classic

Christmas Tree Hunting + Classic Vanilla Marshmallows

By in Candy, Christmas, GF Sweets No Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

christmas tree hunting

Last weekend we braved the snow and the cold and headed out west to find a Christmas tree with my family. I haven’t gone tree hunting in many, many years, so I was really looking forward to it. And, it did not disappoint. It was so much fun, despite the cold. And, after we all found our perfect tree, we made a fire, sharpened some twigs and roasted some homemade marshmallows to make s’mores. It was a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas season.

One day I want to get a tree like this. I think it would be adorably hilarious. It just looks so whimsical. :) But, since this was the first time we’d gotten a tree as a family we needed to find the classic “perfect” tree. So the boys went on a search and when they found it, Max helped his Daddy cut it down.

I didn’t get any pics of the s’mores fun because I was too busy roasting marshmallows and making sure my baby girl didn’t make a dash for the fire. But they were delicious and I love how the homemade marshmallows caramalize over the fire – so much better than store-bought I tell you!

When we got home, we turned on the christmas tunes, poured some eggnog and decorated the tree. Now all that’s left is to bake some gingerbread cookies to hang on the tree. It’s officially Christmas at my house!

I just had to share this marshmallow recipe with you. It is a crowd pleaser. I made both chocolate and vanilla marshmallows, and these vanilla marshmallows won, hands down. They are great for roasting, melting on top of hot chocolate (I like to cut up any scraps and turn them into mini marshmallows!), given as gifts, or used in your favourite Christmas recipe that calls for marshmallows.

They are also pretty much foolproof. My candy thermometer crapped out on me while I was making these marshmallows so I ended up cooking the sugar syrup far past the soft ball stage, and they still turned out fabulously soft and chewy. Although, there were strands of hard sugar stuck on the whisk, and the occasional sugary crunch in a marshmallow. Oops! But, that is to say, don’t be intimidated by making marshmallows, it’s easy peasy and not nearly so stressful as you might think. And if you don’t have a candy thermometer, not to worry, I’ve got instructions for that too.

I’d love to know, how are you kicking of this holiday season?

Classic Vanilla Marshmallows

  • 4 envelopes unflavoured gelatin
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups cold water, divided
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • icing (confectioners) sugar

Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish, line with parchment, and grease again; set aside.

Place sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, without stirring, until mixture registers 240ºF on a candy thermometer (the soft-ball stage*).

Meanwhile, put remaining 3/4 cup water into the bowl of an electric mixer; sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften 5 minutes.

Using whisk attachment, gradually beat hot syrup into gelatin mixture, on low-speed. Slowly raise the speed to high. Continue beating until mixture is very stiff (about 12 minutes). Beat in vanilla. Using a greased spatula, scrape mixture into prepared baking dish, smoothing the top. Let sit, uncovered, until firm (about 3 hours).

Spread some icing sugar onto a work surface. Unmold the marshmallow onto the sugar; remove parchment. Lightly brush a sharp knife with oil or more icing sugar. Cut marshmallow into 2-inch squares (or use a cookie cutter to make desired shapes). Roll each marshmallow in additional icing sugar, to coat, shaking off excess. Store marshmallows in an airtight container. Freeze for longer storage

*If you don’t have a candy thermometer you can test the sugar syrup for the soft-ball stage. To do this, drop a small amount of syrup into a bowl of cold water, it should form into a ball, when you remove the ball from the water it should flatten out naturally in your hand. This is when you know it’s done and should remove the sugar syrup from the heat.

Makes approximately: 24

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

(Classic) Apple Pie

By in Fall, Fruit, GF Sweets, Pastries, Sweets, Thanksgiving 3 Comments Tags: , , ,

When I hear the word pie the first flavour that comes to mind is apple. It”s just a classic. And, also happens to be James” favourite. This is actually the recipe I used the first time I made apple pie by myself, many moons ago when we were newlyweds. But somewhere along the way, I forgot about the plain ol” apple pie. I got so excited about trying new recipes and different techniques that I forgot all about the original.

