I just got back from two weeks in Montreal for work. I had a long list of restaurant recommendations from friends and co-workers, and while I didn’t get through them all, I crossed a lot of places off the list, and can’t wait to tell you about my favourites. First up is Cocoa Locale,......

  We’re reaching back into the archives for this one y’all! Way back in the summer of 2006, my brother Joel and sister-in-law-to-be Tara asked me to make their wedding cake for their upcoming wedding that October. I was very flattered, but kind of scared, and agreed with a few conditions: no tiers, no fondant, nothing crazy.  Joel......

When Lydia sent me her guest-blog post on ‘Mother of a 3-month old’ Brownies, it reminded me of the treats I made for her baby shower back in November. I guess these are the homemade version, but I won’t get too smug about it 😉 Way back when my sister-in-law Debbie was preggo with Johnny Mac......

On Smitten Kitchen, there is a lot of discussion over Everyday Cakes –  the kind of cakes you can easily whip up from ingredients you already have in your kitchen. ahahaha. My life just doesn’t run that way. I never seem to have everything I need for a recipe just lying around. Except a few weeks ago I had......

  All this baking over the last few years has turned me into a cake mix snob. I can’t help it.  The last time I had a chocolate cupcake from a mix, it just didn’t taste like anything. Duncan Hines might give you a moist deluxe texture, but if you really stop to think about it, what......

Way back in the summer of 2003, I went to Ottawa to visit my friend Kathleen for her birthday. Kathleen comes from a huge family on her dad’s side – 18 brothers and sisters – and the weekend I was visiting, there was also a family reunion happening. Katy mentioned that there were a couple of cousins......

Three of my favourite sisters are in need of a little TLC these days. All three eat gluten-free, so I baked up some treats last weekend for a care package.  I’ve been experimenting with gluten-free baking for a couple years and had my fair share of disasters before discovering the Chocolate Chip Meringues on SK......

On my last trip to Calgary, Brooke, Danielle and I had an amazing dinner at The Coup. Similar to Fresh in Toronto, The Coup is a vegetarian restaurant focusing on local, whole and organic foods. Brooke just sent me their cookbook in the mail, as well as an e-mail/guest blog post on this dinner that she......

Last month Nicole and her mom threw a birthday bash in honour of her dad’s 70th birthday. I was in charge of dessert and make a triple layer vanilla cake frosted with vanilla buttercream, as well as some lemon squares. Nicole made all the food (I helped a little by rolling some triangles), and she......

There’s something about Snickerdoodles that I just don’t like, but I can’t put my finger on it.  The lack of chocolate maybe? Too much cinnamon? In any event, they are my brother’s favourite cookie, so I made a half batch to bring over last month for his birthday. Why half batch, you ask? Joel’s request......