good morning sunshine

I'm super excited about all the time I've been able to devote to this blog in the last couple weeks.  Without the stress of moving, and my job in the falls, everything seems to be falling into place.  The calm before the storm if you will, but even still I'm really excited about this storm, and the closer we get to meeting baby Grob the more exciting I get.  I'm trying to take advantage of all this free time I have while I can because come two months from now I'm sure I won't know what hit me.  

So for now, I revel in quiet Tuesday mornings where the only noise is the sound of the fish tank in the living room, and the only light comes from patio doors in the kitchen.  

When I saw this breakfast banana split on a blog I follow I just about started to drool.  It's so super easy too!

Breakfast Banana Split

 from bake at 350

1 banana

greek yogurt

sliced strawberries

nutella

chopped nuts

I really can't think of a better way to start off the day. 

Cheers to you Tuesday.

oatmeal white chocolate cookies

I'm not the hugest fan of white chocolate, but Josh is.  If fact, he doesn't even like chocolate unless it's white.  It boggles my mind.  

Oatmeal white chocolate cookies are his favourite, and so when he asked me to make them for him today I couldn't say no.  

The recipe I use is basically the same recipe I use for my oatmeal dark chocolate cherry cookies, with a couple differences.  Today, there were more then a couple differences because of ingredient issues.  So the recipe I used today is as follows.

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
from back to basics

155 g all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

 140 g unsalted butter

110 g white sugar

110 g brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

48 g old fashioned oats
48 g spelt flakes

30 g flax seeds 

300 g white chocolate 

Preheat oven to 325

Wisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Cream the butter and sugars together and then add the egg and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture and mix until just blended.

Add oats, spelt flakes, then chocolate.

Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 15-18 minutes until edges are golden brown.

 

 The cookies came out thin and crispy, but still chewy enough that they're not hard.  

I still much prefer the combination of dark chocolate and cherries in these cookies but as far as white chocolate oatmeal goes, these really are delicious. Even if I don't particularly enjoy white chocolate. 

love, sweet love

I had the brilliant idea of not only having a dessert table at our wedding, but baking it all myself.  In retrospect, it was indeed brilliant, and I'm so proud of myself for pulling it off.  I must give credit where it's due and thank those who helped make it a possibility though, because while the idea was to do it all by myself, it didn't end up going down that way.

To my amazingly wonderful and talented sister, maid of honour, photographer, wedding planner, designer and recipe contributor Margie, it would not have been possible without you!

To my mom for staying with us for the week leading up to the wedding and baking the chocolate chip meringues, sour cream cookies and the chocolate bundt cakes.

To Stephanie for not only the smartie cookies, but for the problem solving that went along with them.

To Sharlene at Sweet Celebrations for such a beautiful and delicious wedding cake.

Lastly, to the women who inspired me to make a dessert table filled with family recipes to begin with.  If it weren't for those women who baked them first, there wouldn't have been a table filled with as much love and history as there was.

If I had to go back and do it again, I absolutely would. 

 

Nannie's Smartie cookies

Omi`s Mandarine Cake

Margie`s Mocha Chocolate Cake

Mom`s Chocolate Chip Meringues

 

Mom`s Neapolitans

 

Josh`s request: My Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Grandma`s Sour Cream Cookies and Dar`s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Though not a part of the actual dessert table, I made 90 jars of peach jam to give to each guests as our bomboniere.

Our wedding was indeed filled with love, sweet love.

chocolate chip cookies

 

When I first came across the recipe for these chocolate chip cookies I just couldn't want to try them.  They're advertised as being the best ever.  That's a lot to live up to if I do say so myself, and while I do agree that they were delicious, they were not the best ever.  For me anyway.

I had issues.  Clearly I had too many on the cookie sheet, and too much in each cookie.  I also felt like the batter was a bit too warm.  No problem, nothing a little less batter and a fridge can't fix.

Second tray in the oven was much much better.  I noticed while the first pan was in the oven that I needed to decrease the amount I was putting on each sheet so I took some off before they went in the oven.

By the third try I felt like I had figured it out, but they just don't look as delicious as what I was expecting.  The picture from the blog I got the recipe from makes the cookies look like the soft and chewy mr. cristies cookies. I was expecting this:

(Photo courtesy of the blog Apple A Day)

And I got this:

Again, it's not that my cookies were bad, they just weren't what I was expecting.  I have too high of expectations sometimes.  None the less, these will all get eaten... That's an expectation I know I can count on.

maple pecan cinnamon rolls

I spend a lot of time on baking blogs.  Like a lot a lot, but I'm ok with that. It keeps me motivated, and always inspires me to try new things.  I bake a lot of cupcakes because they're fast and easy, but it's always nice to be challenged a bit.  When I first came across these maple pecan cinnamon rolls on a blog I follow I was intrigued.  They weren't hard per say, but they were a bit time consuming, and the challenge came in with the space I had to make them in.  

