Seven days of holiday baking: Day 3 - Cardamom, pistachio, and dried cranberry dark chocolate bark

Along with my cookies, I made two types of chocolate bark this year (one dark, one white) for the chocolate fiends amongst my family and friends. This version has a pleasing salty-sweet flavour and the colours are perfect for Christmas.

 Prepare 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios and 1/2 cup dried cranberries.

In a double boiler over medium-low heat, melt 350g good quality dark chocolate chips, stirring regularly. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the pot. You can also melt the chocolate in a glass bowl using the microwave. Microwave in 45-second bursts on a low power setting, stirring well in between. Once chocolate is completely smooth, stir in 1-2T of ground cardamom. Pour chocolate onto a sheet of parchment paper and spread until about 1/4 inch thick. Pour pistachios and dried cranberries evenly over chocolate, pushing down slightly into chocolate as necessary. Allow to harden, then break into chunks.

Seven days of holiday baking: Day 2 - Toasted coconut-lime cookies with macadamia nuts

Last Christmas, I made lemon-cream cheese cookies which ended up being some of my personal favourites. I liked the idea of doing a citrus flavour again this year. I decided to try lime, and substituted toasted coconut and macadamia nuts for the cream cheese, which made for a tropical kick. 

To make cookies, beat 3/4 cup softened butter and 1 cup icing sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add 3T coconut milk and the juice and zest of one lime. 

In a small saucepan, brown 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes over medium heat. Watch carefully to avoid browning. In a mixing bowl, sift together coconut flakes, 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp salt. Working in batches, gradually add to flour mixture to batter and mix until just combined. Mix in 1 cup lightly crushed macadamia nuts. 

 Roll dough into 1-inch balls on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, and place onto a greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Make an indentation in the dough balls with a fork dipped in icing sugar. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes, or until delicate brown underneath. 

Recipe: my own

Seven days of holiday baking: Day 1 - Whisky-molasses cookies with raisins

7 days until Christmas!! I'm counting down the final week with a recipe a day from my holiday baking. First up: whisky-molasses cookies with raisins. This and the six others are my own personal recipes.

To make, prepare 1/4 cup brown butter on stovetop, then cool to room temperature. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream brown butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Add 1 egg, 1/2 cup molasses, 3 oz whisky and 1 tsp vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp ground cloves. Gradually add flour to batter, mixing until just combined. Stir in 1 cup raisins. Chill dough for an hour as batter will be sticky. Then spoon out onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Check back tomorrow for toasted coconut and lime cookies with macademia nuts.

Blogger holiday get-together

On Tuesday, I met up with some other local bloggers for cocktails and bites at Sidedoor restaurant: Darcy of The Eternal Optimist, Katelyn of The Skinny Blonde Girl, Emily of Tinfoil Tiaras, Y of The Y Variable, Malorie of Ef Magazine, Jen of Apple + Floss, Kelly of Enter Kelly and Leah.

  Fur, sequins and holiday-themed nail polish were in abundance and I was inspired to spend an evening with a group of women committed to raising Ottawa's fashion and creative writing profile.

xx

 

{Photo courtesy of Darcy of The Eternal Optimist}

 

Skirt - Reitmans (most recently here)

Top - Jacob (also here)

Jacket - Calvin Klein via Winners

Belt - Thrifted

Shoes - Aldo (DIY colourblocking) (also here)

Fascinator - La Vie en Rose (also here)

Bracelets - Le Chateau

Earrings - Gift

Savoury crepes stuffed with chicken, artichoke and sundried tomatoes...and a culinary confession

This recipe was born of fatigue with my usual carb side dishes: rice, potatoes, pasta and bread. B doesn't like quinoa or couscous so I don't make those as often. Anyways, savoury crepes were an easy and welcome change. I kept the toppings super-easy with nothing that required extra cooking. You can even get extra bang for your buck by making a double batch of batter. After using half for your savoury crepes, add sugar to the remaining batter and use it the following day for sweet breakfast or dessert crepes. 


To make crepes:

In a blender, combine 4 eggs, 1-1/2 cups milk and 2T margarine. Working in batches, add 1-1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp baking powder. For the sweet version, add 1T sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Heat 1/2 tsp margarine in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Add enough batter to just cover the bottom of the pan when you swirl it. Cook until golden brown and edges start to curl up (about 1 minute), then flip and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Repeat, adding more margarine as needed.

To stuff crepes:

Add shredded rotisserie chicken, roughly chopped artichoke (fresh cooked, marinated or canned), and chopped sundried tomato. Add grated Parmesan cheese and reheat in microwave until cheese melts. 

 

I've been asked if I'm ever unsuccessful in the kitchen. All the time. I've only had to throw out a meal a handful of times, but about 20% of the recipes I intend to show on the blog turn out to be too mediocre for posting, or require too much work for what you get at the end. This is especially frustrating when it LOOKS really pretty on the plate. Here's an example of a ricotta gnudi (a type of pasta) I made from scratch and tossed with roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts, pumpkin seeds, caramelized onion, crisped Prosciutto, dried cranberries and a brown butter sauce. The pasta ended up with a kind of gooey texture. Then again I've never had gnudi so maybe that's the idea, but I doubt it! The 'dry roasted' pumpkin seeds from the grocery store were overpoweringly salty and quickly picked out. We ate it anyways; it wasn't terrible...but not worthy of the blog.

