christmas cookies!

In last year's Christmas package, my mom sent Christmas cookie cutters, red and green sprinkles, and the recipe for the cookies we made every Christmas while I was growing up (and sometimes Valentine's Day and Easter, too). Her hope was that Mabel and I could do the same. I was excited and loved the idea, but was too fresh out of the first trimester to commit. Next year, I thought.

This year, I didn't have pregnancy as an excuse, and while I thought of using the "I Have a Toddler and Baby and Am So Tired" excuse, I decided not to. Mabel will love it, I thought. She's always "baking" with her play dough. Mostly "happy birthdays" (cakes), but I figured cookies would be acceptable too.

So Friday night I took apple sauce out of the freezer to thaw (That's right, we had homemade apple sauce on hand; let me be smug for a second.) (Tony made it with Mabel months ago with the Instant Pot that I was so excited to get and it's the only time it's been used. Not so smug now, am I?) to serve as our egg substitute. (Mabel can eat baked goods with egg now, but I didn't want to risk her handling dough with raw egg. If she had a reaction, that would put a definite damper on the Christmas cheer.)

I have to be honest, I woke up Saturday morning feeling a bit of dread. I didn't want to bake cookies with my two-year-old. But I also did want to so as I nursed Clarke, I asked Tony if he could please check the apple sauce to see if it had thawed so we could make C-O-O-K-I-E-S. (We're at the stage of parenting where we need to spell things we don't want Mabel to know). Well... Mabel came running over with a big smile, "Mabel apple sauce make cookies!!!"

I looked at Tony, "You told her!" He swore he didn't. "You must have mentioned it!" He swore he didn't. "She didn't ask to eat the apple sauce and you told her she couldn't because we were going to make cookies with it?" He shook his head emphatically and swore he didn't. And that is how we found out that Mabel knows how to spell "cookies."

I put Clarke down for his nap, chose a Christmas playlist, and got out the butter and the sugar. After a brief argument with Tony about whether to double the recipe or not and if we really needed that much sugar and butter, and telling Mabel, It's butter, NOT cheese, and no you can't have a bite!, we got to work.

And...

It was fun!

I'm proud of myself for how much fun we had and that I didn't stress about the mess or about Mabel playing with the dough or dumping a bunch of sprinkles everywhere. She made her own cookies, sans cookie cutters, and I let her bake them and that is how we ended up with a burnt cookie that looked like a snail (I should have taken a picture) and a blob of brown dough (red and green sprinkles don't mix well).

Mabel was proud of herself too and we delivered cookies to her friend Lucia and Auntie Jo. She proudly carried a container of cookies to school on Monday to share with all her classmates. She insisted that I sit and eat a cookie with her after school, her friend Quinn happily ate one and stole another, and she's already asking to make cookies again.

I don't like sugar cookies very much, but I'm excited to make them now! Mom/Grandma, I think we're going to need some Easter cookie cutters.

our favourite slow cooker recipes.

I bought a slow cooker the first year I lived in China and used it... once. 

Then Tony and I moved in together late summer 2013 and we started eating at home more often. Partly in an effort to be healthier, partly to save money, and partly because he discovered he likes to cook and even better, he's good at it.

I am not. 

But I can take some meat out to thaw, chop some vegetables, and throw it all in a pot. (Honestly, he usually does the chopping, too, but I mix the sauces!)

Now, once or twice a week on our lunch break, we make something in the slow cooker to be ready by the time we come home again that night. 

We've become more adventurous with the recipes we'll try, but we have a few that we make over and over. I've had some requests to share them, so here's a roundup of our favourites.

STRAWBERRY SOY CHICKEN

It's safe to say that this recipe is our most favourite and the one we make most often. Summer recommends cooking it in the oven for better flavour, but suggests the slow cooker if you're short on time, so that's the only way we've ever made it. (We only have a toaster oven... and have never used it.) We always have enough for two meals for both of us.

What we do differently: 3 chicken breasts. Whole yellow onion. A few frozen strawberries (or fresh if they're in season.) (We've even made it with blueberries before!)

SUMMER'S CHILI

Can you tell we're a fan of Summer's recipes? Tony was unsure at first, but now he loves chili. This recipe is super easy. After work, I'll walk to a nearby bakery to get a fresh baguette to go with it... perfection. And there's always lots of leftovers. 

APPLESAUCE CHICKEN

This one sounds weird, but it's delicious, I promise! We serve it with rice and always have enough for two meals for both of us.

