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

Roast Potatoes + The Art of Feast Cooking

I thought I’d offer up some tips on cooking a big Christmas feast (or Thanksgiving, or Easter, or birthday, or any other holiday you celebrate). I’m not an expert, but I’ve pulled off a few 10+ or 20+ meals successfully—that is, without running out of food and without giving anyone food poisoning, or doing anything like charring the poor turkey to, er, death. After the jump and after the recipe, check out my suggestions and things to plan for, from the simple to making sure you don’t overdose on butter, and how to use up leftovers and extra ingredients.

This recipe for garlic roasted potatoes caught my eye because they aren’t your average roast potatoes! I struggle with plain roast potatoes sometimes, as usually I dream of smothering them with butter, sour cream, chives, and bacon bits. Aussies don’t do this very often, however, though roast potatoes are a common side dish to winter meals. These roast potatoes were pretty good (if I do say so myself), though next time I hope to have some fresh rosemary on hand to really develop the flavour.

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Edited: August 11th, 2010

The Best Stuffing Ever

Ahh… stuffing. Probably one of my favourite parts of a holiday meal. I’ll go back for seconds just of stuffing, even before dessert—honestly, it’s a wonder that I don’t make it all the time and stuff myself silly with it! (Pardon the pun.) With a bit of cranberry sauce and turkey and gravy… it’s the best bite of the whole meal. I’ll be honest; Christmas in July was just a big excuse for me to eat stuffing and pie. Can you blame me?!

While my family calls this ‘stuffing,’ I think it’s been years since anyone has actually bothered to put it in a bird. As such, this stuffing can actually be made vegetarian! Salty and savoury, soft and moist but also crisp and toasted, once you get the hang of this stuffing you’ll never go back. Plus, it can be made the night before you need it, just ready to pop in the oven.

Still to come on the Christmas train: “How to cook a holiday feast tricks & tips!”, maple syrup pie, and Sandies!

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Edited: July 29th, 2010

Kiwi Raspberry Pound Cake

This might be a weird thing to admit, especially for a food writer, but I’m usually not into cake. Good cake is one thing, but it seems to have become standard issue for cakes to be over-iced and topped with all manner of decorations which taste like plastic (something that looks like chocolate just shouldn’t taste like plastic—it breaks my heart every single time!). There are of course exceptions—my cousin’s home-decorated cakes are phenomenal works of art and her butter cream recipe is amazing—but I cringe far too often when I see cakes brought out at events. I could even be described as wary when it comes to baking cake. My family (and Luke’s, fortunately) has a few tried and true recipes which are delicious, and even if they are full fat, at least you don’t also have to eat half a pound of icing sugar that someone’s piled on top—I firmly believe that cake should be good enough to stand on its own merit.

Okay, my griping over… pound cake is just one of those rich and versatile recipes that you can use for every day additions to lunchboxes, or serve up to guests to go with afternoon tea, or even during various holidays. It can be a stand-alone plain cake, or you can get creative and add various fruits or other fillings for a variety of options. I used up some kiwis and some frozen raspberries that were in my fridge in this recipe, but you could also use any number of fresh, frozen, or dried fruits for a unique cake. I’ve written out some variations that you could try at the end of the recipe.

Pound cakes, you’ll be happy know, keep very well covered at room temperature. Or, you can wrap a portion of the cake in heavy foil and freeze for up to a month. They get their name from the ingredients used—traditionally, a pound each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Nothing wrong with any of those ingredients! On with the cake…

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Edited: July 17th, 2010