Welcome to the ‘in between’ season; it’s not quite Spring weather but not really winter either. Nothing is growing here in Alberta and though I’m told things are greening up in BC (lol!) it’ll be a while before we see the first of the Spring edibles in our province. In…
A Little Hot Cross Bun History It’s been years since I’ve had a Mocha Hot Cross Bun. Yes, I know it’s a far cry from the spices and currants/raisins that most people consider ‘traditional’ in these Lenten treats, but why not try a little something different like these Mocha Chocolate Chip…
The Science Behind Making the Perfect Chocolate Soufflé In the February 2014 issue of Cook’s Illustrated I read a really interesting article about soufflés. One of the things I love about CI is how they experiment with recipes so that you can get the very best results at home. In…
How to Find a Pastry Recipe That Works for YOU I am always so taken aback when people tell me the reason they’ve never baked a pie is because they aren’t very good at pastry. I mean, I can relate because I was THAT person at one point in my…
Christmas in the Okanagan This post is coming to you via my sister’s basement in ‘sunny’ Vernon, British Columbia. It’s the 30th of the month and though the recipe is made, I’ve left the post until now to complete. We had a wonderful but quiet Christmas at home. Then we…
Christmas Baking Preparation After a very dry first half of winter an entire foot of snow fell all day yesterday and over night. I am somewhat relieved that we will have a ‘white Christmas’ after all. However, there will always be a part of me that becomes annoyed at each…
Bring the family together at your Thanksgiving table this Autumn season and finish with a flourish. This Chocolate Pecan Pie with a Bourbon Twist is a real showstopper! Thanksgiving is a Time for Family and Pie Next to Halloween, Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. Ideally it takes place on a cool…
Basbousa – A Baked Egyptian Sweet Semolina Cake I say it’s high time I bake something sweet for the Around the World in Twelve Plates blogger collaboration. Basbousa is an Egyptian classic cake made from durum semolina and a whole lot of dairy which is also popular in many other…
A Recipe 20 Years in the Making I have been waiting exactly 20 years to share this Chocolate Carrot Cake with you. Back in the day when I was a university student (and new mom) I had little time (or money!) for celebration or going out on the town. There…
Spring Wanderlust There are people that describe having an intense urge to travel, to explore the world and embrace its uniqueness as having ‘wanderlust’ or ‘itchy feet’. I am most definitely one of those people, especially when we haven’t even been out of the city in months. I have an…