Keira-anne.com

If someone wanted to pay me to stay in the kitchen all day to bake, create, cook, chop, simmer, roast, blend, decorate, sprinkle, melt and frost simply for fun, I’d happily accept. Until that day, I do it for nothing more than spreading joy to people I appreciate through tantalizing treats. Food brings everyone together.

Martha knows what’s what when it comes to cookies, but I took a shot at her Rosemary Butter Cookies with a little bit of skepticism.

As a kid, I was constantly sneaking butter and sugar from the bowl when my mom made cookies.

Using fresh and real ingredients is a must. I picked organic rosemary over dried. I should also take this opportunity to remind you that margarine has no place in the kitchen. It is, in my opinion, a sacrilege in creating cuisine.

After forming the dough into two logs, I rolled and wrapped the dough in parchment paper, froze the logs for an hour before brushing in egg whites and sugar. With the dough frozen, making delicate slices was simple with a good utility knife.

After a quick trip to the oven, these sweetly crusted cookies danced perfectly with the rosemary and coarse salt inside. Simply amazing.

Next up was a big tray of ooey-gooey brownies laced with walnuts. Melting butter is a step I enjoy, simply because it means I don’t need to give my arm a workout by whipping solid butter into a sugary fluff.

Brownies are one of the easiest things to make, so after blending the rest of the ingredients in a bowl (ingredients most of us already have in our kitchens), the tray made its way to the oven.

While I’m sure they would’ve been great as-is, I was of the opinion that a wispy layer of chocolate frosting certainly couldn’t hurt. Spreading it on when the brownies are still warm is much more conducive to an even layer.

Santa managed to nearly triple the number of baking supplies and tools in my possession, including some Wilton stencils. Using a flour sifter, I dusted these designs onto the set frosting.

Don’t you wish some blogs were scratch and sniff?

Sit back in your chair, clear your mind and breathe deeply. Now ask yourself the following question:

“Does anything in these three pictures appeal to me?”

Photo: Conductive on Flickr

Photo: Jaako on Flickr

Photo: Aaron Landry on Flickr

That’s what I thought. I’ve spent all afternoon boxing up more of my life (and tossing other parts of my life) and will be moving out of this apartment in exactly one week. It’s a bit of a juggle as I have to move all my belongings out of my apartment and into storage in the basement on the 29th, and then move it all again into a truck on the 1st to set up my new apartment.

Here’s where your chance to score some good karma for yourself comes in…

Next Sunday afternoon, I need some strong arms to help me take a few loads down the elevator to get everything out of my apartment. I’ll be supplying ice cold Island Farms milk and my favourite cookies made of deliciousness from Capers on Robson – they’re to die for!

On Wednesday, April 1, I have a few happy helpers (Rebecca, Angie and Tania) to trek it all to the new place, but one or two more would be even better. There’ll be frosty bottles of beer and piping hot pizza once all’s said and done!

So throw your hand in the air, yell “oi!” and tell me you want to help.

The fire’s still burning, South Park is playing in the background and everyone is in bed but me. Technically it’s Boxing Day, and I couldn’t be more glad that Christmas is over. Normally, it’s one of my most favourite times and days of the year. This Christmas was the exception and I feel far less merry than I normally would.

All was not lost though…

I woke up at 8:00 a.m. to find Charley eagerly licking my face. I think she must know when it’s Christmas and feel the excitement.

After I set the table on Christmas Eve and laid gifts under the tree, Charley marched back and forth, sniffed the presents and laid next to them as if to guard them all. On top of that, she was so eager and full of beans all day today.

My mom created a gorgeous centrepiece for our Christmas meal.

For some reason, “Santa” still spoils me rotten on Christmas this many years later. Among other lovelies, I got a fistful of gift cards, amazing cookbooks and an 8G iPod Nano.

After baking breakfast buns and hopping into a quick shower, I slipped into couture and headed for the kitchen. Taking over the turkey dinner reigns from my mom was something I welcomed with open arms a few years back.

On the menu? Three-day buns, turkey, stuffing, applesauce, buttermilk mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, yams, red cabbage, carrots and sweet gherkin pickles.

I was fortunate enough to have my longtime friend Rebecca join us for Christmas dinner this year. Her and her bottle of red wine were a welcome sight at my front door this evening.

