On books and magic moments

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by Lauren | Celiac Teen on August 31, 2010

In a few days I start my last year of high school. I will officially be in grade twelve as soon as I pick up my books, get my timetable and have my ID card photo taken. Truly though, this final year started the moment that grade eleven finished. The second I took my report card and stepped out through the handful of doors at the entrance with friends by my side and laughter in the background, I knew a new year had started. A change entered the air. We were here. We have the power to change, to decide, to make this year unforgettable. Regardless of what happens, I know I won’t forget it. I already haven’t. Maybe I’ll figure out where I’m going. Maybe I’ll be elated, maybe there will be drama (gosh I hope not). I do know that it will be a year filled with memories, bittersweet moments and final celebrations. But for now, we’re starting. I’m starting. Summer always floats by; all too fast, yet we’re always ready when it ends. This one went more smoothly though. It pushed straight into the most eye-opening, memory-filled and magical vacation I’ve ever experienced. Then it slowed down. It became calm and beautiful and simple. I started things, some just for myself and some to share with you.

Being at that crossroads between my (likely) last completely carefree summer and the final, most important year of school (well, this type of school), adrenaline is flowing. I don’t want to analyze it too much. I don’t want to miss out on being there. I want to notice the way the light shines in our classrooms. I want to notice the way our classes interact. I want to notice and honour the work of my teachers. I want to learn. I want to eat well. Most of all though, I want to enjoy this year with my friends. Both those near and far. Both those online and in person. That’s what it’s all about right? The people. Those around us. Those that make the moments worthwhile. I won’t lie – I write (and bake/cook/photograph) for myself; for the love and passion for it. But you guys? You make it about a thousand times more worth it. Thank you for being a part of this year. It will be amazing. It already is. [more…]

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Vanilla Rooibos Ice Cream & Brown Butter Cake

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by Lauren | Celiac Teen on August 27, 2010

It’s daring baker’s time again.  Oh yes.  This month, my dear friend Elissa is hosting (double-hosting, actually!), so I knew that it would be good.  Although we weren’t over the moon about the finished baked alaska, I fell in love with ice cream.  I may have only given my family a spoonful of the two batches I made.  Heaven?  Oh yes.  The brown butter cake?  Yeah.  Anything with brown butter steals my heart and this was no exception!  Moist, kept well, and my brother asked for many seconds.

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

But really, that ice cream. I can’t talk it up enough. David Lebovitz is a genius. It was heaven and (even though I don’t have an ice cream maker) it came out beautifully each time. Will I be making it again? You bet. Actually, if my parents weren’t on an elimination diet right now (I don’t want to be mean), I would have made a handful more batches this month. When school is back in, I’ll have that option, but there is still a few days left of the freedom of summer, so I’m going to soak it up :) .
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Plum Quinoa Cake

Thumbnail image for Plum Quinoa Cake August 25, 2010

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. In the case of this cake, it couldn’t be truer. We had a huge bag of gorgeously ripe plums, begging to spill their juices. Mom and I were going to a food blogger potluck the next day, so I had to make something that night. We [...]

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Baking with Cheryl

Thumbnail image for Baking with Cheryl August 20, 2010

The clouds stared down. I threw on a rain jacket just in case. With my backpack filled to the brim with flours and a never-touched-gluten rolling pin, I was off. Cheryl and I were going to bake. Weeks ago, we discovered that we lived only a handful of blocks apart, so a baking date was [...]

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Kitchen Flops and Disasters

Thumbnail image for Kitchen Flops and Disasters August 16, 2010

We’ve all been there. A cake that didn’t set. A bread that masqueraded brilliantly well as a rock. A sweet that was missing sugar. Maybe it was our mistake, maybe it was the recipe’s fault, but either way, they happen. They mark our memories, rearing their heads to teach us lessons and give us more [...]

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Gluten-Free Pierogi

Thumbnail image for Gluten-Free Pierogi August 14, 2010

Oh yes.  Gluten-free pierogi.  This recipe was so well-loved by my family that I made it twice in 3 days.  I rolled some thicker, some thinner, and it all went together flawlessly.  The taste was even better.  Everyone enjoyed them and my brother’s voice fell in the way only a fourteen-year-old boy’s can when I [...]

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Playing with Your Food

Thumbnail image for Playing with Your Food August 11, 2010

When conjuring up images of playing with my food, I inevitably think of someone aimlessly twirling their fork or a toddler sitting in a high chair with strands of spaghetti worming out of his clutched hands as he eats it for the first time. The sauce that ends up all over, on his face, forehead, [...]

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Brown Butter Panna Cotta

Thumbnail image for Brown Butter Panna Cotta August 6, 2010

When I found out that my friend Elissa was hosting this month‘s sugar high fridays (created by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess), I couldn’t pass it up. The moment I read “brown butter” as the theme, my mind was swimming with ideas and possibilities. Sure, I could do a cake or pie, but I wanted [...]

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Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes

Thumbnail image for Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes July 30, 2010

When pancakes come up, especially in July, there is only one thing that comes to mind.  Pancake breakfasts.  That all-important element of the Calgary Stampede.  But what if you’re out of town (raises hand), or want those memories to be evoked another time of year?  These ones did it.  They were fluffy and comforting and [...]

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Nut Butters for Daring Cooks

Thumbnail image for Nut Butters for Daring Cooks July 24, 2010

Have you ever wondered about the mysteries of your jar of peanut butter? What about the more exciting nut butters – almond, cashew, walnut? The truth is that they’re all made in the same way, often on a mass scale with additions that I shy away from. Nuts are sweet on their own, so I [...]

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