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.

Thankful for Fruit Crumble

James and I originally made this crumble in the summer. We were lazy, so we limited it to ingredients I already had in the house. I wish I had had time to post this recipe earlier in the summer, because my filling of choice is a bit seasonal, but alas, summer is over and so is peach season.

Out and About & More School Pictures: Danish Coffee Cake with Hazelnut Filling

It's been beautiful outside lately. Every time I look out the window, I feel a pang of guilt for not being outside. So, I took my camera for a walk. I hope you don't mind if I post a couple of the pictures—they have nothing to do with food.

School Pictures: Carrot Muffins & Milk Bread

I brought home some more school work. I keep telling myself I won't bring any more home—I can't eat it, and my family doesn't really need it—but my dad specially requested these, and it's really hard to give up documenting my day's work. Besides, it's good practice, since I am still learning with my new camera.

Hummus

My full days of school and work have forced me back into packed lunches. It took my a while to settle on what I wanted, but hummus seems to have won out. It's easy to pack and I like being able to make a large batch on the weekend, and not have to worry for the rest of the week. Also, it allows me to use the vegetables from my garden.

School Pictures: Piping Shortbread Cookies & Lemon Meringue Pie

I really enjoyed this past week of school—we practiced piping, which is more difficult to master than I initially supposed, but I love it. Piping is so much fun. I love how hands on and creative baking can be.

The Fairest of the Seasons: Raspberry & Blueberry Jam

This summer, I really wanted to be more involved in my food. My garden was part of that, but I also tried to take advantage of the local fruit opportunities. Berries really became my focus, and I went picking every chance I had—strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

School Pictures: Sweet Dough Cinnamon Buns & Wafer Cookies

Here's what I made at school yesterday:

More cinnamon and sugar related dough making. These were yeast risen cinnamon buns. The recipe's sugar content is through the roof, so dad was happy. Mom says she prefers my less sweet version...let's assume she's not lying.

School Pictures: Meat Pie & Braided Bread

Soon I will get back to baking things I can eat. Until then, I need to practice with my camera, so here are some pictures of what I learned in school today:

How to make mini meat pies...not very useful for me, but still fun. At least dad is happy and I'm improving my dough rolling skills.

Excuses

Plenty has been going on since my last post. Here is a list of my excuses for infrequent blogging:

Eating Raw in Montreal: Crudessence

As I have previously mentioned, my favourite restaurant, WOW, blew me off a couple of months ago and left a hole in my heart. I have been trying to fill the void with homemade Almonds Burgers, Salad Dressings and Cashew Cheesecakes...but it isn't the same. I am lazy and not as talented as the fine people of WOW.

I don't think anything makes me quite as happy as eating raw food…especially when someone else makes it for me. This past week, I finally accepted my loss and started Googling for nearby raw food restaurants...which ended up being in Montreal. So, James and I drove to Montreal, under the guise of shopping and showing James the city, but, by dinner time, we had to admit we came just to eat at Crudessence.

Strawberry Jam

I still haven't dont any baking, but I'll continue to update you on my other food related adventures.

What's Up, What's Up...

Still not baking. There is a heat wave...it's so hot, especially in the kitchen. I have been up to other things though...

First of all, I found a job—I sell produce at a vegetable stand for a local farm, and occasionally pick beans. It might not be ideal employment for a university graduate, but I am more interested in learning about agriculture and preparing myself for the day I have my own farm, than having anything to do with English.

My employers are incredibly nice people and I get the opportunity to ask lots of questions and learn about plant varieties. However, my favourite part so far has been selling at a farmer's market in Ottawa...I have always dreamed of being on the other side of the table. I usually work 10 hour days plus an hours worth of travel, so forgive my neglectful and sloppy blogging—I have been up since 4 am.

Mmmm...Muesli

While I was in Europe, we stayed at a few hostels that served free breakfast...consisting mostly of strore bought bread with sugary spreads. I could never take advantage, and it sucked. However, in France, we stayed a couple of nights at a hostel that served something I could actually eat—muesli. They even included the list of ingredients—how thoughtful.

My Garden

I have yet to return to the kitchen for baking purposes. It's just too hot. And I'd rather be outside, while I can. So, I have been filling my time with other things.

Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

As promised, here is the salad dressing I made for the Raw Food Dinner I had with James and friends. My goal was to mimic the salad dressing from WOW (as usual...).

I had a pretty decent start, since I asked my server once what was in their salad dressing. Unfortunately, the only ingredients he could remember were celery and olive oil, though I was pretty sure there was lemon in it too. To fill in the gaps, I searched one of my favourite food blogs, Rawmazing, and used her Maple Tahini Dressing as a base recipe.

