These Aren’t The Droids You’re Looking For.
Mind over matter. Power of suggestion. The force.
Whatever you want to call it, that's what I've been wrestling with for the past week. Everyone around me is aching and couching and sneezing. The odds are kind of stacked against me here. I'd have to be some sort of guru of meditation with a fistful of mental placebos to resist all that.
I'm not. I'm not made of midi-chlorians. I'm made of squishy flesh and achy bones.
However. If I were a Jedi I wouldn't bother with curbing the common cold or not looking silly when I sneeze. I'd have way more fun. I would wave my hand casually yet deliberately and tell you how much you need this Maple Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Bread. Struck by a sudden delicious idea, you would calmly rise from your seat, gather the ingredients and make yourself one awesome snack. You'd slice off piece by piece savouring the full flavour of pumpkin, the punch of spices and the sweet, buttery crunch of the streusel topping until it was all gone. At which point you would feel the need to bake yourself another and another and another... Do or do not. There is no try.
Hey... Maybe I am a Jedi!
Cloudy With A Chance of Delicious.
You ever had one of those days?
Maybe you put your underwear on inside out. Maybe you just couldn't wait for the dryer to be done and you had to rush out of the house wearing a half damp sweater. Maybe it rained all day and the humidity made your hair interminably frizzy. Maybe you stepped in a puddle and ruined your new suede shoes. Maybe you thought your favourite show was on at 9 but really it was on at 8 and you missed it. Then maybe at the end of it all, when you just want to curl up in bed and sleep away the bad, you realize you left the sheets in the washer.
There there. Tomorrow will be different.
Maybe tomorrow you'll make these deliciously easy, fantastically tasty Sugar and Spice Toasted Pumpkin Seeds. Maybe the world will suddenly be a different place. Maybe the house will smell like pie. Maybe the rain will clear and your shoes will dry. Maybe you'll catch a repeat of that episode you missed. Maybe you'll have something to idly munch on between your clean sheets and your favourite book. Life is good again.
I say maybe because I'm not going to presume to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. It's your life. It's up to you of course. If you want frizzy hair, damp clothes and puddle shoes then far be it from me to tell you otherwise. On the other hand, if you like rainbows, pie smells and snacks in bed, then yes, yes you should make these. And quickly. Before it's too late!
Fall Into Fall.
It's finally Fall.
I know this because my footsteps are stalked by the soft tinkling of tiny colourful leaves. I know this because all the crab apples fell off the tree before I had the chance to turn them into jam or pie. I know this because it's still warm enough to get away with wearing peep toe heels but cool enough that I need to pair them with a light faux leather coat. I know this because the simple act of turning on the oven is welcomed instead of avoided. I know this because I'm drawn to warm and homey flavours like rich demerara sugar, thick molasses and spicy cinnamon.
To continue my pumpkin theme and demonstrate a creative use of my Pumpkin Pie Spice I've made these Pumpkin Spice Ginger Snaps. They're not your average Ginger Snaps. I've spiced them up a smidgen. Less ginger and more cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Less snappy and more chewy. They're coated with big bold crystals of turbinado sugar and a flavour to match.
Just the push I needed to fall into Fall.
How To Tuesday: Spice Of My Life.
Every Thanksgiving since I can remember I would try a tiny taste of Pumpkin Pie and every year it would be the same reaction. Yuck! I wanted to love it. I really did. I wanted to be one of those people that look forward to Thanksgiving all year long. I love the turkey. I love the cranberry sauce. I definitely love the stuffing. But when it came to dessert I had to say thanks, but no thanks.
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but not liking Pumpkin Pie is just one of those things people don't excuse. It's as though I just sprouted a pair of wiggling green antennae. It's like turning down chocolate, lobster and corn on the cob all at once. It's just not done.
This year was different. This year we enjoyed Thanksgiving with Lee's aunt and uncle in Calgary and, as usual I had to say no to the Pumpkin Pie. No jaws dropped. No spit takes. No questions asked. I had the Cherry Cheesecake instead and it was delicious! We had a wonderful weekend and came home with some turkey leftovers and half a Pumpkin Pie.
