tasty tuesday: pumpkin pie yogurt parfaits!

I am absolutely in love with fall. As a girl who grew up in southern Ontario, I seriously miss the beautiful changing colours of Ontario's countless maple trees. Fall to me meant long hours raking our big backyard with my little brother then jumping off our trampoline into mountainous piles of crunchy, colourful leaves. It also meant pumpkin season. Every year, my parents took us out to the pumpkin patch where we would get to pick a pumpkin (not everyone is as blessed to have grown up on a real farm *cough* kelsey *cough*... and no, I'm not jealous... not at alllll..). I'm getting side-tracked though, so to get to the point, fall = pretty leaves = pumpkins = best season ever. 

Don't ask how that equation works, it just does. And yes, math is not my friend. 

So here's a deliciously simple breakfast or snack for all you fellow pumpkin-loving fall people!

Seriously, it's awesome. Healthy, scrump-ta-la-lump-tious, and so so simple!

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup of your favourite granola
1 tbsp hemp

Instructions

1. Mix together the first four ingredients.
2. Start with a base layer of granola.
3. Layer in your greek yogurt and pumpkin mixture.
4. Finish it off with a dollop of greek yogurt and sprinkle more granola and hemp on top.
5. If using mason jars, make extras and stick them in your fridge for an easy breakfast-to-go!

Happy pumpkin picking, dear friends!

p.s.  ♥ clara

tasty tuesday: lemon blueberry pancakes

I've moved to a new blog!  Head over to The Farmer's Daughter for the full post and recipe!

p.s.  ♥ kelsey

tasty tuesday : snickerdoodles

I love snickerdoodles. And for more reasons than the fact that they are delicious! They're my favourite kind of cookie... soft, moist, chewy, with a lovely cinnamon-sugar topping.... and then there's the name. Snickerdoodle. 

Best. Cookie name. Ever. Right?

So, this got me thinking... why in the world are they called snickerdoodles? So here's what my research (*cough* wikipedia *cough*) revealed to me.

Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin and it a corruption of the German word "Schneckennudein," which was a kind of pastry that translated means "snail noodles." 

Yeah. Weird. 

But wait, it's ALSO possible that: the name could also simply be a nonsense word with no particular meaning, originating from a New England tradition of whimsical cookie names. 

Much better. 

So there you have it! A little lesson on the origins of the perfectly delectable and delightful sounding, "snickerdoodle."

{  i  n  g  r  e  d  i  e  n  t  s  }

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
a very, itsy, bitsy, teenie, tiny pinch of nutmeg!

{  i  n  s  t  r  u  c  t  i  o  n  s  }

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees!
2. Cream together your first three ingredients.
3. Mix your dry ingredients separately.
4. Blend your two mixtures together until they are well-blended!
5. In a separate small bowl, mix in your 2 tbsp of white sugar and spices.
6. Roll your dough into small balls, then roll them in your small bowl of the cinnamon sugar.
7. Place them onto a greased baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes (DON'T OVERBAKE!), and remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!

p.s.  ♥ clara

thirsty tuesday: blueberry coconut mojitos

This week, I'm announcing a "thirsty" tuesday. With all this glorious summer heat and sun, I've been craving summery ice cold drinks - so here's one of my favourite ones. Fresh blueberries, mint leaves, coconut rum, and "ice, ice baby"! (excuse the craziness, it's the heat, I swear!).

This drink tastes even better than it looks. So go grab some fresh berries and mix away to chase away the summer heat!

[  i  n  g  r  e  d  i  e  n  t  s  ] 

1 + 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries

1 + 1/4 cup of water  (can add soda water instead too!)

sweetener to taste  (honey is lovely, but syrup and sugar are okay too)

4 oz coconut rum  (malibu's is sooo tasty!)

a handful of fresh mint leaves  (around 10-14 leaves)

1 tray of ice cubes  ("ice, ice baby...")

[  i  n  s  t  r  u  c  t  i  o  n  s  ]

1. Blend the first 3 ingredients together to make blueberry juice. 

2. Add in your fresh mint leaves and let the juice sit for around 10-15mins. so that it soaks up the minty flavour! 

3. Mix in your blueberry juice, tray of ice, and coconut rum and shake it up! 

4. Pour your delicious mojito into your cups, throw in some fresh blueberries, and garnish with more mint leaves to make it pretty :)

Make your way over to your porch, grab your summer read, kick back your feet, and enjoy!

p.s.  ♥ clara

tasty tuesday : chocolate coconut cupcakes

So here's the deal, I love coconut. Seriously, I am a little obsessed. And I'm not as talented of a baker as miss Kelsey or miss Jordyn... so what am I presenting to you? Their incredible chocolate (cup)cake recipe with a large dose of coconut! Call it a lazy post if you want, but this coconut spin on their chocolate cake recipe was ah-may-zinggg!! And it went perfectly with the Great Gatsby inspiration shoot that I organized last week... that's right dear readers, the Great Gatsby is coming your way and here's the first sneak peek!