After packing in a full meal, we all still managed to find some room for sweet goodies and tempting treats. My peanut butter cup cookies were the first to go!

Sending love and holiday wishes from Dawson Creek, Trevor and Laura (and baby Mellis – 6 months!) modeled their new Christmas threads for us.

Despite what could have been, there were still shimmery glimmers of goodness throughout my day, and everyone at my dinner table was someone that I love.

Perhaps I feel anticlimactic, perhaps I’m just getting older or perhaps life has jaded me somewhat. The one day I feel is always filled with magic instead seemed empty, void and not unlike an unfinished painting. I’d like to say “here’s to a better Christmas in 2009,” but instead here’s hoping for an entirely different Christmas…

My weekend, much like every other, was full of activity and over way too soon. True, it’s only Sunday morning, but I’ve done so much since Friday after work that nothing sounds more appealing at this point than staying in bed watching Deadwood all day.

On Friday evening, I swung by to pick up Jenny before hitting Urban Fare for delicious raw eats. After taking 30 seconds to glam up, we made our way to meet up with a few friends as we’d all been invited to the Lotus Sound Lounge to hear the birthday girl, being Phaedra, at the decks. Anyone who knows me knows that I just do not go out. Take-out, wine and movies will always win, hands down. But in all honesty, it was actually great to get out with a few close friends, burn the garlic off my tongue with some vodka and catch up.

She’s amazing, by the way.

Which one of us is the other Boleyn girl? You decide.

Raul was definitely out to have a good time.

Peanut’s still in my charge until sometime this evening, and make no mistake about it: three dogs is a huge handful! Somehow I’ve manage to avoid complete chaos, and I’m so thankful that he, Benji and Casey all get along really well. Saturday’s forecasted rain managed to hold off long enough, so Susan and I made a quick stop at Starbucks before taking the Goof Troop (as I affectionately like to call them) to Trout Lake Park for a walk and a chance to run around and stretch out their little legs.

All three were exhausted after and fell asleep in the car. I tried to snap this picture before they woke, but just seconds before I turned my camera on, Peanut had his eyes closed and his chin rested on the edge of the seat, Benji was sleeping so neatly like a little gentleman and Casey had passed out with his chin resting on Benji’s back. It was perfect.

The only unplanned surprise of the weekend was a tea date with Becky. Being that she was in the neighbourhood for DrupalCamp, we made an impromptu visit to Farfalla for my favourite cookies. In fact, just looking at this photo has me convinced I may need to go grab another one (or two) today. Bad, I know.

I had one more commitment to keep before I could call the rest of the weekend my own. A few years ago, when I’d broken up with a now ex, it didn’t take me long to discover that spending time dancing my little heart out at Celebrities was a cure-all for getting over jackasses. I met some really fantastic guys who adored me and yet didn’t try to take me home at the end of the night – the most desirable balance.

My good friend Andrew was turning 29 (for the first time – really), and wanted to get friends together for the evening. The plan was to start at the Atlantic Trap and Gill on Davie (being that he’s from the east coast) and finish up at Celebrities. The truth is, after the previous night, I couldn’t have felt further from wanting to go out, but I really wanted to see some special friends that I hadn’t spent time with in a long while. I decided to ditch Celebrities but show face at the Trap and Gill, and nursed bottles of San Pellegrino with lime all night instead.

The highlight of my evening was definitely my reunion with my dear friend Stathi, whom I hadn’t seen in forever. We used to get together all the time on Saturday nights when everyone else was going out to Celebrities, and stay in with food and movies instead. It’s a national tragedy that a chiseled Greek man, so beautiful, is so…untouchable. Such is life. Le sigh.

So what have we learned from my weekend re-cap? Just that Deadwood and chocolate-dipped espresso shortbread cookies are the focuses of my Sunday.

Today, I did a whole lot of nothing. I didn’t think I’d have anything to write about, and as I type this, I still really don’t. But you’re here and I’m here and you’re already reading anyways, so let’s go with the flow, shall we?

It’s been raining in Vancouver all day. I stayed in bed until 11:00 a.m. and awoke only to do nothing. That, and listen to new wave music while eating last night’s pizza.

I ventured to Shopper’s Drug Mart, and I swear I could spend a fortune there every single day if I had the means to. I also bought my dinner for tonight. This is what it looked like before I cooked it:

And here’s the after:

The roll magically appeared. If you’re curious, I tosssed the vegetables with organic olive oil and sea salt and roasted them in the oven to maintain their nutrient value. Why the plate full of veggies?

