Currently [January 2014]

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beHello and happy new year! Alas, I realize my new year greeting is incredibly late – but better late than never? It makes my heart sad that I’ve not posted on The Fig Tree in about a month. And I fully intend to resolve this issue and start posting regularly again. I’m in the midst of developing some new recipes and then plan on photographing them. In the meantime, I thought I would do a “currently” post to let you know what I’ve been up to lately.

Reflecting On: My family vacation in Hawaii over Christmas and New Year’s. It was exactly what I needed and the best way to ring in the new year. The weather was perfectly warm and full of sun shine. Each morning, Jesse and I went for a nice long walk, grabbed a delicious breakfast centered around fresh fruit and then spent the afternoon at the beach reading and lounging. One morning Jesse had greek yogurt & fresh granola in half a papaya for breakfast. Yum! I had a bagel with macadamia nut pesto, fresh tomatoes and fresh avocado slices. Amazing! During our trip to Oahu, we also enjoyed some shopping, paddle boarding, snorkeling and some museums. My favourite part of the trip was being able to see my parents, sister and brother-in-law every day. It was so nice to spend time with them!

Reading: Oh boy, I’ve been reading non-stop as of late! The past few weeks I have read some really great books. I checked out Eleanor & Park, A House in the Sky, Looking for Alaska, The Husband’s Secret, The Rosie Project, Winter Garden, A Tale for the Time Being, and Attachments. I highly recommend A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout. It’s a fascinating story of a Canadian woman who was held hostage in Somalia for 15 months. It’s a quick read, but not an easy read. I’ve never been so moved by a story before and so amazed by one person’s courage and strength. For a lighter read, I highly recommend Eleanor & Park or The Rosie Project. I also loved Burial Rites. If you are on Good Reads – add me! What have you been reading lately? Any recommendations?

Inspired By: Joyous Health – a fantastic guide by Canadian nutritionist Joy McCarthy that teaches you how to eat and live well without dieting. I cannot say enough about this book. It’s so well written and informative. And cute and funny! I love her focus on eating whole, natural foods. Her book contains an excellent 10-day detox plan (for meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans), as well as 150 recipes. In addition to the nutritional information, she stresses the importance of joyful living (de-stressing, yoga, self-acceptance, cultivating healthy relationships etc).

Loving: Our new blender – a Breville Hemisphere! As much as I wanted a Vitamix, we just could not afford one right now. The Breville Hemisphere does a great job when it comes to smoothies. It even pulverizes frozen fruit quite well. I’m also loving the 100 Day Challenge! Jesse and I are both trying to learn a new language for the 100 Day Challenge. He is doing German and I’m doing Spanish. We are using an app called Duolingo – highly recommended!

Watching: Girls – I’m so glad it’s back on! Also, Sherlock is amazing! Why are the seasons so darn short though!? Now that we are done watching Breaking Bad, I’m in dire need of a new show! Any suggestions?

Listening To: Lord Huron, The Strumbellas, Basia Bulat, Volcano Choir

Craving: Mangoes – I was spoiled rotten with fresh fruit while in Hawaii and now I’m craving fresh pineapple, coconut, mango, bananas, papayas, passion fruit…..etc….

Wishing: For Spring! It’s been such a cold winter and I’m seriously starting to feel the cabin fever. I really miss being able to go for long walks outside. And I miss being able to sit outside and read. I just miss being outside in general. Sadly, spring does not come until at least April here. Soooo…either I move to Hawaii or I learn some patience.

Planning: I’m currently planning on some new posts for the blog. I have lots of ideas for posts, but have lacked the motivation to photograph food lately. Any other food bloggers feel that way? Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s so dark by 5PM every day. Or perhaps it’s because I’ve been making a lot of comfort food (most of which does not photograph well). Regardless, I’m planning on posting a lot more in the near future. Hopefully I still have readers! It’s been a while since I posted regularly. Thank you to all of my readers that have stuck around :)

Looking Forward To: Jesse and I have decided that our next trip will be Iceland! We are hoping to go sometime this summer. I have been dreaming of going to Iceland for quite some time, so I am thrilled that we’ll be making my dream come true in the near future. If we can both get the time from work, we may also go to Switzerland and Germany.

