we all scream…

Posted on October 30, 2015 by kshap

…for ice cream. Nothing scary! (I don’t do scary very well. Juvenile, though…yup.) Just trying to get in the spooky holiday spirit/it’s that time when I can break out my bat shaped cookie cutter. Continue reading →

Whistler Wonderland [Two Bite Brownies]

Posted on January 12, 2014 by kshap

As a proud Canuck, friends always seemed surprised when I told them I had never downhill skied before (one highschool friend’s reaction was to tell me that I wasn’t as “cultured” as she thought I was). Happily, I was able to check that off my bucketlist just before the end of 2013 with a family trip out to beautiful British Columbia. Guided down the Whistler Blackcomb mountains by my talented skiing cousins and aunt (the same aunt who makes some of my favourite granola), we beginners all progressed to blue runs before the end of our ski week and even attempted some small moguls (most of which I managed to stay on my feet for). With only one nasty bruise, I’d say my first skiing experience was a success and I can’t wait to try again! Continue reading

Perfecto Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 5, 2013 by kshap

A homemade Mexican feast, sunny southern Spain, day drinking, and lovely girlfriends…definitely a perfect Sunday afternoon and a perfect Cinco de Mayo.It’s the kind of sunny afternoon that you’d want to last forever (which I kind of managed to do, with an evening siesta and a walk along the pier at sunset). It was summertime in Andalucía, and the living is easy…
(My contribution to our lunch was my go-to one bowl chocolate cake— just added cinnamon and orange zest to the cake, and lime zest to the cupcakes to make things slightly more “Mexican” in a pinch!)

Smuggling une gâterie Parisienne [Chocolate-Caramel Tartlets]

Posted on January 2, 2013 by kshap

Maybe it was the smell of cold December air, or the fact that I could understand everything and be understood perfectly, but after living in Huelva for a few months, Paris felt like an old familiar city. (Obviously still amazing, magnifique, and huge, but strangely familiar all the same.)

Shakespeare& Co., crêpes, and red-nosed statues?

I had heard about Ladurée and their famous macarons from friends and from food bloggers who raved about the expensive little treats. Not wanting to make a big deal about finding my dessert, I was happy that we just stumbled across one of their pretty shops as we wandered through Saint-Germain.

Macarons don’t travel well so I opted to splurge on a jar of their caramel au beurre salée to bring home and share. After managing to get my caramel through security at the Paris airport (it totally didn’t occur to me that caramel might be a no-no for flying, and I was flying Ryanair– there was no way I was going to check my bag. Thank goodness for nice security guards!) I knew I wanted to make a special little treat with my Parisian souvenir.

The chocolate-caramel tartlets from David Lebovitz was the perfect recipe; decadent, but bite-sized tarts with a caramel centre, chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of sea salt. These tartlets look more complicated to make than they actually are, which is always a fun trick. I also loved that in his post he talks about the superiority of caramel in Paris — a sign that it was the perfect dessert for my Ladurée caramel! Mr. Lebovitz gives you instructions on how to make your own caramel, but I wanted to use my Ladurée stuff which made an easy recipe even easier.

Sunsets and sparkles at the tower.

I realize that on January 2nd, some of you may still be sticking to silly resolutions of giving up dessert and such…but these tartlets are worth it, I promise. (Everything in moderation, right?!) Bonne annéee, bonne santé et bon apétit!

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! [Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies]

Posted on December 12, 2012 by kshap

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap came on my radar last winter when cookie recipes from their inaugural swap started popping up all over the food blogosphere. I thought it was such a cool idea and put my name down right away to be notified when they started organizing for this year’s event. Well, when I got the email in the fall from organizers extraordinaire Lindsay and Julie that registration was starting I was super excited…and then I realized I was living in Spain. (Which is also super exciting, I’m not complaining!) Because they didn’t get enough participants in Spain to organize a swap here, my fantastic mum agreed to be my cookie chef and my fantastic twin agreed to photograph the process. And so my cookie swap dreams were made possible by my wonderful family! I really am one lucky gal.
And their awesomeness continues: the cookies that I will be receiving they are kindly putting in the freezer until I am home for Christmas (soon!), so I look forward to sharing those with them and thanking my fellow cookie swappers.

Aside from this swap being a grand idea from a purely cookie-loving point of view, it also helped a great cause, Cookies for Kids Cancer. Participating in the swap introduced me to some more wonderful Canadian food blogs, too — there are so many talented people out there. A good cause, cookies, food blogs, snail mail, the holidays….thanks mum & TShap for letting me participate by proxy and thank you Lindsay & Julie for organizing this lovely event, I’m already looking forward to next year!

These cookies are melt-in-your-mouth chocolate dreams. My mum has been making these for as long as I can remember; this is her recipe that she adapted from one of Martha Stewart’s magazines back in the day. These are sophisticated little cookies and I remember being pleased as punch when I made them for the first time a few Christmases ago — I left a festive dusting of cocoa powder all over the kitchen when I threw everything into the stand mixer a little too enthusiastically, but that was pretty much my only misstep and they turned out beautifully. (What I am trying to tell you is that it is hard to mess these cookies up.) They are a staple at our home during the holidays (and often year round…), and I hope you enjoy them, too!

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Overwhelmed Under the Arches: La Mezquita, Cordoban Highlights, and a Clementine Cake

Posted on November 12, 2012 by kshap

Looking up at the iconic arches in the mosque.

During my second year of university I took a little break from a full science course load and took some artsy electives. One of my favourite classes was ‘Intro to Spanish Culture’ — our teacher, an enthusiastic academic from Andalucia, had me captivated after the first class. Shortly thereafter I heard about this language assistant program in Spain, I applied the following year, and now here I am! Crazy.
One of the images I remembered the most from that class was that of the great mosque in Cordoba. TShap and I ended up going back there twice, we were so amazed by the structure and the history of the building (plus, tourist tip! the entry is free from 8:30-10am!). Although the mosque really is fantastic to see, many tours make it the only stop, and I would recommend staying to see the rest of this beautiful town. From the Jewish quarter, to the Alcazar, to the gorgeous patios at Palacio de Viana, there is a lot to see. Catch a flamenco show, try some bull’s tail stew, and enjoy!

Craftsman at work at the Zocco Market

Looking into one of the patios at the Palacio de Viana.

This cake showcases two of the most abundant ingredients in Andalucia: citrus and olive oil. This was my first weekend without traveling; I enjoyed some downtime (and partying) at ‘home’ in Huelva and baked for the first time since I’ve been in Spain — it felt nice! I was a little nervous with how using our new oven for the first time would go but this cake worked out so well! I was very pleased.