The Comfort of Things

Cozy. Comforting. Words that fill me with the feeling that everything will be alright, that soon, this will pass, and there will be something just around the corner to excite and rejuvenate us. It is human nature to gravitate towards those things which make us comfortable, and it is often during times when we are so close to the end, the end of high school for me, and near the end of living on Bowen for our family, that we need a little reminder of these things to keep us motivated to keep going until that moment of change. In my last post I began by reminding myself of a few things that I love about living on an island, and some of the memories of growing up in a rural, peaceful environment. Here is a list, one that you can easily start for yourself, that helps us all to return to who we are, remember what we love, and importantly, what brings us a love and energy as well as inspiration in our lives.

As always, we should have something to encourage us, to bring us happiness and joy, comfort, peace, and the sense that we have something to fall back on when we need it. This list, and the things I thought of in the process of writing it, has done just that. I got the idea from a blog by Moorea Seal, and just had to make one for myself! Hopefully you can make one too to help you do the same.                      

A LIST OF MY GREATEST COMFORTS

Walking outside at night under a full moon, the quiet

Hearing the purr of the cat 

Bowen's best Signature hot chocolate

Dipping toes into a soapy hot bath

Having a bright bouquet of flowers in the house

Lying on the deck under the warm sun

When someone brings a cup of tea to you in bed

Feeling sort of proud after a blog post

Finding a perfect dress in a cute boutique

Warm gluten free chocolate chip cookies {my favourite recipe can be found here}

Driving with the music up, and belting out the words

Getting lost in a daydream

Telling someone your secret

Roadtrips

Fresh peaches and cherries from the Okanagan

Listening to "A Pocket Full of Sunshine"

Seeing my sister in the airport, coming home

Finding a heart in your latte foam

Driving on my scooter when the wind is warm

Racing my dog down the trails

Photos of mum and dad when they were younger

"Good Morning" texts

Standing by the woodstove in winter

Pulling on fuzzy socks in the morning

The book: The Man Who Listens to Horses

Reading something in French

Riding horses

Mum's Eggplant Parmigiano

Wearing Nana's jewellery

Listening to my sister and dad discuss science

Curling up in a nest of blankets and pillows

Hiking

Watching people, and creating stories for them

Writing

Big open fields

Creating lists

Organizing my closet and room

Roasted root vegetables

Pretending I really can sing

Playing board games

Watching "Easy A" with my sister

Biking on Bowen

Rope swings

Sitting on a beach, the waves against the quiet

The first snowfall

Painting my nails

Snuggling my rabbit

Apples taken and eaten right off the tree

Coffee dates with mum

Gluten free granola for breakfast

Big sunglasses

Chocolate desserts

Laughing with friends over an inside joke

Giving someone a hug when they need it

Picking up blue sea glass from the beach

Feeling salty after swimming in the sea

Avocadoes

China tea cups

Remembering funny moments from when we were little 

The feeling of the plane during take-off

Photos of me when I was little

Finishing a novel

Giving someone a handmade gift

Sharing a tub of Haagen Daaz with your best friend

Running through a sprinkler

Spending time with my entire family

Clotted cream tea

Throwing a stick over and over for my dog

Knowing I have a future full of opportunity: travel, friends and exciting new things

...and homemade crème brûlée in the pouring rain.

Classic Vanilla Crème Brûlée

{Print me here}

A creamy, rich dessert with the decadent and simple flavour of vanilla is the perfect dessert, but all dessert is perfect. With such a simple and elegant presentation of both texture and taste, you really can't go wrong serving crème brûlée to guests or family. Everyone loves breaking the hard caramel topping of each pot, and diving into the slightly warmed custard underneath. And it gives everyone the chance to feel as if they're little again, digging for the precious treasure, only this time your taste buds will find it.

{Makes three individual crème brûlée pots}

{Ingredients:}

300 mL heavy cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 egg yolks

75 grams brown sugar, or coconut (palm) sugar

{Directions:}

Preheat the oven to 300° F.

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, warm the cream. Add in the vanilla to the cream and heat until the cream is just about to begin simmering. Remove from the heat.

Set aside the cream and vanilla to infuse for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs yolks and 25 grams of brown sugar. Pour a small amount of the cream into the egg mixture, stirring well, and then add the rest.

Divide the mixture between three ramekins, and place them in a roasting pan. Fill the pan with enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. 

Bake for an hour, or until the crème brûlées are set, with the edges pulling from the edges of the pots and the centre still "wiggly". Remove from the oven and cool slightly, before moving them to the fridge for three hours, or overnight.

