Break Time.
I thought you all deserved an explanation for my lax blogging of late. I have decided it's time for me to take a bit of a break from the blog over the holidays. This decision is something that I've been wrestling with for a while now and it's time to come to grips with it.
I have so much passion and so many interests that it gets spread a little thin. I love baking, cooking, writing, photography, jewelry making, sewing and crafting to name a few. The problem is that I don't know how to prioritize that list. I don't know what I love most and, ultimately, what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.
I have appreciated all your comments and support thus far, but I feel as though I am maintaining this blog for others and not for myself. I am a firm believer that it's important to do what makes you happy in life. I have made too many wrong turns to give up on that now. I just need some time to decide exactly what it is that makes me happy.
I feel as though I use the blog as a shield to protect me from following my dreams and consequently failing or even succeeding. I stay distracted and busy myself with cookies and buttercream so I don't have to face the fact that I'm floundering. I am a huge procrastinator and I don't want to resent the blog for keeping me from what I really want.
Life can be scary. I am exactly where I want to be physically, emotionally and romantically, but not professionally. I need to find balance.
When I come back there will be some big changes with Hot Polka Dot. I have some avenues I need to explore and some experiments to make. I don't want you to worry. It's all very exciting! I expect some of you won't stick around to find out, but I hope that most of you will be patient and wait to see what comes next.
Thank you all for your understanding and support! I look forward to talking with you again after the break!
These Aren’t The Droids You’re Looking For.
Mind over matter. Power of suggestion. The force.
Whatever you want to call it, that's what I've been wrestling with for the past week. Everyone around me is aching and couching and sneezing. The odds are kind of stacked against me here. I'd have to be some sort of guru of meditation with a fistful of mental placebos to resist all that.
I'm not. I'm not made of midi-chlorians. I'm made of squishy flesh and achy bones.
However. If I were a Jedi I wouldn't bother with curbing the common cold or not looking silly when I sneeze. I'd have way more fun. I would wave my hand casually yet deliberately and tell you how much you need this Maple Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Bread. Struck by a sudden delicious idea, you would calmly rise from your seat, gather the ingredients and make yourself one awesome snack. You'd slice off piece by piece savouring the full flavour of pumpkin, the punch of spices and the sweet, buttery crunch of the streusel topping until it was all gone. At which point you would feel the need to bake yourself another and another and another... Do or do not. There is no try.
Hey... Maybe I am a Jedi!
Cute On A Stick.
There are those among us that dare to claim they don't like candy corn. I won't name names here, but just know the list is a long one. Candy corn is just one of those things you either love or hate. For instance: I love the bright caramel flavour, but I kind of hate the pain I get in the back of my eyeballs when I eat more than my fair share. I tolerate a lot of eyeball pain this time of year.
When I saw some photos of cookies like these floating around on Pinterest I knew I had to try them out with my amazing whipped shortbread recipe. For those of you that have never had whipped shortbread, first of all you must know that I pity you, and second of all you should know that it's like the cookie equivalent of cotton candy. Have you ever honestly had a melt-in-your-mouth cookie? Well you're about to, my friends. No more doorstop shortbread for you! Or chewing come to think of it.
So, getting back to my love of candy corn... These adorable cookies are not only shaped like my favourite candy, but actually have the audacity to perch themselves on sticks thus increasing their cuteness threefold. Everyone knows food is cuter on sticks right?
Ok, let's review.
Candy corn = yum.
Whipped shortbread = life changing.
Sticks = cute.
Now that we know there's a method to my madness, why not bake up some yummy-life-changing-cute-on-a-stick? You know you want to.
Fingers Crossed.
Have you ever had one of those thoughts that seemed like a good idea at the time then suddenly you find yourself wrist-deep in cookie dough and the cat is trying to eat the styrofoam gravestones and somehow you spent a small fortune on things like faux cobwebs and glow-in-the-dark skeletons?
This weekend our house will be invaded by a handful of twelve year old girls hopped on on handfuls of sugar. Sugar that I will be providing in abundance. Sugar that I will be encouraging the consumption of. Sugar laid out in pretty packaging on pretty platters and in pretty bowls.
