Shamrock Sugar Cookies

A couple days ago I was sorting through some loose recipe pages I had in my "Oh!, I want to try making this" pile. You know... the pile of recipes printed from Pinterest.com or Allrecipes.com that sit around for a little while (okay, months maybe) until you get a chance to try them out. Trust me, mine is quite the pile.

There was a new sugar cookie recipe in the stack. I already have a “family favourite” sugar cookie recipe and it's great. It uses sour cream, which gives the cookies a richer flavour. However, I didn't have sour cream and I did really want to try this new recipe. 

Perfect Sugar Cookies (adapted)

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract (I use clear vanilla extract)

2 TBSP milk

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the sugar and blend thoroughly. Add the egg and vanilla extract and blend. Add the milk and beat again.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture until combined. Once the dough holds together, wrap the dough in plastic wrap or in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to two days.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake each sheet of cookies for 8 - 10 minutes; until edges are just starting to turn golden. This will give you a cookie with a slightly chewy center. If you like a crisper cookie, then bake them a little longer.

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Frost and decorate cookies once completely cool.

So I'm making up the dough and I thought, "Hey, St. Patrick's Day is coming up!" So I grabbed my Wilton's Kelly Green food gel and added just a little dab to the dough. I use Wilton's gels because I like how little I need to use to get great colour. Check out that green!

   

Once the dough came together, I divided it into two discs and stuck them into Ziploc bags, then put the bags in the refrigerator for a day. I like to give the dough a chance to rest and for the flavours to get all mellow and happy together.

I had picked up a cute shamrock shape cookie cutter from Scoop n' Save in Langley. This place is amazing! It has everything you would ever want to bake and decorate. I also bought some green sanding sugar and some shamrock sprinkles. They offer them in bulk, and you just scoop out how much you need. Hence the name...Scoop n' Save.

Yesterday the weather was terrible. So much wind, so much rain. A good day to stay inside and bake. I was a little worried the power would go out before I'd had a chance to bake all the cookies, so I made quick work of getting the dough rolled out and the shapes cut and into the oven. Luckily, the power stayed on and all the shamrocks came out fine.

Today my mom and I spent some time decorating the cookies with royal icing using Wilton's Meringue Powder. I use this in my royal icing to get it to harden faster. I only add in about a teaspoon to the mix; just kinda sprinkle it in. So we had to be quick about getting them iced and dipped into the sanding sugar before the icing started to set.

We opted for a random pattern zig-zag over the cookies. These cookies are going to my Oma's homecare center, so we didn't want to ice the whole cookie but still wanted them to be whimsical. We left some with plain icing, some with just sanding sugar and some with both shamrock sprinkles and sanding sugar. Here they are all in a box ready to go.

And then I did some research. It turns out that while all shamrocks are clover, not all clover are shamrocks. And while even botanists do not always agree on what makes a shamrock, most Irishmen (and women) do. Irish legend claims that St. Patrick used the tri-lobed leaf to illustrate Christianity's holy trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Four leaf clovers are a genetic mutation of the three leaf clovers. Although four leaves are considered lucky, they are not considered to be shamrocks by those passionate about their Irish traditions and legends.

So ultimately, my "shamrocks" are not shamrocks and are simply four-leaved clovers. And while they may not be particularly Irish, they taste delicious.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Christmas Baking Begins

It's here ! It's here! it's the most wonderful time of the year !

The Christmas season is my favourite time of year for a number of reasons. The cold snap in the air. Mittens and hats and scarves. Spending time with the family. The excitement in a young child's eyes; and the certain sparkle in the eyes of the young at heart.

But by far, this is my favourite time of year for baking. Each year around mid November, I pull out all my baking books and magazines and start marking what I want to make. I also begin a list of ingredients I'll need. I try to keep my selection of recipes down to an even dozen. However, each year it is a struggle between the tried and true cookies that our family loves and the new recipes that I want to try. There is also a discussion and decision meeting with the family. So quite often that selection process ends up at about 16 different varieties.