What we do differently: 3 chicken breasts.

PERFECT POT ROAST

The first time we made this, I cried. It's so good. 

What we do differently: We half the recipe because our slow cooker is small. We still have leftovers, though! Regular carrots cut small. (And the last time we made it, we used water instead of beef broth; still delicious!)

HARVEST STEW

Comforting and perfect for winter! I find it filling on its own, but Tony likes to have bread to go with it (and really, who doesn't like a good baguette?). 

What we do differently: We half it, maybe even reduce it more than that, because of the size of our slow cooker. Again, we still have leftovers! Ground beef instead of chicken. Regular potatoes instead of red.

P.S. You can find more slow cooker recipes on my Pinterest board!

P.P.S. Please, share your favourite slow cooker recipes with me! (Also, do you call it a slow cooker or crock pot? Is there any difference?)

(Image, without text, by Summer Harms)

today was the best day because food.

And also drinks. And also shopping.

But mostly food and drinks.

I started my morning with two mugs of Tim Hortons coffee brewed right in my kitchen with my new coffee maker. Why didn't I buy one sooner?! I made it a little strong, but whatever, it was Tim Hortons coffee in Beijing so, winning.

At lunch time, Tony and I threw the ingredients for Summer's Strawberry Soy Chicken into the slow cooker and I was so excited about it but also nervous because it was only my second time using the slow cooker and was there enough liquid? Is that too much onion? Are we going to burn our apartment building down?

I made Tony go home around 3 to check it and when he reported back, he said, "It smelled soooooooooo good." It did smell good. And it tasted even better. I couldn't stop talking about it while I was eating it.

And then there was the white wine I drank while eating. The wine that cost $8 CAD that I'm drinking right this minute from a coffee mug with ice cubes because I'm classy. But seriously, I don't even like white wine and I love this.

P.S. The shopping. I spent over $300 CAD at Gap but I saved almost $200 because of a special promotion and I bought 5 dresses, 5 t-shirts, and 2 tank tops. And considering I cried the last time I went shopping, this is cause for a big celebration tonight.

P.P.S. That second photo is Summer's because her food prep looks much prettier than mine. Now go try her recipe.

banana chocolate chip cookies.

A few weeks ago, I exclaimed to my then-roommates, "We should make banana chocolate chip cookies!" I had no idea such a thing existed but I thought they sounded delicious. A quick Google search revealed banana chocolate chip cookies DO exist so they were baked that weekend.

banana chocolate chip cookies
from marthastewart.com

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 T. white sugar
6 T. light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 overripe banana, slightly mashed
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter or line 2 baking sheets.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Mix in the banana and chocolate chips until just combined.

Drop by tablespoons onto the baking sheet, spacing dough an inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Remove to cooling racks.

This recipe makes approx. 16 cookies. Luckily for us, Nadine accidentally added too much baking soda and ended up making a double batch :)

P.S. The recipe for Nadine's amazing carrot cake. (I miss living with her.)

banana muffins.

I baked banana muffins this past weekend and that's kind of a big deal for me. A really big deal. Because I don't bake. And if I do bake, it's because I feel like I have to and it's using a mix. But I did not have to bake these muffins and they were not from a mix. I baked these banana muffins from scratch and because I wanted to. And they are delicious! 

banana muffins
from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large overripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat muffin pan with non-stick spray or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.

Bake in preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes.* Makes 12 muffins.

Note to self: Muffins do not rise as much as cupcakes do. You like muffin tops so fill those cups up!

*The recipe said 25 to 30 minutes but I checked mine (using a toothpick) at 20 minutes and they were perfect!

skor squares.

My friend, Kate, is the queen of simple, delicious desserts. She brought this treat to Sunday Supper and before she served it, she said, "You're gonna love these so much, you'll wanna blog about them!" She was right.

Kate's skor squares
bag of Skor bits (200g)
box of Ritz crackers (225g)
can of sweetened condensed milk (300ml)

Crush the Ritz crackers. Mix all 3 ingredients together. Put in greased square pan, in the oven at 350° for 15 minutes. Enjoy! (We ate ours cold with ice cream.)

(Like cookies and ice cream? Try a kate monster.)

kate monsters: a super simple dessert.

All of you probably already know about this super simple cookie + ice cream dessert. And you probably don't call it kate monsters. But I was in awe when my friend, Kate, introduced it at one of our Sunday Suppers and that is where it gained its new name. 

