Things I've Made

One of my favourite things to do is to bake goodies! I have a huge sweet tooth which I can never seem to satisfy. I've never been much of a cook (working on it) but I have always loved to make desserts.

I'd like to start sharing some of the things I make, whether it be a dessert or not. For me when it comes to cooking, the work has to be worth the pay off. I am not one for recipes with a million ingredients. I like my recipes simple. I buy cookbooks that promise a single digit number of ingredients "or less." I Google "easy" before the name of the recipe I want. Any recipe I write about will be easy to follow, with easy-to-find, low-cost ingredients. I am also not a photographer and take my food photos with my iPhone camera. This will not be some fancy-dancy cooking blog, there are plenty of those already (and thank god). I'd say this ain't your mother's cooking blog, but yeah, it probably will be. I'm into simple comfort food, not gourmet and exotic dishes. I aim to make things easy enough to be incorporated into a regular rotation.

Now that we have that out of the way, here's a sampling of some of things I've made recently!

Peanut butter rice krispie footballs, chocolate football cake, University of Michigan cookies

Bacon cheddar deviled eggs...they had been sitting out for awhile at this point so they got kind of melty

Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit muffin things

Peanut butter truffles and Oreo truffles (Anthony's Valentine's gift)

S'mores cookies

Chocolate-covered gingers (my mom's birthday gift, her favourite)

Leah Maria's Tijuana Lager (Vienna lager made with my Mr. Beer kit)

Basic cupcakes (first time doing a swirl top, why didn't I do this earlier?!)

Family tradition, "chocolate log" AKA old school icebox cake.

Peanut butter pretzel sandwiches, dipped in chocolate (a lot of work but so worth it)

I've made lots of other stuff but I don't always take photos. Out of all these things, I get bugged the most to make the pretzels and the Oreo truffles again. Last year I gave out the Oreo truffles as a Christmas present and I plan to do that again. I'm planning to make everyone a goody basket of Christmas treats. I'm looking forward to it!

New Direction

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a new plan for my blog and my main motivation is the hobby classes I'm taking this fall.

Starting next week, I'm enrolled in the following classes:

1. Learn to Knit. This is a one-day class offered by Michael's. I've semi-learned to knit in the past but it never stuck. I'm looking forward to it. I'm not sure how much time I'll end up devoting to knitting since I have so many other things going on, but I'd at least like to try and make a scarf.

2. Wilton Method of Cake Decorating, class 1. This is a 4-week (4 classes) class, also offered by Michael's. I'm most looking forward to this as I love making cakes. I've been looking at pictures and videos of the cakes students complete in this class and I've been blown away. No way I ever thought I'd ever be able to make those fancy icing roses. I'm so very excited for this class. Prepare for lots of entries about it!

3. Beginner Quilting. This is a 5-week (5 classes) class offered by a local store called The Quilt Shoppe. I've been wanting to learn to quilt for a few years now and my eagerness (read: jealousy) was kicked into high gear when I saw a quilt my coworker's wife had sewn.

4. Beginner Sewing. This is an 8-week (8 classes) class being put on by Fabricland. This will overlap with the quilting a little bit (mostly the classes learning about the sewing machine) so I'm sure that will be helpful.

Since I'm taking all these classes, I knew I'd want to write about them and take photos of what I'm working on. I'd also like to remember what I've learned and since I'm doing so much this fall, writing will hopefully help me absorb what I'm learning.

Throw curling (and maybe hockey but I'm not hopeful) into all of this and you have my fall/winter so far! Assuming all goes well, I want to sign up for succeeding classes for Wilton and sewing. Just call me Martha Stewart, apparently!

My big goal for all of this is to become a little more domesticated. I'd like to be able to have the skills to make nice things on my own. I want to be the go-to person for kick-ass cakes; I want to be able to mend my own clothes if need be; and I want to be able to create beautiful quilts that I can give as gifts. 

A friend of mine joked that my fall sounds makes me sound like a typical Canadian grandma. That's okay by me!

Back in the Saddle

Well, I'm back apparently! Due to (a lack of) popular demand, I decided to start blogging again. I've missed it this past 14 months.

My big motivation to restart my blog is that this fall, I'm taking several hobby classes and I know I'm going to want to take photos and write about what I'm making. Jaime's learning skills!

First, a little catch up. Chances are if you're reading this, you already know me. But if not, this is what I've been up to...

-I'm still living with my dad in Sarnia, still working at the same place. I was supposed to be transferred to Windsor this spring but it was put on hold until next year. This is actually fine by me, but I'm just hoping they still want to/can hire me next year. It's been a big source of stress for me not knowing what's around the corner.

-Anthony and I are still together and going strong. We went to Seattle earlier this year with some of his friends and it was fun. Our 3rd anniversary is coming up which is just bonkers. I can't believe how fast time is flying but I guess it means I'm having fun!


Seattle Pike Place Market

-In July, I went back to Iqaluit for 2 weeks. It was very surreal at first but once the weirdness wore off, I realized the place hadn't changed at all. I had been missing Nunavut pretty hard before my trip but now that I've been back, I feel much more settled in Ontario. I feel more appreciative now of the things I have access to down here. When I first moved back, I was mostly appreciative of cheap groceries and 24-hour businesses. Now I'm appreciative of access to cheap everything in Michigan and Chipotle. Yes, Chipotle, but really, any giant burrito will do. Gotta have my burritos now. I blame Anthony for my crippling addiction.


One of the highlights of my Iqaluit trip, The Snack!

-I've also been to Toronto several times since you last heard from me. Most recently, my best friend, Tori, and I went to the Canadian National Exhibition. I recently had a matricectomy so I was a little miserable until I bought some Teva sandals. Despite my only having 9 toenails, we had a blast. I even got to buy Tori her first ever deep-fried Oreos. She probably wishes she never let me force her to try them. If you've ever had them, you know what I'm talking about. Those suckers are addictive.


