Chocolate Gingerbread

These Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies are a new recipe for me this year.  I wanted a change from the rest of the cookies I make at Christmastime, which tend to be fairly "vanilla" in their flavouring.  But, I knew that moving too far away from the family favourites would mean a lot of leftovers in the cookie jar and was hesitant to go too far afield.

I ultimately chose Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread because all of the Christmas spices make it different than the rest of my cookie repertoire and the CHOCOLATE CHUNKS should keep everyone happy!  They were easy to make and turned out beautifully.

I haven't had the chance to share these cookies with anyone else yet, but I think this recipie will be a keeper.

Candy Cane Shortbread

My most festive cookie of the season!

Candy Cane Shortbread became an instant classic way back when I first started experimenting with baking after moving out on my own.  The first year I remember making them was 1997.  Yikes!

I can't recall where I got the recipe I originally used, but I now follow this Icebox Shortbread recipe.  I replace the vanilla with peppermint extract and top each cookie, before baking, with about half a  teaspoon of crushed candy canes.    They are perfect.  Minty and buttery, crispy and crumbly.

Preparing for tea and cookies with a friend.
My new (to me) tea pot!

Just add tea.

Schmoo

I attended an Oscar party last Sunday (yay Colin!) and, of course, I brought dessert. It was supposed to be a tasting party, but I am not well equipped to make small bites of things. I do not have small pans or small dishes or small ideas. Only my cupcakes are miniature and, having just baked a batch of those, I was ready for something different.

First, I was going to make French Macarons, but I soon discovered that a food processor was required. My food processor died recently in a terrible fall. No Macarons for me.

Then, I was going to make Pavlova, but quickly decided that Pavlova is more appropriate for a sunny spring day, not a wet and dreary winter day.

Finally, I decided on Schmoo.

Mmmm, Schmoo. I love you.

Schmoo, trifle style.

I had my first bite of Schmoo when living in Manitoba over 10 years ago. Every time I went into the city, I'd HAVE to track down a restaurant or cafe serving my beloved Schmoo. At the time, I thought Schmoo was a newfangled dessert sweeping the nation as I toiled out in the wilds of northern Manitoba. However, it turns out that Schmoo existed in Manitoba long before 1999 and, in fact, it still seems to exist only in central Canada.

Once you try Schmoo, you will wonder why everyone, everywhere is not eating this dessert.

Layers of an pecan studded angelfood-like cake, sweetened whipped cream and butterscotch sauce might all seem a bit run of the mill but, in combination, I can assure you that they are anything but.

I followed a recipe from the Food Network, but was inspired by Mennonite Girls Can Cook to serve it trifle style. Much better for transportation. It was an absolute and complete hit.

If you have never made or tasted Schmoo, go make it right now. You won't regret it!

My Polish Feast

After spending Christmas with my parents, I retuned to home for my annual "week of nothing". I always intend to relax and rest during this week, but it usually ends up being a time for doing all those bits and pieces I usually don't have time to do . . . writing letters, painting doors, reorganizing closets and, this year, making a Polish feast.

My maternal grandfather was a Polish immigrant, but he died when my mom was young and she was raised by her very Scottish mother. I never really thought about this too much (in fact, I didn't even know I was part Polish until I was in my twenties), but I've become more interested in culture and food over the past few years. And, when one of my co-workers raved about her Hungarian Christmas Eve feast one day, I began to wonder what my family would have eaten, had Polish traditions been maintained. And so, I decided to give it a try and make myself a Polish dinner for New Year's Day.

I started with an unbelievably fuchsia coloured borsht. If anyone out there has vegetable adverse little girls, I think that this pink soup would be a hit!

Next, I made perogies. I was worried about the labour intensity of this task, but they were actually kind of fun to make.

First I made the dough.

Then I stuffed each pocket with a mixture of potato and cheese.

And then I ate them. Yum!

Lastly, I made makowiec, a sweet poppy seed cake. This recipe had quite a few steps, but it came together really nicely and I enjoyed the process.