Let's not forget this was all my idea. I claim full responsibility for any resulting cavities, scraped knees, overturned soda bottles, pumpkin carving injuries and popped eardrums.
I'm the sort of person that has the tendency to get a little carried away. Being creatively inclined I am all too familiar with the frustrating feeling that comes from imagination not matching up with reality. I have to remember I have a big imagination. This time I wanted to get it right. This time I wanted to throw an awesome party for Sable. This time I wanted her friends to talk about it for years to come.
So yeah, we pulled out all the stops. Fog machine, strobe light, spooky sounds CD, bubbling cauldron, dessert table, pumpkin carving, talking crows, ghost stories... The works!
And, of course, I couldn't forget the classic Witch Finger Cookies. I'm sure you've seen them before. It's nothing new, but I make them every year and I thought it was time to share them with you. Mine are a bit different. A little less blood and gore and more delicious almond flavour.
Just a little something to make the perfect Halloween party even better!
Cloudy With A Chance of Delicious.
You ever had one of those days?
Maybe you put your underwear on inside out. Maybe you just couldn't wait for the dryer to be done and you had to rush out of the house wearing a half damp sweater. Maybe it rained all day and the humidity made your hair interminably frizzy. Maybe you stepped in a puddle and ruined your new suede shoes. Maybe you thought your favourite show was on at 9 but really it was on at 8 and you missed it. Then maybe at the end of it all, when you just want to curl up in bed and sleep away the bad, you realize you left the sheets in the washer.
There there. Tomorrow will be different.
Maybe tomorrow you'll make these deliciously easy, fantastically tasty Sugar and Spice Toasted Pumpkin Seeds. Maybe the world will suddenly be a different place. Maybe the house will smell like pie. Maybe the rain will clear and your shoes will dry. Maybe you'll catch a repeat of that episode you missed. Maybe you'll have something to idly munch on between your clean sheets and your favourite book. Life is good again.
I say maybe because I'm not going to presume to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. It's your life. It's up to you of course. If you want frizzy hair, damp clothes and puddle shoes then far be it from me to tell you otherwise. On the other hand, if you like rainbows, pie smells and snacks in bed, then yes, yes you should make these. And quickly. Before it's too late!
How To… Er… Wednesday: Easy As Pie.
I have been told that Pumpkin Pie baked with real pumpkin puree is far superior to the canned pumpkin puree. Since I'm pretty new to the whole Pumpkin Pie experience I thought I'd test that theory. Making pumpkin puree was pretty easy so I thought it was worth sharing with everyone.
First you have to get yourself a sugar or pie pumpkin. They're the smaller ones anywhere between the size of a five pin bowling ball to a ten pin bowling ball. They're usually darker than a jack-o-lantern pumpkin with more pronounced ridges and a straighter stem.
You might think that you can just buy a smaller jack-o-lantern pumpkin and bake it up just fine. True, you could, but you'd get the best results with a pie pumpkin. Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are grown for their thin flesh and stringy insides to make them easier to carve. Pie pumpkins are grown for their thick flesh and taste for best results in baking.
Fall Into Fall.
It's finally Fall.
I know this because my footsteps are stalked by the soft tinkling of tiny colourful leaves. I know this because all the crab apples fell off the tree before I had the chance to turn them into jam or pie. I know this because it's still warm enough to get away with wearing peep toe heels but cool enough that I need to pair them with a light faux leather coat. I know this because the simple act of turning on the oven is welcomed instead of avoided. I know this because I'm drawn to warm and homey flavours like rich demerara sugar, thick molasses and spicy cinnamon.
To continue my pumpkin theme and demonstrate a creative use of my Pumpkin Pie Spice I've made these Pumpkin Spice Ginger Snaps. They're not your average Ginger Snaps. I've spiced them up a smidgen. Less ginger and more cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Less snappy and more chewy. They're coated with big bold crystals of turbinado sugar and a flavour to match.
Just the push I needed to fall into Fall.
How To Tuesday: Spice Of My Life.
