Merry Merry! Butterhorns with Vanilla Drizzle

This is a sponsored post. Dairy Farmers of Canada compensated me financially to write it,  however, all opinions are my own. I’ve been a big fan of all things dairy forever!

Some of my sweetest holiday memories are of Mom bringing out containers of delicious butterhorns from the freezer at Christmastime. Over the holidays, we'd enjoy them with our breakfast and a cup of good coffee, and I could barely wait until they had lost their chill before biting into one. In the evening, they went great with a glass of cold milk while we watched such holiday classics as Christmas Vacation. When I was a little kid, Santa and Rudolph were never far from my mind as I left some butterhorns and glasses of milk out for them - just in case they needed some Christmas Eve refreshments. A glass of ice cold Canadian Quality Milk is refreshing and delicious, especially when accompanying something sweet and made with love in the kitchen.

Best of Yule: Holiday Favourites

So two months is too long to not have popped in here to say hi.  Let's just say October and November were off the charts busy, but now I'm finding a quiet moment on a Mid-December afternoon to say hi.  I've got a little Baileys in my coffee (because it's December), and a gingerbread cookie (or two)  keeping the coffee company.  My old grey cat is curled up in a ball by my feet and when the furnace cuts out I can hear her purring.  It's cozy, to say the least.  The last few days have been particularly awesome around here.  I received my first royalty cheque in the mail (!!!) - and it was a pretty darn good feeling to tuck it away into my savings account.  Huge thanks to everyone who has purchased my cookbooks far this year.  I wish I could hug you all!  And!  I found out that All the Sweet Things won a Gourmand World Cookbook Award!  My cookbook won the national competition in the Best First Book category and will go on to represent Canada at the Gourmand Awards Ceremony in China May 2018.  Exciting stuff!  No, I won't be going to China to cheer it on - but my heart and spirit will definitely be there.  What a wonderful early Christmas present!

Merry! Merry! Matcha Shortbread and Cookbook News!

It's just a handful of days before Christmas, but my biggest and best present came a little early.  All the Sweet Things cookbook went to print today.  Hooray!  Guys, I'm so, so happy.  And proud.  And feeling all the feels.  This has been quite the journey, from the time I was approached by TouchWood almost 2 years ago, to finishing my proposal in June of 2015, to the offer of a contract in July, then the completion of the manuscript this past April.  With the expected publication date of late April 2017, that's almost two years of gestation for my book baby!

Real Life: Chocolate Chipotle Icebox Cookies

"For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, 

for health and food, for love and friends, 

for everything this goodness sends."  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

One week ago I was certain the Universe hated me.  It's true.  Just ask my sister about the text I sent her.  In the course of 72 hours 1) My house was almost broken into in broad daylight.  I'm fine.  My ever-aware neighbours across the street alerted the police before I even had to, which was wonderful.  Still, it was unnerving to say the least.  2) The next day I had an unexpected visit from an ex boyfriend that was just sad and awkward, awkward and sad.  3) The day after that I had a root canal to try and soothe some dental issues, only to find out that there is a wayward wisdom tooth, that if erupted, will require intensive oral surgery to remove. Oh!  And this surgery could leave my face permanently numb.  That's right.  Numb. It was all a little bit much.  I wanted to crawl under the duvet with a book and these cookies and not come out all week.

Reflector: Brown Sugar Shortbread with Toblerone Chunks

"After years in New York City, Georgia O'Keefe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, 'from the faraway nearby.'  It was a way to  measure physical and psychic geography together.  Emotion has its geography, affection is what is nearby, within the boundaries of the self.  You can be a thousand miles from the person next to you in bed or deeply invested in the survival of a stranger on the other side of the world." 
~ Rebecca Solnit, from "The Faraway Nearby"  

I'm sharing this quote for a couple of reasons.  1) I've always been a bit obsessed with Georgia O'Keefe.  In art school I tried to emulated her style, with little success.  She was bold and brave and loved the sky, as do I.  Plus she lived to be almost 100.  I swear one day I will make a pilgrimage to New Mexico, that's how much I love her.  And I love how she ended her letters.  I might just have to copy-cat that.  2)  This past week was bonkers busy, with work and deadlines and me feeling a tad under the weather didn't help matters.  But I still managed to put 40 or so Christmas cards and packages in the mail.  Some were sent to old friends and new; across the globe and to downtown Saskatoon.  With each address I scripted - especially the ones with destinations so far abroad - I wondered if I would ever see that person again.  Circumstances wrangle us in so many ways, and while we come together for brief or long periods of time, in the end our paths won't always run parallel.  But those who make a lasting impression will always carve themselves into my heart.  That's why at Christmas, I'll always sit down with a stack of cards and a good pen.  While the greeting may be brief, the intention runs deep.  The holidays are about hope and blessings and goodwill (and good eats!), but for me I become a bit of reflector.  What I wouldn't give to have every soul I've ever loved in my living room.  But at Christmas, in a way, they are.  The faraway nearby, indeed.  

All Curled Up: Chewy Molasses Cookies

Greetings and salutations from the land of butter, sugar and flour.  My little green kitchen is in the throes of a baking marathon, so the next few posts are going to be about cookies and sweet things.  Hope you don't mind.  Yeah, didn't think so.  Lest you think I'm living on cookie dough alone, I've also been throwing together hearty soups and stews, though by the time I sit down to dinner the winter light has faded earlier and earlier, thus no snaps of my turkey and cabbage pottage, which tastes much better than it sounds.  I scribbled down a few notes so it may make an appearance here in January, when none of us want to go near anything with a carb.  But (thankfully) we're not there yet, are we?  