Thursday dinner: Tandoori chicken pizza
Friday lunch: Tandoori chicken pizza
Friday dinner: Hawaiian pizza
Saturday lunch: Hawaiian pizza

Enough said.

You know what I love about rainy days? The aforementioned “doing nothing.” I’m wearing my Roots thermals (which, Jack, were made in Canada, thank you very much…unlike my Roots leg warmers which were made in China so we both win), made some hot apple cider and wrote out some more Christmas cards.

This is my Christmas card writing station:

Soon after I retired to my cozy couch for a little “keeping warm” without the heater on…

You’d be amazed at how much heat those little tealight candles can radiate.

I really want to bake cookies right now but there is no butter to be found in my apartment. Does anyone want to bring me butter?

You know what I’m excited about? This:

My hair is addicted to Tonic. The bottle on the right, which is now empty, was purchased two months ago. Bumble and Bumble had decided to change the formula for their Tonic and made it smell much less like tea tree oil. Problem for me because I adore tea tree oil. The bottle on the left I purchased on Thursday night and guess what? The old formula’s back! Yes!

I’m going to bed pretty soon because my alarm clock will be going off around 4:30. I’m leaving again at 6:00 a.m. to go to the States with Susan. I’m going to join 2005 and get some Uggs. As much as I adore my mukluks, they’ve really worn through and it’s time for some new warm winter boots. Plus they’re ridiculously cheaper at Nordstrom.

Stay tuned for tomorrow night. I will probably post a picture of myself in my new Uggs, some (maybe) new panties and…a scarf? Who knows?

——————————————————

Since I’m already in the middle of an arguably narcissistic post, I’d like to point out that my birthday is exactly two weeks from tomorrow. I’ve never been much of one for birthdays, but I’ve decided that I want mine this year to be really special. I have already bought a pretty party dress that shows off my legs that, let’s be honest, really don’t quit. I want to feel like a princess and I might even wear a tiara. I don’t want to go out and party. I want to eat a ridiculously good dinner with a whole bunch of fantastic friends. I want to drink some deliciously divine wine. I want to laugh the entire time. I want to eat a huge piece of sinful birthday cake.

You know why? I deserve it.

Dreamy Pink Balloons graciously provided by Pink Sherbert Photography on Flickr

At the end of July, Tony and I debated over beers. “Nestle Tollhouse Morsels make the best chocolate chip cookies, hands down!” I said.

Photo courtesy of Duane Storey (um, I think!)

“No way…a chocolate chip is a chocolate chip. I bet you couldn’t even tell the difference between different ones,” was his reply.

And so the challenge began.

Not long after Tony returned to L.A., a package arrived for me in the mail. In that packaged I found four Ziploc bags, each containing chocolate chips and marked A, B, C, and D, respectively. My challenge was to bake cookies with the four different kinds of chips and decide whether I could tell the difference.

Let me preface this by saying that, after purchasing said chocolate chips, Tony admitted that “Well, they do actually look different. Maybe you will be able to tell them apart.”

Tonight I dragged Becky over to my apartment and executed the challenge. Here’s what happened.

Check out my Flickr for more photos.

Becky and I rated the four different chocolate chips in three different categories. We each ate a chocolate chip on its own, within the dough and then finally within the baked product. Each chip was given a score out of 10 by each of us in each of the three categories, and in the end, the scores out of ten were added up and chocolate chip “B” emerged as the winner by only a couple points.

Chocolate chip “D” was the loser, but with its odd flavour, Becky and I were convinced that Tony may have doused it in an illegal substance. Okay, maybe not, but “D” was weird. Chocolate chip “A” won a special award for Biggest Overall Improvement. It did worst out of all four chips in the stand-alone area, but within dough and within the baked cookie, it made leaps and bounds. In fact, within a cookie it tasted much like the cookies used to taste at Subway back when Subway cookies were actually good.

Tony, you need to post a comment and share with all of us which of A, B, C, and D really were. That is, of course, if you remembered to write down what you sent me.

And last but not least, in the spirit of all things “cookie,” here’s a flashback to the 80s with the girls of Troop Beverly Hills singing “Cookie Time.”

Video courtesy of YouTube