Weekend Review: Chocolate Pumpkin Cake, Alberta Instagrams, & Transcend Coffee

This week is my last one in the emergency department and I just have two shifts to go, tonight and tomorrow evening. Next week it'll be back to early starts on general surgery -- waking up at 4 am is going to be tough, after sleeping from 3 am to 9:30 am for the past couple of weeks! The past week has been a good one and with these warm (well, 4 °C) sunny days we've been having, it feels like spring has arrived. About time! Here are some other things I've enjoyed over the past seven days:

1. cake -- After my mother showed me on Skype all the delicious things she'd baked last weekend, intense cravings for all things chocolate led me to whip up the box of devil's food cake mix I had in the cupboard. I healthified the recipe a little by using canned pumpkin (if you're interested: mix 1 box of cake mix with 1 can of pumpkin, then bake as per instructions on box). The pumpkin chocolate cake was dense and moist, and even better topped with vanilla yogurt or melted peanut butter!
   
2. full fridge -- Living on my own, it's not uncommon for my fridge to be pretty barren. After grocery shopping last week I'm happy to say that the condiments have been joined by some fruits, vegetables, and milk...such a joy to see the shelves full whenever I open the door :)

   

   apples, oranges, & grapefruits galore!

3. clearance bell peppers -- Bell peppers tend to be expensive where I live, so when I found some slightly wrinkled ones on clearance last week, I grabbed them. I chopped and froze two portions in Ziploc bags for chili, and used another to make Mexican bean salad.
   
4. new Instagram accounts -- I came across a number of awesome local Instagram accounts this week and followed all of them. Edmonton can get a bad rap when it comes to attractiveness...and livability...and weather, but I'd challenge anyone who has seen Christopher J. Martin's Instagram to call this city anything other than beautiful. Local Instagram accounts are great for learning about your city and discovering neat places to visit (I don't know why it took me until now to figure this out!).
   
5. ultrasound -- I did my first bedside ultrasound on a pregnant lady the other night and was surprised that I not only figured out how to turn the ultrasound machine on but was able to find the fetal heart right away. Beginner's luck! It was the first time her and her partner had seen an ultrasound and it was really so special to share that moment with them. The fetus was moving all over the place (always a good sign)!

   

   (http://galleryhip.com/fetus-at-17-weeks-ultrasound.html)

6. Transcend Coffee -- I had a really good (and pretty!) chai latte at Transcend Coffee, a neat little university student hangout, chalkboard menu type coffee shop in my neighbourhood.
   
7. rent -- In renewing my tenancy agreement for next year, my landlord informed me that my rent will be staying the same. Yay! I'd been dreading an increase.

What was great in your week?