LOCAL // TACOS

Ok believe it or not, I had my very first fish taco in 2013. James and I were in San Francisco and looked up on foursquare where we could find a good local restaurant. Foursquare led us to a local bar that apparently served the best fish tacos. They most definitely lived up to their claim. Those fish tacos were to die for. In that moment I was a fish taco lover for life.

Now I'm a little bit picky...first things first, they have to be fried. I'm not the biggest seafood fan, so I need my fish battered and deep fried to perfection. 

1. TACOFINO

Location- Pandora St. (across from John's Place) Price- $5 per taco

Tacofino is one of my absolute favourite spots to get tacos in Victoria. Their fish taco is my favourite but the yam tempura one is a close second. I love their slaw and just thinking about the tempura battered fish makes my mouth water! Every time I've gone to Tacofino, I've had wonderful service...which is a big deal to me. We love them so much that every time we have an event at the church (parking lot parties, conference) we get these guys to come. Their truck location isn't the best BUT they installed some benches which defs makes it easier to eat their delicious tacos! Do yourself a favour and gorge at Tacofino.

2. FINEST AT SEA

Location- 27 Erie St. (Near Fisherman's Wharf) Price- $9 (for two MASSIVE tacos)

I went to Finest at Sea with my lovely sister, Catrina. When I arrived I noticed that they didn't have any deep fried fish but when I asked if they could do it, it was no problem at all. Now for these guys, the price is right. $9 for two MASSIVE tacos. I was full for days after eating these! They were also incredibly delicious. Their sauce had it going on...seriously I could eat these tacos for days. My only complaint was it took a very long time. I think we waited about 20 minutes, which in the food truck world, is a very long time BUT their tacos defs made up for the wait. The truck is located directly across from a park beside Fisherman's Wharf which was awesome because we enjoyed them with a fabulous view. I can't wait to sink my teeth into one of these soon!

3. TACO JUSTICE

Location- 1580 Cook St. (near Pandora) Price- $6.50 per taco

The award for the most creative tacos go to Taco Justice. I had the "Green Bastard" (pictured below) which consisted of "panko crusted avocado wedges, crispy cheddar, oh-snap and chipotle aioli, salsa fresca and sappy watercress slaw". COME ON! Even though it was vegetarian, it was freaking awesome. I enjoyed this taco with my beautiful friend Sarah. She had "Mr. Fuji's Intercontinental Chicken" (pictured above) which consisted of "Masala marinated chicken, grilled jalapeno and avocado sauce, Fuji apple slaw and cilantro lime vinaigrette". yummmmmmm. My only beef with these guys is they only accept cash (and they don't tell you that on the website) and they are the most expensive compared to the other places. That was very annoying but it didn't stop me from devouring the Green Bastard!

4. LA TAQUISA

Location- 1017 Blanshard St.  Price- $2.50 per taco (very small)

Courtney and I ventured to La Taquisa on a lunch break. I had the Baja Style Fish and the Chicken Tinga. They were fresh and delicious but super tiny. I wish I ordered more. The nice thing about La Taquisa is they are located in a restaurant so you can sit at a table to enjoy your taco but the not so nice thing about our experience was the service. (As you can tell, service is a HUGE deal to me!) They were still yummy, just not as yummy as the other places I listed above. 

So there you have it, my favourite places to get tacos in Victoria. Tacofino will always be my absolute favourite but Finest at Sea and Taco Justice definitely are a close second and third.

Have you tried any of these places? I'm always on the hunt for new places to get food so if you have another favourite place to get tacos I would LOVE to know!

Until next time,

s.s.♥.

FRIDAY FAVOURITES // ONE PIECE SWIMSUITS

About 8 years ago I bought a beautiful one piece bathing suit from a local boutique. It was 50's style polka dot and it was actually flattering!! It's worn out in the butt so I can't get away with wearing it anymore, so I'm on the hunt for a new one. PTL you can now buy beautiful one pieces that actually look good...we've come along way!

Here are some that I got my eye on...

1. Rose Print Suit 

2. Botanical Print

3. Geo Cutout

4. Palm Tree Print

5. Pink & White Striped

6. Black & White Print

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How cute are those suits? I think my favourite is the black & white geometric print one. Hope you have a fabulous weekend! We head back to Canada tomorrow at 5am...yaaaay! I am honestly soo excited to get home...cuddles with Coco, running with a cool ocean breeze, church, friends, my bed...can't hardly wait.

xoxo,

s.s.♥︎.

p.s. I have A LOT to say on the topic of swimsuits/body image but I didn't want to write a hurried post. Last week, I heard of this thing called the "bikini bridge" and I got LIVID. I'll be posting more on body image next week...until then, love who you are and enjoy the beach without shame!!! 