Finally I got my butt in gear and decided it was time for something classic and comfortable. So I whipped up this pie a couple of days before James left on a business trip, to make extra sure he would miss me while he was away. ;) It turned out just as wonderful as I remembered it. The filling is perfectly sweetened and lightly spiced, and the crust is buttery and flaky. There”s really no need to look any further for a classic apple pie recipe. Of course I”ll always try my hand at different variations and styles, but when I want a classic, you can bet this is the recipe I”ll be making.

Apple Pie

To make this gluten-free make a double recipe of this gluten-free pie crust instead of the recipe below.

Crust

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup cold butter, cut up

  • 5-7 tablespoons ice-cold water

Filling

Which apples are best in a pie? Check it out here.

  • 6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (a mix of apples is extra yummy)

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the crust: In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender, 2 knives, or using fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (and butter is approximately the size of peas). Slowly add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing flour mixture lightly with fork  after each addition. Continue this process until the dough is evenly moistened and clings together when pressed into a ball. Divide the dough in half and flatten each into a 1/2 inch thick round. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes, while you prepare filling.

For the filling: Place apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl; toss until evenly coated. Set aside.

To assemble: Remove 1 dough round from the fridge. Place on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, lightly flour the top of the dough as well. Roll out dough with a rolling pin, lifting the dough from the parchment and giving it a slight turn after each roll, until you have an even circle that extends approximately 2 inches past an overturned 9-inch pie plate.

Transfer dough to pie plate and press evenly onto bottom and up the side of the pie plate. Trim off excess dough with a sharp knife. Pour in apples and any accumulated juices, spread evenly.

Roll out remaining dough, as directed. Place the dough over the filling and trim it 1/2 inch past the edge of the pie plate. Fold the dough under the bottom crust, pinching together to seal. Flute the edges. Cut slits near centre of the pie, to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400°F for 45-50 minutes, or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature (but not hot, or filling will be runny).

*For a golden brown top with a sparkly finish, brush the crust with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, just before baking.

Makes: 8 servings

Adapted from Kraft.

Blueberry Pie

By in Fruit, Pastries, Sweets 7 Comments Tags: , ,

Thanks so much to all of you who offered your condolences over the loss of my grandma through comments, emails and messages. I”m truly thankful for your words of comfort and encouragement.

I wanted to share something special today in honour of my grandma. One of her favourite hobbies was baking pies of all kinds, so I decided to make and share one of her favourites - Blueberry Pie. It happens to be the perfect time of year to enjoy blueberry pie since blueberries are at their prime in both price and flavour.

This pie is classic. A crisp, flaky crust housing a sunshine-y filling of blueberries with a hint of lemon. Make this for someone you love and savour the memories while you enjoy it together. xo

Blueberry Pie

  • pie dough for a two crust pie*

  • 4 cups blueberries

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • egg wash (1 egg white + 1 teaspoon water, whisked together)

  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar

Roll one half of the pie dough into a 12 inch circle to fit into a 9 inch pie plate. Transfer to the pie plate and refrigerate while making filling.

To make filling: mix together blueberries and lemon juice. In a separate bowl combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Toss together gently with blueberries. Pour immediately into pie shell. refrigerate while rolling out top crust.

Roll remaining pie dough to fit the top of the pie. Place on top, fold edges under bottom crust and crimp the edges to seal. Using a paring knife or scissors, slice cuts in the top for steam to escape while baking. Refrigerate 10 minutes, or until pie dough has firmed up.

Brush prepared pie with a bit of egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes, lower heat to 375ºF and bake an additional 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Let cool completely, to set (1-2 hours), before serving.

Serves: 8

* I used a new pie crust recipe but wasn”t completely happy with it. If you”re needing a recipe, this has been my go-to pie crust for years, except I make it with butter instead of shortening.

Adapted from Williams Sonoma.

(Classic) Vanilla Ice Cream

By in Cool, Sweets 5 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

vanilla ice cream

Everyone needs classic recipes in their lives. This vanilla ice cream is definitely a must and worthy of the classic title. As my 16 month old daughter looks at this picture she’s humming “mmmm…. mmmm” with a tiny smile on her face. She knows a good thing when she sees it. My mother in law deemed this one of the best ice creams she’s ever eaten. I agree, it is so much better than anything you will ever get in the freezer section.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, no fear. David Lebovitz (the king of ice cream) has a great tutorial on making it by hand. I’ve done it this way and, while it takes more work, it’s a fun project when you’re in the mood.

