Baking Class

My baking classes have started at a local college and they are beyond fun. I decided to take the class on a Sunday afternoon so my work week is free and I have become a very busy bee.  When Sunday morning rolls around I regret my decision to take a weekend class but my feelings change once I am at school and in my chef outfit.
I was required to buy my own baking tools but any excuse to buy new toys works for me.  Two weeks ago we made an apple pie and my partner was away that week so I had to make two apples pies!
Week two we made bran muffins and scones... or what my dad calls "srones". I got creative with the recipe and made cranberry scones with a lemon glaze instead of boring currants. The last photo features my misshaped scones and a cup of David's Forever Nuts tea, which is actually the greatest tea EVER.

Here is a total nerd (but cute) photo of me in my chef outfit hehe.

Lemon Glaze Recipe
1 cup icing sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp lemon zest (depending on how lemony you would like it)

Ice Storm 2013

I am a bit late in posting these photos... but an ice storm hit Toronto a few weeks back and I was really in awe of its beauty. Luckily, my house did not lose power so I might have a more positive outlook on the storm than other people in my community.  I made myself some green tea, packed my camera and bundled up so I could venture out into the empty streets and take in the beauty of storm. Here are a few shots I took of my adventure... All photos taken with my iphone 5s.

enjoy,

tash xoxo

No Machine Cappuccino

I haven't had a day off in ages and it feels nice to finally be able to just sit back, relax and do nothing. I usually have my baking theory course Tuesday nights but the teacher is away on vacation. I really have not had a moment to enjoy the fall weather. The leaves are changing colours and falling, I love the crunchy noises on the ground they make when you walk on them. I am in denial land in terms of the summer being gone but I am trying to appreciate the beauty of the fall.

I recently came back from Las Vegas, over the last few years I have been bit by the travel bug. I normally stay within North America, people are always shocked to find out that I have never been to Europe. Flights from Canada overseas are at least $800 so if I want to go on a trip there, I am going to have to start saving. This has inspired me to put a bit of money away each week and within a year I'll have enough to go on a backpacking trip around Europe. I am also playing with the idea of using the money to move to Australia for a year. I am not 100% sure how the money will be used but I have a year to save and decide. The thought of moving abroad excites and scares me beyond all means. It's been a dream of mine for a very long time. I feel like I need to experience life outside of Ontario.

Now saving money means spending less money, so I need to be a bit thrifty with my spending. I am officially saying good bye to my daily (sometimes twice a day) Starbucks run. SIGH.
I recently just started liking soy lattes and cappuccinos, usually I drink my coffee black. These fancy drinks (even with my Starbucks gold card) costs me about $5 per drink. That's pretty expensive for someone trying to save, so I started brewing my own coffee at home. I don't have a cappuccino maker and was starting to grow tired of black coffee with almond milk.
These days if you can think something, you can probably make it at home yourself. This is true for no machine cappuccino ! A simple google search led me to many links on how to make your own cappuccino without the expensive machine. I pulled ideas from a few recipes and came up with my own No Machine Vanilla Almond Milk Cappuccino. This can be made with any kind of milk, I just happened to have unsweetened almond milk in my fridge, you can't get that at Starbucks!

Recipe
Coffee (instant, drip, espresso ... whatever you have in your cupboard should work)
Milk (I used unsweetened almond milk but again use whatever you like)
Flavour (optional, I had vanilla syrup)
Spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate etc)

1. Brew the coffee. I had drip coffee on hand so I made that and added 1 more tablespoon of coffee to make it stronger tasting, like espresso.

2. Take the milk and heat it on the stove until bubbling on the sides of the pan or heat it on high in the microwave for 50-60 seconds.

3. Put heated milk into a leak free container (I used Tupperware).

4. Add optional syrups and seal the container tightly.

5. Shake the container for about 1 minutes or until frothy.

6. Fill your favourite coffee mug half full or three quarters (depending on if you like lattes or cappuccinos) with the milk. Save a bit of the foam.

