When I decided to take some time off from blogging at the end of November, it was never my intention to be away for this long. But as I type this, it’s already the second week in January. I hate to admit it, but during many of those weeks, I really struggled to get my blogging mojo back.
I would have to say that the biggest reason for this is because my tastes have shifted over the years. While I still enjoy baking cookies and muffins and chocolate anything, I’m noticing that as time goes on, I’ve gravitated more to a more healthier lifestyle.
Happy Christmas cookie season! Now, I realize that it’s still November, but I couldn’t wait to post this recipe. Matcha is not really a holiday season flavour, but I couldn’t resist trying a more grown-up approach for these pinwheel cookies. Many recipes like to dye the cookie dough red and green, but I like to keep things simple. Plus I had some matcha powder to use up and matcha-flavoured anything is always a win in my books.
Although I do the majority of the cooking in our kitchen, there are many days where Trevor and I will make separate meals. I’m not a big meat eater and Trevor can’t have dairy, so once in a while, I’ll make a pizza for myself and Trevor will grill himself a steak with all the fixings. It’s a win-win situation because we each still get to cook and enjoy our own favourite foods even if the other person won’t be eating it.
Trevor isn’t the biggest fan of sweet breakfasts, so I’m usually on my own if I make pancakes or waffles on the weekend. Luckily I don’t mind because the majority of the recipes I use will make enough for 2 or 3 people at the most. That way if Trevor doesn’t want any, there is just enough leftovers to make a nice weekday breakfast. I always feel a little bit more ahead on Monday when I can toss leftover pancakes or waffles in the toaster and slather with almond butter and homemade Grandma jam.
With all the pumpkin I’ve been eating this month, it’s a miracle my head hasn’t turned into one. I’m yet to make a pumpkin pie, but I’ve been making lots of pumpkin pie oatmeal for chilly morning breakfast (recipe here) and we finished off the pumpkin cake a couple weeks ago. As I type this, I have another little guy sitting on my desk that will likely be roasted and baked into something delicious. It may seem like I’m eating a lot of pumpkins now, but I know I’m really going to miss squash season once we’re knee deep in gingerbread and peppermint season.
These cookies are not made with pumpkin per say, but they have all the lovely spices that remind me of pumpkin pie and I couldn’t resist the chance to break into my food colouring and use my little pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter. My sister was visiting over the weekend and she kept commenting on how great the condo smelled every time we opened the oven door. I cheated and used a container of pumpkin pie spice, but you can use a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice if you don’t have any on hand.
Living in a large highrise building means that there are lots of people moving in and out on a regular basis. In the 14 months since we moved in, we’ve watched lots of moving trucks come and go. Having moved many, many times, I understand the stress of packing up your personal belongings and entrusting movers (or close friends) to take care of your things as you move your life from Point A to Point B.
Besides packing for a move, you have to make the conscious decision of what to keep verses what to throw out, give away or donate. Is it really worth it to move our 7-year old broken couch when we plan on purchasing a new one in the near future? Do we even have room for this extra bookshelf? These were definitely things I had to keep in mind when we moved downtown since we were swapping a larger living space for a shorter commute (still one of the best decisions we’ve made).
Canadian food blogger, baking and eating her way through life. Musical theatre fanatic. Personal finance nerd. Sometimes runner/yogi. Green smoothies are pretty amazing.