Get Ready: Sticky & Boozy Chocolate Prune Cake

One month.  One month until Christmas.  Someone tell me how the heck that happened, and what exactly happened to the year 2013?  Maybe you've already sorted out your decorations and strung your lights or played a little Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack to get yourself in the mood.   Seeing as I have a wee kitten in the house who basically enjoys climbing on and destroying everything, I'm almost certain there will be no tree this year, unless I want to come home to one that's toppled over and my vintage ornaments in tiny pieces.  And that would make me sad, and I've already pledged that I will not cry this holiday season.  It never fails.  There is always some sort of meltdown-inducing incident and this year I'm not going to let it happen.  No puddle of melodrama for me, I swear on Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.   Sleep, exercise, chocolate and a little bit of booze will be my saving graces I'm sure, with hefty doses of good friends and Love Actually thrown in at the right moments (how is that movie 10 years old?!!).  Christmas isn't easy for everyone.  Whether you're working too much, or missing someone who should be by your side, or just consumed will all of the pressure and stress that somehow tags along on this holiday that should not be about any of that.  One month.  One month to get yourself ready, and my hope for you is no tears either.  Feel free to steal my route of self-medication.  Remember, there's not much that Colin Firth and caramel popcorn can't fix.

White Chocolate & Rosemary Cranberry Blondies

Allrighty then.  How's everyone doing?  Are you keeping it all together and finding a little merry along the way?  Me neither.  Oh, I jest.  Things are looking up around here, and in just 48 hours time I can release a huge sigh and begin a much needed vacation.  I have but a few plans, mostly involving pajamas and books and Mad Men Season 4 (I'm so behind!), and walks with the handsome man down some snowy path.  And chocolate; of course there will be chocolate.  Speaking of chocolate, let's just jump to the blondies, shall we?  I know you have a bazillion things to do, as do I, and I don't want to keep you from running to Costco, or wrapping up your mother-in-law's scarf or (ahem) making these lovely, lovely blondies.
 

Wish: Chocolate Shortbread with Cacao Nibs & Sea Salt

Every Christmas Eve, when it's quite late, with just the Christmas tree lights glowing in the corner of my small living room, I peel back the curtain and find a tiny star to wish upon.  It's super dorky to admit that to complete strangers, but maybe you do it too.  And it's a big wish.  Something I yearn for deeply, to come true in the next year or so.  Something that I need to happen to just make life a little better.  Given the wonderful things that I've been blessed with this year, I can tell you they come true, too.  This small moment, after all of the stresses of the season have passed, is what I think I look forward to most.  Now more than ever, in a world filled with so much pain and suffering, we need to have hope in our back pocket.  

Keep Calm: Chocolate & Maple Caramel Squares

 

Well guys, I'm in the thick of it.  While everyone looks forward to the yuletide season, I heed it with great amounts of hesitation and dread.  I think only if you have ever worked in the food industry, and maybe retail, will you get where I'm coming from.  I loved the Christmas season a lot more before I became a chef.  And that's the truth.  December kicks my ass to the North Pole, and frankly I would rather be there than here.  The hours are long and incredibly busy - catering parties; cooking hundreds of pounds of turkey; up to my armpits in stuffing; and don't even ask me how many pounds of potatoes need to be mashed.  Most days when I get home I'm too tired to do much but stare at the wall for a few minutes, gather the gumption to shower and re-heat something for dinner.  There are no parties or festive functions to attend; no going out for drinks with friends and right now there is a stack of Christmas cards awaiting my message and I don't know when I'll find the time to do it.  Today is my only day off and the week ahead is a real doozy, with at least 50 hours of work ahead of me, and a turkey dinner for 1200 people that will need cooking - by me.  I might be a total grumpasaurus right now, but trust me, come December 21 at 5:00 pm (the last day of work for 11 days!!!!!) there will be lots and lots of merry going around here.  Right now it's that date and that time that is keeping me going.  Well, that and this. Jimmy Fallon + Tracy Morgan = Best bad mood killer ever.  Plus a hot-toddy-a-day doesn't hurt, either.

Heirloom: Raspberry Jam Jams

For as long as I can remember, I've been eating Jam Jams at Christmas.  Every year mom puts these on her baking list, though as the years go on, the list gets shorter.   Jam Jams remain there, firmly in place, because not only are they a delicious cookie, they are a tie to the past.  This recipe is my mom's grandmother's and came with her from Russia, almost a century ago.  My mom grew up eating these cookies, too.

Chocolate & Orange Date Squares with Walnut Crumb

First off, let me just say that these are not your Grandma's date squares.  Yes, hers may be perfectly lovely, but traditional date squares have a bad rap for being just a little bit boring.  And these, my friends are far from boring.  Funny little thing about date squares:  out on the Canadian prairies, they are/were called matrimonial cake/squares.  And I totally know why.  Back in the day, date squares were packaged up, tied with ribbon in the couple's "colour" and given out as wedding favours.  I can still remember my Aunty's wedding in 1982.   My cousin and I were decked out in matching peach and white seersucker dresses (remember when we wore peach?) and my mom had also given me a Toni home perm and I thought I was coolest 9 year old around.  Cousin Sheryl and I sat at the guest book signing table (huge responsibility!), which also came equipped with a basket of date squares, wrapped up in their glory; a gesture of gratitude from the happy couple. Well, that and an open bar.  I don't know of any couples keeping up this tradition, but one taste of these bars and maybe matrimonial cake could make an appearance at a wedding near you soon.  If someone else remembers eating matrimonial cake, I'd love to hear about it!  If anyone else let their mom perm their hair, I'd love to hear about that, too.