Monthly Archives: February 2013

Cinnamon Toast for Two

February 24, 2013
Some days I want an extravagant breakfast. Something comforting to leisurely taste and sample different flavors and textures while chatting with friends and family. But then there are days where I want the luxury of a delicious and decadent breakfast, without all the fuss. Sound good? That’s what I thought.

Well here’s how to do it. Start by making a scrumptious cinnamon butter. Make sure you add a pinch of salt at the end, it really enhances the cinnamon! You know how I love salty/sweet! Just try not to lick the spatula, I dare you…
Then you need to spread the butter lovingly all over every nook and cranny of the tender slices of bread. I don’t want to see any spot left unloved here! This is the key to making crisp crusts.















Finally, pop those babies in the hot oven for 10 minutes! Heat under the broiler for a further few minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. It’s as easy as that! One amazing breakfast that’s simple, comforting and SO tasty, you’ll think you don’t deserve it. But honey, you do. Enjoy with some Maple Roasted Bacon or after the Bacon, Egg & Potato Casserole for even more yumminess!







Cinnamon Toast for Two adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Makes 4 slices*


4 slices Bread (I used whole wheat)
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt


Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Mash softened butter with a fork. Dump in the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Stir to completely combine. Try to stop yourself from licking the fork. Just me? Okay.

Spread evenly on the slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges. Don’t neglect the corners!

Place toast on a cookie sheet or tin with a roasting rack. Place cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch carefully, as they go from golden to black in a matter of seconds!

Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally. Enjoy greedily with someone who is so lucky to to know you.

*This recipe is easily doubled etc.
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Bacon, Cheddar & Scallion Muffins

February 10, 2013
I told you a few weeks ago that I had been keeping a secret. Next week, we’re adding a new member to our little family! He’s an 8-week old Shiba Inu pup and I cannot wait to finally meet him! Here’s a little sneak peek of our little man:
I’m a bit nervous about having to solely care for another living, breathing thing. I have been known to kill plants quite quickly. I think my husband is hoping it will be good practice for a potential tiny human in the future. (Yikes!).
But through all the planning of what toys to buy, which collar he needs and where is the closest dog-friendly pub (VERY important!), I still need my baking time to just relax. With all this dog talk, all I could think about was bacon. I know it’s weird but just go with it okay?
Every once in a while I have to put my sweet tooth on hold (This means: I feel guilty). It’s not very often but I do enjoy the occasional break from all things sugary and rich (No I don’t but I feel guilty). What better way to break the sugar rush than with a savory bake? (Did someone say bacon?) These muffins are phenomenal. I don’t say that lightly. Packed full of bacon and scallions and rippled with creamy cheddar cheese, they’re a perfect companion to any breakfast or lunch. Or even better, a great midnight snack. You will definitely find me sneaking one of these late night to satisfy that naughty salt craving. Don’t forget the butter!
Bacon, Cheddar & Scallion Muffins
Makes 12
8 rashers of streaky bacon
60g or 1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoon fresh scallions, finely cut
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
3 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350°F, grease or line your muffin tin with papers.
Fry the bacon until it is well cooked and slightly crispy, set aside to cool. Meanwhile, melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
Put the dry ingredients in a large bowl and fluff up slightly with a fork. Make a well in the centre of the bowl.
Place egg and milk in a small bowl and whisk. Pour the egg and milk mix and the butter into the well in your dry mix and combine using a wooden spoon.
Add the cheese, scallions and bacon and mix with a spoon so that it is distributed evenly.
Place even scoops of mixture in your muffin tins (you can top with a little extra grated cheese if you like extra cheesiness!) and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a skewer can be removed cleanly.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. I really enjoy these muffins still slightly warm from the oven with a slathering of salty butter! Yum! Happy brunching!
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Lover’s Scones: Dark Chocolate Chunk & Cherry

February 2, 2013
I have had an incredibly stressful week. Last weekend my husband went into the hospital with really bad stomach pains and came out five days later, sans appendix, with a sleep deprived woman who slightly resembled his wife (like I said, I was stressed!). Thankfully, he is doing fine and well enough to play Xbox, which I know is the everyone’s first rational thought when leaving the hospital. But after all the craziness, I knew I needed to come back down to earth, get back to normal and bake.

It took me a while to decide what I wanted, rather needed to bake. Pinterest had been saturated with all things heart shaped, and shades of red and pink. While those things are very cute and lovely, I wanted something different. Something that didn’t scream, “I’m so cute, please don’t eat me!”. I wanted, “I’m so warm and gooey don’t you want to devour me whole?”. It got me thinking, with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, what better excuse than to make something romantic, seductive and mouthwatering? For me, it’s not a necessarily an overly sweet chocolate dessert. Nothing screams romance to me like an early morning breakfast in bed.

These scones are perfect to share with someone you love. They’re not too sweet and are speckled with rich chunks of dark chocolate and peppered with pops of sweet, ruby red cherries. I made them really big, so it gives you the perfect excuse to bring one to bed and share it for breakfast early in the morning. You won’t be disappointed.

Giant Dark Chocolate & Cherry Scones adapted from Baking Glory
Makes 6 scones for two

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced in four
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
Sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 400° F.

Wash your cherries, remove the pits and cut them in quarters.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In another small bowl, mix the buttermilk and egg together.
To the flour mixture add the cubed butter and using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the dough is crumbly.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix well using a fork or wooden spoon. Add the cherries and chocolate chunks to the dough and roughly mix everything together so that it’s nicely incorporated.

Turn the dough over onto a floured surface, and form the dough into a round disk. Cut the dough into 6 triangles and dust with sugar.

Place the scones onto a greased baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.

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