Week 3 - Pumpkin Cookies

I can’t believe all the countries lighting up on my map of visitors :D. Russia, India, Germany, Mexico, etc… It’s amazing to know how far around the world my blog is getting, I can’t wait until I have a reader from almost every country J That’s my goal.

It was another crazy week 0.o, another hospital visit for my grandmother, more severe this time. The good news is she is out and sounding like her old self again, so all the worries are gone. I also sold Rico’s old tank last night, which freed up a lot of space in my bedroom. Although I joked with my parents that maybe I should have kept it as a babysitting tank, and when I move out if I go travelling I can just drop him off ;P. They weren’t impressed with that idea.

So now it’s an early morning, Max woke me up to go for a walk since my parents were sleeping through his barks. So we did a nice hour walk, and my co-worker has been waiting for me to post the recipe I made this week. I brought the cookies to work and to Mr. VIP and they were a huge hit, which makes me so happy because I love these cookies.

So I decided since it is autumn and we are in the pumpkin season, to make a few recipes using pumpkin as the main star. For this week I made Pumpkin and Raisin Cookies. This is a recipe my mom used to make around this time, and they are just wonderful. They are super soft and dense, and you finish them by dipping the tops in brown butter icing. Now the icing is optional, as well as the raisins, and you can add nuts.



Pumpkin Cookies

Oven: 375F          Makes: about 2 dozen cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup shortening
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (optional)
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)


Heat oven to 375°. Mix sugar, pumpkin, shortening, and orange peel. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in raisins and nuts.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool. Spread with Light Brown Glaze. 


Light Brown Glaze

¼ cup of margarine or butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 teaspoons milk

Heat margarine in 1½-quart saucepan over medium heat until delicate brown. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in milk until smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips:

Lots of tips today! My cookies took 12 minutes to cook rather then 10, they are going to be a very soft cookie, but should hold their shape when you take them of the cookie sheet. You can use can or fresh pumpkin, I will be showing how to do fresh pumpkin next week, if you use canned get just pumpkin. Some cans are pie filling and have spices in them already and can effect the taste. These cookies taste best the day after, or I find they do, the pumpkin settles and the taste is just different. The icing will stiffen if not stirred, so every couple cookie give it a mix to smooth it back out again.

 

 

 

There we go! Another recipe done and posted. I am looking forward to the next coming weeks as I will be sharing family recipes. Well I am off to do some grocery shopping for the next recipe :)

 

 

Happy Baking!!

 

Sey

 

 

 

 

Week 2 - Banana Bread

I can’t believe another week has gone by and fall is here already. The leaves are changing, the weather has cooled, and the rustling of leaves has begun. I have to say I do love autumn, I find it beautiful to go for hikes and walk through the markets. Mr. VIP and I had a wonderful romantic weekend away in Niagara Falls. The falls were beautiful day and night, and the fireworks they do over them at night are beautiful. 

We did a few of the museums downtown, the large Ferris wheel, Marineland. My favourite had to be the Maid of the Mist, it was worth the money and gets you up close and personal with the falls J. We got some great pictures and got very wet. We met some very nice people and had a beautiful Jacuzzi suite to relax in at night. On our way back we stopped in Toronto for the Hockey Hall of Fame and Toronto Zoo. The hall of fame was awesome especially for a hockey buff like my boy. The zoo was a long walk, and it seemed like we went a little to late in the day as some animals were gone before we got there, however it was fun none the less. We had some good laughs and I just enjoy his company no matter what we do. Now in the next few weeks we will begin planning our winter Quebec City trip, I am so excited for it.

So my post is a day late, however this week has been very busy. From planning the trip, to my pour grandmother breaking a few ribs after falling from a step. So I didn’t get my baking done before leaving for Niagara, and than the hour we did get back just wasn’t the baking hour. So I woke up nice and late this morning, started my wash and got my baking done.

If there is anyone out there like me, you have tons of over ripe bananas in your freezer that need to be cooked. Well today I can say I don’t have a single banana left in my fridge. I used the last dozen to make a couple banana loaves. I love banana bread, I always have. I’m not a fan of eating bananas raw, except for on peanut butter and banana sandwiches, this thanks to one of my dogs having to take pills and going through 3 bananas a day to make it happen. I now don’t like the smell of them. However, cooked into breads, cakes and muffins work wonderfully for me. Also with the spices, it is perfect on a cold autumn morning, a warm slice of banana bread with a little bit of butter is divine. That is exactly what I’m munching on while typing this up.


Banana Bread

Oven: 350F      Makes: 1 loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 beaten eggs
1½ cups mashed bananas (5 medium)
1 cup sugar
½ cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine
¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Grease a 9x5x3 inch pan or two 7½x3½x 2-inch loaf pans, set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened, batter should be lumpy. Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake in a 350F oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, cool completely on wire rack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tip:
You can add chocolate chips or nuts to the batter (just like muffins). Now sometimes they get hidden and you can’t tell which loaf has something in it, and what it is. After filling the pans, sprinkle a little bit of the nuts or chocolate chips on top, this way you know what is inside the loaf.


So with Thanksgiving around the corner my next few recipes will be pumpkin based, and they are all brand new to me. Two are ones made by my mother while I was growing up, and I look forward to them every year. So this is my year to try my hand at these child hood and family favourites so that I will be able to make them for my kids, husband and whole family.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and has a great week ahed. I will see you again next weekend J.


