Baking is becoming a bonding ritual with my son lately. I know that I will never have a daughter and I have tried to interest my son in dolls, colouring, and other so-called girly things so that I can find something to do with him that I can relate to. My husband plays well with him; he wrestles, makes paper airplanes and builds things with him. Since I was making muffins again, I figured the best thing to do was include him. I didn’t make a grand lesson out of it; I just had him help. Some may be more intentional […]
Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream
Honey Sweetened Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream Summer is over now and for those unlucky Albertans out west, it left in a cruel hurry leaving behind a pile of snow. The photos on my Twitter and Instagram feed nearly made me weep. Well, actually, not really since I did have a bit of a smile but only because it wasn’t happening to me. I am definitely dreading this winter. I could care less about nearly all winter sports, both as a spectator and participant. I’m dreading the walk to school to pick up Timothy where I will be trudging through […]
Baked Peaches in Honey & Vanilla Syrup
Everyone needs an easy dessert in their back pocket. I’ve had a series of screw-ups in the kitchen lately and I’ve been looking for something to get my head back in the game. One of the dishes I made yesterday was a huge pot of tomato soup. I don’t have a recipe for that one because it was ad hoc affair due to the overwhelming amount of tomatoes I had on hand from my little garden. To share a recipe with you, I would like to have something that is easily replicated. This dessert on the other hand, is very […]
Rhubarb Lemon Grass Compote
I honestly don’t know if I’m going to do any canning this summer. This might just be crazy talk because I’m in an absolute shite mood right now but I can’t seem to get the motivation to get the canning pot out, dig of the tools all while thinking ahead to the move to the new house in August. I would like to make some jam but we hardly eat any bread in this house any more; my husband never does and just uses jam in yogurt these days. I still love to indulge in some nice, well-buttered toast with […]
Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Strawberry season is in full swing here in Ontario. I was finally able to get out strawberry picking on Canada Day this past Sunday at Barrie Hill Farms and picked about 20 pounds of berries in a hour. I admit, I had help. Simon picked a few and Timothy was there in a purely supervisory role and to keep my mom in line. I was too tired to make jam on Monday since we had just returned from an extra long weekend away in Niagara Falls and then to visit family in Barrie. The dogs enjoyed their holiday at Nana […]
Notes from my Freshman Canning Summer
Preserving is addictive. I started canning with a rhubarb jam that I had been thinking of and before I knew it I was ordering pound after pound of rhubarb from Bailey’s. When strawberry season hit, I knew I was in trouble. I made so much jam last summer that I sold a lot of it at a Christmas craft and jewelry get together that my mom held at the end of November. I remember being in the kitchen sweating over my stove berating myself about why I have bought so much fruit and then ordering more the next day. I […]
Carrot Cake with Honey and Cream Cheese Icing with a Gluten-Free Option
I have been planning on posting a carrot cake recipe for quite some time. I make carrot cakes twice a year, one cake for each of my dogs’ birthdays. Don’t run away from reading this recipe – this is a human cake and I give a small piece to my dogs as a treat. Every time I would pull out the Canadian Living recipe that I used to make I would cringe at the disgusting amount of sugar and oil that the recipe calls for. I just felt that it was all really unnecessary so I was determined to do […]