Where have we been?

Some of you may be wondering where in the world we've been for the past few days since we haven't exactly been keeping up with our regular posts. 

The answer is.....A WEDDING!!!

One of our dearest friends, Jenna, got married yesterday so we've been running around helping with last minute things, taking her out for her bachelorette party, decorating the venues, "rehearsing" for the big day, and most importantly....participating in her wedding!

{here we are with Jenna at her bachelorette....and the lovely lady on the right is another 

bridesmaid, named Jordan!}

Clara and I were both so honoured to be able to stand up for this lovely lady, and Jordyn was the videographer for the big day!

(Keep an eye out for their gorgeous wedding video, which will be posted here sometime in the next few weeks.)

Here are a few instant photos I managed to take throughout the day:

And here are a few behind the scenes photos that Jordyn managed to capture in between video shots!

Here's their stage made of pallets, with adorable bunting decorating the trees behind it.

Clara did all of the writing on the chalkboards that decorated the different 'stations', and they looked amazing!  That girl has such a talent for fonts!

And the above photo was taken by Jordyn (edit by me) on a gorgeous beach where the official photographers (the Nickersons....who were so wonderful, so go check out their blog!) were taking pictures.  It was so beautiful, but very difficult to walk in the sand!

We had an absolutely wonderful weekend, and are so ecstatic for Jenna and Travis!

ps:  kelsey, {jordyn and clara}  ♥

s'mores night: part 3: the finale!

So I have this book club.  Every Thursday evening "Ladies Book Club" gets together ready to discuss the book we read that week.

  The funny thing is, it is seldom just ladies anymore, and we rarely actually talk about the book we read.  We have much more important things to do and discuss (and eat), like homemade s'mores.

For the s'mores night Kelsey and I made plain and caramel marshmallows from scratch.  You can find the recipe here.

We also made graham crackers from scratch.  That recipe can be found here.

I didn't want boring chocolate to go along with our fancy s'mores, so I asked everyone from the book club (and those who tagged along) to bring their favourite chocolate bar.  This way there was an assortment of flavours, something for everyone.  You can tell that we are all peanut butter lovers!

I did have some back up marshmallows, just in case we finished all of the homemade ones.  Even though they were store bought, it didn't mean they had to be boring.  I found mint chocolate and chocolate swirl marshmallows!

All of the marshmallows were very pretty to look at!

I also provided my famous Triple Chocolate Cookies.  I made them a bit smaller, so we could make s'mores out of them, however I think people just ended up eating them.

We enjoyed the beautiful flowers, and the owl themed decor in my backyard (all thanks to my dear mother, who works tirelessly to create a beautiful space for us).

Not wanting to be totally unhealthy, I provided a plate of fresh fruit in addition to the baked goods.   The blueberries and raspberries were from our farm, and the strawberries from another local farm.

Everything tasted just as delicious as it appeared!!

We were a little bit nervous while roasting the first marshmallow, not having ever tried it before.  But they browned up and melted just fine, though very very fast!  We had to be careful not to let them fall off our sticks.

We had lots of fun inventing new combinations of s'mores!

Peanut Butter Cups were perfect for the round crackers.

And a caramel flavoured marshmallow with Caramilk was very delicious.

Though making the marshmallows and graham crackers from scratch was a lot of work, it was totally worth it!  My friends were extremely impressed, and I believe the words "What? I didn't know you could MAKE marshmallows!!" were uttered.

This was so much fun, and I can't wait to have another homemade s'mores party!

ps: jordyn and kelsey ♥

s'mores night: {part 2}: homemade marshmallows

For Jordyn's s'mores night, we made our own marshmallows too!  I was a bit nervous about it...but they turned out wonderfully!  They're actually super easy, although they are a bit time consuming.

{And be warned: this post is VERY photo heavy!}

Making marshmallows involves cooking sugar to 240 degrees F, so a candy thermometer is a must!

As soon as your sugar mixture gets to 240 degrees, you take it off the heat immediately, and slowly add it to the gelatin mixture.

You can see the transformation of the mixture from very runny (the top photo), to thick, white and fluffy (bottom photo).