7. Pour in coffee.

8. Spoon the saved foam onto the top of the coffee and sprinkle with your spice of choice.

Simple, yummy, homemade and cheap ;)

xo

Artisan Bread

After having my little melt down a few weeks ago I went online and signed up for a baking theory course at a local college.  When I apply for baking school next year I'll be able to use these credits toward my certificate. The official title of the course is Baking and Pastry Arts Theory I and it teaches the science behind baking. I absolutely love it.  We're only about three weeks in and I have already learned so much.  The first unit is centred around fermentation and baking bread. I never even thought that bread making would be a part of the baking course but it makes perfect sense.  The course inspired me to make my own straight bread dough recipe. It wasn't hard to make and turned out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so basically perfect. I may have over kneaded the dough because the shape was a bit off so I'll still need to perfect it a bit before I post the official recipe. Here's a photo of my creation :) happy baking
xo
Edited *** I scored way too deep so it looks a little ghetto ... but the flavour is there !! ;)

I Will Not Stop

Hello all !
I am still here baking and blogging :)
Well maybe less blogging ... For my loyal vegan readers I have gone back to vegetarian but I still eat as vegan as possible. Lately, my baking has been non- vegan because of birthday requests... but honestly I don't care much at this point as long as I'm baking, I'm happy.
Which leads me to the next self discovery. I HATE my current career choice. It literally sucks the life out of me. So I have decided to follow my passion and apply for pastry chef school.
Coming to this conclusion has made me very happy and I'm excited to follow this new path. I am 100% fed up with my field. I just want to be creative and get paid for it, I'm artsy .. what have been thinking all this time ?
I will be changing my career for the third time but well that's me.. I'm not going to stop until I go to work happy.

xoxo

Happy Birthday to Meee

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I made cupcakes!
I turned 26 this year and birthdays for me are really not the same as when I was a kid.  It's kind of upsetting to have the magic of a birthday fade away because I have very fond memories of balloons, presents and even booze in the later years.
I just don't seem to care anymore though. I do enjoy aging because I find with each year that passes I discover a whole new set of frustrations and realizations. I think I'm coming closer to figuring it all out...

I do have a confession to make, I am going to shunned by the vegans, but I did break vegan over my birthday. BUT WAIT hear me out a bit. I've been feeling like absolute crap for the past few weeks. I feel sluggish and my digestion is off. I have learned a valuable lesson and I have no regrets. It's a life long learning process and I wish the vegans would just loosen up a bit. We all do what we can and I do believe every little bit counts. So I am dusting off my pants, picking myself back up again and starting over!
Luckily for my loyal vegan readers these yummy Chloe cupcakes ARE vegan and as decadent and delicious as a non-vegan cupcake.

Mint Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes

Chocolate cake topped with a creamy mint vanilla icing with chocolate cookie crunches.

Ease of recipe: 4/5 

Taste: 5/5

Friends/Family thoughts: 4/5

Likely hood to remake recipe: 5/5
I think I may enter these cupcakes in a baking competition, first place for sure.

Overall Cooking Experience: 4/5
The icing calls for vegetable shortening. I have never worked with it before and it is GREASY. It took forever to wash out of the bowls and sink after but it gave the icing a dense and creamier texture. 

Bonus Casey Points: 1/1
Casey licked the icing off my fingers... she didn't mind the grease ;)


Final: 23/25

I made half the icing with the mint extract and the other half without because I have some picky people in my life (you know who you are) but overall this was a very successful cupcake recipe. They're not too sweet and full of flavour. Another Chloe must make :)

xo tash

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

It's turning into a common theme for me to write "I've been a bad little blogger...." but it's oh so true AGAIN.  I have been busy over the past few weeks with various things. I haven't really been baking because I have been caught up in my rollar coaster emotions.  I have been taking some much needed time for myself by setting some personal goals.  I've been trying to work out consistently by jogging a few times a week, lifting weights and going to hot yoga. I've come to enjoy working out, I really like how I feel after a nice long run.
The other day I was wasting time on Facebook and I came across a post from the Toronto Vegetarian Association asking people to join their team for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I thought this was a great opportunity to support a local organization and also set a fitness goal. The marathon has a 5k, half marathon and full marathon category. In order to challenge myself I have chosen to run the half marathon. I have started training and so far I can run around 6k. A half marathon is around 21k so I still have a bit more training but I am well on my way. I am raising money for The Toronto Vegetarian Association and I would be honoured if my Podkat fans would support me.

Here is a link to my page where you can sponsor me.
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1958408

xox tash