The dough was super easy to form, and the 20 minutes it needed to rest in the fridge afforded me the time to do the dishes, so I was doubly productive.

When short of supplies, improvise.  I know my mother in law has a rolling pin somewhere, but I also knew that I had a bottle of wine that I could find faster then asking where the rolling pin was, so that's what I used. And it worked, very well.

The hardest part about these cinnamon rolls was waiting for them to bake before we got to dig in.  

I highly recommend checking out bakingdom.  You can find the recipe for these maple pecan cinnamon rolls there, they're well worth trying.  I'm just hoping they last until tomorrow so I can indulge in another one!  Delish!

a little bit of citrus

I love spring.

I love that that despite the snow and frigid mornings there's just something different about the air these days.  I love that even without day light savings it's light out until 6pm, and that there's only a bit more than a week to go before it's March.

So exciting!

If there is one thing I love about winter though, it's that oranges can be found in abundance.  I haven't always liked the combination of orange and chocolate, but it's apparently a flavour I've grown to appreciate.

 

Double Chocolate Brownies

4oz unsweetened chocolate

4oz unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

1 cup flour

2 tbs cocoa

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x9" pan.

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler and remove from heat.  Add sugar, salt and vanilla.  Mix in eggs one at a time.  Add flour and cocoa and mix for 30-60 seconds.

Bake for 35-45 minutes (depending on the oven)

Cool on a cooling rack.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

4oz cream cheese softened

4oz unsalted butter softened

2 tsp orange zest

1-2 tbs juice from orange

2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar

Cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  add the orange zest, orange juice and  powdered sugar.  Mix until smooth.

I won't lie, I ate way too many of these in a single serving, they were just that delicious... it was even worth the battle wound. 

Side note: I burn myself WAY too much!

seeing red

I keep saying I'm going to post more, and I keep not... Everyone's busy, I absolutely get that. I'm really no exception, but believe me when I say that it's not just being busy that's keeping me away, it's a completely new life I'm getting used to.  I can't complain, it's not a bad life, just a very different life that is taking getting used to.  So here's the coles notes:

1. I quit my baking job in St. Catharines.

2.  Josh got a new job in Elora and so rather than commute, we moved in with his parents in Fergus until we can get a place of our own in April.

3.  I'm working for my mother in law making pizza and I kinda love it.  Keeps me busy, keeps me sane.

4.  ALL my baking supplies, with the exception of ingredients, are currently in a 10x10 storage locker with basically everything else we own.  This one is hard.

5.  I have successfully completed all courses towards getting my baking certificate with the exception of health and safety... blah.

6.  Now this one's the kicker on the list of getting used to... drum roll..... We're having a baby. We couldn't be happier about it.

So there it is, a brief update as to why I've been MIA... Until we get back into our own place, things are going to take a bit of a different tone with back to basics.  I'm literally going to have to learn how to go back to basics with not having any of my tools.  No piping bags, no baking pans.  No fancy tips or decorative sprinkles.  No fun packaging or patterned cupcake liners...  I really miss my offset spatulas.  I also will be using my phone as my main picture taker, so while it's not as ideal as using my actual camera, I'd rather use that then nothing.

Ok, now on to baking.  I've never actually made red velvet anything.  I honestly don't think I've even tried anything red velvet.  The whole food colouring aspect kind of freaks me out, but I decided to give it a go as a birthday gift.  I used Paula Deen's recipe as my first try since I trust Paula Deen.  Why do I trust Paula Deen?  Anyone who loves butter as much as I do deserves to be trusted.  It was that simple.  

These cupcakes were super easy to make, and while they still kinda freak me out, all that red just isn't natural, they really aren't bad.  Not at all. 

Side note: I think I would have preferred a recipe with a bit more cocoa. 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

          Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract  
  
  Directions:
  
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.
  In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
  Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22.
   

For the frosting, you can pretty much use anything you want.  I opted for a classic cream cheese recipe.  You just can't go wrong.  

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
  
  

So the final verdict?  I still don't really think I like red velvet... All that red still kinda freaks me out.  The cupcake was really good for what it was, don't get me wrong, but I'm really not sure what it's supposed to taste like.  These are pretty though, and I like pretty things, so at least there's that.  

Happy Birthday Jen!!