Before serving, heat the rest of the brown sugar in a heavy saucepan. It should become darker in colour, and turn to a caramel texture. Remove from the heat quickly, and pour onto a greased baking pan. Be very careful, the caramel is very hot.

Once hardened, peel the cooled caramel from the baking pan, and break the pieces into small chunks into a food processor. Blend finely to small crystals, and sprinkle evenly overtop the set crème brûlées.

Using the broiler setting of the oven, place the crème brûlées with the ground caramel topping under the grill until the crystals melt and turn a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow the topping to harden, then serve.

Enjoy! xx S.

A Pear of Us

I write this sitting on the beach, (I never imagined my iPhone would be so useful) as the dog runs playfully across the white stones and bounds up and over the logs. She's sprayed me a couple of times already in her exuberance and excitement at being out and enjoying the bright blue sky and warmth of the sun. But I don't mind today, I'm not angry.

I've felt this odd sense of calm today, even as I walked through the house it was almost as if I stepped lighter, and freer. And despite being unable to catch the bus because it was full, I was relaxed, and eventually it worked out, I made the ferry, and came home smiling after a walk home. I can't work out whether its from the release of tensions and sweat in a class of hot yoga yesterday, with temperatures at 40°C at least, or perhaps I have finally finished term two in school, and I no longer have the pressures of deadlines weighing down on me. It seemed that everyone else was still caught up in the winter blues, and my acts of small kindness today, smiles and gestures, were unobserved today, or taken the wrong way. Many middle-aged women frowned at me, I was doing everything right, but to them, everything wrong.

However, I kept that out of my mind, and focused on this feeling keeping my spirits uplifted and my mood enlightened. I've never felt such a strong release from exercise than yesterday's class of yoga. The room was packed, and after being led through poses for seventy-five minutes with the instructors calming and assertive voice, everyone could feel beads of sweat forming, and then falling from us. It sounds gross, being stuck in a hot, humid room with many other strangers, but there was also this strange sense of communion and strength in the practice.

I feel the space between my shoulders widen, and the crease of my brow relax. Instead of frowning with the feeling of cold droplets hitting the back of my legs as the dog shakes, I laugh, pick up her stick, and throw it back into the water, watching her bound and leap with energy and motivation.

It does feel like spring, little crocuses have begun to peep up out of the earth in bunches, and small white petals can just be seen unfurling to the flowers still hidden. Pink blossoms on the trees bud out along the branches, bright dashes of pink in contrast to the bleak grasses and grey leafless trees.

I think I might venture back to the yoga studio soon, I'm already missing the heat in this crisp air, and the energy I felt afterward is more than enough to entice me back.

My dog again paws at my legs, and as I turn to her she races down to the waves lapping against the stones,

"Where's your stick?"

I call out, and she pounces upon the wave behind her, swimming in circles looking. She must have seen something because at that moment she dove under the water only to come up with a snort, and a stream of water drained out her mouth. She might be a water springer spaniel, but she hasn't quite perfected her swimming, despite her big webbed feet.

She paces the beach now, still looking for the stick. The stick that sank when I threw it out, still heavy and water-logged from the weeks rain. At least I can see the blue sky again.

At the word 'home' she gets excited all over again, probably expecting that with it comes food. However considering its taken me more than half an hour to cross the length of the beach as I repeatedly pause to continue writing, I'm not surprised she's whining and jumping at me.

The word 'home' also reminds me of cooking dinner tonight, for mum and dad when they come home from last night's date-night in Victoria. I think of dessert first, perhaps pears.

"Okay. Home now,"

I promise, and she speeds up the trail ahead of me before pausing, and bounding right back down to where I am.

Chai Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce
Print recipe here

Have you ever craved something sweet, but been turned off by the richness, as if it's almost too much for that small bite of delectable flavour you've been wishing for all week. These poached pears are the perfect balance of fresh ingredients with a bite of sweetness, and peared (pun intended) with a creamy chocolate sauce, it's the perfect denouement to dinner.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

3 pears, ripe
1 cup water
3/4 cup pure cranberry juice, wine could also be used
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 - 3 tbsp almond milk

Directions:

Peal the skins from the pears, keeping the stem intact.

In a medium sauce pan, pour in water, cranberry juice, and lemon juice along with vanilla, sugar, anise, and the cinnamon stick.

Bring the pot to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.