Work holiday party

I wore this to a Christmas party hosted by one of B's coworkers. Since I hadn't met many of them and wanted to err on the conservative side, I wore a dress in a classic silhouette but with holiday-ready metallic and velvet fabric. The shoes and necklace jazzed things up, while the cardigan toned everything down a bit. The party was great but it was equally nice to come home to comfy PJs and a Christmas movie.

xx

 

Jacket - Danier Leather

Dress - Ellen Tracy via Winners (also here)

Cardigan - RW & Co.

Tights - Costco

Shoes - Guess via Winners
Necklace - Road Trip via sample sale

Earrings - Gift

Cassoulet

This quick and easy spin on the French staple cassoulet makes a rich and wholesome winter-weather dish. This recipe, dictacted to me by a family member, serves 5-6. 

 In a large sauce pot, saute 6 slices bacon over medium-high heat until cooked through, then remove without draining fat. If you used turkey bacon like I did you may want to add a little olive oil at this point. Add 3 large thinly sliced cooking onions and 1T minced garlic. Cook until translucent and just starting to turn golden, about 4-5 minutes. 

Add bacon, onion and garlic to a crockpot along with 3 smoked sausages and 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken. Add 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can white kidney beans, 3T tomato paste and 1T Italian herbs. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2-1/2 hours. Optional: After cooking, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and place under broiler until breadcrumbs start to brown. Serve with chopped parsley and crusty bread.

Trend trial run: Pastels in winter

This month, InStyle talked about wintertime pastels. I read the article, but wasn't convinced. I mean, I love the idea of a head-to-toe outfit in creamy white for a snow bunny look. But Easter colours? Not so much. Over the next couple of days, I thought about it some more and realized it might just work with a few caveats - the use of heavier fabrics, like this suede blazer, and with other, more seasonal, elements mixed in, like browns, blacks and some sparkle. What's your take on winter pastels - yes, conditionally yes, yes but not for me, NEVER? If you've tried this look before, I invite you to leave your link in the comment section below!

xx

 

Skirt - Kenzie via Winners (also here)

Top - Thrifted (also here)

Blazer - Thrifted (Danier Leather)

Bracelets - Le Chateau

Ring - Le Chateau

Shoes - Liz Claiborne via Winners

Casually layered LBD with a muted fall palette

These photos date back a couple of weeks. After creating an insta-hem extension for this long-sleeved black minidress so I could wear it to work (here), I wanted to try adding some funky layers for a weekend look. I started with a black bat-wing sleeve top, and added other layers in a muted fall palette of cognac, burgundy and olive. The final result was a bit 'meh' to me, but it got me out of my comfort zone. I'm thinking that maybe coloured tights work better with looser skirts? Thoughts?

xx

 

Dress - unknown (store in Slovakia) (also here)

Black top - Winners (also here)

Jacket - New Look via thrift store (also here)

Belt - Salena's Collection via clothes swap  (most recently here)
Tights - American Apparel
 Boots - Sirens
Bag - Danier Leather
Necklace - Thrifted (Jones New York)
Earrings - Thrifted 

Chocolate chip cookies bake-off

Recipe # 1: Good marketing lured me into making this recipe for chocolate chip cookies. How can a blog post titled 'The only chocolate chip cookie I will ever need to know how to make for the rest of my life', not make you want to throw on an apron? The verdict? Freakin' amazing. These are crispy on the outside and yielding on the inside, with the perfect hint of sea salt alongside the sweet chocolate.

Recipe # 2: I wanted to share a second recipe, which my Mom used to make for us growing up. It's much quicker and less complex to prepare, and considerably healthier than the first one: less salt, margarine instead of butter, and rolled oats mixed in with the flour. Practical matters aside, I think these are fantastic too. They're soft and chewy, with a pleasing texture from the rolled oats.

Recipe # 1

To prepare batter:

 To make, combine 2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. cake flour, 1-2/3 cups bread flour, 1-¼ tsp. baking soda, 1-½ tsp. baking powder and 1-½ tsp. coarse salt in a bowl. Whisk well and set aside. Cream 1-¼ cups unsalted softened butter,1-¼ cups light brown sugar and 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar in a mixer fitted with paddle attachment on high speed for 3-5 minutes. The mixture should be very light and fluffy at the end. Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Add 1-¼ pounds bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips with a high cocoa content, and mix briefly to incorporate. 

Press plastic wrap against the dough, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, up to a maximum of 72 hours (yes you read right - this allows for an optimal mixing of wet and dry ingredients).

To bake:

Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit for 30-45 minutes. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop mounds of dough on a greased or non-stick cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

 

Recipe # 2

To prepare batter:

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together 2 eggs, 1 cup margarine, ½ cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and 2 tsp vanilla on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low. Working in batches, add 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp baking powder. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips (such as Nestle). 

To bake:

Using two tablespoons, drop 1-1/2" mounds of batter onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

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