Baking Frenzy

I was on a baking frenzy last week - we don't have kids (yet), so baking is something I keep to a minimum or else Kevin insists I am trying to make him fat... he says he can't not eat baked goods because they are so tasty so if I don't make them then he doesn't have a dilemma... Last week I had 2 really good excuses to bake!

1. We had a work potluck so I got to bake a billion cupcakes:

The yellow ones are  Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake mix with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

The pink ones are Duncan Hines Confetti Cake Mix with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, I used the same recipe as the Lemon Frosting, but omitted the lemony things and added vanilla instead.

They were a hit at work!

2. Kevin's parents came over for "Tea and Cake" - being of English background I am VERY familiar with both tea and cake... I made Kevin's favorite, Banana nut muffins:

I have the recipe hand written on a piece of paper, and I have used it since I moved from home, so don't ask me where it came from originally... Here it is:

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Banana Nut Muffins

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

2 large crushed old bananas

1/2 cup buttermilk or heavy whip cream

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup quick oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (if desired)

1 cup chocolate chips (if desired)

Instructions: Mix first 6 ingredients then add in remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60mins if in cake form or  20-30mins for 12 muffins.

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I also made a Lemon Cake

mmmmm... who doesn't love a nice cup of tea with a side of Lemon cake? This cake is a little dryer than expected, but it goes great with tea or coffee.

Happy Baking!

-Courtney Soleil

Samosas and Muffins!

I  had an excellent thifting day recently and in one of the $1.99 bags of random items was this brand new dough press:

So adorable, it even came with some recipe ideas

Just place a rolled piece of dough on each side, stuff with filling and smush closed.

You can make all kinds of things with this thing! Pizza pockets, pie pockets, and of course....

SAMOSAS!

Most samosas are deep fried, I was trying to be a little healthier and I baked mine, still turned out crispy and wonderful!

 I made some veggie and some beef, I used the recipe for veggie filling found HERE, and modified it a little for the beef one also. I always found store bought beef samosas never had as good a flavour as veggie, I think a lack of strong spices maybe? Even though I used the same things in the beef samosas, we still liked the veggie ones best.

I made a TON of samosas for a family gathering, they were a hit!

We also brought along some muffins:

This is my knock-off version of a Timmies Fruit Explosion Muffin

I try to make different types of muffins every week for Kevin to have for breakfast or snack at work, I make mine with oatmeal so they are healthier and more filling.

I cheated with these muffins, I used the Quaker Oatmeal Muffin Mix

 then threw in a bag of "Antioxidant Rich" berries 

(cherries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and acai berries)

then topped the muffins with a slice of BC Gala Apples.

 I filled the centers with Strawberry Jam made by Kevin's Grandma. MMMmmmmm....

I made some simple Lemon-Poppyseed and Carrot-Pineapple muffins for an alternative for those who don't like berries (not sure who those people are, but they must not be related to me...). 

So tasty, and as easy as... well... muffins!

Happy Cooking and Baking!

-Courtney Soleil

Suprise Cookies...

Ok, I'm on a baking roll tonight (maybe I am hungry or sugar deprived?), I just found a perfect recipe on, again, the I Still Love You blog, for Spritz Cookies, and I think adding this type of cookie with some melted chocolate and butter cream icing will turn out nicely.... don't worry you will see in the next couple weeks what I mean. I may try this Canadian Living recipe for the icing.... unless someone has an amazing Vanilla icing I should try instead - comment away!
Lets just say as a hint that what I plan to make may be slightly similar to these Home Made Oreo Cookies... Just sayin'...

Happy Baking!
-Courtney Soleil

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I found a post at I Still Love You for these delicious looking cupcakes and thought I should share it here. I will for sure give these yummies a whirl and let you know how it went! (pictures will be provided of course!)
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Strawberry Lemon Icing
from the kitchen of Melissa Esplin
makes enough to frost about 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4-6 fresh strawberries
1 cube or 1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
Puree strawberries & lemon juice in a blender. Allow strawberries to macerate for about 10 minutes; it helps with the flavor. With a hand mixer beat strawberry mixture, butter and sugar until consistency is smooth. You may want to add more sugar or more lemon juice to get your preferred consistency. Frosting is perfect for sugar cookies, cupcakes, cakes, etc.
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It seems to me I have seen other fellow bloggers attempt this recipe also, I have read nothing but stellar reviews - let's see if we can win Kevin over - he likes his baked goods, but not too far to the sweet side.

Happy Baking!
-Courtney Soleil