Or not.

Ok, lets get real here. I love cooking and baking. I really do. But I also like shortcuts. And when it presents itself to me and doesn't cost too much more than doing it myself, well, I'm all in there.

Exhibit A:

As is the case with the gingerbread peep and tree in the above picture. I have a friend who is doing her baking apprenticeship at NAIT and she asked me whether I want to buy gingerbread cookies, since they are making them that week. (You can buy baked goods at the main campus at NAIT). I thought about all the rolling, the many pans I use, the baking racks set up all over my dining room table to cool the little cookies and of course, the inevitable few gingerbread peeps that get tossed into the garbage because I burned them.

It really wasn't a rocket science decision. I said yes. Just the mere hours I would save in cooking and cleaning is worth it. AND, hate to tell you, they were not expensive at all. The price tag was really reasonable for the 3 dozen I bought. I may never bake gingerbread cookies again, however, my friend won't be in the baker's program next year so I'll have no idea when they bake gingerbread cookies at NAIT. Time to look at neighboring bakeries for good deals on gingerbread!

Exhibit B:


Gingerbread houses. Last year, my hubby actually MADE the gingerbread schoolhouses. Yeah, I know, crazy loco!

I'm not that interested in all that work. I love the gingerbread house kits, that come with all the icing and candies. Also, my kids are only interested in the icing and candy too. It's well worth the price tag to buy the kits. And this year, it was even better. Safeway had pre-built houses. The kids didn't have to wait for us to assemble the house and wait for it to dry before decorating. (Kids are so impatient). All they had to do is put on the icing and candies that come included with the kit. They absolutely LOVED it. AND, so did I. All I did was color the icing to their favorite colors and snap some pictures.

It's officially started. I pulled out the Christmas decor!

I'm so excited. Christmas is one of my very most favorite-ist holidays ever. No other holiday quite compares to it, in my eyes. I had to work real hard to put off the decorating, the Christmas music and baking until this weekend. It's so difficult when commercials and stores start with the Christmas cheer after Halloween (why do they do that to us?) and really upping it right after Thanksgiving!

Hey, Lequan! I found myself a white tree! I am so giddy.

I may have gone a little overboard in decorating (yup, got TWO trees setup in my house) but, I am not apologizing for it. I absolutely love it and don't mind the effort in takes to put it all together.

I have to admit, I thought making pumpkin puree would be hard. Thoughts of laboriously peeling the tough pumpkin or squash skin kept coming to my mind but with this approach, there is no need. In all factuality, it was quite easy. It also reminded me of the days of making baby food for my children.

"Israeli" or "Jerusalem" couscous (as is says on the package I purchased) is something I stumbled upon this summer. I was shopping and saw the package and immediately bought it. I've only been aquainted with the small granular couscous that you can buy at most grocery stores but I've never seen a bigger form of it until recently. I quite enjoy the bite of them, similar to pasta, and since they are bigger in size, they also coat well with all the flavors and seasoning you put in to make your dish.

Summer is gone and so is all the copious amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables which in turn results in a bit of a downturn in the cooking department. I should say that I am speaking for myself, as not everyone feels as I do. Why is it that I can not be as enthusiastic cooking in the fall and winter months? Pumpkins or potatoes just do not hold the same excitement as juicy, plump berries just picked off the bushes or garden-fresh arugula and sweet, succulent peas-in-the-pod. But, I am trying to change my ways. I have decided that I need to be proactive. By changing my thinking on the matter, hopefully, my cooking habits will shift for the better.

This, my friends, is my attempt.


This chutney is pretty satisfying. The sweet, peppery tones work well with the acidity of this chunky, zippy chutney. Great over crackers and crostinis or try spooning onto a beautiful circle of brie. It would also be an appealing addition to a mouth-watering hamburger in place of the ketchup.

Calling all Fall and Winter Fruits and Vegetables: I'm ready for you! I'm energized! And, I'm ready to give it my all in the kitchen for you. I hope I do you justice!

...


Pumpkin Chutney

I made my first visit out to Wild Earth Bakery, "...a 'salt of the earth, grass-roots, almost organic, scratch-baking, feel-good' kind of place" as their website says. I had heard they had great baked goods and yummy raspberry white chocolate scones.

I used a character pan to make this Scooby-Doo cake. And I have to tell you, this is a lot of work!

Hey! Hello. Hi :)

While all of you have been gorging on leftover halloween candy, making dentists see dollar signs with every bite, I have, unfortunately, not been doing any noshing. Nope, not watching my weight or anything either, I've been "dying" from the flu.

I put dying in quotes because it may sound a touch over-dramatic. Ok, maybe a whiff more than a touch but really let's not split hairs, the point is this is how I felt during this tortured moment in time. I remember being huddled over the toilet, feverish, delirious, gasping for air and muttering something about needing euthanasia legalized because I am done and want it over. No, I'm not a drama queen, I was just really hurting.

Currently, I am typing and snacking on a survival breakfast of dry corn-pops cereal. Still can't stomach much. So, I can report that I am on the mend and am glad words aren't written in stone. ahem.

During the weekend, before the plague came-a-knocking, I celebrated my son's birthday. I surprised him with a monster truck cake. He was expecting a Scooby Doo cake (which he requested and I'll show next post) but I knew he would love this idea and it was super easy to make. He was pretty excited since he stumbled upon monster trucks on youtube a short while ago.

Chocolate Cake
makes 1- 9x13 inch cake pan
1/2 cup hot water
4 - 1 oz squares semisweet chocolate
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2-1/4 cup white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
Combine the hot water and chocolate squares in a bowl. Mix and microwave, if needed to melt. Set aside too cool.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Scraping the sides, add eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Add the chocolate from above and mix until combined.
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix on low until blended.

Poured the batter into a prepared 9 x 13 cake pan, lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until toothpicks come out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes and completely on wire rack.

Recipe from: German Chocolate Cake, Kitchenaid Best-Loved Recipes

The ever popular Groupon featured Bon Ton Bakery (you must visit their website - it's phenomenal) a short while ago and my friend bought the deal. And then, she surprised me one morning with it. (I have wonderful friends!). She said when she saw it, she immediately thought of me. Me, having the food blog, always talking about food, photographing food, entertaining... I wonder what tipped her off :)