Happy Friday, friends! It's been quite awhile since I've made a Friday 5 post. I had forgotten how fun it is to research and let myself just get carried away.
Cake has been on my mind a lot. Family and friend birthdays give me an excuse to experiment with different cake types and decorating. I have found myself rather paralyzed by the number of fantastic recipes out there. My list of "cakes to try" is ever-expanding. For this post though, I wanted to bring you to cake dreamland. These are cakes are works of art that I would find very difficult to cut and serve. And yet, that is why they are made. Similar to the fleeting lives of flowers, these cakes celebrate and mark something precious in the lives of people that bring them into their homes. They demand that we seize the moment.
Enjoy and have a lovely weekend.
Chocolate Cake with Meringue Brûlée by Linda Lomelino
My copy of My Sweet Kitchen by Linda Lomelino (her blog, Call Me Cupcake is a favourite of mine) is starting to look a little beat up. Dustings of cocoa powder have added some grit to the pages. Well-used recipes are a bit sticky from icing sugar that I attempted to wipe off with a damp cloth. There is a splatter of chocolate on the chocolate cake page. While I do try to look after it, I sometimes get into the "baking zone" and things start flying. The concern is that I have owned the book for less than a year! For a baking blogger, the book is a gem because it offers the beautiful photography and recipes that one would expect as well as tips on how to create that imagery. For the home baker, the recipes are approachable and often have a bit of a twist.
It is in better condition than my mom’s cherished 1980’s Better Homes and Gardens cookbook but I think it is well on its way to having that” loved look” to it. On days when I am in the kitchen, whipping up dinner and then taking a long time to make the perfect dessert, my husband’s sighs and mutters “you cook like your mother.” He is referring to flour on the floor, the bowls piled in the sink and the use of all the available countertop space. Of course, I take this as a compliment and celebrate the fact that I do something similar to her.
If you are looking for a delicious chocolate cake that has more of a wow factor, than look no further. Chocolate addicts rejoice as this recipe has three types of chocolate: dark, milk and cocoa. The cake itself has a moist crumb and it is easy to achieve excellent results with this recipe (even in my finicky oven). The drippy layer of dark chocolate is the most difficult part to achieve a consistent look. I had planned to share this recipe months ago, but I had to practice dripping the chocolate down the sides. Balance is achieved by the toasted meringue frosting.
Happy Valentine's Day!
“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
Feel Good Walnut Granola
The house is filled with the scent of baking granola. Warm cinnamon mixed with the buttery smell of roasting walnuts. Paired with thick yoghurt and fruit, it makes for a lovely morning and just radiates cosiness.
A healthy breakfast. Non-fussy mornings so that we can get out the door on time. It is quite the achievement when snowpants, boots, mittens, hats, scarves have to be found and then put on the body. I like to start the process with the kids at least 20 minutes before we have to leave the house. Inevitably, a mitt will have gone missing or someone will not feel like getting dressed today.
But, I do love winter. I love the extremes. The snowstorm that rages all day and night and leads to the school being closed. Then, the next day, greeted by sun and a foot or two of fluffy, white snowflakes. The cold weather that the kids and I play in only to come inside to a warm home filled with blankets, pillows and candles. The option to curl up with a book by the fireplace or skate on the ice rink down the street. During the cold months, I give myself permission to indulge in more reading and the arts. To have a burst of fresh air and then spend time indoors.
Given all the Oscar buzz around Lady Bird, my husband and I went to see the film. I had no idea what to expect and ended up loving it. It resonated on so many levels but most significantly, the mother-daughter relationship. The film depicted what it is like to be a secondary school student with brutal honesty. The casting was very thoughtful and I left the theatre a little nostalgic given the 2002 aesthetic.
Big gulp. What have you been doing for the month of January? Do you gravitate towards films or more wintery hobbies?
The Snow Man
“One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;
And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter
Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,
Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place
For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.”
What I like about this recipe:
Walnuts: known for their loads of health benefits, from reducing inflammation to improving moods. My favourite part is the buttery taste when they are perfectly toasted.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: allows me to skip the step of combining cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg together. There are some haters out there, but I think this dislike stems from the pumpkin spice latte phenomenon. The convenience and flavour combination works!
Rolled Oats: again, loaded with health benefits (prevents constipation, nutrient rich, assists with weight loss). More importantly, they are satisfying and help maintain that full feeling.