Very carefully, drop the peeled pears into the pan. Allow it to simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

Toss the pears very gently, and continue to simmer for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and begin making the chocolate sauce.

In a microwaveable dish, combine the chocolate chips and almond milk, heat until completely melted and stir together.

Remove the pears from the pan and set into small individual serving dishes, pour a small amount of the liquid over top, and spoon the chocolate sauce over top.

These pears are delicious when served with vanilla ice cream.

**Note: the juice leftover from poaching the pears can be saved! It makes a delicious warm spiced cranberry chai, just add a little more water and heat over the stove.

Enjoy! xx S.

If Life Throws Snowballs, Sweeten Them!

Ever feel as if the cold of winter wraps it's icy tendrils around everything, and despite the layers of blankets the draft disperses and grows from underneath your skin; winter, in it's stubborn display of the changes to come, the winds and cold, the storms and the crystallised beauty, also wraps you gently at first, comforting and softly, tightening as a cocoon around a caterpillar, with each fibre pushing it's frosty exterior further onto you, freezing to the touch, and never letting go.

Maybe this is why I love winter, it truly is like being wrapped in a forever Snuggy. Forever slippers on your feet, and never thinking that the skies will suddenly brighten, open up, and even disperse.

I find the contrasts of winter's arrival most apparent as I stand on the dock for the ferry. The wind blows carefully at first, testing it's recipients for reaction, and with none, increases intensity. Laughing, it speeds up, as if a child chasing an animal around, it winds precariously through cars, through people, jumping over benches and fences, and still never tiring. Above, clouds hover close, grey and white in patches, but mostly a light grey similar to that of the sparse populations of seagulls buried in their feathers; some gulls peer atop their wings only in the search of dropped food. You feel as if a heavy dome encompasses the world, but there lies the sea, an expansive, vast body which stretches farther than the horizon, although unseen at the moment. By land you can continue on, but by the space above, the star and moon invisible, you are halted. You can travel off the island, there are so many places to be explored; other continents, ones you have traveled  others unknown, lie beyond the boundaries far off, perhaps they can be escaped to, and perhaps winter can be forgotten for some time. And yet, situated on a small island between the surrounding mainland, time seems to have stopped after five o'clock each night, and again we wait for winter to pass over in the tranquil escape of our homes.

So with the cold air coddling the timbers of our wooden house, and escaping in through every possible crack, I decided to embrace the winter wonderland it so wishes to be, and turn my counter into my very own personal snow field.

And with that, I poured icing sugar across the counter.

My own winter wonderland.

It's almost December, and surprisingly, I couldn't be more excited for Christmas.

So time to start the Christmas baking, the holiday treats, and decorating all those wonderfully sweetened cookies.

Did I mention that we already have a bottle of organic Egg-Nog in the fridge? A delectable winter treat, creamy and sweet, especially comforting when it's been warmed up on the stove and spiced with a delicate peppering of nutmeg and cinnamon. Remember last Christmas when you sipped Egg-Nog by the window and snow flakes fell, and still, you were warm.

Look, even the restaurants think it's already that time of year.

This is the first time that I have incorporated any of the gums, xantham or guar, into my baking, and although reluctant I thought it was worth a try. So many successfully bake with them, and can bypass the result of crumbly, flaky cookies or muffins which give gluten-free baking such a bad name.

Mum was given a small package as a sample of Bob's Red Mill Guar gum, and for the past couple of weeks it has been peering round the corner of a basket in the cupboard. I admit, I've eyed it a couple of times, however I haven't seen the need to use it. That is, until today.

I was reminded of my friend's comments on my cookies,

"These are sooo crumbly!"

And the picture of the depleted loaf when it came out of the oven, nearly crumbling across the expanse of the counter as I lifted it from the baking tin. No, I don't want disappointment from these picturesque little treats. They should be full of love and fun.

No tears, nor fears, mum would say.

Gluten-Free (and Vegan) Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Printable recipe.

Truffle-like in taste, but moist and light, these little snowballs will definitely be by my side for every winter celebration and party this year. They're the very essence of winter, comforting and delightful, and like the snow on the ground (may it come soon) they look like little snow balls that fly across the yard.

Quickly and easily made in a short amount of time, it's important to set aside a large area for the icing sugar, which will coat these little snowballs in a feathery dusting. Just remember, this area must be completely dry to avoid actually icing to form, which is very difficult to scrape clean!