Raw Food Night

Sorry for the delay, but I've been away, visiting my cottage, and overwhelmed with being home and trying to get organized. Anyways, as I was saying, from Williamstown, James and I headed to his family home in Swansea. One of the nights I was there, we had somewhat of a raw food dinner party. I finally got the raw food dinner I was longing for since my convocation...

Sunsets & Sandwiches

Allow me to pick up where I left off...After leaving Sheafe's, we spent a night in Williamstown, home to James' university. On our way there, and in accordance with my new obsession with learning about varieties of strawberries, we stopped to buy strawberries from a man on the side of the road.

Salem and Salads

As I was saying, James and I drove to Salem, in Eastern New York to meet and stay with a professor and friend of his. Although we were technically there to help paint a fence, James also wanted to show me the professor's property and the surrounding area.

I Have So Much to Tell You

Hello!

I don't even know where to start. I am back from Europe, but I'm not in Canada. I was, but only for a few days, to attend my Guelph convocation. Then I drove over the border to the U.S., where I currently am...

I guess I should start with Europe. I'll try not to bore you with details, but I'd feel strange neglecting to mention anything about it. I'll try and make it food relevant. Here goes…

Poutine: I Probably Miss Canada By Now

Ok, I swear, this is the last surprise blog post. I'll be flying home today anyways.

Way back in April, when James was visiting to say goodbye, I finally got around to making poutine for him. He's American and had never had it..so sad. I wanted it to be different from normal poutine though...and maybe a little healthier, so I used mushroom gravy and sweet potatoes fries.

Raw As I Can Get Cashew Cheesecake

HA, fooled you. One more planned blog post. Let´s hope I am safe and sound in Barcelona.

I love cheesecake. I could eat an entire cheesecake, yet I haven't had the motivation to try and make a sugar free version of real cheesecake.

However, I discovered at WOW (the raw foodist restaurant I am in love with) that I also love raw cashew cheesecake. I could easily eat an entire raw cheesecake, but I don't live near WOW anymore...so this is kind of a tribute to my long, lost love.

Raw Almond Burger with Cashew Cheese

SURPRISE! I scheduled one last post to be published post-departure. By the time you are reading this, I should be living it up in Europe...let's hope. Unfortunately, this is as far ahead as I could get...see you in less than 6 weeks.

Date Squares

I leave for Europe today. I will be gone for 6 weeks, hopefully Couchsurfing for most of it (to anyone who happens across this blog and lives in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Nice or Marseille...if you see me walking down the street, I'll exchange baked goods for a couch).

Carob Walnut Fudge

No story to this post. The other day I was bugging my dad to give me more ideas for baking—things like bread, or cakes, or cookies. He suggested fudge...with walnuts.

Rise Again Cinnamon Buns

I have been wanting to adapt a cinnamon bun recipe for a while, but I couldn't find one worth the trouble...

Until I remembered my mom used to make cinnamon buns all the time for my brother's early morning hockey practices—she was a very popular lady. Her recipe is from Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook, chosen for its use of potato in the dough, which makes it so soft and delicious.

Fresh Ginger Steamer

I just thought I'd share another simple drink idea, for rainy days ahead.

Cocoa & Almond No-Bake Granola Bars

I'm back to the granola bars...

This time it's my mom I'm trying to please. She's been on her own quest for the perfect granola bar—crunchy and chewy, but low in fat. After at least 4 different recipes, she still couldn't find one she liked, so I thought I'd try my hand at the old granola bar game...again.

Frittata For Mama and Papa

I have been struggling to find things to bake lately....I have already posted most of the recipes I use regularly, and I just don't have enough mouths in my house to consume a new baked good every second day.

So, last night I decided to try something different...cooking (well, half cooking...).

What...is your quest?

I have been charged by Dad with a sacred quest...to seek a perfect, dunkable peanut butter cookie recipe.

Dad's commandments:

• they shall be crispy on the outside, and chewy in the middle
• they shall bend and not snap
• they shall be dry enough to soak up his milk
• they shall not crumble under the weight of his milk
• they shall be sweet enough to avoid the sentence: "it would taste good with some sugar."

Home Again

I realize I have gone from posting daily during busy exam times, to a dead stop now that I'm free...

I was moving all day Saturday, and organizing on Sunday. I finally got around to trying out some recipes today, but I have to work out a few things before I post them.

Sweet Potato, Peanut and Moving Out Stew

I am officially finished my undergraduate degree...assuming I don't fail any of my exams...

I submitted my final essay, the lingering symbol of my status as a student, 6 minutes ago. I am already growing anxious... I'm really going to miss being in an academic setting and it's freaking me out a bit.

