Is my name Julia Child?

NOPE.

Am I world renowned chef extraordinaire?

Gosh, NO.

So, it should come as no wonder that I occasionally make boo boos while I explore the world of food and all it has to offer. I am however, always trying to make my own little adjustments to recipes. I can’t help it. I’m like a child in a culinary sandbox. I adjust sugar content, add some healthier ingredients, and generally hope that I’ll get a decent result (fingers crossed).

One day, I stumbled on to a hot milk cake recipe. I never even knew a thing called hot milk cake even existed until I went gallivanting on the internet to find something new to try. Well, this is what I got.

Hey, it was my first time making hot milk cake so I had no idea what it was supposed to look like. Sure, there were photos for me to reference but it didn’t mean mine will turn out that way. I mean, somehow I got a giant air pocket in the cake. I have NO idea how I did that!

Later on, I take a closer look at the recipe and well…it turned out that I misread the recipe and added far too much milk. So, what was a hot milk cake was now a hot extra milk cake! Who knew? – Continue Reading

The holiday season is busy, chaotic, and unpredictable. Oh sure, you think it’s predictable but rarely is it ever. There is always something unexpected that shows up – a sudden invitation to a dinner party, a last minute event at your child’s school that requires baked goods, fantastic teachers leaving for maternity leave, you name it, it happens. There are farewells, greetings, and who knows what.

Now, I’m not the most prolific baker but I do have a handle on some recipes now and even then, I can’t necessarily get the time to turn on the oven. That’s when these little gems come in handy. – Continue Reading

Occasionally, my baking results surprise me. It’s no secret that I like to tweak recipes, I can’t help it. I’m always trying to either cram more things in or take things out. Often, I find baked goods too sweet so I always fiddle with the sugar content. I also try to add ground flax, ground almonds or something else that’s a little heartier in to the recipes to see if I can buff them up a bit more. Sometimes, I make things happen and don’t even realize I’m doing it (like the time I misread a recipe and added 1 cup of milk instead of the ½ cup recommended and yet the cake was delicious!). They don’t always turn out but at least I can say I tried.

Lo and behold, a success story: I made cheddar scones!

Pardon me? Yes, you heard correctly. I made cheddar scones from a basic scone recipe that I was familiar with. The family loved them and they suited our taste buds – cheesy but not insanely so with subtle flavours that made us happy as can be. I mean, really, that’s the best part about baking – making flavours that work for you! – Continue Reading

I know, I know, it’s been a long time but I’ve finally managed to get around to do some more baking and to actually share a recipe. These butter oatmeal cookies are super easy to make and only require a few simple ingredients. I mean, seriously, if I can make them, so can you! If you like crisp cookies that aren’t too sweet, these butter oatmeal cookies will be right up your alley!
– Continue Reading

Why?

Because I said so.

Who exactly is Nagi?

Well, Nagi happens to be an amazing woman who is the ultimate brain behind www.recipetineats.com. I discovered her website a little while back when I was in desperate need of a new breakfast option. Sure, I made French Toast, pancakes, oatmeal, bread pudding, and a few other choice items but it’s always good to try something new. Given that I’m not the best cook on this planet I was looking for something familiar yet new.

Enter Nagi and the pikelet.

What exactly is a pikelet? – Continue Reading

Lately, the hubby and I have been trying to find different ways to jazz up breakfast. I mean, really, there’s only so much bread and spread you can have in the morning. Bread, bagel, biscuit, French toast, pancakes, bread pudding, whatever you want to call it, having a chunk of cooked dough in the morning gets a little boring after a while. Sure, we pair it with fruit and a few other healthy options but it gets old quite quickly.

Oatmeal – for some, an equally boring breakfast option so how do you jazz that up without adding loads of sugar or junk on top of it? – Continue Reading

Those of you who follow ThingsThatWeDo.com on a regular basis will know that I’m a mediocre baker at best. My one strength: I persevere. I may not always get it right but I keep on trying and sometimes, sometimes, things turn out magically. Other times, my finished works of art have comedic outcomes. I don’t hide the end results. I’m not happy about it and I wish all my baking efforts resulted in flawless creations but well, that’s just not how it is.

Well, this is going to be that kind of post. You see, I’ll tell you what I did and then I’ll show you what happened. You may enjoy the laugh! – Continue Reading

Am I natural baker?

Um, NO.

Do I try? Do I make an effort?

Absolutely.

Am I also humble enough to admit when I fail?

Yep.

Am I will to persevere and keep trying?

Usually.

Case in point: streusel topped coffee cake. I’ve always loved those streusel topped coffee cakes that you get from the grocery store. The crunchy bits on the top are my favourite. What I didn’t like was how sweet the store bought coffee cakes were. The excessive use of sugar seemed to overwhelm all the other flavours in the coffee cake. – Continue Reading

Allow me to introduce you to my first ever batch of chocolate pudding. It’s not something I’ve ever considered making until I saw the recipe on the back of the Let’s Do Organic Cornstarch box. As it so happened, I had all the needed ingredients in my home so I decided to try something new.

Not bad, right?

Here’s the original recipe off the box of Let’s Do Organic Cornstarch: – Continue Reading

Remember those thumbprint cookies? You don’t? Here, I’ll remind you. When I finally perfected the recipe and the process, this is what they looked like:

In the early days when I was first learning how to make thumbprint cookies, they looked a little different.

UghI made so many batches that I still get shivers when I make thumbprint cookies. I’ll make them for others and can’t even bring myself to eat them anymore. Well then, what am I going to enjoy while others are chomping on those thumbprint cookies and I’m too lazy to dig up another recipe to throw in the oven?

AHA!

Brain blast!

Why not use the same cookie dough and pair it with other ingredients! I have to admit, this is one of my more brilliant moments. – Continue Reading