That night I took the pie out of the fridge, sat it on the counter and stared at it. I admired the glistening orange filling. I inhaled the intoxicating scent of the intermingled spices. I tentatively poked a little at it then promptly licked my fork. To my surprise and delight my reaction was the opposite of yuck.
It finally happened! I finally like Pumpkin Pie! So for the next little while expect to see a lot of pumpkin-related recipes here. This sort of realization deserves some celebration!
To start off the festivities I've brought you a spicy little DIY. Instead of buying those premade Pumpkin Pie Spice mixes make your own. It's fast, easy and includes spices you already have on hand. The best part is that, when paired with an antique teaspoon and ribbon, it makes a super cute gift for your favourite baker!
Post Vacation Vacation Post.
I'm back! Finally right? Have you ever had one of those vacations where you need another vacation just to recover from it? Yeah, that was me.
I had all these lofty ideas to post updates for you about how the visit was going salt and peppered with cute shots of chocolate daisy toppers, polka dot baking cups and an army of cupcakes. That didn't happen. That was a stupid idea. I'm stupid.
I barely had time to sleep let alone have the energy to post devilishly clever blog posts or keep my eyes open for Photoshop. The week was a whirlwind of events from a little firearm education with dad to lions and tigers and bears at the zoo. Manicures and pedicures with the ladies to Sandbanks with mom. A little Indonesian cuisine with the family to girly movies and giggling with my best friend. Curling, speeches, tours, appointments, photos, new friends, old friends... Cupcakes and lots of 'em!
I thought it would be too soon if I never saw another cupcake in my life. After a full day of baking twelve dozen cupcakes, filling twelve dozen cupcakes, frosting twelve dozen cupcakes, topping twelve dozen cupcakes and packing twelve dozen cupcakes I wasn't interested in eating even one. The three flavours were a hit at the wedding and they were nearly devoured before the photographer could snap the traditional cutting the cake photo. It was a beautiful wedding and Lisa and Jamie were the sweetest couple!
I was really excited about this particular cupcake because I personally considered it the signature flavour being that it was a fall wedding. Since I never tried it, or posted anything about the wedding like a good blogger would do, I decided just one batch wouldn't kill me. This time I took my time and planned ahead. Unlike last time when I forgot the jam entirely and accidentally bought a kilogram of whole wheat flour. This time there was no hair pulling, no exploding piping bags, no mountains of tupperware, no assembly line, no late night trips to my brother's new refrigerator. Just a little Ani DiFranco and a lot of love.
Muffins For Mom.
The thing about moms is that you never seem to really appreciate them until you've grown up.
When you're a child mom is your best friend, banisher of monsters and kisser of boo boos. When you're a teenager she's the voice of reason, enforcer of chores and face of dreaded responsibility. When you're in college she's the embodiment of worry, telephone police and always the last one to find out about anything. When you've finally settled down and maybe even starting a family of your own she's right back to being your best friend, reliable confidant, trusted adviser.
I had struggled to draw upon one memory in particular to illustrate my mom for you. I've decided I can't choose just one because so many swim to the surface. Drawing lady bugs on band aids over my scraped knees. Letting me lick the bowl and beaters. Teaching me how to thicken sauce or roll dough. Knitting into the night squinting in her tiny reading glasses. Talking in her sleep in the dim light of the TV. Driving me to piano lessons and making sure my fingernails were cut short. Passionately singing along to songs on the radio to which she only knows half the lyrics. Sending me care packages of fudge, seeds, aprons and pearls. Calmly taking my various panicked calls about the pie, custard or turkey.
It's a well known fact that all moms love muffins. Breakfast is the traditional celebratory meal for mother's day so I combined the sweetness of turbinado sugar, the enticing scent of cinnamon and the adorable tartness of cottage cheese to make this mother's day special.
I love you mom! These muffins are for you.
A World of Cake.
