I had made these shortbread a couple of days ago in honour of Canada and the start of the Olympics. But things got busy and truthfully I could really think of anything but Go Canada to really write. Until today. When a lovely American citizen provided me with some fuel for my blog.

I was walking through the parking lot of Trader Joe’s today. Now if you are not familiar with Trader Joe’s, it’s a little more on the hippie side of things so I was a little taken back with what was said to me. I was wearing jeans, a Flames sweatshirt, and a Team Canada hat (pictured above ironically). When all of a sudden I hear some guy shout, “Fuck Canada and your hockey team, USA all the way!” He was pointing to my hat. I stood there thinking for a few seconds, deciding if I had enough time in my day to waste by engaging in conversation with this man. There were lots of witnesses so I thought, what the heck.

I smiled politely at the man. I said, “I take it you are a Team USA fan?” In which I got a “hell yeah I am”. So I followed up with “then who is your favorite player on the team?”

His reply? “Sidney Crosby”

My smile got even bigger. I told the guy that I hoped Sidney Crosby’s team would win the gold as well and left. I went on my merry little way picking up my brown rice sushi, almond milk, and Black Toad beer (seriously good stuff)

Now if you are confused as to why I find this funny, then you don’t know hockey. If you do know who Sidney Crosby is, then you probably are already laughing at this point in the story. See non-hockey following folks or those who live in non-hockey caves, Sidney Crosby plays for…wait for it….Team Canada.

I have several people ask me why I don’t bake that much with maple syrup. Very simple answer. I eat it. These cookies are case in point. They were like little mini, melt in your mouth, maple goodness. I swear I ate 10 (more like 30 shhhhh) in the blink of an eye. I tried to freeze them to stop me from eating them. Only to learn, I like them even better when they are frozen (just like I do with Thin Mints). So I quickly pushed them off on as many people as I could think of.

They do make a nice snack while you watch that fine American, Sidney Crosby, oh wait….., play ice hockey.

Go Team Canada Maple-Pecan Shortbread Rounds

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
½ cup cake flour (not self-rising)
½ tsp salt
½ cup pecan halves (about 2 ¼ ounces), finely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
¼ cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B
1 large egg yolk
¼ tsp pure maple extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten
about 30 pecan halves to top cookies with (optional)

In a medium bowl, sift flours and salt. Whisk in chopped pecans, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about two minutes.

Add the maple syrup, egg yolk, and extract; beat on medium speed until well combined.

On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined.

Dough should be smooth and pliable. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, 1 ½ hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut out rounds using a two-inch cookie cutter; place one inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg;  place a pecan half in the middle.

Bake cookies, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to four days.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Cookies by Martha Stewart

So Valentine’s Day is upon us. If your lucky to have someone in your life romantically speaking, then chances are you are pro V-day. But if you don’t have anyone special, then chances are you are anti V-day. And though it sucks to have no one special in your life, I feel there is one more place that is harder to be at on Valentine’s Day then alone….

Purgatory (it’s not just for dead people anymore). Valentine Purgatory is a killer.

My friend M asked for my advice this week. See he is in Valentine Purgatory. He’s been on about 5 dates with the girl he is currently with. So new, but not super new. And just enough along that he knows he is in the shitter if he doesn’t do something to recognize the holiday.
If he goes over too much he risks sending the wrong message of “I love you”. Which he doesn’t. Too little and you could risk her thinking you are not that into her. Which he claims he is. Well, he actually said, “She’s cool. Sometimes funny, but not always. Really nice rack, really nice. Can I buy her something to show that off or is that rude (I’m going to interject and say thank goodness he asked me questions or I fear what she would have gotten)? Most of the time she doesn’t irritate me.” So I’m not totally sold on him liking her but I’m going with it.

Now some say you have to spend a ton on Valentine’s Day to really say something. Out to dinner, flowers, diamonds, etc…But to be honest, to this day my most favorite Valentine cost the guy about $15. It was my college sweetheart, so he didn’t have much money (as we were saving that for beer). What did he get me you ask? A solid chocolate heart. Big deal, right? Except that this was not regular heart. It was not something he just swung by Walgreen’s to pick up on the way to see me. This was ordered from a catalog. This was not just a chocolate heart, but an anatomically correct (one pound) solid Chocolate Heart (he was pre-med). It cost him about $15 with cost of shipping. But what was great about it besides the humor was that he had to put thought into it. He had to think about it and had to order it in time for it to get there. Aka, he showed he cared. The other thing that he came with that was a poem. Not some sappy rainbows and lollipops crappy poem (though there’s nothing wrong with that if you are into it). It was more along the lines of Dr. Suess. The neat thing was that it was of things we had done so far as a couple (which was only 4 months at the time). Which was really cool because he remembered far more things than I did. Now, as the years went on, he did more poems, but the first one was still the best. It wasn’t forced. It’s not that I forced him to write them. He just knew that I loved the first one and I think wanted to keep doing it. But it was sadly never the same.