You may think that 16 different kinds of holiday treats is a bit overboard, but in a family of bakers, this is actually quite easily accomplished. My parents are lucky to have a large kitchen. Having two mixers going at the same time is also a time saver. (I bring mine over to my parents' house and we set them up side-by-side).

Most of the recipes call for a chilled dough, so the batters are often made in advance and then wrapped and labeled for a later time. We find that if we make all the dough over one week, and then do the baking the following week, it doesn't seem like such an ordeal.

When it comes to rolling out the dough and cutting the shapes, we have three stations going; two on the long kitchen table and one on the counter. So really, there are three people working on three different cookies at one time. We just make sure we are all working on recipes that call for the same oven temperature.

The dining room table gets converted into the cooling and storage area. Once a particular batch of cookies has cooled overnight, they get packed into a large tins and labeled. Hard cookies will stay in the dining room, soft cookies will head to the freezer downstairs.

But more important than the actual baking are the memories we share as we are making the dough and cutting the shapes. There are some pretty amazing conversations that occur when there are three people all rolling, cutting and baking at the same time with Bing Crosby playing in the background.

Okay, so what do we need with 16 types of cookies, with between 50 to 60 cookies per recipe? Well, in truth, we give most of it away as gifts. My Oma (grandmother) lives in a wonderful home where a good majority of the residents are of Western European decent (predominantly Dutch, but also German, Danish, and Belgians). They all enjoy home baking, especially those traditional treats they remember from their homelands. So we pack up a couple large tins with an assortment of 4 or so dozen cookies in each for her to offer to her guests that come for coffee. Oma is also diabetic, so we know she won't be eating them herself; and she doesn't have time to bake. My Oma is, and has always been a social butterfly. Her personal appointment calendar rivals that of most teenagers.

Mom likes to give baskets of home made jams, jellies, salsa and a variety of baked goods to her close friends. This will take up another 15 to 20 dozen cookies. Then she also brings a large platter of them to the Christmas Concert for her students. There goes another 12 dozen. I take a few of tins packed with 3 or 4 dozen each to my work, so there is another 10 to 12 dozen. What are we at now ....52 dozen?? That's 624 cookies. Which, if you've been following my math, leaves 176 cookies or 14.67 dozen. These get divided into individual treat bags with a dozen per bag and tied with pretty ribbon to hand out as needed (the postman, the pharmacist who takes my mom's prescriptions over the phone, the delivery driver who comes every other week with her dialysis equipment supplies). Some will go home with my brother and his girlfriend, others home with my nephew.

So really we are left with about 6 dozen assorted cookies for actual drop-by guests and "personal consumption." And when we feel we can't stand to look at another cookie, we pack up the remainder and stick them in the freezer until summer. Lebkuchen and Speculaas in the middle of July? Why not.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting some baking and cookie photos. I hope you will be inspired by these and want to bake something tasty for someone you love.

Happy Baking!

A Year of Pretty - December 01, 2014

Inspiration for all the Christmas baking that is about to begin . . . .

Roll On . . .

Looking for an interesting gift for the baker or kitchen-savvy friend who seems to have every kitchen gizmo and gadget imaginable? I came across these gorgeous rolling pins offered by hobbyco, which would make a very unique gift regardless of the time of year. Not only are they beautiful and would look great hanging as a decorative item, but they are functional.

Naturally finished with no paint make them safe for everyday usage. With repeated use, the natural oils from both your hands and from baking (butter, shortening and lard in all those sugar cookie and pie pastry dough recipes) will only add to the polished beauty of the wood over time.

I also like the different handle styles that are available, such as the one shown above right, which make for easier gripping and less slippping.

The rolling pins each have several layers of salad bowl oil which makes for a durable finish. The care for these beauties pretty simple ~ wash by hand with a warm soapy wash cloth, rinse, dry with a towel. Never put in the dishwasher or let soak in water. To refresh the high shine, just rub with salad oil and buff with a soft cloth.