Makes approximately 16 1-inch balls

Ingredients

4 oz gluten-free unsweetened chocolate chips or grated chocolate
2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp ground flax seed
3 tbsp almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c light brown sugar

1/2 c coconut flour
1/4 c sorghum flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp each salt and guar gum (use xantham gum if you prefer)

approximately 1/2 c icing sugar for coating

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, melt together the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave (high for 2 minutes, stir, and repeat for 1 minute or until completely smooth) or in a dish above a pot of simmering water on the stove.

In another, larger bowl, whisk together the ground flax and almond milk. When the chocolate and coconut oil is completely melted, pour into the flax mixture and stir well to combine.

Add the sugar and vanilla extract.

In another bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, salt and guar gum before combining to the chocolate mixture. It should turn out thick and moist. If using shredded coconut, add it here.

With your hands, roll the dough into small balls and place approximately 3 centimetres apart on the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Even though the snowballs are still hot (and don't look like snowballs just yet!) roll them in the icing sugar, coating them completely before setting aside and repeating with each.

During this process, the snowballs will begin to cool, so repeat coating them until they are covered completely and no brown of the cookie dough can be seen.

Serve and enjoy!

*Notes*

If you choose to use sweetened chocolate, reduce the sugar to 1/4 c and taste test before baking. For a sweeter treat, keep the same amount of sugar with sweetened chocolate.

Between 1/4 c and 1/3 c of finely shredded coconut can also be stirred into the mixture right before forming the snowballs for a crunchier texture, however after baking the coconut might suck some of the moisture.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Reminder of Memories

I was remembering England today, especially those first few days when the rain poured down day after day, a lot like the weather here these past few weeks. I don't know why I thought of it again, must have been missing the friends I made throughout the summer, as well as the simplicity and the enjoyment I got out of being so free - to do what I wanted, and without stresses and dramas to tie me down.

One of my favourite days in England, when patches of clouds brought heavy waterfalls of rain and then dispersed to short lengths of sunshine scattered on the cobbled streets, my aunt and uncle brought me into London by train, and we spent the entire day exploring museums, having cream tea, and ending with a performance at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

We awoke early to get ready and make our way to the train station, not too far from their house, which would bring us into downtown London, or the ever-expanding Waterloo Station. Since it was a few weeks before the opening of the Olympics, construction workers hammered and drilled above us, and security personnel milled about, watchful. From the station we went down a few flight of stairs, swept up in the force of commuters hurried by their sense of purpose, and arrived at the platform for the underground. It was all a bit confusing for me; the busyness was overwhelming at times, and everyone looked above each other's heads, oblivious to the people around them and absorbed in the importance of their own world.

On trains men talked loudly on cell phones, shouting above the noise of wheels on the tracks as the train lunged then retreated, as if it were an animal itself. Some read, some stood, and one woman knitted, her bony fingers moving faster than my eyes could follow.

We arrived shortly and made our way above ground with a mob of other people, who quickly dispersed as if they were late for an important meeting. They would not remember many of the faces they had just seen, despite sharing a hand grip or ledge to lean on to prevent tumbling with the movement of the train.

My aunt, uncle, and I made our way along the street, and I gazed at the architecture of the old buildings. We don't have buildings like that here, our oldest have been knocked down to make way for modern structures, or preserved as 'ancient' once they reach one hundred years of age, no where near the history that buildings in London posses. Extremely intricate details line the walls and windows of most buildings, although some have begun to fade from age.

We started in the Victoria & Albert Museum, situated across the street from the National History Museum and among others in the same area. Straightaway, we made our way to the Fashion section inside, weaving among sculptures preserved in glass boxes and explained with small plaques stuck below.

Inside, mannequins wore beautiful ballgowns from as far back as the 1800s, and petite shoes, intricately embroidered, were placed delicately beside, too small to be worn by any woman today. They were extremely narrow, and I have no doubt that they were not worn for comfort, and definitely not for the working class as they would not be suitable for outside wear, and perhaps not even for activity. They are a perfect indication that the phrase, 'beauty hurts,' has been a motto for fashions designers throughout the centuries. Pieces form famous designers were also displayed, such as my favourite, a velvet black jumpsuit designed by Coco Chanel. I loved the simplicity of the garment, and the beautiful detailed put into every aspect of it, including the layering and embellishment of the white collar and cuffs. A perfect antithesis to the black of the jumpsuit.

I love fashion, and was in heaven wandering around the passages lined with ensembles and styles from history, and dresses worn by royal figures, such as a suit worn by Princess Diana - a white skirt and matching blazer, covered in tens of thousands of tiny pearls - or celebrities; created for special occasions by famous designers such as Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood.