The CNE

So that's about all. In my next entries, I'll focus more on the future of this blog, which I'm excited about and hopefully you are too!

Monthly Update

It's quarter to 12 (midnight) on a work night. What better time to blog, right?

1. It's been far too long without a vehicle lesson for me. I feel the eerie silence before a storm. I did forget to write about the time when I was filling up with gas in Ann Arbor before driving home. I had been reading my car's owner's manual and it said that when filling the tank, you can let the nozzle click off twice before needing to stop. So I was happily pouring liquid gold into my car (sorry, I mean gas) and it clicked off. I, so responsibly having read the manual and knowing I could keep going, gripped the nozzle again. All of a sudden, gas started leaking out the bottom of the car. That's when I discovered there's a trap door in gas tanks to prevent them from over-filling. I wasn't happy seeing like 75 cents of gas on the cement and not you know, in my gas tank.

Other than that, the Fiesta's been smooth sailing.


2. I have joined the legions of people who jog outside. I started about 2 weeks ago and I absolutely love it. I've been running on a treadmill since 2007. In 2009 I got really good, but fell off the wagon in 2010. Now that I'm back at it, I find it depressing constantly comparing my runs to 2009. Outside, I don't care. I'm distracted and there's a breeze and I can't just get off the treadmill and stop, I at least have to walk home. My knees also don't hurt as much (which isn't how it's supposed to work) and I can actually keep a faster pace than I can on a treadmill. I'm glad something exciting came along to my running, because I was starting to give up and assume I'll never get back to where I used to be in 2009. Ten minute miles seem like a lifetime ago.


3. This summer has been insanely busy. I've been to 2 weddings already (including one in Hawaii!) and have 2 more to go. I've decided that "open bar" is the best phrase in the English language.

Aside from weddings, last weekend I drove to Ottawa for Canada Day and to visit an old friend. I don't see this friend very often; the second-last time we hung out was December 2009. After 2 bottles of wine, we decided we wanted tattoos. Nothing in Ottawa was open at the time but we vowed to get those tattoos. A year and a half later, we finally got them.

This weekend I drove to Toronto for another friend's birthday. I told myself in Nunavut that whenever I moved down south, I would start wearing cuter shoes and clothes. I've succeeded, but it comes at a price. The price of blisters on my toes. As someone who wore sneakers and loafers until the age of 24, this is all new to me. I bought a pair of like 6 inch wedges today. I feel like I am officially a woman.

4. Everything else is going very well. The car (as I mentioned), the job, the boyfriend, the personal training. I've been playing road hockey this summer too, though my hectic schedule seems to always get in the way. I have discovered I quite enjoy hockey and that I want to continue with ice hockey in the winter. It's about time, I probably win the award for Oldest Canadian to Pick Up a Hockey Stick for the First Time.

5. Oh yes, Hawaii. Amazing. Spectacular. Relaxing. Fragrant. What I loved about Hawaii the most is how happy everyone is. Runner-up is how great everything smells. It literally is paradise.

Blah

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I've been busy brooding over the future of this blog. I've been leaning toward just ending it and starting a Tumblr instead. But then I remember all the nice comments people have left and I feel guilty. Honestly, I just don't have a lot to say these days. There's only so many posts I can make about things going well. For the sake of my own privacy, I'd rather not write more personal entries.

I guess I have some thinking to do. And to rub it in, just 'cause I can, next week I may or may not be thinking about my blog as I sip pina coladas on the shore of Maui. Just sayin'.

Boringness

Sorry folks, not a lot has been going on here lately. I'm keeping busy with the gym 6 times a week, eating like it's going out of style, sleeping like it's going out of style, working, and visiting Anthony and friends.

1. I've been doing personal training for over a month now and I already feel like I'm further than I was when I worked out by myself all the time in 2009. I'm really enjoying going but I am so tired by the time I get home at the end of the day. Waking up at 5:30am makes for long days. I've lost a bit of weight and hope to lose about 10 more pounds by June (probably wishful thinking).

2. Anthony booked our tickets to Hawaii today. WOOOOOOOOOOOO. I can't tell you how excited I am to spend a whole week in Hawaii (Maui and Honolulu) with Anthony. Starting in May (3 days, yikes) I'm going to start tanning. I'm so pale, I don't want to burn to a crisp when I'm there.

3. The car continues to be great. It's nice to have the whole process over with.

4. My iPhone is in the shop right now as the battery died for the last time yesterday. I've been whining a lot about not having my phone, haha. It's weird not to know the SECOND someone is trying to contact you whether via email, text, Twitter or Facebook. I feel so out of the loop even though I'm really not.

That's about it. See, it wasn't very interesting, was it?

New Car

Okay I lied. I didn't end up buying my mom's car. She decided it was probably better for her just to keep it. I then decided that because I want something I can keep a long time, I should buy something new. Ford had 0% financing and up to $1000 in cash back on new cars so I bought...


(That is my actual car.)

A 2011 Ford Fiesta. I picked it up yesterday and so far I love it. It's advertised to get 41mpg in the city and 55mpg on the highway. I can't complain about that! It's fun to drive and it's nice to have something that suits me a little better than a family sedan. I've been driving large vehicles most of my driving life so it's fun to have something a little small and sportier.

There's also this awesome interior lighting thing going on that I never knew about until I was driving it last night.





I thought the lighting was only around the cup holders and along the glove compartment, but it's on the floor too. You can pick between 2 shades of blue, white/clear, orange, purple, pink, and red. I can't decide which colour I like the best. Fun!

I'm so happy the search for a car is finally over. Now I can get back to important things like sleeping, eating, and sleeping.