And that’s a little snap shot of my life right now. Thanks for reading! xo If you do a “currently” post, please send me the link in the comments section of The Fig Tree. I’d love to read about what you are in to right now. :)

Photo Source: Color Me Corder

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting

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Chocolate Cupcakes Peaches & Cream

To get everyone into the most Christmasy of spirits, I have asked my good friend Helena from Peaches & Cream to guest post on The Fig Tree. And in turn, I am guest posting on her and her sister’s awesome blog (seriously…go check their blog out ASAP). Thank you so much Helena for sharing such a fantastic seasonal recipe. I adore chocolate cupcakes! Mmmm! And you are definitely right when you say that chocolate and peppermint are quintessential Christmas flavours!

And thank you so much for giving me the honour of posting on your blog today. In honour of my grandpa who worked at Eatons (once a famous department store in Canada) for 35 years – I am sharing Eaton’s-Style Gingerbread Men over at Peaches & Cream.

Without further ado – here’s Helena!

Chocolate Cupcakes_ Peaches & Cream

Hello! My name is Helena-I am from a little blog called Peaches & Cream!  My twin & I love to focus on good food & sharing it with our friends & readers.  I find being in the kitchen is where I’m the most relaxed.  Photography has become my creative outlet.  I used to hate it, but now I love it!  This blog has become so meaningful to me over the past 2 years, and I’m so grateful of the people I have met as a result!

Courtney texted me in November and asked if we could get together for a Christmas-themed post.  It was a total no-brainer.  Of course I said yes!!!  I found that I already knew what to make.  Chocolate & peppermint are some of the quintessential Christmas flavors.   I know there are more, but these are my favorite to work with.  These cupcakes are one of THE best cupcakes I’ve made-I love how moist they are.  Plus, the frosting is quite light and airy and they complement the cupcakes well.  You can add some additional coloring to give it holiday flair; I divided the frosting into 2 parts and colored it accordingly.

I hope everyone is getting excited for the Christmas season!  Head over to my blog to see what Courtney made!!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting_Peaches&Cream

Print
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 2 ½ sticks butter (1 ½ cup)
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
  • Food gel, red or green

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
  2. In a cup or a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and hot water. Whisk until smooth.
  3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together for flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt until well combined.
  4. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter & sugar over medium heat. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium until cool, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each addition is mixed in well. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  5. Blend in the vanilla & cocoa mixture until smooth. Turn the mixer down to low, add the flour in three additions, alternating with the sour cream.
  6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate the pans halfway through.
  7. Remove from oven & allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, peppermint extract until smooth. Add food coloring if desired. Frost the cooled cupcakes.

Notes

Source: Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, as seen on Annie’s Eats

Chocolate Cinnamon Snowflakes

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20131129-DSC_5553
(Chocolate Cinnamon Snowflakes)

Tis the season…for holiday baking! This past weekend, I attended an 8 hour baking course at Red River College. It was a fantastic course designed around learning to bake some holiday classics. We made an assortment of delicious cookies and treats including florentines, Scottish shortbread, minced meat pies, zimtsterne, eilsen lebkuchen and hazelnut macaroons. I learned a lot during the class…including how sore my feet get whilst baking for 8 hours straight. *haha* I was in my glory though, as I got to bake in a real commercial pastry lab and learn a bunch of tips & tricks of the trade. What a wonderful experience! After my holiday baking course, Jesse and I hosted a Christmas potluck with some of very best friends. It was wonderful to see everyone, enjoy some delicious food and great conversation. During dinner, I felt so very thankful for such wonderful friends and for all of our traditions including our annual Christmas potluck.

Speaking of annual Christmas traditions – I started two this week! First, today is my first day of the David’s Tea tea advent calendar! Today is “white chocolate frost.” Yum! And second, I contributed a cookie recipe for Keepin’ It Kind’s annual cookie swap party! I love spice cookies and I love chocolate cookies – so I combined my two favs into a chocolate cinnamon cookie! These cookies are crisp on the outside, but gooey in the middle. And they are great for dipping into tea. They are very easy to throw together and freeze really well. In all honesty though, you’ll eat them too quickly to have any to freeze. Be sure to stop by Keepin’ It Kind to check out my Chocolate Cinnamon Snowflakes recipe and check out the other cookies in the annual cookie swap.