Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread: New & Improved

A couple of weeks ago, I made this Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread for my mom for the first time. I usually like to stick to the recipe the first time around, so I surrendered to the call for 1 cup white flour.

I ended up loving the bread and, since it was so simple, I decided it would be good morning toast bread. I usually eat Ezekiel or Silver Hills' Steady Eddie sprouted bread, but it's quite expensive and with my trip to Europe drawing nearer, every penny counts. Though I could stand to eat un-sprouted bread for a while, I could not stand to eat white flour. So, I decided it would be fun to try and change the recipe to 100% whole wheat, while maintaing its light, toast-able texture and without complicating the recipe too much.

Oatmeal Cookies

James is coming to visit me in a couple of weeks and I like to use his visits as an excuse to bake. I always think "finally, I'll have someone to eat the product other than myself" and avoid the dangers of living and baking alone.

Apple Crumble

"Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits." — Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

Not much of a back story for this post...I had a friend coming home during reading week and I asked her what baked good she most desired. She picked apple crumble, so that's what I made!

Irish Mum's Brown Bread & a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My parents went to Ireland this past September and, upon their return, my mom raved about the bread, specifically some homemade soda bread she had at a small, family owned pub. Anyways, when I came across this recipe for Irish Mum's Brown Bread, I bookmarked it with her in mind. Although the bread she was eating in Ireland was made from entirely white flour, my mom usually prefers whole wheat, so I thought this would be perfect.

Peel Sessions: How to Peel a Mango

Over reading week, I was visiting my friend Katie. She happened to have a bowl of mangos sitting on her kitchen table, so I asked if I could have one. I cut it up into a million irregular pieces and ate it that way...the only way I really knew how. Afterwards, as I was tossing the peel, her dad came in and said something along the lines of "you know you can peel a mango like a banana." No...I didn't.

I have actually eaten a mango every day since I learned this trick. I even tried an Ataulfo mango, which tasted pretty similar but...they were on sale. I know mangos aren't exactly the picture of local eating during winter in Canada...but...I love them. And, like I said, they were on sale...poor students can't be too picky.

Anyways, I still I wish I had known How to Peel a Mango a little earlier in life...

Score the top of the mango with a knife.

Peanut, Peanut Butter! (and Chili?)

Every time I go home, I ask my mom to make this Peanut Butter Chili Recipe. The tradition started this past summer, after I had been away from home for 7 months. For two of those months, I was working in a hotel in Jasper National Park and, every day, I had to serve chili to people...chili full of meat. One day, a strong wif of the chili hit me and I thought "that would go well with peanut butter."

Avocado Carob Mousse

I have been looking for very quick and inexpensive recipes lately because, as I get deeper into my school work, I don't have an entire day free to spend making brownies...or the cash to buy special ingredients.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread for my Mom

The other morning I decided to make bread for my mom. I read out a few recipes I had bookmarked and she chose this Oatmeal Sandwich Bread.

Strawberry Topped Thumbprint Cookies

I've only been home for reading week since Friday but I was already feeling a bit useless and uninspired this afternoon. So, I thought my time would be best spent baking something and basking in a home full of ingredients and mouths to feed. I decided on these Thumbprint Jam Cookies that I bookmarked long ago.

Cashew Cheese is Sure to Make You Smile

I recently discovered a Raw Foodist restaurant right in my very own city! I've been going to university here for four years, and this was the first time I'd taken notice. I actually never even realized it was a restaurant, let alone the perfect restaurant. I walk past it every Saturday, but only realized what it was by Googling for vegetarian restaurant in Guelph. It's called Wild Organic Way and it's amazing...or rawmazing, as some might say. I've been three times in the last month.

Chai Mix: Spice Up Your Life

Spiced chai is one of my favourite teas...I think trumped only by Earl Grey Cream. I drink it every morning because of the yoga belief that spices help get your metabolism going. I buy it from a local tea store and it's delicious, but expensive...and, since I always feel compelled to make things for myself, I decided to make my own chai mix! I spent quite a while searching the internet, comparing recipes....

Tomato Soup

I have always wanted to make tomato soup...so I did. I didn't want it to be a very time consuming event, or to have to buy many additional ingredients, so I used this recipe for Simple Tomato Soup and it was super easy and quick. The recipe is so basic and neutral that I am sure much can be done with it, so I am especially excited to make it again, when I have more time and money. The resulting soup tastes like you'd expect...like tomatoes. I love tomatoes and I loved this soup.

Perks of Owning a Dehydrator: Making Sun-dried Tomatoes on a Cloudy Day

I thought I'd do a little more experimenting with my dehydrator, since I had a surplus of grape tomatoes nearing expiration. I'd never made sun-dried tomatoes before, but I figured they'd be pretty much the same process as grapes. So, I blanched a couple, cut a couple in half, just to see what would turn out... 

Homemade Spelt Bread: All You Knead is Time... and a few other things

Since I went to the trouble of making my own soup, I thought it only appropriate to make my own bread to go with it. 

Spiced Apple & Sweet Potato Soup

What's this? A soup recipe so soon after making vegetable broth? What a surprise!