LASSEN

On Saturday afternoon we ventured to Lassen National Volcanic Park to see our dear friends, Luke and Helena who were camping with their kiddos. Once we arrived, we all wished that we came first thing in the morning! It's absolutely gorgeous there. We swam at their campsite and ate dinner together than we drove up the mountain to see the sights. We wanted to hike to the summit but it would take 5 hours and we had 20 minutes until the sun was setting. After snapping these pics we drove back to the Stones' campsite to have a good ol bonfire with smores. Nothing beats smores and a bonfire.

Ok how cute are those little ones! And do you like our cheesy couples photo? LOLZ... but seriously that view..and that lush meadow! Straight out of Psalm 23.

Can't believe we leave in 3 sleeps! To be honest, I'm a little (ok a lot) itching to get home...I miss my cat and my besties and my bed and my church and my non-musical friends....I guess you know you're in the right place when you miss it soooo much!

xoxo,

s.s.♥︎.

BANANA SCONES WITH BROWN BUTTER GLAZE

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I'm all about bananas baby. 

I also just sang that OUT LOUD to the tune of Puff Daddy's, "All about the Benjamins"...except I had to pronounce bananas ba-nana-nas to make it work. (OK, I've been spending a lot of time by myself on this vacation so please don't mind my crazy talk...)

Ok back to bananas...

Banana bread. Banana smoothie. Banana oatmeal. Banana slurpee....(FYI James and my first spark occurred over our shared love for banana slurpees..)

Yes, I'm all about bananas baby. I'm also all about brown butter. So when I came across this recipe for scones, I HAD to make them. And if you're all about bananas and brown butter then you can make them too.

Just please do not make them with frozen bananas like I did...because the extra liquid makes them very dense aka not a good flaky scone. Thank goodness brown butter glaze covers a multitude of errors but still..don't use frozen bananas!

BANANA SCONES WITH BROWN BUTTER GLAZE

Ingredients Needed:

scones-

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• Dash of nutmeg
• 8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into squares like above picture
• 1½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3-4 large bananas..DO NOT USE FROZEN BANANAS!!)
• 1 cup sour cream

glaze-

• 8 tbsp. butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 3 tbsp. milk, plus more as needed

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  

• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Give it a whisk then stir in the pieces of cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

• In another bowl, add the mashed banana and sour cream then stir to blend. Add the banana mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold together gently with a spatula until a dough begins to come together. 

• Lay out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead a few times to ensure even mixing. Pat the dough out into a slab about ¾- to 1-inch thick. Cut out rounds of dough using biscuit cutters or a small glass (like I did in the above picture).  

• Place the dough rounds on the prepared baking sheets about two inches apart. 

• Bake the scones, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown and the scones are just set, about 16-18 minutes total for large scones then let cool on a wire rack.

• When the scones are cooling, make the glaze by heating the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. We're going to brown this butter baby!

• Melt the butter and continue to cook, swirling occasionally with a whisk until the butter is a deep golden brown colour (you'll see the brown specks at the bottom of the pan). Set aside to cool slightly. Transfer the browned butter to a bowl and whisk in the icing sugar. Whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth. 

• Spoon or drizzle the glaze over the scones and let set before serving.

• Enjoy!

Recipe adapted by the mother of all baking..Annie's Eats.

And there you have it, banana scones with brown butter glaze for everyone!

Hope you have a marvellous Monday! I hear Victoria is getting a bit of a heat wave...Enjoy that 25 degree weather...I'll be melting away in 45 degree weather..HA. 

xoxo,

s.s.♥︎.

HELLO FROM REDDING

Hello from hot and sunny Redding California! 

I had plans to give you some sweet posts this week but time got away from me! As you know, James is attending the Worship School at Bethel Church with other members from our worship team. They're really enjoying it. I checked it out yesterday morning (you can audit sessions) and had an amazing time. There's something incredibly special about worshipping Jesus in a room full of worship leaders. No holding back happens and that is a beautiful thing. 

Today I hung out at home (the house we're staying at) and studied. I'm currently doing a distance education class from summit on the Holy Spirit. I tried studying outside but only lasted 30 minutes...ha. The neighbourhood we're staying in is a little sketchy..(not dangerous though!!) and it's just soooooo hot. 

Bethel church last Sunday was amazing. Kris Vallotton spoke on empowering women in ministry...the last time I was at Bethel (which was my first time at Bethel) Sherry Silk spoke on women preaching...ha! I leaned over to James Sunday and said.. "God really loves me." ... I bought Kris' book, 'Fashioned to Reign' and I am so excited to tell you all about it!

Ok enough rambling from me...here are some pictures of the trip so far!

Looks fun hey? To see more pics follow me on instagram!

xo,

s.s.♥︎.