Cake Vendor

November 2019 - Toronto ON

Financial District Toronto - November 2019

These vending machines started popping up downtown in early November. This is the first time I could get a photo without someone in it.

Each machine contains 160 slices of cake. So, if every slice is sold daily, that means Carlo's Bake Shop — the family bakery of Buddy Valastro and the location where the hit TLC show Cake Boss is filmed — is making $4,315.20 a day on the slices alone.



Saturday was chores and baking. I was flipping through my 1970 Betty Crocker cookbook and settled on ginger creams. Not sure why they are called creams, but they were a keeper.

In looking for the recipe online it turns out it was a Betty Crocker 1929 prize winner.

I took some  frozen homemade beef broth and added some leftover mashed potato/turnip.carrot and meatloaf to it. Quick and easy lunch.


Wings and fries for dinner with carrot and celery sticks to round out this healthy meal.

Sunday and One Word Sunday was HOME. I chose two photos from when we moved in 2012 and then two from this morning of the same spots.

We tried the black cheese that we bought last week. It was very good but it really is completely black which feels a little odd.

I finally posted my recipe for onion bhajis, which has evolved over the years. I had made them last weekend and wanted to capture my final version.

Mid afternoon and I got my slow cooker spare ribs in the crockpot.

Then I planned on using up the remainder of the pumpkin from the cheesecake bars I had made. I started the mousse and when I went to add the pumpkin it was moldy.

I had already added the pumpkin pie spices so debated what to use. I thawed out some cranberries and added those. Worked out well.

Monday and I framed a new photo for our bedroom.

I had ordered a lamp online but when it came it was missing some pieces so on Tuesday we took it back. Then went looking for another one. At Ikea, we changed our plan and bought a table top lamp for that spot.

Spotted from the car on the Queensway.

We then headed to Yonge and St. Clair to find another new Birdo mural. Check here for the details.

John captured this in a new condo building.

Across from the Birdo is this 2017 piece by Phlegm.

Next up to find a new sculpture unveiled during the summer in front of the Desjardins building on St. Clair. The Toronto Man.

A 25-foot-tall, expressionless man holding a skyscraper in his arms atop a pile of colourful cubes now looms over his own patch of concrete.

He is made of painted bronze and stainless steel, his creator is acclaimed German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol, and he was commissioned by the companies behind the forthcoming Imperial Village master planned community.

This reclining figure also sits outside the same building.

This area was known as Deer Park and the reason for the deer on Birdo's mural.

Inside the Scotiabank Arena, currently being renovated is this clock. This part of the building used to be home to the Postal Station A. They've removed any of the post office memorabilia but hopefully it will be on display either here or elsewhere.

An old classic I have made in a while, Asian ground pork and green beans.

The Eaton Centre is all decked out for the holidays.

The Bay has a technical robotic theme to its windows this year as I took these photos in the pouring rain.

Snow angel assembly line.

It was our wedding anniversary and we celebrated with roast pork belly.

And flowers for me.

Thursday a quick shopping trip and crustless gluten free quiche for dinner.

Friday and John did a Costco run while I met my BFF and we thought we might find some Black Friday sales but nothing got our attention so we had a nice lunch instead.

We checked out the new attraction at Union Station, it was quite open yet.

For the first time ever this holiday season, Toronto's busiest transit hub will be hosting its own free, outdoor ice skating rink as part of its annual "Union Holiday" celebrations.


Approximately half the size of an NHL ice rink, the new skating spot on Front Street will be the largest free outdoor rink in Toronto and it'll be completely free to access — skate rentals included.

Some decorations in the Financial District.

Rainbow cake from the vending machine featured in the top photo, $9 a slice.

BOOK ENDS

I bought a cookbook this week based on a blogger's recommendation, thanks, Tina.

I finally hit 75 books read this year so far. I've taken more hard copy cookbooks from the library this year than ever before and they are not included. Nor are the magazines I read from the library.

Finished The Starter Wife and I must say that this theme has been done to death lately, and includes the juvenile crazy narrator.

I also finished Wherever She Goes, a 7 day library loan that I finished in a day, so it was a very quick read. Predictable but I enjoyed the computer hacking episodes.

I started Unquiet written by Linn Ullmann, the daughter of actress, author and director Liv Ullmann and director and screenwriter Ingmar Bergman.

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