More depressing, I am leaving Guelph tomorrow and...moving back in with my parents... I will become one of those university graduates who is living at home and working a job I could've had straight out of high school. This kind of thinking almost makes me wish I did fail a course, so I could cling to my student status for just a little bit longer...almost.

Anyways, this is leading somewhere, I promise.

Strawberry Sorbet

No, I am not done my essay on The Canterbury Tales.

Yes, I am procrastinating.

I have a surplus of frozen strawberries from when they were on sale for a $1 per package. I move out on Saturday and don't think they'd make the 6 hour drive back home...I had no idea what to do with the two freezer bags full of strawberries

If you could food process bananas into ice cream...maybe strawberries would do something just as good?

Perks of Owning a Dehydrator: Making Yogurt

I was inspired to finally make my own yogurt when my mom bought a yogurt maker from a second hard store...although that yogurt maker is at home, I took the instructional booklet and little containers to Guelph. I knew I could just use my dehydrator.

Part of the reason I wanted to make my own yogurt is because it's cheaper. Organic yogurt is pricey and never seems to go on sale (ironically, the week I wrote this, it went on sale...but only by 50 cents), so instead I now buy the big 4 litre thing of organic milk and use one of the bags for yogurt making. I think James worked it out to be about half the price.

Kale Chips: Am I Missing Something?

I write my first exam of the season today...I'm so close to the end, I think I'm more excited to get it over with than nervous...

Anyways, while I study, I always crave a snack. 

I wanted something salty, and kale was on sale for $1...so I made kale chips. I used elana's pantry's recipe for Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips, with the only variations being that I used my dehydrator to crisp them and white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar (it's all I had...and I'm not about to buy a new jug of something 4 days before I move out).

I must say...I was pretty disappointed. I have read a lot of blog posts describing the wonder of kale chips, but I didn't think they were anything special.

Elana's warning about this recipe being very salty is valid—I found them too salty, and so did James, though he liked them more than I did. I am so sad, because I thought this would be the answer to my salty snack craving...and I've read such good things...

Am I just missing something?

Apples to Apples: Unsweetened Apple Sauce

I have made it a habit to browse the shitty fruit shelf at the grocery store before I buy any regular produce, and there are certain fruits I will only buy from there. Bananas, for instance. The only time I get to enjoy dehydrated banana chips, or Maple Walnut Banana Ice Cream is when I find bananas on The Shelf. Apples, however, were always an exception. Being available more locally than bananas, I always bought them fresh.

A Trio of Hot, Drinkable Treats

It's thunder storming here today. I love thunderstorms, and it makes me want something warm to drink, which reminded me of these recipes...which I've been meaning to post since February...but I have just never found the time to take the pictures. I've finally given up on doing so while at school [less than a week until I'm home..ah] and was sick of seeing this as a draft, so I am posting it anyways. Pictures will come eventually. On with the recipes...

Do You Know About Shrinkage?

I know I have already posted about raisins...more than once...but I am obsessed with them. I make them in huge batches every time grapes go on sale...but they're so delicious, I end up eating them all in the same day they finish dehydrating.

Since they have become part of my regular diet, and I already eat so much fruit [fiber], I decided I better find out the grape/raisin weight ratio...to keep my grape consumption in balance and give myself a reality check—just because it's half the size, doesn't make it half the fruit.

Maple Walnut Banana Ice Cream: Heere is ended my tales of University

Today was my last day of undergraduate classes...ever.

I am so excited, a little sad...and so close to freedom. Only two exams and one ridiculously long essay about Chaucer's Canterbury Tales standing in my way.

I celebrated the end of classes and, hopefully, the beginning of Spring weather with some Maple Walnut Banana Ice Cream. I know I've made and posted this dessert before, but my previous instructions were vague...at best. This version is so much better—the lemon zest makes it taste like Spring, which is delicious.

Peanut Butter & Jam Thumbprint Cookies

I actually made these cookies over Reading Week, put just kept putting off posting them until now...I kind of hoped I would have a chance make them a second time before I posted, but it doesn't look like I'll have time before the end of school. Anyways, I'll just post them now and add edits if I find anything different when I make them again.

Over Reading Week, my mom and I went to Bulk Barn so I could get the ingredients to make my dad these peanut butter cookies. I have posted about these cookies before, but they are really so good that my previous post really doesn't do them justice.

Whole Wheat Crêpes

James came to visit this past week and, on Friday, we decided to have a big breakfast, since it was the only day I didn't have to rush off to class first thing in the morning. We...I...wanted crêpes. I love crêpes...adore them, I think they're my favourite breakfast food, and I seem to exclusively eat them with sweet fillings, but you can fill these any way you like.