We used a spatula to fold in the egg whites (you don't want to over mix it!).

You'll want to get your marshmallow mixture into your prepared pan VERY quickly, as it starts to set right away....and it's much harder to get a flat surface if you dawdle.

We made half of our marshmallows caramel flavoured (by subbing the vanilla extract for caramel flavouring). We then added a bit of colouring to part of the mixture, and swirled it into the caramel flavoured side.

Next time we make these we'd love to try out more different flavours!

We had a bit of trouble getting ours out of the pan, but once we peeled up one corner using a fork they just popped right out!

These babies were a bit messy to cut, and we definitely got icing sugar EVERYWHERE!  But once we dusted them off a bit, and plated them, they looked great!

Marshmallows
recipe from: Ezra Pound Cake

Ingredients

2 TBSP + 2 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin (3 1/2 packages)
1/2 cup cold water
2 granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup hot water
2 large egg whites (or meringue powder)

1 TBSP Vanilla

Nonstick spray (we used PAM)


Directions

1)  Lightly spray a 9x13x2-inch rectangular metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, and dust the bottom and sides of it with icing sugar.

2)  In a large bowl (if you have a standing mixer you should use the bowl that goes with it!), and add the cold water.

3)  Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, and set aside.

4)  Set a large saucepan on the stove, and add the granulated sugar, corn syrup, hot water and salt.  Be sure to clip on your candy thermometer Cook over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring with a wooden spoon. 

5)  Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil (no stirring here!), until the temperature reaches 240 degrees F.  Remove immediately from heat!

6)  Pour this hot sugar mixture over the gelatin mixture, and beat on low until sugar mixture is dissolved.

7)  Bump up the speed to high, and beat until the mixture is bright white, and very thick.  *This will take between 6-10 minutes, and the mixture should nearly triple in volume.

8)  In a separate bowl, beat your egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. (Make sure to use clean beaters here!). 

9)  Add the egg whites, and vanilla to the main mixture, and beat until just combined.

10)  Pour mixture into your prepared pan, and sift about 1/4 cup of icing sugar over top.

11)  Pop the pan into your fridge, and leave them there to set (usually about 3 hours, or overnight).

12)  When you're ready to cut them, turn the pan over onto a cutting board. (You may need to use a fork to help them out of the pan.)

13)  Use a sharp knife (or a pizza cutter) to cut them into cubes, then toss them in icing sugar.  Then they're ready to serve!

Like the graham crackers, these marshmallows took a bit of time to make, but the end result was definitely worth it!  They worked well for roasting, but be careful, they melted VERY fast.  We lost a few to the fire when we weren't paying close enough attention.

Enjoy!

ps: jordyn and kelsey ♥

tasty tuesday: homemade graham crackers

At the heart of a perfect s'mores night, is the perfect s'more.  Because of that gooey little treat, friends will gather to socialize, a fire will crackle, and stomachs will be satisfied!

And at the heart of the s'mores night I had last Thursday, were homemade graham crackers and homemade marshmallows.

Making homemade graham crackers added a "gourmet" element to my s'mores night.  These crackers tasted great, and it was fun to experiment with their shapes!

Using a pastry blender to combine the dry ingredients with the butter worked very well for this recipe!

Be careful not to mix the dough too much, or you will get tough graham crackers.

Similar to sugar cookies, you can make the graham crackers into whatever fun shapes you want.  We made squares, crinkly circles, and even hearts!

To give it that traditional graham cracker look, use a fork to poke a few holes in each cracker and then sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar before they are baked.

Graham Crackers

(adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and 101 Cookbooks....and found smittenkitchen's blog!)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt
7 tablespoon unsalted butter {cut into 1-inch cubes and cold}
1/3 cup honey
5 tablespoon milk (full-fat is best!)
2 tablespoon vanilla

Topping: (optional)
3 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Make the dough:

1)  Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix on low to incorporate.
2)  Add the butter and with a pastry blender, until the mixture is the consistency of crumbs.

