The Weekend (baking, buying, and biting)

From the country...

REALLY good Meyer lemon marmalade

So this past weekend was a pretty good one and as per usual I tried to do too many things at once. Amy and Theo came for a visit while Simon and the band were away on a quick tour (did you hear about the JUNO nomination!!??). There was lots of toddler fun to be had, running around the kitchen island, racing through the house, lots of potty talking (Millie is almost completely trained!!) and hugging. This was then followed by pushing, biting, screaming and someone ending up in tears.

We went on a walk, made some kick ass Meyer lemon and vanilla bean marmalade (first batch or preserves  for the year and soon to be followed by the Seville orange type) and did some baking (made these cookies- not bad at all!). We ate a pancake breakfast, drank warm(ish) tea, watched a mediocre movie and gabbed on and on like sisters tend to do. We had all these grandiose plans to do this and that but when it came down to it we just hung around, talking and laughing about the kid's shenanigans.  

Amy watched the brood while I went and purchased/picked up a new greenhouse (with the help of my Dad and a really handy tractor float). This was a bit of a nightmare and took the better part of the day considering we got stuck in the snow... I am SUPER excited about this purchase though, when it is all assembled it should be 150 feet of greenhouse heaven... I plan to grow cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and/or peppers in it. I cannot wait to get started...

I also purchased a new (to me) tractor implement this weekend- something that we have wanted for a while now. A medium sized manure spreader!! -yes that is right-an implement that flings feces into the air! It is the perfect size for our operation and should make short work of all the composted chicken/turkey manure we have around here. I can't wait to take it on a test drive and spread old manure over this years garden.  She is a real beauty!

greenhouse hoops

manure spreader circa 1970's

It was a pretty full weekend followed by a shopping spree at the Value Village's 50% off sale yesterday.  I highly recommend these sales- bring your A game though and keep your elbows up- it draws a big crowd!

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

Lindsay is a self-professed homebody from Portland, Oregon. 

She lives with her husband and a very fluffy feline, and is obsessed with homemade bread, books, paper, and yarn. She likes to read, write and make things.

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Hello HKS readers! I’m Lindsay Jewell from A Wooden Nest, and I’m excited to be here today to share one of my favorite Christmas gift recipes.

As you know, we are right in the midst of the holiday season, and many of you have traditions you look forward to upholding every year around this time. My family is no different, and if you know me, it’s no surprise that most of our happiest traditions revolve around food.

For example, when I was a little girl, my mom would prepare homemade cookie plates en masse for our extended family. It may seem like a simple gesture, but everyone eagerly received their plate of goodies from under the Christmas tree. And while various cookies and candies came and went, there was one particular cookie recipe that the family requested every year: Mountain Bar Cookies.

When I was a kid, these Mountain Bar Cookies were such a mystery to me. There was something magical about watching my mom transform a single gloopy mass of chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal into delicious, solid confections. Now that I’m older, the science behind these cookies isn’t such a secret anymore, but the taste never ceases to amaze me.

Now that I’ve officially appointed myself as the one to carry on the Mountain Bar cookie tradition, I make them every Christmas for my friends and family. And although I’ve replaced some of my mom’s ingredients for more natural substitutes (butter instead of margarine, and natural peanut butter instead of the overly processed stuff), the cookies are more delicious now than ever, and always highly anticipated.

So if you are looking for something delicious to share with your friends and family this year, try this recipe for Mountain Bar Cookies. They take very little time to prepare, and use simple, whole ingredients. But beware, once you make these, you’ll be asked to provide them every Christmas from here on out. And that’s not so bad:

Mountain-Bar Cookies
Makes 3-4 dozen.

• 2 cups cane sugar
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lay out a long strip of wax paper on your counter-top or table.

Over low heat, place in a large saucepan the sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa powder. Once the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium-high and stir constantly until the mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat and mix in the peanut butter and vanilla. Once the peanut butter has melted, add the oats and fold into the mixture until well incorporated.

Begin dropping the warm mixture onto the sheet of wax paper in heaping teaspoons. Allow the cookies to cool and set on the wax paper for several hours. Once hardened (they will 

have a matte finish), remove from the wax paper and serve.

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You can read more from

 Lindsay over on her 

incredibly beautiful blog, A Wooden Nest.  

Lately.

From the City...

Thank you Good Housekeeping Cookbook.  Not only are you sweet and vintage but you offer some tasty baked goods to boot.  I added blueberries.

 I made this with leftover chicken from our roast chicken the night before.  It was heavenly. 

 Recipe HERE.

 T's first time at the Santa Claus Parade.  We didn't stick around to actually see the big man in red but what he doesn't know won't hurt him...(look at that cheesy ham smile)

 Theo and his cousin Finn.  They couldn't look any more different from one another but they are pretty much already the bestest of friends.

 Behind the scenes pics from The Strumbellas photo shoot.  

 One good lookin folk band, if I do say so myself.

Oatmeal cookies.  Recipe Here.  

Happy Monday Everyone!

-ab

Saying Thank You and Goodbye

From the City...

Goodbye's suck. I'm really no good at them. I try to avoid them as much as possible. But sadly, sometimes you gotta suck it up and do it. Last week was my six week discharge from my midwives and I'm not gonna lie, I've been dreading it since the day T was born.

I have loved being in the care of the kensington midwives here in Toronto. They were patient and caring. They listened to all of my fears, they educated Simon about the misconceptions regarding home births and they reassured us as new first time parents that we were doing a good job, which as I'm quickly learning, being a mom, carries with it more guilt than I could have ever imagined. As I struggled with breastfeeding for three weeks and called them choking back tears, they supported me and gave me the constant reassurance that I needed to persevere (happily we're breastfeeding pros around here these days).

So how do you say thank you and goodbye to some incredibly important women??? Cookies, that's how.

Here are two great cookie recipes that I made for all of the midwives and staff at Kensington Midwives. You should make them next time you're forced to say good-bye or thank you to some incredibly important people.

Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

(famous recipe that I had no part in creating but thought everyone should have)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg
• 1 (12 ounce) package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F.
2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool slightly, remove from sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Nothing like Milk and Cookies

From the Country and the City...

This recipe is so so so good and relatively easy to make, it's from Martha Stewart's Cookies book and has quickly become Laura's and my favorite sweet treat. The recipe calls for less butter and brown sugar which makes them thicker and fluffier than most chocolate chip cookies. We made them on Sunday night and they had all completely vanished by Monday morning, they really are that good.

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
14 tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour and baking soda in a bowl.

Put butter and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer (hand blender should do) fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla and eggs; mix until well combined. Add flour mixture, mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto baking shets lined with parchment paper, spacing two inches apart. Bake cookies until centers are set and edges are golden, 10 -12 minutes, totating sheets halfway through. let col on baking sheets for two minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Enjoy.