Each one is individually made, so no two will be exactly the same. Which means having a collection of them would be an eye-catching display and make you look like you know your way around the kitchen (even if you have trouble making toast in the mornings).

G is for Gingerbread . . .

When someone tells me they don’t like gingerbread, I have to stop myself from giving my head a shake and staring at them like they have two heads. Not like gingerbread . . .phish-posh! No such thing! And then I have to consider that they actually mean they don’t like gingerbread cookies . .those hard, often store – bought stale cut outs decorated with rock hard icing and candy for buttons. Which aren’t really gingerbread at all. And real gingerbread isn’t really a bread, but a spiced cake . . . so yeah, I understand the confusion.

True gingerbread is attributed to being invented by the Greeks around 2800 B.C. and was originally thought to be made from breadcrumbs, spices and honey mixed together and formed into individual cakes. Today, ground ginger is always used; along with other spices such as cinnamon and ground cloves. Citrus zest, either lemon or orange can be used and will alter the flavor accordingly.

There are two type of molasses generally used in making gingerbread: Fancy or Cooking. Fancy molasses comes from the first boiling of the sugar cane and is lighter not only in colour but also in flavor. Dark or “Blackstrap” molasses results from the second (or sometimes third) boiling and is more condensed, giving it a more robust and deeper flavor. Cooking molasses is a blend of Fancy and Blackstrap molasses. In addition, molasses are specified as either “sulphured” or “unsulphured”, depending on whether or not sulphur dioxide was used during the processing.

The gingerbread that I make for make family and friends is a soft, moist snacking style cake made with Fancy molasses. You could use Cooking molasses . . . just keep in mind that the flavor will be stronger and you may need to increase the amount of sugar and reduce the spices to accommodate for the more pronounced flavor. This recipe freezes well, so it is great for making ahead and then thawing as needed. You can bake the recipe in the standard 13x9 inch baking pan or be creative in your presentation. Try dividing the batter between individual mini loaf pans, muffin tins, or use a decorative bundt pan. Be sure to adjust your baking time accordingly.

In addition to being a nice treat to snack on, this cake is delicious served as a warm dessert, especially during the fall and winter months. Sometimes I make it with a toffee or caramel sauce, sometimes with an orange cream sauce. Often I will sauté some apple slices in a little butter and brown sugar and pour this over the top, allowing the sauce to seep into the cake. Which of course means vanilla ice cream? Or a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Or both.

Mmmmmmm

Soft Gingerbread Cake
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup fancy molasses
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
¾ cup water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 13x9 inch baking pan (or other pans as selected).

In a medium sized bowl, blend together dry ingredients and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in molasses. Beat in eggs on at a time and mixing well after each addition.

Blend flour mixture into creamed mixture, alternating with water. Gently pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake @ 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving warm, or cool completely if freezing.

Did someone say CUPCAKES ???

Prepare recipe as above, divide batter into cupcake pan(s) or into muffin tins lined with paper liners (you will get about 18 cupcakes). Once the cupcakes have cooled . . .

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, room temperature
2 tsp lemon peel, grated
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups icing sugar
1-2 tsp milk

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in grated lemon peel, cinnamon and vanilla and continue beating until combined. On a low speed, gradually beat in icing sugar, alternating with milk. Only add enough milk until mixture is a spreadable consistency.

Either spread or pipe frosting onto the top of each cupcake. Garnish or decorate with pieces of candied ginger or lemon peel, sparkling sugar, sprinkles (I like just plain white round sprinkles). Or, to be really cheeky, bake miniature gingerbread cookies and stick them in the frosting.

Quick tip: only frost as many cupcakes as you need. Frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator will dry out and who wants dried out cupcakes . . .?

Enjoy!

F is for Funnel Cakes . . . .

Okay, so in a previous post I wrote about choux pastry and éclairs. Another way to use choux pastry (and there are many, many uses for choux pastry . . .) is to make Funnel Cakes.