I think Kate finds it funny that I enjoy this improvised dessert so much. She's been enjoying it since her childhood, when her mom was "too cheap to buy a McFlurry." I don't think it's cheap; I think it's genius!

Crush your favourite cookies. (Tip: If you place them in a baggie, you'll avoid getting crumbs everywhere.)

Add a scoop (or two, or three) of vanilla ice cream. 

Mix it up and enjoy!

(Sorry for the poor photo quality; they were quickly snapped with my phone. I was in a hurry to dig in!)

Nadine's amazing carrot cake.

I mentioned on Monday that my roommate baked an amazing carrot cake for Sunday Supper. That was before I had a second piece, the day after she baked it. You guys, it tasted even better than it had the night before. What is better than amazing?

Oh my God, I want more of this in my mouth right now!

That's what is even better than amazing and it's what I was thinking the entire time I was devouring that second piece of cake.

Luckily, Nadine gave me the recipe and I didn't even have to wrestle her for it.*

Nadine's Amazing Carrot Cake
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 cup crushed pineapple
2 cups grated carrots

Beat eggs. Add oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat well. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add this in 3 lots to above mixture. Mix well. Add coconut and pineapple. Mix well. Lastly, add carrots and mix well. Turn into greased 9x13 inch pan or tube pan. Bake 1 hour at 350°F. Cool and spread with icing.

Cream Cheese Icing
1/4 cup margarine
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
4 oz pkg. cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream margarine and cream cheese. Blend in icing sugar and vanilla. Spread on cooled cake. Garnish with grated carrots if desired.

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*I did, however, promise her that I would tell you about the conversation we had while shopping for the ingredients:

Nadine: Picks up a bag of carrots.

Me: "You need carrots?"

Nadine: "Amanda, what kind of cake am I making?"

Me: "Well, I know you're making carrot cake. I guess I just didn't realize..."

Nadine: "Wait a second, if I had sent you to the store and told you to buy stuff to make a carrot cake, what would you have bought?"

Amanda: "Uh... Probably not carrots. I probably would have bought a mix."

Later that afternoon, I looked on with admiration as she grated the carrots she needed to bake her amazing carrot cake.

P.S. Another exchange between Nadine and I. This one involves New York. 

reindeer cookies.

On Friday, I mentioned that one of my lesson plans from last week included decorating cookies to look like reindeers. I got the idea while browsing Pinterest, but because we would be making them at school with 19 children aged 4 and 5, baking the pretzels and M&M's into the cookies wasn't an option. I figured the kids would enjoy decorating cookies and it would be much more simple; I was right!

Reindeer Cookies

sugar cookies

frosting (chocolate or you can use food colouring)

pretzels

M&M's 

gumdrops

Spread frosting on sugar cookie. Place pretzels to look like antlers, M&M's to look like eyes, and a gumdrop to look like a nose. Enjoy! 

So easy, right? The kids loved it! In fact, some of them told their parents about it and they ended up making them at home, too! One little boy has brought reindeer cookies in his lunch the last couple of days. 

P.S. In case you're wondering how this could possibly be part of an educational lesson plan: I read them a story about reindeer and then gave them directions for decorating their cookie. When they were finished, they had to write and illustrate lists that explained what was needed to make the reindeer cookie. 

I cooked a ham!

Dudes, I cooked a ham! A ham dinner, actually. For 12 people! This is a big deal because I don't cook. Well, I do, but it's things like stir-frys and pasta, not things I have to baste every 20 minutes! But baste I did!

It all started on Tuesday, when I was grocery shopping with my mom. Hams were on sale for 99 cents a pound! 99 cents a pound! I didn't buy one then because I thought Melissa might have had something else planned for Sunday Supper. She didn't, so we went back on Wednesday and guess what. The sale was over. The hams went from being an average of $9, to an average of $31. I was disappointed to say the least, but dug through the pile of hams frantically, hoping it was a mistake. It wasn't, but at the bottom, there was a ham with a sticker that said $9.05. We grabbed it and practically ran out of the store. (Don't worry, we paid for it first.) 

I was a bit nervous because Melissa was going to be away on Sunday and she's usually the one who cooks or helps me cook. She texted me her dad's recipe for a glaze and that was it. I was on my own. 

