Fall Feelings: Medjool Date, Chocolate and Orange Scones

 This is a sponsored post, but as always, all opinions are my own.

I don’t know how it happened but the great big leap from summer to fall has already happened. Mornings have a definite chill to them, and the leaves have begun the great progression from green to amber and orange. To be honest, I’m grateful for it. Summer definitely has its positive points, but I love the feeling of fall and all of the comfort food that comes with it. Like pots of tea and scones! 

Caramelized Apple and Maple Cream Cheese Danishes

This is a sponsored post. While I was compensated to write this post, all opinions are my own.

If I could choose any item to go with my morning coffee, it would be a flaky and buttery pastry. This choice likely stems from my time spent living in Montreal as a young art student, when lining up at the local boulangerie was a weekend ritual topped off with steaming cups of café au lait. It was a decadent treat for this budget-minded student, but one that obviously left a lasting impression. 

Shiny and New: Baked Apples with Brown Butter Streusel

 

This is a sponsored post. While I was compensated to write this post, all opinions are my own. 

Happy New Year, dear friends. I hope 2022 is off to a grand start for all of you. Six days in and so far I can’t complain yet! It’s been snowy and very cold here in Saskatoon, and I’ve largely been hunkering down with the cats and Dixon, catching up on episodes of Ted Lasso. Not a bad way to start the year! I’ve also been making us delicious things to eat, of course, and these baked apples were like a cozy hug - warm and soothing. The perfect winter food. 

Medjool Date and Chocolate Oat Bars

 

This is a sponsored post, but as always, all opinions are my own.

I don’t know how it has come to be the last week of August, but here we are. The mornings, at least here in Saskatoon, have a notable chill to them, and some of the leaves have started to turn yellow. It has been a very dry, very hot summer and I’m not sure if this change is due to summer ending or the parched landscape the trees find themselves in. Nevertheless, change is coming and I’m here for it. Over the next few months I’ll be celebrating the launch of my second book baby Vegetables: A Love Story, and I can’t wait to share all of the exciting details with you. Stay tuned! In the meantime, I’m here to share with you an absolutely delicious recipe for Medjool date and chocolate oat bars, which I just so happen to be nibbling on as I type this. I just can’t get enough! 

Apple Cinnamon Buns with Maple Bourbon Icing

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. 

When I was asked to create a recipe using Organic Washington apples, I immediately said yes. I have a soft spot for these apples, and this part of the world, after all. Way, way back when this blog was just a baby, I was invited to go visit some organic fruit orchards in the Wenatchee area, and I had the absolute best time. Washington state is known for being one of the premier apple-growing regions in the world, and the growing conditions make Washington the finest place to grow organic apples. The apple trees grow in nutrient-rich, volcanic soil, perfect for growing fruit. The dry climate and ideal temperatures reduce the number of diseases and pest issues that can wreak havoc on the fruit. Plus, plentiful water and advanced growing practices provide the right ingredients for growing top-quality fruit. I still remember seeing orchards hugging the Washington hillsides, as far as the eye can see. It’s a beautiful thing to witness, and one day I hope to visit the area again.  

Golden Year: Orange-Glazed Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread

Happy New Year, friends. I hope your 2021 is off to a smooth start. After the shit show of 2020 I think we're all holding our breath just a little, unsure of what this bright and shiny new year has in store for us. Fingers are crossed that it will be a golden year, but honestly, you never really know. Rather than leap ahead into Maybe Land, I'm trying to enjoy the present moments as much as possible. We got a new TV for Christmas - one that conjures up Netflix and Amazon with just the press of a button. I really love good tv, hence I've watched a lot of it this fall and winter. I even posted my favourites on my Christmas card this year, with Fleabag, Ozark and Fargo in the top three. After discovering that Golden Girls (the entire series!) is on Amazon, there is no way I'll be leaving my house unless absolutely necessary. Oh wait. There's a pandemic happening. This is what I'm supposed to be doing! I love Bea Arthur so much. When I was a kid, I would stay up late and watch reruns of Maude. Maude was strong and funny and didn't take any crap from anyone. A good role model for a 12 year old girl if I do say so myself. Same with Dorothy. Her dry wit and sharp tongue make me laugh, all these year later. Right now I think we need all of the GG we can get. 

Come for Tea: Ginger & Orange Drop Tea Biscuits

It's Victoria Day here in Canada, and with the long weekend comes the unofficial start to summer. Some of us are camping (or glamping!), or hitting the garden centres, or digging in the dirt, or kicking back and seeing that new Avengers movie. I slide to the more lazy side of the equation, which involved a getting up way past the time I usually get up, making lemon ricotta pancakes for my guy and I, sitting outside in the sun with my second cup of coffee, watching my cats eat grass and chase bugs. It's been a good day, so far. Like many of you, I'm hustling all the time. When a day presents itself with no immediate work to do, I almost don't know what to do. I think regular folks call these "days off", but for someone who has work hustles and side hustles and all the hustles, taking a little time to sit in the sun and watch robins dance in the bird bath is a glorious way to spend a few hours of the day.

Love! Links! Plus, Sour Cherry & Chocolate Scones!

"Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you."  ~ Jacques Prévert

Hello.  It's me.  Renée.  The blogger who has been missing in action for quite some time.  It's been forever since I last posted, and what can I say?  The summer has been keeping me occupied - with cookbook edits and work and the yard and visitors and small bits of travel here and there.  Oh, and I'm in love.  With a handsome, kind, sweet, funny man who lights up my life every single day.  This is the kind of love I've been looking for, and just when I had nearly given up hope on finding it, there he was, right under my nose.  I'm terribly happy.  The kind of happy that makes people tell you you're glowing.  The kind of happy where you can't stop smiling.  It's been nearly 3 months and I'm glowing and smiling all the time.  But, especially with him.  When we're together it's kittens and rainbows and lightning bolts and, well, magic.  It's love.  So, now that you know my story do you forgive me for my absence?  I thought so.