I was fortunate enough to recently receive the lovely cookbook, A World of Cake by Krystina Castella. It's quickly becoming one of my favourite cookbooks with its big beautiful photos and scores of recipes for, you guessed it, cake.
A World of Cake reads like a cherished family recipe book with a detailed story behind every recipe and how each has been adapted and passed down for generations. It reminds us that we're all apart of a global family with traditions and cuisine that have been influenced by cultures all over the world. While flipping through it's glossy pages you quickly realize how similar and unique we all are.
You get a glimpse inside the kitchens of Japan, Brazil, Germany, Kenya and nearly every other country you can think of. After a long browse I decided to make this Ugandan Peanut Cake with it's intriguing combination of peanut, honey and cinnamon as an example of the multitude of incredible recipes you can discover in this book.
You want a copy? Sure you do!
Play.
All around is the sound of trickling water. Icicles shrinking and dripping. The wind blows as though breathing a long baited sigh of relief. The birds sing again. The sun burns red through closed eyelids and thaws the chill from the interminable Winter.
Spring is here. In case you didn't know, Spring is my favourite season. It's when Winter fades and slowly life begins again. Winter is like living on pause. Life is frozen in place. It's time for play.
Speaking of which, I was playing with my original Banana Muffins recipe the other day and transformed it into Chocolate Banana Cinnamon Muffins. I think you'll like it.
Sweetheart.
I thought that on this most auspicious day I would share with you mine and Lee's favourite poem. Sometimes no matter how hard you try to express your feelings someone has already beaten you to the punch.
A Rhyme of the Dream-Maker Man
Down near the end of a wandering lane,
That runs 'round the cares of a day,
Where Conscience and Memory meet and explain,
... Their quaint little quarrels away.
A misty air-castle sits back in the dusk
Where brownies and hobgoblins dwell
And this is the home
Of a busy old gnome
Who is making up dream-things to sell,
My dear,
The daintiest dreams to sell.
He makes golden dreams of wicked men's sighs.
He weaves on the thread of a hope
The airiest fancies of pretty brown eyes,
And patterns his work with a trope.
The breath of a rose and the blush of a wish
Boiled down to the ghost of a bliss,
He wraps in a smile
Every once in a while,
And calls it the dream of a kiss,
Dear heart,
The dream of an unborn kiss.
Last night when I walked thro' the portals of sleep
And came to the weird little den,
I looked in the place where the elf-man should keep
A dream that I buy now and then.
'Tis only the sweet happy dream of a day--
Yet one that I wish may come true--
But I learned from the elf
That you'd been there yourself
And he'd given my dear dream to you,
Sweetheart,
He'd given our dream to you.
-William Allen White
Reservations About Resolutions.
New year's resolutions. We all make them, but do we ever actually adhere to them? Things like lose ten pounds or volunteer in the community seem to get pushed aside to make room for more interesting goals like dig for the bottom of that jar of Nutella or sit through that Star Trek marathon.
Maybe it's time for some more realistic resolutions. Here are a few of my highlights.
Resolution #115: Redecorate my kitchen because it's time the love was reciprocated.
Resolution #223: Bake my own bread instead of buying sliced loaves like a sucker.
Resolution #52: Get a haircut. You hippie.
Resolution #175: Actually finish writing the first chapter of my book. It's time to stop procrastinating.
Resolution #333: Finally attempt macarons. They're cookies, not the boogeyman.
Resolution #24: Master the extreme difficulty on Tap Tap Revenge because repeated rhythmic tapping is an important life skill.
Resolution #32: Cultivate an intimate relationship with my new macro lens. We make such a cute couple.
Resolution #517: Try more interesting flavour combinations because you just know that peanut butter and jelly was an accident.
That's where these cookies come in. Double Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies. They're filled with deep dark chocolate flavour that's intensified by the the exotic taste of fresh ground cinnamon. Not your average combination, but one I am so glad I tried. Sometimes you have to try something a little wacky to to discover new favourites. This one is definitely one of mine now. Maybe it could be one of yours too.
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