Funnel cake is typically a street food enjoyed at carnivals, state fairs and sporting events, predominantly in the United States. We just don’t have as many carnivals and such here in Canada . . besides, we are pretty loyal to the mini doughnuts.

The origin of funnel cakes is unclear, though they are commonly associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. Many countries have various adaptations of this treat including Austria (strauben), Finland (tippaleipä), India (jalebi), Iran (zulbia) and Slovenia (flancati). Isn’t it cool how different cultures can have such similar dishes? Smart minds I tell you . . . smart minds.

Funnel cake gets its name from using a (you guessed it) funnel. The batter is poured through the funnel into the hot cooking oil, overlapping in a circular pattern. The dough is then fried until golden brown, removed from the deep fryer and served warm. Usually topping suspects include confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, jam, Nutella, fresh fruit compote, or a big mess of chocolate sauce and whipping cream.

Funnel cakes can range in size, and usually are between 6” to 9” in diameter. It’s really up to you how big or small you want to make them. But be aware: a 9” funnel cake WITHOUT toppings contains about 675 calories. This means you would only be able to eat 3 of these 9” pieces of fried dough goodness before maxing out on your daily calorie intake.

Funnel Cakes (makes 10, about 6 inches each)
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup water
4 oz. butter
1 cup flour
5 eggs
2 tsp. granulated sugar
pinch of salt

In a large saucepan, boil milk, water, butter, sugar and salt together. Remove from heat. Add flour and mix in until all the flour is incorporated and the dough forms a ball.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl and allow to stand about 3 minutes to cool slightly. Add eggs one at a time and beating after each addition, making sure each egg is completely incorporated into the dough before adding the next one. Continue beating until smooth.

Fit a pastry bag with a #12 round or a similar sized star shaped tip (I like the start shape, as it makes the dough look pretty). If you don’t want to use a pastry bag and want to go with the traditional funnel method, you can still get the pretty shape by inserting the start tip into the bottom of the funnel. Just be sure the tip extends past the opening of the funnel, and that it won’t fall out the bottom and into your oil. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy pan. While the oil is heating, fill the pastry bag. Once the oil is hot, Pipe the dough into the oil, in overlapping rings and coils to form a sort of nest shape. Or, you can zig-zag back and forth in a free-form lattice shape. Really, just have fun with it . . .it’s gonna taste the same regardless of shape. You will most likely have to fry the dough in batches, so have a small plate handy to rest your pastry bag or funnel on between batches.

Allow the dough to cook until golden brown, flipping once. Remove cakes from frying oil and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. While still warm, dust with confectioner’s sugar or a mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar. Repeat until all the dough has been fried. Serve warm.

I like to break mine into pieces and dip into a little side dish of Nutella. Okay, maybe not so little of a side dish.

D is for Dulce de Leche . . . .

Dulce de leche is a thick, caramel-looking sauce or spread, which is made by slowly heating sweetened milk until it turns a golden brown and the sugar caramelizes. Dulce de leche translated means “sweet from milk”. First appearing in Argentina, it is popular in other Latin American countries, most notably Chile, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Columbia. In Brazil it is known by its Portuguese name doce de leite.

France also has a version called confiture de lait, which the French spread with butter on their morning baguettes . . . which are really the leftover dinner baguettes that have been toasted. Still, extremely yummy.

The most basic recipe calls for slowly simmering milk and sugar, stirring almost constantly, Just as the milk begins to boil, baking soda is added. Much of the water in the milk evaporates and the mix thickens; the end result is usually about a sixth of the volume of the milk used.

Although dulce de leche can be enjoyed simply on its own over toasted bread, it is also used to flavor foods such as candies, cakes, cookies and ice cream. For example, it works as a great middle between oatmeal cookies (a family favourite). A friend of mine enjoys making Banoffee Pie ( . . . and I enjoy eating it). You can also spread a thin layer on a cooled brownie cake and chilling it before spreading with a traditional chocolate frosting so that you end up with “chocolate-duce de leche-chocolate”. So sinful . . . so good.