3)  In a separate small bowl, mix together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract.
4)  Add to the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough just comes together. It will probably be very soft and sticky.  Be careful not to overmix.
5)  Spread out a large peace of plastic wrap, and dust with flour.  Place the dough on the plastic wrap, and carefully roll it out, until it is about an inch thick.  Wrap the dough so it is completely covered with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about two hours in the fridge, or overnight.

Roll out the crackers: 

6)  Depending on the size of your work surface, divide the dough in half or quarters and return the remaining dough to the refrigerator. Flour your work surface and roll the dough out until it is about 1/8 inch thick. 
7)  The dough may be sticky, so flour as necessary.
8)  Now you can use a cookie cutter to cut the crackers into your desired shapes, or use a knife or a pizza cutter to make traditional rectangular graham crackers.

9)  Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined (or a silicone baking liner like a Silpat) baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the remaining dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.

Decorate and bake the crackers: 

10)  Preheat your oven to 350°F.
11)  Use a fork to poke holes in the cracker.  You could also use a toothpick or wooden skewer for this step.
12)  Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, depending on your oven and the thickness of your cookies.  You want them to be firm, but not burnt.  They should turn a beautiful golden colour.

So next time you are planning a s'mores night, please consider making these tasty treats!  Your friends will be so impressed, and the flavour of these cookies surpasses the prepackaged variety by a landslide.

{Keep an eye out for part 2: homemade marshmallows...coming tomorrow!}

ps: jordyn and kelsey ♥

weekly wrap-up: food frenzy

I really love food.

I love cooking food, I love eating food, and I love taking pictures of food! (or at least attempting to take pictures of food before Kelsey takes pity on me and helps me out.)

I have always had a love for food, and I have always known that I love food, but this week while taking pictures for weekly wrap up, I found myself only inspired to take pictures of food.  I guess it helped me realize how large of a role food has in my life.

Food is a necessary part of life, and while we technically could survive on bread and water, one of the pleasures of life is the assortment of food available.  We can roast, bake, boil, fry, saute, stew and blend all sorts of different things together.  There are so many ways to create tasty and nutritious meals, that are pleasing to the taste buds and the eyes!

Last Sunday night our parents went out to dinner with friends, which meant Kelsey and I were left to fend for ourselves.  Don't get me wrong, we are totally capable of cooking our own meals, but we both had no clue what we wanted.  Suddenly remembering the delicious Thai food we had a couple weeks ago with our aunt, we were inspired to try and replicate the dish!

We made a tasty vegan thai dish with quinoa, roasted veggies, and chickpeas covered with a lime coconut curry sauce, and topped off with fresh basil and chopped peanuts.

{It didn't end up tasting very much like what we had eaten at the thai place, but it was scrumptious none the less.}

I generally have boring breakfasts: steel cut oats with sunflower butter, toast with peanut butter and a banana, etc.  But every once in a while I will get a craving for something fancy, and on Tuesday we had these lovely local fresh strawberries, and I was tempted to make something special.

Deciding that it would be worth indulging in, I made a delicious piece of french toast out of whole grain bread, cut up strawberries and bananas, and sprinkled a little bit of powdered sugar over everything.  It tasted even better than it looked, and paired with a cup of coffee, was the perfect start to my Tuesday.

The highlight of my week was an amazing s'mores' night I had with my book club!  We were having so much fun, that we may have forgotten to actually talk about the book.  Throughout the night more friends showed up, and with good food and a crackling fire, we all had a blast!

(Keep an eye out for more posts about the s'mores' night!)

(Michelle, Niki, Jen, and Me!)

These are the lovely ladies I met at university this year.  We were all part of our school's English Student Association.  After school ended and Niki and Jen graduated, we decided that we needed an excuse to keep seeing each other regularly.  As English Majors, we decided a book club would be fun, so we started "Ladies' Book Club" which usually is no longer just a book club, or just for ladies.  We have so much fun at our weekly meetings that others have started to join us!  I have been so blessed with this dynamic and fun loving group of friends who are always ready to have a good time.

I'm sorry (but not really) if I have left you salivating all over your keyboard, or extremely hungry for some thai food or perhaps for some french toast.  Hopefully this will inspire you to make some delicious food of your own this week! 

 Let me know if you ate something special this week!

ps: jordyn ♥