I noticed a girl, not much older than me, was sitting beside the dresses from red carpet events and sketching in a thick black notebook. She must have been a student at one of the nearby universities, studying fashion perhaps, or maybe she had a passion for the beauty in clothes. If I had more time, I think I would have enjoyed doing the same.

By the time we had finished the exhibition, we ventured outside and to the courtyard of the museum, where families milled about in the hot sun, now free from behind the clouds. Children splashed about in the pond, and vendors sales of cold drinks must have suddenly risen as people became parched from the rising heat. Eventually, after walking around in earnest for a spot for lunch amidst the crowds, we decided that a hot lunch in one of the ornately decorated rooms inside would be more suiting to our day, where the walls were designed with colourful stained glass windows, drawings and letters of another language, and some lines of Shakespeare, in the centre of the dome-shaped room, a large chandelier hung by a thick chain.

Later that afternoon we came for tea at the same location, venturing into another room that was equally as intricately decorated. At lunch we had been enticed by the smells of freshly cooked scones and clotted cream, and since it was before I became gluten-free, not yet aware of the problems it caused my skin, we indulged in the sweet taste of clotted cream tea, and the perfect tranquility of the rooms in an old English building. It was my first clotted cream tea since my previous time in England - three years or so ago - and I enjoyed every moment of it. From people watching, and listening to the different conversations held within my range of hearing and deciphering the stories of those around me, to the decadent Darjeeling tea in my cup and saucer and the mouth-watering scone in my hand, topped with raspberry jam and cream.

Since it was so late in the afternoon, nearing five o'clock, the museum staff were cleaning up the last remaining dishes and washing floors while one man personally informed each party that we were expected to pack up and head out. Luckily, outside was still warm as the sun still shone as we headed out the grand doors and onto the street. We explored the streets of London for some time, killing time until the doors opened for our performance that evening, "London's 'Best Night Out'", Wicked.

The sets were amazing, and the theatre was packed with all ages, little kids came dressed in fancy clothes, boys in smart pants and collared shirts, and little girls in cute dresses with bows in their hair, and some adults dressed to impress. Lights moved across the stage throughout the performance, parts moved to create new scenes, all automatically, such as bridges and new backdrops.

Wicked is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, also known as Elphaba, and is a detailed account of her life, from childhood to her death, caused by Dorothy. My favourite character was definitely Galinda, a friend of the witch's from university, who later becomes the Good Witch. In the musical we saw, she was ditzy and hilarious, drawing huge amounts of laughter from audience whenever she spoke.

At the end of the musical, everyone poured out onto the streets, some hailing cabs while we, and many others, took the stairs down to the underground and traveled back to the train station, and then caught the train back to my aunt and uncle's house, where we suddenly felt the exhaustion from the day, and were suddenly all very ready for sleep. We needed the next morning all to ourselves, where we could lay in bed until about ten o'clock, and later shuffle around the house in pyjamas until the tea kicked in, readying us for another busy day.

I feel that its a lot like that here, on Saturday mornings, when the whole week, and the loss of sleep that comes with such an early start for school, catches up on you. We read, we watch movies, we have a late breakfast, we have tea, and we get a few chores done.

And I bake. My relaxation method, simply at peace I can cook.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Print Recipe.

I was amazed by the page views on my last cookie recipe, Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies, and as the last of the cookies were eaten I missed them extraordinarily. They were always there when I came home, and were the perfect accompaniment to any tea time.

Decadent and sweet, but not overpoweringly so, these little delights are soft and chewy; the perfect recipe for that perfect chocolate chip cookie, they'll remind you of every good childhood memory, in and out of the kitchen.

Makes 12-14 cookies


Ingredients

1/4 c shortening, or vegan shortening
1/4 c butter, or vegan replacement
3/4 - 1 c brown sugar

100g vanilla yogourt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 2/3 c Nana's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4-1/3 c water

2/3 c gluten-free chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening, butter and brown sugar.

Add in the vanilla yogourt and vanilla extract and mix together.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour mix with baking powder and soda, then pour into the larger bowl and stir until all ingredients are well blended.

Add enough water until mixture comes together, but remains moldable and firm.

Stir in chocolate chips.

With your hands, roll small balls of the mixture in your hands, and press onto the baking seet. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

With a fork, press each cookie down, making a cross-hatched design across the top of each one.

Bake for 16-18 minutes.

When cookies come out from the oven, allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tray.

Serve to family and friends.