So what did I tell M to get her, flowers. Yeah, I know, the prices are jacked up this time of year. First off, don’t buy roses. Red ones send the wrong message. Pink is just wimpy. And yellow…whatever you do, don’t give a girl you want to see naked “just friend” colored flowers. Go for unique flowers. Gerber daisies are bright and happy. Stargazer lilies are pretty (especially a cool color like orange or something like that). Tulips are coming into season. Think out of the box. We picked up a really cool little antique vase at a shop in our little area. Since they are just an antique shop the prices were cheap and not jacked up for the holiday. I think it was $4 for the vase, and it’s a kick ass vase. He’s going with Hyacinths, Irises and Tulips. Though there is some pink in there, it’s still cool. Clearly enough to get him laid.

To honour Valentine Purgatory I made what I am calling I Like You a Latte Coffee and Cream Brownie Cakes. Cake-like espresso brownies with cream cheese swirl, baked into individual square muffin pans. Hopefully you have someone you like a latte in your life to make them for. And remember that it’s not the cost of the gift that matters, but the meaning behind it.

A Like You a Latte Coffee and Cream Brownie Cakes

For the Swirl:
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
¼  cup sugar
1 large egg
1 TBSP all purpose flour

For the Brownies:
6 ounces sweet baking chocolate (I used semisweet), chopped
3 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
½  cup sugar
2 large eggs
½  cup all purpose flour
½  tsp baking powder
¼  tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp espresso powder
½  cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips (for top)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 8-inch square nonstick baking pan or muffin pans.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in medium bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in egg. Mix in flour, and vanilla. Set mixture aside.

Stir baking chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar, espresso powder, and eggs in large bowl until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt.

Mix in chocolate mixture and vanilla extract. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Spread half of chocolate batter (about 1 ¼  cups) in prepared pan. Using rubber spatula, spread cream cheese mixture over chocolate batter. Spoon remaining chocolate batter over top of cream cheese mixture.

If using muffin tins, use ½ scoop of an ice cream scoop of batter. Spoon cream cheese on top.  Using rubber spatula, spread cream cheese mixture over chocolate batter. Spoon remaining chocolate batter over top of cream cheese mixture.

Using tip of knife, gently swirl through batter, forming marble design. Top with milk chocolate chips.

Bake brownies until tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 25-30 minutes. They take about just as long in the muffin tins as well, but check around the 22 minute mark.

I must admit that after goats, my favorite people to feed are the moaners and the Oh My God-ers (I’m talking about food here people…although…). Oh and if you can find a goat that moans…WOW, you are in ultimate luck.

Call it my need for positive reinforcement , but I absolutely love when someone bites into my food and either moans, or yums, or says OMG. Just like in other areas of your life (ummm), when someone is moaning or saying Oh My God you know good things are happening and you are doing things right. I like to do things right. I call it my need to be an A student.

A couple weeks back I gave a referee I was working with a brownie. I didn’t get to see him eat it as I had to leave but the next few times I saw him he commented on how much he liked it. This is also acceptable. I happened to have some peanut butter bars with me that night and gave him one. The other ref looked sad that he didn’t get any so I gave him some too. The one ref just stuck it is his mouth and that was that. Not even a thank you. The other ref however made the foodgasm noise (if you cook for people you know the noise I am talking about). I immediately let him know that if he would just email me before he works (since I never know what ref I’m going to get) that if I had treats at home, I would bring him some the night that he worked with me.

The other ref piped up with something about what about him. I told him that he could do that as well, but that I preferred feeding C because he seemed to really enjoy my food. Now, I know that not everyone is vocal. But let me tell you something, if you want to get treats from foodies, be nice and throw them a moan or two if you really like what they make. Now don’t go faking (never girls), make sure it’s a genuine food moan. Be heard people…be loud and proud.

From time to time I ask random people, usually while I am sitting around getting my allergy shots, what they would like to see on a baking blog/in a cookbook. One woman told me that she loved cinnamon rolls and loved cheesecake and if I could somehow combine the two that she would erect a shrine in my honour.
Well, bust out the Swedish Fish (I want my shrine made of Swedish Fish) because here you go. Many, many years back a reader sent me the recipe I adapted this from. It wasn’t hers. She doesn’t even know where she got it from, so I don’t really know who to give credit to.

It really is half cinnamon roll and half cheesecake. The bottom puffs up and is bread-like. The cheesecake, is well, cheesecake. I suggest that you use a strong cinnamon (I used Red Ape) to really get the cinnamon filling flavor to shine through. And of course, it’s topped with Cream Cheese Frosting. Ummm, can you say foodgasm. MMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon Roll Batter:
2/3 cup white sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
½  cup whole milk
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Cheesecake filling:

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 TBSP flour
3 eggs

Cinnamon Filling:

1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 TBSP cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
milk (if needed to thin frosting)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9-inch Springform pan.

Cinnamon Roll Batter:
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add egg, milk,  and vanilla. Beat for another minute. Scrape down bowl.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the sifted and creamed ingredients together. Mix on low speed until throughly combined.

