A Trip to Chinatown with Poppytalk

Hello bloggers! Check out Poppytalk for my "Getting Crafty in Chinatown" post. I showed Jan all my favourite shops for cheap pick-me-ups. Hope you are inspired to check out your city's Chinatown. Let me know what you think!

By the way, if you missed Baked On Monday....it was a pretty tasty one. Check it out.
I hope you have a lovely day!

Baked on Monday - Lemon Hazelnut Loaf

Hope a lovely weekend was had by all. I just got back from a very quick trip to Toronto. I'd been nominated for a couple of National Magazine Awards for stories I shot for Style At Home. My decision to go was at the last minute. Didn't win, but it was so much fun....and it really was nice just to be nominated. I think I'm finally sober now ;)

I woke up craving this delicious lemon hazelnut loaf. It's baking as I type. Instead of making one loaf, I've used mini pans to make six of them. Looks way cuter as well!

Lemon Hazelnut Loaf (or loaves!)

makes one large loaf or six small

125g butter, softened

1 cup berry sugar (a.k.a. caster or super fine)

plus 1/4 cup extra sugar (for lemon syrup)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/4 chopped hazelnuts

Grated rind and juice of a large lemon (or 2 small lemons)

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Grease one large loaf tin or six small tins.

Cream butter well, then add sugar and beat again. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sifted flour and salt, and milk, alternatively. Add hazelnuts and lemon rind. Pour batter into one large tin or divide evenly into six small tins. If using large tin bake for about 40-45 minutes. Bake 25 minutes if using small tins. 

For lemon syrup, combine lemon juice and remaining sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Pour syrup over loaf while still hot. Let cool in tin. Enjoy!!

Speedy Week

That was one fast week. It's been a busy one, with a couple of shoots and a fun project I'm working on  with Poppytalk (I love Jan.)
Next week is not nearly as busy. Looking forward to reading blogs, getting some actual exercise would be nice, and just hanging out.

I'm in Toronto for the next couple of days, back to do a little baking on Monday. 

I leave you with a random pic of roses on a suitcase.

Have a lovely weekend! 

Baked on Monday - Yo-yo Biscuits

Just got back from a very long shoot, hence the late post. As soon as I walked in the door, I ate two.
I baked these at about 8am today, but didn't have time to get all the biscuit pics until now.

Yo-yo Biscuits - makes about 32 biscuits

6 oz (180g) softened butter
2 oz (60g) icing sugar, sifted
6 oz (180g) flour
2 oz (60g) custard powder (I love custard powder)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Filling:

2 oz (60g) butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk

Preheat oven to 320f/160c. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Sift flour and custard powder 3 times, than mix in with butter and sugar mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll large teaspoons of dough into balls and place on baking sheet. With the back of a fork, lightly press each ball down. This dough is delicious. Try not too eat too much!

Bake on middle shelf for about 15 minutes. Watch that the underside of biscuits do not colour too much.

To make filling, cream butter and sifted icing sugar until light and creamy. Add vanilla, then milk and beat well. Spread filling on bottom of one biscuit and sandwich together. Lightly sprinkle with icing sugar.

These yo-yos melt in your mouth. Enjoy!!!

Good night.

Rainy Weekends

Really, I think we can turn the switch on to "summer" now, can't we? Oh well, we're used to rain here on the west coast of Canada, so you can always float some paper boats in puddles.....

and drink lots of this......

or this (especially great if you can have someone draw a face on top)....

This coffee was made at Lakhoum in Richmond, Victoria Australia. Not sure if it's still the same owners. The coffee was perfect, not just cute!

I plan to catch up on some of my favourite blogs, work on a few craft projects, and go for walks in the rain. I'm kind of happy it's raining. What will you do this weekend?

Have a lovely weekend everyone. To all of you that live in the U.S., have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. See you Monday for Baked on Monday 7!

Baked on Monday - Cinnamon Teacake

It's Victoria Day here in Canada, so it's a holiday Monday. Hope you're all having, or had, a great weekend!

I had planned on sharing this recipe with you last Monday, but that didn't quite pan out due to the serious illness of my computer while in NY.

My niece came by the day I made this cake, so she joined me in an impromptu tea party. I'm always up for one of those. It's a pretty delicious, spongy cake. Hope you enjoy it too!

Cinnamon Teacake (This is a Donna Hay recipe)

2 eggs, separated
1 cup berry sugar (a.k.a. caster sugar/superfine)
1 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder, sifted
60g unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the cinnamon topping:
25g unsalted butter, melted
2 tblspn brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 320f (160c). Place egg whites in a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Slowly beat in the sugar until thick and glossy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well to combine. Gradually add the milk, then flour, baking powder, butter and vanilla and beat until smooth. Line two 6" cake tins* with parchment paper and grease sides of pans with a little butter. Divide batter evenly and pour into cake tins. Bake for about 35 minutes or until baked when a skewer comes out clean. Turn out onto wire racks. While the cakes are hot, brush with melted butter and dust with combined brown sugar and cinnamon. Have a piece while still warm - delicious!!

* I didn't have two 6" tins, so I used my 8" tin and the extra batter made a few cupcakes.

Enjoy your day!

NYC and Ace Hotel has comfy beds

They also have guitars. At least they had one in our room, which we took turns playing after a late night out. I only know two chords, so I'm not sure what I was doing. 

Ace Hotel is quite a cool place. It's near the Flatiron building. Fantastic lobby/lounge, lots of taxidermy (sorry, I know that bothers some people), and incredibly comfortable beds and pillows. That's huge for me. Love the hallways, and the light box suite numbers. The only thing "off" was their coffee, but there are plenty of other places to get that.

Table in our room, guitar in background, room key card, front lobby, flower stand, room 607

Comfy bed with fab screen print canvas, bandages for my feet, lounge/lobby, stuffed birds

While in NYC, we went to "an evening with Eames Demetrios (Charles and Ray Eames' grandson), at ABC Carpet and Home. We could only stay for a bit, but it was a great panel of Brooklyn designers. I took a few pics of the 2nd floor of ABC as that's where the event was held. Eames talked about Powers of 10, a short film his grandparents did in 1977. I've seen it a number of times and love it. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. Click here.

Vintage Italian ceiling lamp, Eames Demitrios (on right), simple vignette

The Arne Jacobsen egg chair, random milling around, patchwork egg chairs by Tal R

We found a great little show called Model Citizens Show. Some interesting jewelry, art, and this stuffed, faceless doll. I decided this was going to be my souvenir of this NY trip, as I couldn't shop much with a looming computer purchase or repair.

A few sights of a truly spectacular city. Didn't have much time to sight see, but caught a few images before we left.

I love the water towers dotted around the tops of buildings. 

If you're in NY, you have to check out this place. Make a reservation at La Esquina. You go through the diner to a secret spot in the basement. Fantastic food and a great crowd. 

As part of the ICFF, Green Point Works set up some of their cute Acapulco chairs on the back of a truck. I adore these and would love a few for our back yard. I have a thing for back yard chairs.

Not sure what was happening here, but it was set up in the meat packing district. I had a couple of drinks by this point. 

A couple of views of the Standard Hotel. An absolutely stunning mid-century building.

A lovely random place to rest blistered feet, Tom Sachs Hello Kitty sculpture at Lever House, another lovely resting spot.

ICFF opening party at the MoMA.

Little Italy. 

That's it for New York. Do you have favourite restaurants, shops, galleries to go to when in NYC? Please share! 

Happy Friday everyone. See you for Baked On Monday # 5 (I think)!