Dulce de Leche
4 cups milk
1 vanilla bean
4 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda

In a large saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth. Return to pan.

Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds in the milk. Add the bean to the milk. Stir in the sugar and replace the pan on medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Just as the milk mixture begins to boil, stir in the baking soda. Reduce the heat to medium, stirring constantly until mixture thickens but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture. Continue to cook for 1 hour. Remove the vanilla bean after 1 hour and continue to cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1 cup, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When a wooden spoon drawn through the mixture leaves the bottom of the pan visible, and the mixture is light brown in color, remove the pan from the heat. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.

Place the pan in an ice bath and stir constantly until the dulce de leche has cooled. Pour into sterile jars, and store in the refrigerator.

True, the process takes awhile, but the results are well worth it. You could search for a recipe that used store bought condensed milk to speed up the process, but the end product is not as nice. A bonus is that dulce de leche can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month, though it never seems to make it that long in our house.

ah . .honey, honey

I remember growing up that honey was used in our house in many ways. It was used in baking and making honey granola as well as spread on hot toast with butter. A spoonful of honey found its way into my morning tea. When we had a sore throat, a teaspoon of honey was a soothing and welcome treat. Honey mixed with oatmeal and some warm water makes a great natural face scrub.

There are more than 300 known honey varieties, each with it’s own distinctive flavour. Many of these are produced in North America. Some have stronger, more pronounced flavours while others are milder and more delicate. When a person says that they don’t like the taste of honey, it could very well be that they have only tried one variety and not enjoyed that particular flavour. In general, honey that is light in color has a mild flavor and the ones with a darker color usually have strong flavor.

The main reason for the large number of honey varieties is the different types of nectar source. Bees visit many kinds of plants and flowers, getting different qualities of nectar from these flowers.

Here are some of the common honey varieties:

Clover Honey
Clover honey is probably described as the classic honey taste. Its sweet, mild flavor and aroma makes it the most popular honey in North America. There are different types of clovers though, namely the red clover, white clover and sweet clover. Depending on the type of clover visited by the bees, the color of clover honey can range from water white to amber.

Avocado honey
Many people think that avocado honey has a very strong flavor because of its dark amber color, but this variety of honey that comes from avocado blossoms in California actually has a mild and buttery taste. It is also rich in vitamins and minerals.

Orange blossom honey
Just like its name, the orange blossom honey has a fruity, light citrus taste and a mild aroma with a light golden or orange color. Its source is a combination of citrus trees that grow in California, Florida, Arizona and some parts of Texas, usually around March and early April when the trees begin to blossom.

Tupelo honey
This world-famous honey originates from Florida, one of the six honey-producing states in the US. Tupelo honey is obtained from the Tupelo tree that grows along the river and in swamps. The beekeepers float their hives on platforms above the water and the bees fly out to find the Tupelo flowers and then return to the hives. Another special characteristic that differentiates this honey from other honey varieties is that it will not crystallize due to its high fructose content.

Wildflower honey
The term wildflower in this honey variety actually refers to its multi floral sources. Because of this, the flavor may change or be different from a sample previously tasted. Wildflower honey is available both as free flowing and as creamed honey, with colors varying from light amber to dark amber. The taste is not as sweet as clover honey, but it is an excellent choice in cooking because of its distinct floral flavor.

Buckwheat honey
The popularity of buckwheat honey is probably due to its very dark color and its bold, robust flavor and aroma. Its color is usually a pronounced dark amber. The thick, buckwheat honey was traditionally used in French spice-bread or gingerbread since it helps to keep them moist. Those who are used to light, mild flavored honey may not appreciate the strong flavor. Compared to other honey varieties, buckwheat honey is extremely sensitive to heating. The production of buckwheat honey is largely influenced by the weather, and the best time for nectar production is in cool, moist conditions at flowering time.