I got an ice cream maker for my birthday this year. It’s one of my all time favourite presents. I love ice cream but have always found the store-bought ice creams make me feel a little sick after. Not so with homemade ice cream. I know exactly what’s going in, so there’s no aching teeth or tummy aches.

With the hot weather approaching (or already here) vanilla ice cream is a great thing to have on hand in the freezer. It goes well with virtually every dessert and can cool off your day in an instant. We enjoyed sandwiching ours with ginger crinkle cookies. They were bliss.

Get this classic in your life. It’s more than worth it.

Vanilla Ice Cream

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put milk, sugar, salt, 1 cup cream and vanilla bean (with seeds) into a medium saucepan. Heat through just until steaming. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.

Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a medium-sized bowl. Set a fine mesh strainer over top. Set aside.

Fill a large bowl, or your sink, partway with ice water. This will be to cool down the custard quickly once it’s cooked.

To make the custard: Whisk together egg yolks. Slowly pour warm milk into the eggs, whisking constantly, until smooth. Pour mixture back into the saucepan. Set over medium heat, cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of the spatula (you should be able to draw a visible line with your finger). Remove from heat and pour through the sieve that you set over the cream. Put the bowl into the ice bath (making sure the ice water only goes partway up the sides of the bowl) and allow to cool, stirring often. Once cooled, stir in the vanilla extract and place the vanilla bean back into the mixture. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Once your ready to make the ice cream, remove the vanilla bean from the custard and freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions.

Makes approximately: 1 quart

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop.

Apple Crisp

By in Fruit, Pastries, Sweets 12 Comments Tags: , , ,

Apple Crisp

I came to a sad realization the other day. I”m a mom. Not that I AM a mom but that I act like a mom. I”ve even become a little bit boring (gasp!).

Not to my 3 year old son, mind you. He thinks I”m hilarious. And, I only need to walk into the room to get a big toothless grin from my girly. They”re my biggest fans.

But, put me in a room with a bunch of adults and I suddenly don”t know what to do with myself. All of the things that spring to my mind would be pretty embarrassing if done in public.

I don”t think anyone would appreciate me talking to them in a terrible texan/irish/made-up accent whenever the conversation goes dull. I don”t know what to say, should I just do a little bum wiggle now to relieve the tension?

I don”t know how to act in public anymore! Or have an adult conversation! I just stand there stiff as a board, appearing to be the most boring person in the world.

I don”t really mind that things are this way right now because I”ll have plenty of time to chat with proper adults when my kids leave the house and I”m looking for something to fill their void. And, the years will come when they”ll have more fun doing dorky things with their friends and just hoping that their mom won”t do dorky things in front of their friends.

I”ll re-learn how to have an adult conversation. I might even get my adult sense of humour back. But, for now I”ll revel in the dorky/wacky/giggly phase of my life that I have to try and hide from the rest of the world.

Because who doesn”t want to be themselves all the time? You know… the way we really want to act but hide so people will actually talk to us? I get to act that way pretty much all day, every day. And, that”s pretty awesome.

Apple crisp is one of those classic recipes that every mom needs to have in her repertoire. One that her kids will look back on with fond memories. Where just the smell of it conjures up images of times past. I think we all have foods in our lives that do that. And, I”m here to arm you with a recipe that has the potential to do just that.

This apple crisp is no frills, no fuss and absolutely delicious. The perfect combination for any classic homespun dish. It”s just waiting for the memories to accompany it. I think this is one dessert I could make every week and not get sick of.

Keep your eyes peeled because I”ll be sharing a recipe later this week that just happens to be perfect dolloped on top of this crisp.

Apple Crisp

If you”re family doesn”t like nuts you can omit them from the crisp topping.

  • 4-5 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (6 cups sliced)

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons flour

Crisp Topping

  • 1/2 cup flour

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • pinch salt

  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

  • 5 tablespoons butter, softened

In a large bowl toss together apples, brown sugar and flour. Place into a 9 inch round pan or an 8×8 inch square pan.

Mix together the first 6 topping ingredients. Mix in butter until evenly blended. Sprinkle over apples in pan.

Bake at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes, or until apples are cooked through, filling is bubbly and topping is golden.

Makes: 4-6 servings