Devilishly Good Cinnamon Buns

I was a pretty lucky kid. My mom loves cooking and was always in the kitchen making lots of goodies—truffles, pies, fresh bread, jam, and oodles of oatmeal coconut cookies. Now that mum is on the other side of the planet though (the Canada – Australia issue), I have to recreate these homey feelings all by myself… and while it’s not quite the same, it is ever so satisfying to recreate a beloved childhood recipe and have it taste exactly the way you remember.

There are a few very specific recipes that remind me of my mother’s kitchen: blueberry pie, almond bread, granola, and these cinnamon buns. While definitely a treat, I remember quite a few pack lunches at school containing one of these cinnamon buns… and nothing quite satisfies like a fresh cinnamon bun, does it? As I said, I was a lucky kid to get treats like these so often!

These cinnamon buns do take a few steps to get them just right, but pulling apart a fresh batch will be so worth it, trust me. Enjoy!

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Edited: August 3rd, 2011

Simple Crepes

Crêpes! Whether wrapped with peaches and yoghurt for breakfast, baked with bacon and spinach and feta for lunch, stacked with roasted vegetables and cheese for dinner, smothered with raspberries and chocolate for dessert, or doused with cheddar and ham for an amazing post-bar snack, crepes are, in a word, amazing. How can you not love a food that’s so versatile and simple to make?

As you can tell, I’ve been getting “into” crepes recently. I’m sure I’m making them all wrong in comparison to what they would do in France—or heck, even at the beloved Cafe Crêpe in Vancouver—it looks like there’s a whole science behind making the perfect crepe. But they’re quick, simple, even classy, and I love that they fit into the dinner genre of “I have nothing good in my fridge except for some veggies and eggs,” previously populated only by omelettes and frittatas. I like omelettes and frittatas, but they don’t keep well the next day if there’s leftovers, and they can get a bit repetitive. Anyway, for your peace of mind, my fiancé and roommate, who have travelled France, find nothing wrong with my crêpes. So rest assured I’m not leading you terribly astray from the real thing.

Coming soon is a great recipe for a roasted vegetable crêpe cake! Which is So. Darn. Good. Maybe it’s all the cheese…

Also, sorry for the infrequent posts this last month. Our recent move has left us without internet. Hopefully this is getting fixed tomorrow and hopefully I’ll be able to keep updating regularly from now on. I have a few great recipes stored up, but have also been enjoying not compulsively taking photos of every bite that goes into my mouth too.

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Edited: March 24th, 2011

Blueberry Oat Muffins

I was reminiscing the other day about my mom’s blueberry bushes in the back yard. Fresh blueberries—either from the garden or from the wild—are truly one of the best fruits in the world. That said though, I was also fondly reminiscing about $1 pints of blueberries at our old fruit market in Vancouver. Long story short, while I ended up buying some frozen blueberries, they’re just nothing like what they could be.

These muffins almost made up for my missing fresh blueberries, however! With oats and wheat germ in them, they’re definitely a healthy breakfast option and easy on the budget. I also got to use my new silicone muffin cups for them, which worked magnificently instead of paper cups. The muffins just slid straight out of the silicone cups with barely a crumb left behind, which also meant very minimal washing up. They would definitely make a great gift for someone who loves baking!

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Edited: May 21st, 2010

Raspberry Yoghurt Muffins

This Christmas, Luke and I were lucky enough to be given an amazing cookbook called “delicious. quick smart cook,” published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The delicious magazine has been out for a good long time as well, and has a reputation as being one of Australia’s best food magazines. We were so lucky to get this cookbook that we got it twice, in fact! Expect a review of it soon.

This is one of the several recipes I’ve tried from delicious. so far, and it deserves a big thumbs-up. These muffins are delicious, moist, keep well, and are decidedly nutritious. Make them when pberries are in-season, or use up some of the frozen ones in your fridge. More below…

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Edited: January 18th, 2010