Sage honey
The light colored and mild flavored sage honey comes in different varieties: black button, purple sage, white sage as well as other varietals. This flowing honey variety can have a light, almost water-white or a dark, golden colour and has a tender aroma and with a pleasant sweet, mild flavor; not unlike clover honey. Sage honey takes quite a long time to crystallize. It is known to be useful in treating cough and heart diseases.

Alfalfa honey
Alfalfa honey has a light color with a pleasant and slightly minty taste. This type of honey is extensively produced in the United States and Canada, and the alfalfa crop is usually grown in the same localities as sweet clover. The combination of sweet clover and alfalfa mixed together gives a fine product and usually results in a higher price in the market.

Sourwood honey
Just as the name implies, sourwood honey has a slightly sour taste. The color is usually clear or light yellow, but sourwood honey that is harvested in eastern North Carolina has a blue-purple color. This honey originates from the sourwood or sorrel tree that is found throughout southeastern United States, especially around the Mississippi River and south of Pennsylvania.

Regardless of which honey variety you choose honey is a great way to add flavour and sweetness to your baking, cooking and everyday enjoyment.

Honey Oatmeal Cookies:
1 cup honey
1 egg
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Beat together the shortening, honey, egg, water, and vanilla until creamy. Add combined remaining dry ingredients and mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Cookies will still be soft in the center. Remove baking sheets from oven and allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack. Once cookies have cooled completely, store in an airtight container.

get crackin' . . .

Aren't these eggs gorgeous? I adore the beautiful color arangement and contrast, almost too pretty to break open . . .almost.

There are so many things I want to make this weekend. Top of my list is cookies. Rich, dark chocolate cookies that hide chunks of ooey-gooey chocolate that melt in your mouth. I have a couple new recipes I've been looking at, so I think I'll try one or two of them out. Then I'll take them to work and test drive them on my co-workers to see which they prefer.

My nephew is a big fan of cupcakes. I've been toying with the idea of taking our family's Chocolate Buttermilk Sheetcake recipe which makes a lusciously moist and fluffy cake, and using it to make cupcakes instead. The recipe uses dark Dutch process cocoa instead of baking chocolate and I usually bake it in a 13x9 inch baking dish. When it's done baking, I cover the top with mini marshmallows and place it under the broiler for a couple minutes just to a toasted gloden color, then remove the pan and drizzle with melted chocolate. Talk about sin city . . indeed!

Also in consideration for this weekend is a cheesecake. I have three packages of cream cheese in the fridge that are calling out . .."cheesecake . .we want to be a Cheeeeeesecaaaake !" And with all the fresh berries in season, this is a great time to make one.

So it looks like a happy weekend of baking is ahead.

Pudding 'n Lace . . Welcome !

I make a dessert for my family called Pudding ‘n Lace, which always earns rave reviews. I think it’s the smooth creamy texture of vanilla pudding paired with the crisp and spicy taste of lacey gingersnap tuille cookies . . . each is in itself lovely, but together they form a wonderful combination simply because their contrast in texture and flavours compliment each other. This is what you will find here: the blending of the things I enjoy in a way that complement each other. Many of them I will have created myself. Others are from fellow creators and artists that inspire me or whom I admire. Ideas for all things creative and sources to purchase them (both locally and internationally) for those not so creatively inspired but who still crave pretty things. Pudding ‘n Lace is the amalgamation, the fusion (or perhaps more aptly – the mish mash) of many of the things that I wish to share with you.

I am based in Vancouver, but have had the wonderful opportunity to travel through England, France, Spain, Portugal, Madeira, The Netherlands, Canada and the United States. Upcoming trips include Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton, New Zealand and Turks & Cacios. During my travels I have seen some wonderful things to inspire me which I have photographed. Some items I have been able to bring back with me. Vintage French silk covered buttons from Paris, intricate lace from Seville, smoked Gouda from . . .well . . .Gouda.

So grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine (naturellement, j'adore les deux), relax, unwind and enjoy.

Puddin’

. . . mmmm, french pastries in Paris