Spread half of the batter onto the bottom of the Springform pan. It will be sticky and thick so spray your hands with baking spray and press down. It will be a thin layer, but trust me it will rise up during baking.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

Add the vanilla and flour and beat for another minute.

Pour all of the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon roll batter that is in the prepared pan.

Cinnamon Filling:

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon filling over the entire top of the cheesecake.

Take the rest of the base batter and drop spoonfuls over the entire top of cheesecake. Once finished, take a knife to swirl the ingredients together. This is hard to do as the batter is pretty thick, just do what you can.

Bake for about 50-55 minutes, cake will be puffy and lightly browned. Let chill for 20 minutes at room temperature and then cover and move to fridge for 4 hours. Remove cake and let it warm up to room temperature just a bit. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat until desired consistency is reached. If too thick, thin out with milk.

The month of love is upon us and so I thought it would be best to spread some of the wonderful knowledge obtained over the years in the locker room. Don’t panic men of the world, not spilling secrets, just helping you out on a few things (I promise).

Men are not into the details. They just don’t think this way.

If you ever watched the movie Legally Blonde there is a great scene where the lead character Elle is asking about her shoes. “Don’t stomp your little last season Prada shoes at me, honey” is what the gay guy says to her about her shoes. Turns to her straight ex and asks what kind of shoes am I wearing…he says “black”. Your husband or boyfriend may be trained by now, I mean even my husband can pick out a Coach bag (though he could not tell you if it was real or fake) but overall, men are just not paying attention.

Before you go off saying that if he loved you or heck even liked you he would notice. Yeah, not so much. In some ways this is good and you should go with it (think back to all the times you have said “this old thing” and gotten away with it). First off, if your husband/boyfriend is bad about not noticing what outfit you wore on your first date that you had 7 years ago, you should just be happy that after 7 years have gone by you are still together. Nagging on him because he didn’t remember you were wearing the red Marc Jacobs dress with the small slit down the right leg with the T-strap nude heels really doesn’t get anywhere.
And if he does remember the outfit, it’s more likely just how your boobs looked in it, than the outfit itself. But really what are you gaining? Do you love him more because you remember he was wearing a black cashmere sweater, white button down J. Crew shirt (that no doubt some ex-girlfriend bought him), and jeans?

Some may find it unromantic but I have lists. Amazon.com. Anthropologie. Tiffany’s(a girl can hope). Nordstrom’s…they all have wish lists with my name on them. This takes stress away from my husband. He appreciates it greatly. I get what I want and am therefore happy. I am happy, therefore he is happy. He has lists too. I greatly appreciate it as well.

I recently forgot this rule. I forgot that men don’t take big giant, giant, in your face everyday for over two years hints.
Case in point. I have a small love of Louis Vuitton handbags. I own a couple. I always want more in my consumer driven life. So for over two years I had what I thought was a decent sized picture of the Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Hampstead PM hanging up on my cork board which hangs over my computer. In the computer room. That we both share. Clearly he would have caught on. As a woman I would think so. As a man, no. And I should have remembered that.
When we came into some bonus money I had made a comment/joke(though truth in humor) about how he should get me my purse now.
“What purse?” What purse I thought to myself, giving him the lovely WTF look.
“The purse in the picture above my computer.”

 He stared.

“How long has that been up there?”
“Over two years.” 
“Really?”
Needless to say, I own that purse now. The hints did not work. Hints never work. Stop hinting ladies.

Women, however are good at taking hints. So when my friend R started to reminisce about a bread pudding I had made for him and his friends a few months back I knew what he really meant was, please make us some bread pudding. So I did. Though I made it in a flavor I wanted. Brown sugar with apples and a nice toffee sauce.
We all know I love bread pudding and this one is no exception. I added a little Lyle’s Golden Syrup and it added a nice caramely flavor to it. Mmmm. So very good.

 Brown Sugar-Apple Crossiant Bread Pudding with Toffee Sauce

4 large croissants or 6 small ones
1 pint heavy cream
4 egg yolks
¼ cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup apples, diced (you could probably used dried as well)
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F

Tear the croissants into pieces. Place half of them onto bottom of a prepared baking dish (buttered 8-x-x8).

Sprinkle bread evenly with ½ cup raisins and ½ cup apples.

Mix the egg yolks, brown sugar, Lyle’s Golden Syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Then stir in the heavy cream. Whisk until thoroughly combined.

Pour ½  the custard over the bread. Press down the bread pieces until the bread is soaked with the custard.

Place remaining bread on top of the soaked bread. Then sprinkle with remaining apples and raisins. Pour the remaining custard over and again, press down on the bread pieces until they are soaked with the custard.

You will most likely have extra custard depending on how stale your crossiants are. Don’t feel like you have to use all the custard.

Place pan into another pan that will hold a water bath. Bake the bread pudding for 45 minutes until golden on top. Cool 10 minutes and serve warm.

Toffee Sauce

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup whipping cream

Stir brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add cream and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve over bread pudding warm.