Lately social media has left a bad taste in my mouth. I see so many angry people, negative comments and hateful posts. I’ve been reflecting and looking at what I put out there into the virtual world.
I try to “thumbs up” whenever I actually like something, I try to write encouraging comments on friends, family and strangers posts, and I try to share information that is properly sourced. But I know that sometimes I ruffle feathers. So on that note I want to make a sorta disclaimer lol. I put out a LOT of content each week. Instagram, Facebook, my blog and my podcast. My Kids are even trying to get me in Tik Tok!!! Obviously not everything I put out there is going to be accepted or liked by all. I came to terms with the fact that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, many years ago. I do this blog for me. I do our podcast for Ninja and myself. I NEVER go out of my way to hurt anyone or say negative things about anyone. With that being said, my humour is self deprecating and sarcastic. It’s again, not for everyone. I appreciate ALL the support I recieve and I thank you for allowing me to have this space, to be me. The good and the bad, the mistakes and the warts, and all the thoughts that evolve over time and make me a better person.
I am thankful that I almost NEVER get negative feedback, get insulted or have trolls message me. This tells me that I am doing something right. For the amount of content I put out, and for the amount of eyeballs that are on my life, to only be called cringey by 1-2 “friends” lol over the years, well I’m ok with that. You can’t please everyone. That’s what I taught my Kids and that’s what I do, leading by example. I am so grateful for the people I have met through this blog and our podcast. I love hearing from people from all over the world who can relate to me and I to them. Thank you for following along, subscribing to my blog, commenting, sharing and liking my content. I appreciate it. Thank you.
SBean heard about Crumbl Cookies in Toronto and when we were there last November she was on the hunt for a gourmet cookie. We didn’t find them. When we were in Vancouver last month, she was looking for gourmet YVR Cookies but didn’t get one there either lol. I wanted to finally give her the gourmet cookie experience so I baked these Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies and… BEST MOM EVER! Lol! Seriously, these are delicious cookies that look pretty darn impressive too.
Ninja loves lemon desserts. I baked this easy Lemon Loaf with a tangy lemon glaze that Ninja and the Kids loved. This loaf is light and moist and filled with lemon flavour and spring delight.
You know those delicious double chocolate chip muffins from Costco? Yeah, these Double Chocolate Chip Muffins are better! They are so rich and chocolatey, but not super sweet, the muffin is spongy, and moist. I just love these freaking muffins so much! They didn’t last long so I’m lucky that these are so easy to make.
I love blueberries and so does Ninja. The Kids, not so much. This Blueberry Breakfast Cake is the perfect morning treat or late night snack. It has the texture of a bar but tastes like a delicious vanilla cake with pops of fresh blueberries. Delicious!
Another of my favourite spring ingredients are raspberries. They are fresh, sweet, tart and delicious. These Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies are so easy to make and are the perfect spring treat.
You can never go wrong with doughnuts. I think HBear is 90% made up of doughnuts lol. Of course, you can never beat a fried doughnut but we also love baked doughnuts too! These Baked Vanilla Doughnuts are so pretty, so tasty and SO easy to make!
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar together in bowl on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, then beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the dry ingredients on low speed, then beat in the chocolate chips until combined.
Divide dough into 6 portions. Each will be a heaping 1/2 cup. Shape each into mound, slightly flattening down the top. Place 3 on each baking sheet, at least 6 inches apart.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges and top are lightly browned. The centre will look super soft, but it will set as the cookie cools.
Cool the cookie on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. As it cools, press a few chocolate chips into the top, if desired.
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
½ cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1-2 tablespoons lemon extract
1 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
- Lemon Glaze
1 cup icing sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil, set aside.
To a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk until smooth and combined.
Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.
Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk to combine.
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t over mix.
Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
Bake for about 50 to 52 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the centre crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.
- Make the Lemon Glaze
To a small bowl, add the confectioner’s sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined.
Evenly drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.
Ingredients
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons hot water
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 2/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt, heaping
1 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a standard-size muffin tin with muffin liners, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and oil. Beat on high for 2 minutes.
Combine the cocoa and the hot water in a small bowl, and whisk until a smooth paste forms.
Add the sugar and oil, and beat for 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until combined.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream to the large mixing bowl. Do not overmix. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips with a spatula.
Using a large ice cream scoop, fill each liner. Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ cup of chocolate chips on top and gently press into the muffin batter.
Place in the oven to bake for 7 minutes at 400F, then reduce the heat to 350F and continue baking for 10-12 more minutes. The cracks should look slightly moist and the edges should be firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then mix in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
Gently fold in the blueberries, being careful not to over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Ingredients
1 ¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup raspberries, roughly chopped
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare baking sheets with cooking spray or parchment paper. Set aside.
Add flour, baking soda and baking powder to a large bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the sugars and softened butter and use a stand mixer to combine for 1-2 minutes. Add in the egg and vanilla and continue to beat for an additional minute.
Once combined stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Finally, gently stir in the raspberries and white chocolate chips.
Scoop the dough into large 1 ½ inch balls. Place on cookie sheet. Bake on centre rack for 10-15 minutes until cookies are golden.
Once the cookies are finished baking, remove from the cookie tray and let cool on a cooling rack.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
- Glaze
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons milk
Food colouring
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 12-count doughnut pan very well with oil, set aside.
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, to a large bowl and whisk to combine, set aside.
To a separate medium bowl, add the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until just combined, don't over mix.
Transfer the batter into a piping bag with large tip OR transfer the batter to a large Ziplock bag, seal it, and cut off one of the bottom corners with a scissors, taking care not to make too big of a slit.
Carefully pipe the batter into the prepared pan, fill each mold to 2/3-full.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, they are done when they look set and are springy to the touch.
Allow doughnuts to cool in the pans for about 5 minutes before removing and placing on wire racks to cool completely.
To a bowl, add the icing sugar, vanilla, and drizzle in the milk slowly, as needed, whisking constantly, until you achieve a consistency you want.
If you are making multiple colours of glaze, do that now by adding uncoloured glaze to separate bowls and add a few drops of the colours of your choice to each bowl. Stir well to combine.
Dip the doughnuts in the glaze for about 1 to 2 seconds, shaking lightly afterward, and allowing excess glaze to drip back off into the bowl. Place on a wire rack after they've been glazed.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #428 Good Enough. This week, we get together over an Island Breeze cocktail to discuss: sound troubles, simple posts, Spike Island, online battles, The Bay, Folie Farms, MS Walk, SOW, and over-produced rock.
The weather was wonky this week. The air conditioning was on one day and heat the next. I know all across Canada is getting irregular spring temperatures, some people are happy while others realize that climate change has begun to truly wreak havoc on our lives. I’ve always known this. It’s been taught to me my entire life but after 46 years of hearing about it, now we are actually seeing evidence of the destruction that is to come. My childhood camping areas are on fire despite never having wildfires before. Yikes! Despite the weather, inside our house looks like spring thanks to a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from Folie Flower Farms! Ninja bought me a 6 month flower subscription from a local flower farm and once a month, I will get a delivery of stunning fresh cut flowers hand picked from their family farm! I have never seen flowers so freaking beautiful before! I googled each one to find out what kind of flower it is, and I’m blown away by the beauty of the different coloured poppies. I cleaned up Kathy Castle‘s Little Library out back, HBear enjoyed tennis practice for the school tennis team her and her boyfriend joined, they also attended a library program as well as the MS Walk! My Sis made a team for the 2025 MS walk this year! They raised over $1000 for MS research! Her family, my Dad, Ninja, the Kids and HBear‘s boyfriend all walked for Mom and I. It was a beautiful morning and they had a great time!
