovers! And the final seal of approval was from Graham… he really liked dinner tonight!

Start the process out by cooking the brown rice. Make sure you soak it for at least a half hour before cooking.

Mmm… mushrooms. Chop all of your assorted mushrooms. You could do this with one type but I’m a serious mushroom lover so I decided to go with three different types.

Mince the garlic (also organic and there’s a huge taste difference… seriously!), chop the onion and green onion.

Slice the chicken breasts into fairly thin slices. This will ensure the chicken cooks quickly and evenly throughout.

Heat a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and put the garlic, onion, green onion and chicken into the pan. Fry until the chicken is still a bit pink and add the mushrooms. Turn up the heat to high, add the pinches of salt and stir everything well until the chicken pieces and mushrooms are cooked. Remove the mixture to a plate and keep warm.

Yay for peas! I love President’s Choice products… even my knives are PC! Solid forged stainless steel kitchen knives… love them! But I digress, back to the recipe…

Turn the heat down to medium-high heat and heat the remaining coconut oil. Add the rice and fry until well coated and heated through. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar and peas and stir for about a minute. Gotta be quick here or the rice will start sticking to the bottom of the pan! Add the chicken mixture (minus the liquids that have accumulated in the plate) and stir to blend the rice and chicken together and heat through. If you like a bit of extra heat, add the chili paste/flakes and give it one last stir to evenly mix everything together.

Serve up on a plate and enjoy! I know, I think I need to go out and get better presentation plates than my generic CorningWare plates if I’m going to keep doing this. I don’t want the world to see my ugly plates! Something about seeing food on pretty plates just makes food taste so much better!

Bon appetit!

What the heck is that? A 2nd Chance session? Simple. It’s a 2nd Chance… for spending more time in front of the camera, for being able to take a chance on photos that you wouldn’t normally try on your wedding day and most importantly, this is for all you brides out there, for wearing your beloved wedding dress one more time. Really. And for you grooms, you get to wear whatever you want… no penguin suits, no ties and vests that are done up too tight, no slippery soled dress shoes (unless you really want to).

You might be familiar with the phrase “trash the dress”… well, it’s kinda like that, but not like that. “Trashing” of the dress is completely optional with a 2nd Chance session. Think of it as a (2nd) chance to get to wear your wedding dress again… really, a dress that women only want to wear once in their lifetime anyways but spend a small fortune on and end up tucking it away in some mausoleum-like box especially dedicated for that deep, dark storage space from whence it will never resurface, ever again. You don’t have to roll around in mud or dive off the deep end into a pond of muck and grime. This session can be as clean or as dirty as you see fit.

The beautiful part about a 2nd Chance session is the emphasis on something you would never have done with your wedding dress on your very special wedding day… after all, who wants to show up to the reception with grossness caked on wedding attire? It’s the juxtaposition between the pure beauty of all those layers of satin and chiffon with extraordinary surroundings.

May and Sean, what can I say? I had no idea that meeting you and photographing your wedding would blossom into such a friendship but I am so fortunate to have met and befriended you guys. I’m over-the-top happy that you were my first couple willing to take a shot at a 2nd Chance session and I really couldn’t have asked for anything more! You have an amazing bond and love together and I’m honoured to be a part of your lives.

So much love, Jenne.

Love this image… don’t you just lurrrve her boots? I do, and I have the exact same pair in a different colour (purely coincidental… but even more evidence that we were just destined to meet and become ridiculously great friends!).

Pure smokin’ hawtness…

I gotta admit, it kinda smelled like odours of the urinal kind near this dumpster but you couldn’t tell with the sizzlin’ intensity going on…

Easily one of my fave shots from the session… “These boots were made for walkin’…”

Another yummy goodness… for those of you wondering, these were shot in Graffiti Alley near Chinatown.

Need to explain the ‘fro… it was part of Sean’s Halloween costume and he decided to bring it along… good times!

Love May’s vixen-ish smile!

Sasha Fierce who?

And… another pure coincidence that I wore my boots that day too. Seriously, does it get any better than this??