I dumped some water and pineapple juice into a baking dish, plopped the ham in, and mixed the glaze: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup pineapple juice. I used a brush to apply the glaze to the ham, covered it in aluminum foil, and put it in the oven. (The oven had been preheated to 300°F, as per the tag on the ham.) Then, I basted the ham every 20-30 minutes for the next 2 and a half hours. 

While cooking the ham, I washed and dried 4 loads of laundry. I know, so domestic. I kept thinking, 'I could be a mom!' I also watched an episode of The West Wing. Efficiency at its finest. 

Before everyone arrived, I boiled potatoes and carrots, too. Bam! Sunday Supper! Everyone said the ham was delicious and I was left feeling more proud of myself than I probably should have been. But, dudes! I cooked a ham! For the first time ever! On my own! 

Maybe I can cook the turkey for Christmas dinner!

mini pumpkin cheesecakes.

Every Sunday, my roommates and I invite our friends to join us for supper. Everyone contributes to the meal, taking turns preparing the main dish, sides, and desserts. There's always a lot of food and a lot of laughter. I'm loving this new tradition we call "Sunday Supper."

Justin was in charge of dessert this week. I was pretty excited when he told me he'd be making mini pumpkin cheesecakes because I've recently discovered that I'm a fan of pumpkin and real whipped cream. (I've always been a fan of cheesecake!)

The mini cheesecakes were delightful! They were the perfect size, easy to eat (no plate or fork necessary!), and mouthwateringly delicious! I knew I wanted to share the recipe with all of you because YOU NEED TO TRY THESE!

mini pumpkin cheesecakes

from allrecipes.com 

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 T. all-purpose flour

3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree 

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

24 mini graham cracker pie crusts (Justin used Tenderflake Tart Shells)

1 1/2 cups whipped cream

1 pinch ground cinnamon, or more to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 

2. Mix sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, and flour in a small bowl. 

3. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, pumpkin puree, sour cream, vanilla, almond, and sugar and spice mixture. 

4. Spoon mix evenly into pie crusts. Bake in preheated oven until cheesecakes are set (approx. 30 mins). Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Refrigerate for 90 minutes. 

5. Top with whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon right before serving. 

6. Enjoy! 

Note: Website says recipe makes 24; Justin's mix made 24 and he had enough left to make about 12 more. 

Let me know if you make this autumn treat! I know you'll love them!

nan's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are one of my favourite kinds of cookies. When I called Nan to tell her I'd definitely be coming home for Thanksgiving, I asked her if we could bake some. After all, it's autumn, and what is more autumn-y than pumpkin? Add chocolate chips and bam!, you have the perfect autumn treat!

Nan's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies: 

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
3/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
package of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sift flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat sugar, pumpkin, and oil together. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; mix together. Add the dry ingredients that you've sifted and stir until well-mixed. Finally, add the chocolate chips and stir until they're evenly dispersed. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Let them cool on the sheet for a minute or two and then transfer to cooling rack. Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.

Edited to add: They taste even better on the second day!

P.S. We baked these the day we had our Thanksgiving dinner. And the package of chocolate chips was left beside the slow cooker that our ham was in. Nan rescued them but it was a bit too late; some of them had melted together.

She tried breaking them up with her hands but when that didn't work, she got out the hammer (at my suggestion).

When the hammer didn't work, she got out a knife. We're nothing if not resourceful. We laughed and laughed. And then laughed some more.

Then, when the first sheet was in the oven, my Nan peeked at the cookies, burst out laughing again, and exclaimed, "You're your grandmother's granddaughter!"

Slightly confused, I asked, "Why?"

"Because you can't make a round cookie either!"

caramel apple dip

I made caramel apple dip for a potluck last Sunday and everyone seemed to love it. My roommates even begged me to make it again! Luckily for them (and me!), I had enough ingredients and we enjoyed the yummy treat while watching the finale of Big Brother. (Were you happy with who won?)

The recipe is super simple! If I can make it, anyone can. So, here it is:

package of cream cheese (240g)
2 Tbsp icing sugar (approx.)
package of caramel dip (I used this one)
package of Hershey Skor toffee bits (200g - I used less than half the bag)
apples

Mix icing sugar into cream cheese. (You can use more icing sugar if you'd like, depending on how sweet you want it to be). Spread the mixture evenly on a large plate or platter. Spread the caramel evenly on top. Sprinkle Skor bits on top of that. Core and cut up apples. Serve to delighted friends!

See, I told you it was simple!

Note: You should cut the apples right before you serve them so that they don't turn brown.