Less Sugar: The granola is not overly sweet as it is only sweetened with maple syrup.
Feel Good Walnut Granola
Makes: 6 cups of granola
Time: Prep time (15 minutes) + baking time (35 minutes)
Ingredients
½ cup (100 g) coconut oil
½ cup (160 g) maple syrup
4 cups (400 g) rolled oats
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp fine grained sea salt
2 cups (100 g) walnut pieces
½ cup (60 g) dried cranberries (unsweetened or sweetened with applejuice)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan, slowly melt the coconut oil. Stir in the maple syrup. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix together the oats, spice and sea salt. Pour the oil and maple mixture over top of the oat mixture and stir well. Spread the granola onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and mix in the walnut pieces. Return to the oven for 15 minutes (or 20 minutes if you like it a little toastier). Remove from oven, mix in the cranberries and allow to cool at room temperature. Store in a glass container for 1-2 weeks.
Serve with yoghurt, fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries, hemp hearts and bee pollen.
Adapted from Make Your Own Rules Diet by Tara Stiles
Tahini Cookies
For my first recipe post of 2018, I wanted to try using a new baking ingredient. Given all the tahini-hype over the past two years, I decided that I would start with a simple tahini cookie. Tahini is on regular rotation for savoury family meals at my home and I have heard some people liken it to peanut butter. I am not particular to one brand but I think I am still getting accustomed to recognizing quality tahini and figuring out where to source it. Do you have any suggestions?
Before I move onto the recipe, I wanted to link to my first blog post of the year in which I stated that I have forgone New Year’s resolutions. Instead of resolutions, I looked back at 2017 to see what was working for me. Specifically, the practices that bring joy to my life or offer some small benefit if practiced regularly. I identified several habits that I began at different points during last year. These are actions that fit my life right now, in this moment.
Morning ritual
Warm water with lemon. After getting dressed for the day, I fill the kettle with water and slice a lemon. I pour the hot water (not boiling) over the lemon to the halfway point of a large mug. Then, I put a dash of cool, filtered water so that I can enjoy it as I prepare breakfast for the children and pack lunches. This little ritual is calming and allows me to have enough energy to do the school run before coming home to put the baby to bed.
Yoga plus Core-strengthening
I have been practicing yoga since I was 17. Through my practice I have had both physical and mental breakthroughs but as of late, l I have been stagnant in my practice. In the fall, I began an online program that focused on core strengthening for mothers called Momma Strong. Through a daily, 15-minute exercise routine, I have gained stability that I don't think I would have if I had just continued with yoga. The instructor/entrepreneur, Courtney Wyckoff, has made it easy to get a workout in that well, actually works. Plus, she shows you how to get it done with children and pets and late nights and all of the things that mommas do.
Happy New Year!
I couldn’t let this week go past without recognizing that we’re in 2018! I’m working on loads of recipes at the moment but nothing is worth sharing just yet. I hope that you had a wonderful holiday and that you feel refreshed and invigorated.
Did you make any resolutions going into the new year? This is the first year that I didn’t. Usually I make a laundry list of things that I want to improve or get started. Ultimately, I start to feel overwhelmed about the list and by the summer, it is a distant memory. This year, I realized that I just couldn’t take on any more. I am in the process of accepting that I am working to the best of my abilities. Hence, no new year’s resolutions (with one exception… that I wear my mouth guard on a regular basis due to grinding my teeth).
Last night, I finished Rupi Kaur's most recent book of poetry and thought this might give you some comfort and reflection:
“the year is done. I spread the past three hundred
sixty-five days before me on the living room carpet.
here is the month i decided to shed everything not
deeply committed to my dreams. the day I refused to be
a victim to the self-pity. here is the week I slept in the
garden. the spring I wrung the self-doubt by its neck.
hung your kindness up. took down the calendar. the
week I danced so hard my heart learned to float above
water again. the summer i unscrewed all the mirrors
from their walls. no longer needed to see myself to feel
seen. combed the weight of my hair.
i fold the good days up and place them in my back
pocket for safekeeping. draw the match. cremate the
unnecessary. the light of the fire warms my toes.
i pour myself a glass of warm water to cleanse myself
for january. here I go. Stronger and wiser into the new.
”
To January. To 2018.