Every Thanksgiving since I can remember I would try a tiny taste of Pumpkin Pie and every year it would be the same reaction. Yuck! I wanted to love it. I really did. I wanted to be one of those people that look forward to Thanksgiving all year long. I love the turkey. I love the cranberry sauce. I definitely love the stuffing. But when it came to dessert I had to say thanks, but no thanks.
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but not liking Pumpkin Pie is just one of those things people don't excuse. It's as though I just sprouted a pair of wiggling green antennae. It's like turning down chocolate, lobster and corn on the cob all at once. It's just not done.
This year was different. This year we enjoyed Thanksgiving with Lee's aunt and uncle in Calgary and, as usual I had to say no to the Pumpkin Pie. No jaws dropped. No spit takes. No questions asked. I had the Cherry Cheesecake instead and it was delicious! We had a wonderful weekend and came home with some turkey leftovers and half a Pumpkin Pie.
That night I took the pie out of the fridge, sat it on the counter and stared at it. I admired the glistening orange filling. I inhaled the intoxicating scent of the intermingled spices. I tentatively poked a little at it then promptly licked my fork. To my surprise and delight my reaction was the opposite of yuck.
It finally happened! I finally like Pumpkin Pie! So for the next little while expect to see a lot of pumpkin-related recipes here. This sort of realization deserves some celebration!
To start off the festivities I've brought you a spicy little DIY. Instead of buying those premade Pumpkin Pie Spice mixes make your own. It's fast, easy and includes spices you already have on hand. The best part is that, when paired with an antique teaspoon and ribbon, it makes a super cute gift for your favourite baker!
Post Vacation Vacation Post.
I'm back! Finally right? Have you ever had one of those vacations where you need another vacation just to recover from it? Yeah, that was me.
I had all these lofty ideas to post updates for you about how the visit was going salt and peppered with cute shots of chocolate daisy toppers, polka dot baking cups and an army of cupcakes. That didn't happen. That was a stupid idea. I'm stupid.
I barely had time to sleep let alone have the energy to post devilishly clever blog posts or keep my eyes open for Photoshop. The week was a whirlwind of events from a little firearm education with dad to lions and tigers and bears at the zoo. Manicures and pedicures with the ladies to Sandbanks with mom. A little Indonesian cuisine with the family to girly movies and giggling with my best friend. Curling, speeches, tours, appointments, photos, new friends, old friends... Cupcakes and lots of 'em!
I thought it would be too soon if I never saw another cupcake in my life. After a full day of baking twelve dozen cupcakes, filling twelve dozen cupcakes, frosting twelve dozen cupcakes, topping twelve dozen cupcakes and packing twelve dozen cupcakes I wasn't interested in eating even one. The three flavours were a hit at the wedding and they were nearly devoured before the photographer could snap the traditional cutting the cake photo. It was a beautiful wedding and Lisa and Jamie were the sweetest couple!
I was really excited about this particular cupcake because I personally considered it the signature flavour being that it was a fall wedding. Since I never tried it, or posted anything about the wedding like a good blogger would do, I decided just one batch wouldn't kill me. This time I took my time and planned ahead. Unlike last time when I forgot the jam entirely and accidentally bought a kilogram of whole wheat flour. This time there was no hair pulling, no exploding piping bags, no mountains of tupperware, no assembly line, no late night trips to my brother's new refrigerator. Just a little Ani DiFranco and a lot of love.
Magic Beans.
As promised, here is the most amazing thing you could possibly do with your homemade Dulce de Leche. Ok, maybe not the most amazing thing, but certainly the most amazing thing that I'm currently aware of. If you have any other ideas I'd love to hear them!
I recently bought a bulk pack of fifty bourbon vanilla beans. I haven't used extract in months and I'll never look back. Vanilla beans are far sweeter with a brighter, potent flavour without the alcohol aftertaste and they have those adorable little specs to decorate your food. Like built in sprinkles! These truly are the magic beans Jack was talking about.
We bought an entire case of peaches so the pie was absolutely essential. I can't have all that peachy goodness going to waste now can I? It was fate. A match made in heaven. Sweet peaches with velvety Dulce de Leche, flaky vanilla bean crust and top it all off with fresh vanilla bean whipped cream. It's a triple vanilla experience! My mind is blown!
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