To me, this dessert is more of a bread than a cake, but either way, it is delicious. I love poppy seeds and macowiec is certainly a way to get your fill!

I am not sure if I will make borscht again (I prefer my beets in their non-soup form), but I plan to keep homemade perogies and poppy seed cake in my repertoire. Food is so much more nourishing when it comes from a history and not from a box!

Christmas Cookies - Outrageous Chocolate

So far, I've made my "must have Christmas cookie" and I've made my "most fun to make Christmas cookie". And now, I have also made my "absolute all-time-favourite cookie" - the Outrageous Chocolate Cookie. This cookie contains more chocolate than any other ingredient and you can taste it! They are chewy, dense treats and are basically brownies masquerading as cookies.

I made one regular batch and added crushed candy canes to a second batch (which are pictured here, but you can hardly tell that they contain candy cane pieces). And, almost impossibly, the Outrageous Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies are even better than the original! Yum!

I Like Bread and Butter

Have you ever asked yourself silly food questions? You know, what would I eat for my last meal? What meal could I eat every day for the rest of my life if I had to pick just one?

Well, for me, it would be bread. I love bread in every shape and flavour. I especially love homemade bread and, in my effort to follow my food rules, I have been baking my own more regularly. I am not quite sure if this leads to healthier eating or not, but the process makes me value every slice.

For a long time, my favourite recipe has been Simple Whole Wheat Bread. It makes a lot of bread and is very tasty. Last weekend, I made a regular loaf, 12 buns and a small loaf of cinnamon raisin bread all with one recipe (pictured). However, I recently discovered a recipe I like even better: French Bread (Rolls). They stay lovely and soft for days after baking and are delicious, even with 50% whole wheat flour.

Of course, bread wouldn't be my winning meal without butter and homemade strawberry jam or butter and cheese (and maybe pickles). Mmmm.

What meal could you eat every day for the rest of your life?

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

I can't remember the last time I made cupcakes, it seems that I have been on some sort of unintentional cupcake hiatus. But, that has ended and cupcake season has arrived! One potluck down, one potluck and two halloween parties to go! I don't think I will make cupcakes for each gathering, but you never know.

In any case, I started off cupcake season with these delicious beauties, Brown Butter and Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing. The brown butter added a lovely fall toastyness and cream cheese icing is always a winner in my book. They were a hit!

Yep, Fall has Arrived

And baking season begins!

Brownies

I love brownies and Smitten Kitchen's Best Cocoa Brownies are winners! Not only are they delicious, but they are super simple to make. As Smitten Kitchen found, these brownies take 10 minutes longer to cook than suggested in the recipe.

Christmas Recovery Program

Oh dear, I seem to have gotten off track with my blogging. I've been cooking a lot and taking lots of pictures . . . but not making it as far as the final bloggy step. Life has been uncomfortably hectic lately for no apparent reason. I can't explain it, but I hope it stops.

In any case, the cooking part of life has been going well. I went home for Christmas and, while I NEED to be home for Christmas, it always takes a bit of recuperation after the fact. So, on New Year's weekend I had a major cleaning, cooking, baking fiesta of self care!

First, I made my last batch of Christmas cookies. It just had to be done:

Mmmm. Pecan Snowballs. Next, I baked some Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread. I just followed my standard whole wheat bread recipe, cut it into chunks after the first rise and tossed in about 1 cup of dill havarti. It turned out well, but I would add more cheese next time.

Finally, I made my absolute favourite soup: African Yam Peanut.

Self care complete!

And so it begins . . .

Me, daring?

I've just joined the Daring Bakers, an online baking adventure club of sorts.  As a blog is needed to chronicle my accomplishments (or disasters), I've set up "A Chocolate Life".  

I consider baking to be an act of love and I am hoping this blog will also allow me to ramble about other things that I love and make me happy -- my home (in Victoria), puppies, music, friends and who knows what else . . . 

One thing I love to eat, bake and talk about is cupcakes.  So, to begin, here are a few pictures of my past baking experiments:

Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes, December 2007

Strawberry Fields Forever, Spring 2008

Caramel Apple Cupcakes, October 2008