I like big buns and I cannot lie. Anybody who’s ever enjoyed sinking their teeth into a soft, scented mound of buttery hot cross bun will agree with me. #hotcrossbuns #bread #bake #baked #bakedgoods #breads (at Cedele @ Parkway Parade)
Why I Love Contra Café: The hidden coffee treasure of Christie Pits
The sinking house
I was intrigued after reading a CBC article about a sinking/ crooked house on Shaw St. that sat above the buried Garrison Creek. The house made news simply because it was a crooked home that sold for $689,000 – pretty reasonably for the hot Toronto market. I decided to check out the house and after consulting my Toronto Cycling Map found the best way to get there using bike lanes was by going across Dupont St. and south on Shaw St.
(Courtesy of @radioactiveghost22)
During my ride down Shaw St. I noticed a small café nestled on the corner of Shaw and Yarmouth. I snapped a quick photo as a reminder and continued down to see the crooked house. Sadly, my SD Card holding my photos corrupted and I forgot about the café without the photo. However, during a walk with my ex, I noticed the coffee the shop and urged we stop in for sip of java.
Welcome to the community
The coffee shop is minimalistic with exposed brick painted white, concrete floor, marble counter and hanging lights. The highlight is the beautiful patio. When I sat on the patio I loved seeing the community members walk by. I saw a number of different community members including: Families pushing their child in a stroller or chasing after their child speeding down the sidewalk on their tricycle, baseball players probably coming from Christie Pits, couples walking their dogs and seniors strolling the street on a warm end-of-summer day. The most amazing part was how close everyone was. There were constant moments of people bumping into each other or patrons on the patio flagging down a friend on the street to come over.
(Courtesy of @kimeleykan)
The corner of Yarmouth has been a community hub for years starting as a neighbourhood corner store called The Town Shop and afterwards becoming the Hub – another coffee shop. In 2014 Contra opened its doors and began serving coffee, tea, sandwiches and a variety of baked goods.
While it is a bit of the beaten path, it is the perfect stop for anyone looking to experience the strength of a community and have a nice relaxing cup of joe.
The AMAZING cookies and birthday cake my sister in law made for me! Sooooo delicious! Thank you @y00_sun, your baking is incredible! #cookiesandcream#cake#birthdaycake#homemade#bakedgoods#sweets#dessert#delicious#yummy#foodporn#birthdays#special#instayummy#instagood#instalove#instagood#instadaily#instalove#love (at Lewisville, Texas)
On the 9th day before Christmas we are going to make, edible cookie dough! This is a no bake cookie dough and all you need to do is cook the flour. Get creative by changing the extract and mix ins.
| Recipe | 2 Cups Flour (bake at 350º for 10 - 12 minutes) 1 Cup Butter 1 ½ Cups Sugar ½ tsp Salt 3 Tbsp Milk ½ tsp Vanilla Extract Sprinkles
On the tenth day before Christmas my oven baked for me, this Christmas cake! This cake is inspired by the one at Disneyland. Three layers of chocolate cake with a tricolor filling.
| Recipes | • Chocolate Cake 6 oz Butter 2 Cups Sugar 3 Eggs 2 Cups Flour ¾ Cups Cocoa 1 tsp Baking Soda ¾ tsp Baking Powder ½ tsp Salt 1 ½ Cups Milk 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Bake at 350º for 30 - 40 minutes. I used a 6 inch cake pan for my cake. You can always check the cake with a toothpick or skewer and when it comes out clean with no crumbs it’s ready.
• Buttercream 6 oz Butter 6 - 8 Cups Powdered Sugar ¼ Cup Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
On the 11th day before Christmas my oven didn’t bake for me! These no bake sugar cookie truffles are so easy and delicious to make. You can use store bought ingredients, pre made sugar cookies and frosting or you can take the challenge of making everything from scratch!
| Recipes | • Sugar Cookies 1 Cup Butter 1 Cup Sugar 1 Egg 1 ½ tsp Vanilla 2 ½ Cups Flour ½ tsp Salt
Chill for half an hour, bake at 350 degrees for 8 - 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Baking time may vary on your oven and size of cookie. The amount of cookies vary in size and thickness. This recipe can make anywhere from 2 dozen to 5 dozen.
• Buttercream 6 oz Butter 6 - 8 Cups Powdered Sugar ¼ Cup Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
It’s a combination of a white, black, and orange striped cake with a black frosting fault line. You can customize this cake however you like I also show how it looks with or without sprinkles.
You can also just do a stripe cake with a drip and sprinkles!