Ingredients:
3 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Cocoa

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1 TBSP Vanilla
2 TBSP Vinegar
3/4 cup Margarine (melted)
1 cup Warm Water

1 cup Coconut Milk

Instructions:
1) Mix together all dry ingredients; then pour all wet ingredients over top and mix until moist.
2) Pour batter into 9x13 pan /or 2 round pans /or cupcake tins (makes about 24-30 cupcakes)
3) Bake at 350: for 35-40 minutes for cake [or until a toothpick comes out clean] OR:  for 20-25 minutes for cupcakes.

So if you go --> here <-- you'll find the original recipe and more photos on how to make the batter! And below is the coconut frosting I used to top this delicious cake.

Ingredients for Coconut Frosting:

1 cup butter at room temp

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes 

Mix in the first four ingredients until your icing is a good texture - frost away, and then sprinkle your coconut flakes on top! 

And here's some frames from the Great Gatsby shoot... If you want to see more, visit my website at Clara Cecilia Photography to get the full sneak peek!! 

p.s.  ♥ clara

tasty tuesday: mocha coconut frappuccinos

You know it is summer when Starbucks breaks out the mocha coconut frappucinos!!!

Wait, what?  Starbucks isn't offering them anymore?

Well we will have to do something about that.

This recipe is not exactly like Starbucks', with real coconut milk and melted dark chocolate, it is more like Starbucks' older, cooler brother.  And did I mention the homemade coconut whipped whipped cream?  

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino (3-4 servings)
14 coffee ice cubes (just frozen coffee)
1 can coconut milk (We used Trader Joe's light coconut milk)
1 shot espresso
75 grams of melted dark chocolate (about 1/3 of a cup of chocolate chips)
1/4 cup of chocolate sauce (We used regular ice cream topping type sauce)

Throw all of this in a blender and mix until all the ice is blended! You can add extra ice/milk/coffee/chocolate! This is one of those recipes that you can easily adjust to your own taste. They do not taste exactly like Starbucks' version. You can definitely taste the real coconut and chocolate, and it is extremely rich! We garnished ours with toasted coconut, extra chocolate sauce, and coconut whipped cream of course!


Coconut Whipped Cream
1 can coconut cream (chilled overnight)
1 Tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Chill your can of coconut cream overnight. When you are ready, carefully flip the can over. The coconut solids will stay at the bottom of the can, while the coconut "water" will be at the top. Pour out the liquids, (you can save this and use it for a smoothie the next day! I did and it was delicious) and scoop the solids into a bowl. Use your beaters to whip the coconut solids into whipped coconut cream! It won't be quite as fluffy as regular whipped cream, and if you let it sit out too long it will get a bit droopy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat again.


*Just a warning: this is not coconut flavoured whipped cream, which we were kind of expecting. The first bite is a bit surprising, but the flavour definitely grows on you! 

{If you want a more detailed tutorial click here to visit oh she glows! It has pictures and everything!}

This treat will make the perfect addition to the warm summer nights we are looking forward to!  

p.s.  ♥ jordyn (& kelsey)

tasty tuesdays : mennonite butterhorns

So my hubby, Caleb, has been begging me to make these rolls for him for weeks on end, and having been stuck in final papers/exam mode, I haven't had a chance to make him these childhood treats until recently! Having never eaten these before, I was a little nervous about making them, but with the help of the fabulous online cookbook, Mennonite Girls Can Cook, these turned out wonderfully and I totally get why Cay has been craving these! 

This is a pretty time consuming recipe, but well worth the effort :) So here goes....

{ i n g r e d i e n t s }

1 tbsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup warm water

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

{ f i r s t . s e t . o f . i n s t r u c t i o n s }

1. Put your yeast & sugar in a small bowl, add the warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. Measure the flour, 2nd amount of sugar, and salt into a large bowl.

3. Cut your butter into small cubes. 

4. Warm your milk until the chill is off then add a slightly beaten egg into the milk.

5. Add your yeast, milk, and egg into your bowl with the dry ingredients.

6. Stir well until all blended together. It will be slightly batter-like, rather than like a kneadable dough.
8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours!

{ s e c o n d . s e t . o f . i n s t r u c t i o n s } 

1. Sprinkle flour onto a counter and roll out your dough to 1/2 inch thick. The dough WILL be sticky! That's okay :) Use some extra flour if it's driving you crazy!

2. Cut into 3/4 inch strips.
3. Twist your strips and start rolling them up into rolls.
4. Put your rolls onto a greased pan.
5. Cover your pan with a tea towel and let the dough rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
6. Then bake at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden.

7. Crush 1/2 cup of fresh walnuts (I used my blender to make the pieces really fine!)

8. Make a vanilla icing using 1 cup icing sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbsp of milk.

9. Ice your butterhorns then dip them into the crushed nuts.

Aaaaaand finally, you're done! Enjoy these Mennonite treats!

p.s.  ♥ clara