I feel like the closer we get to Christmas, the more people are prone to becoming a bit frazzled by the holiday grind. We all have to keep track of the parties, and whether or not we’ve already bought gifts for everyone on our list. Add to that there is some form of anxiety for people who are planning to cook their own Christmas feast or host their own parties. Even if you do it every year, it can still be daunting. Personally since I’m more party-goer than party-hoster, I like to take this opportunity to get creative in the kitchen and try out recipes that I feel are really…
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{Countdown to Christmas} A Holiday Wreath for hanging in your tummy
Is it just me or does my title sound just a tad morbid? Anyways, since we were on the subject of yeast breads coming from my previous post, I was contemplating on doing some sort of Christmas yeast bread that is not a panettone. It wasn’t until I caught this very interesting-looking wreath bread on the cover of a local food magazine that I decided I would. It’s a little bit like a panettone in that it makes use of dried fruits, some of which inevitably end up within the bread. However half of the dried fruits do end up speckled all over the top as in bright red decorations,…
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{Countdown to Christmas} Cranberry Bliss Bars for the sweet tooth
If you’re the type to frequent Starbucks not just for its coffee but also for its snacks, then you’re in luck with today’s post. I don’t go to Starbucks at all but I’ve been told they serve up something like this around the holiday season: a spiced bar dotted with white chocolate chips; filled with the aroma and tang of orange zest; topped with cream cheese icing and a sprinkling of the colours of Christmas, all thanks to the green of pistachios, the red of dried cranberries, and shaved white chocolate. Now how does that sound? In truth, it’s really the festive appearance of these bars that captured my attention.…
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{Countdown to Christmas} Minty Chocolate Bundt Cake
By appearance, it would seem that this bundt cake isn’t quite as Christmas-y as most holiday treats. There are no red or green splashes of colour nor intricate Christmas designs and shapes, but simply a rich, dark chocolate cake with an equally rich and dark glaze. The thing that adds a decidedly Christmas twist to this cake is the touch of peppermint extract I applied to the glaze. Small as that may be, I do think this is a good kick-off post for the series of holiday recipes I am excited to share! I’ve been eyeing this recipe awhile mostly because of this photo. I just love how the glaze…
