Black Sesame Seed Crackers

Hmmm...I really haven't much to say. Things have been fairly normal, though tiring, these days. Mostly, I am sick of driving in this horrible winter weather...I am so exhausted at the end of my days, from a day full of baking, and the stressful commute, that I haven't accomplished much lately. Realizing it's time for bed, and I've sat in the same chair for the last 4 hours, is wholly depressing.

Hazelnut Chai Brownie...Balls

Finally, I have forced myself to write about another recipe I served at my Christmas party—one of my favourites, too.  This one comes from Green Kitchen Stories, a blog I love and which has very reliable recipes; I used a couple for my Christmas party. I had been wanting to make their Raw Hazelnut Chai Brownies forever and, after a few failed cookie recipes, I thought it'd be a nice break from baking.

Side Project Pictures: Sugary Cupcakes

Yikes, January is going by so quickly. I still have so many recipes and pictures to share from the holidays...but the days just keep passing, and I keep not posting. Making matters worse, I've been doing quite a bit of sugar baking lately. I made cupcakes for a staff meeting, and took some quick pictures before I delivered them. My parents taste tested everything, and my fellow workers were full of compliments, so I thought I'd link the recipes. For reasons I don't feel like explaining, most of the of cakes for the cupcakes are lactose-free, though the same cannot be said for the toppings.

Pictures of Christmas Passed

School starts tomorrow, and I'm feeling some post-Christmas blues... This was supposedly our last Christmas in my childhood home, so I tried to capture as much of it as I could. 

Sugar Cookies

Another Christmas has come and gone....boooo. It went by too quickly—I never had a chance to fully prepare. Next year, I resolve to avoid committing to too many big projects, so I have more time to realize the excitement of the season...definitely no more giant, sugary, baking trays.

Strawberry Banana Fruit Roll Ups

I wonder if it is pure coincidence that I am making Fruit Leathers around the same time as my first attempt last year? Or maybe there is some unknown force at work...

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Dear blog, sorry for the neglect. I thought December would be a month full of blog posts about Christmas baking and crafting. Turns out the month was too full of baking and crafting, and I've had really no time to do anything else.

Cocoa Mint Macaroons

I spent last weekend trying to add more recipes to my Christmas party repertoire. It's actually become more of a challenge than I initially anticipated. Of the three recipes I tried, none of them turned out to be appropriate. Two of them, a sugar cookie and a gingerbread, just...weren't good. They were bland and boring...so they've been dumped. It was pretty heartbreaking...watching all those ingredients go to waste. I get so frustrated when recipes don't work.

A Happy Birthday Apple Cake

Last week was my mother's birthday. She's always been supportive of my dietary quirks and open to eating my baking experiments, so I decided to show my appreciation and bake her a cake. Considering my mother's dietary restrictions and preferences—lactose intolerance, a missing gallbladder and a love for cinnamon and apples—this Gluten Free Applesauce Snack Cake seemed ideal.

Honey, Orange and Almond Shortbread Cookies

For the past 3 years, I have hosted a Christmas party, specifically intended to bring together friends whom I have missed all year, mostly due to busy university schedules and physical distance. I also do it because I love everything about the process—making the invitations, receiving the RSVPs, searching for recipes, seeing friends and, of course, making the food.

Oat & Herb Crackers

For ages, my mom has been wanting me to try and make crackers—she's a cracker fiend. So, the other week, when I was feeling particularly ambitious, I thought I'd practice my rolling skills. I used this cracker recipe for whole wheat crackers and made a few changes to suit my and my mom's tastes.

Pumpkin Squares Make for a Happy Halloween

Pickled Eggs

I love pickled eggs so much. I was first introduced to them when I was young, by a friend whose mom pickled her own. I thought it was so romantic—going down to a basement and bringing up a bottle of home pickled eggs. For some reason it took me 10 years to try it myself. This summer, I found a small-scale, sugar-free recipe for pickled eggs in Putting It Up With Honey, gathered some eggs and...waited another two months.

School Pictures: Swiss Farmer's Bread & Danish Pastries

Just some more school pictures. We made much more than bread and pastries this week, but I didn't bring much home—just this, and some date squares that I left for my mom and her co-workers. We made something called baba au rhum...but even the smell of it made me sick—too much sugar, citrus and rum.

School Pictures: Puff Pastries & Italian Style Herb Bread

Just some more pictures from school. I resisted bringing much home this week, but I felt obligated to bring home the puff pastries...the prize for my days of rolling and rolling. The dough was fun to shape, though difficult—pictured are pinwheels (which I made) and cherry turnovers (which I did not). That is apricot in the middle of the pinwheel, by the way...not an egg yolk.

The class also made apple strudel and palmiers (or palm trees, or elephant ears), but I didn't make them and my family can only consume so many layers of butter. Actually, it's amazing that I got any of the baked goods home today—I had to fight torrential rain and HAIL...nearly drowned while walking to my car.