Happy Baking!!

Sey

Week 1 - Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies

I can’t believe a week has already gone by. It feels like I was just coming up with ideas for baking. My week has been spent planning a Toronto/Niagara Falls weekend with Mr. VIP for this upcoming weekend. It’s going to be wonderful I am sure. We also went and picked up Rico’s new tank, it’s huge!! Pictures next week when I have it all set up J.

Flu and cold season is upon us, and I have been feeling horrible all week, fortunately it looks like it has passed and I will be ready for my road trip. Although it is slowly going through everyone at work, and I don’t want it back. So this led me to something that would be comforting when sick.

Oatmeal cookies have a warm spice flavour and are great when you just don’t have the time for a meal. With fall season creeping up on us, the cinnamon and clove flavours just remind me of thanksgiving and changing leaves. You can add any type of dried fruit, my favourite is raisins, but you can do cranberries or blueberries. Basically any dried fruit that is soft, as well as chopped up nuts, can be added to the mixture.

Now I like big and rustic oatmeal cookies, none of this perfectly flat circles that are hard as rock. I like large soft oatmeal cookies. Oh and when I say soft, I don’t mean under cooked, I mean the dough wasn’t over worked and they are nice and soft when cooked through.

 

Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies

 

Oven 375F

 

¾ cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

¼ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

 

In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and, if desired, cinnamon and cloves. Beat until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats and raisins.

 

Drop dough by the teaspoon 2 inches apart onto an ungreased or paper lined cookie sheet. Bake in 375F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, transfer to wire rack and let cool.

 

 

 

I like laying out my ingredients first, so I don't forget anything

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until eggs are added, mixture will be very sticky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soft and chewy

 

Baking tip:

If you are afraid your recipes don't turn out due to missing ingredients or wrong measurements. Lay them all out before starting. Do it separately, don't do all dry in one bowl for example. You can get cheap little egg cups at dollar stores and put you teaspoon and tablespoon ingredients in those. Go down the list one by one and get everything out, and then follow the instructions to the point.

 

 

 

There it is, my first week :). I am a little rusty at the blog writing, but I am sure it will come back to me eventually lol. Next weeks may come a little late at night due to my trip, but it will be up I promise. If anyone has any requests or suggestions I would love to hear them, or if you have an amazing recipe I would love to try my hand at it. I hope everyone had a great weekend and a great week ahead.

 

Happy Baking!

 

Sey

I'm Back - Year Long Baking Challenge

Hello all my little bakers!! I’m back!! I really wanted to keep my blog going after my last challenge but with being off work and life just getting crazy, it never happened L. Then I got a wonderful comment from someone saying I inspired them to bake something they hadn’t in a long time, and it just made my day, so I was going to start again. Never happened. I just checked my counter and saw that I’m at over 1,200 hits. I was just under 1,000 when I left. I am sorry for anyone who came and there was nothing new, but I am changing that today.

My time off was wonderful J. Mr. VIP and I visited the Montreal Biodome and Omega Parc, both of which I highly recommend a visit to. They were wonderful visits, the animals were amazing and it was just a fun visit altogether J. Another place to go is Quebec City, we spent an amazing romantic weekend there, and we are already planning our next visit. Old Quebec City was beautiful, we spent each night walking the streets and always found new little stores to go in to. Our next visit will be in the winter, and I can already picture walking the coble stone streets with the snow lightly falling down, just like the romance movies :P. I also spent 2 weeks in Nova Scotia visiting family, it was amazing being away and just relaxing at the cottage beside the ocean.

 

Old Quebec City

 

 

Nova Scotia

 

Last time I left I had a new puppy, a trouble making lizard, and a wonderful 1 year old nephew J. Now I have a 8 month old puppy who isn’t little anymore, a lizard who lives to cause me problems, a 16 month nephew who has just learnt to walk, and my boyfriend (Mr. VIP if you didn’t catch on above :P) has started a 90gallon salt water tank that just has me completely hypnotized as it never stops changing.

 

 

Max watching the crickets while Rico eats

 

 

 

I am now back to work, and my co-worker DJ and I have been talking about challenges again J and we decided on a year long weekly challenge. We realized that when we are off we have no motivation what so ever, and when we are at work we want something to look forward to. So this time I have no list to follow, I just have to bake something different every week, and every Sunday I will update the blog. Now I have been going over ideas in my head, cause I have been trying to line up Christmas, thanksgiving, Halloween, etc. with recipes holiday appropriate. I am going to try a lot of new recipes, a few will be mine, but other than that I want to expand my recipe book and bake items I have never done before. Macarons have become a major dessert trend lately and I have never done them before, so this is something I am going to try my hand at with this challenge, as well as trying many other new desserts.

Unfortunately I haven’t bought any new shoes L since I have been off work I just didn’t have the money, but that will all change soon J. Now that I have a paycheque again I will be shoe shopping very soon. So there won’t be any picture of my shoes, but I was thinking of showing extreme styles, because there are shoes out there that aren’t meant for walking in, only looking at ;P.

So this is it J. My first recipe will go up next Sunday, September 16. My final recipe will be September 8, 2013. Wish me luck, and as always comments are always welcome J. Just to have a little something till than, below are 2 of the cakes I made while I was off.

 

 

 

 

Baby shower cake

 

 

 

 

Going away cake with a solid chocolate guitar

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Baking!

Sey