DIY Autumn Wreath

Happy Autumn! 

The weather has been getting crisper and it is feeling like sweater weather. Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year. I love the crisp, fresh air and the changing colours of leaves on plants and trees. It has also been hotter this past summer which put a hold the flurry of baking occurring at my house. I wanted to slowly ease into fall and wait until the official first day before taking out the fall décor, but, who am I kidding? I am a sucker for a theme.

So barely mid way into September I distributed the autumn décor and started with the pumpkin baking. A few pumpkin doughnuts later, I am feeling content with my decision to acknowledge the beginning of autumn.

As a relatively new homeowner I am still getting used to having ample space for décor, and recently it dawned on me that I had some space -and a nice front door- to be creative.

Enter, autumn wreath. Since I am new to wreath making I found a series of accoutrements at Michaels to build a wreath that met my design aesthetic. It was really quick and simple, and price wise still below the costs of pre-made ones. I also found items that did not need to be glued together so I am hoping to use the wreath base for  a Christmas wreath later in the year, but you can always connect the elements using a glue gun.

I have a glass door and can't add a nail to the front of the door to place the wreath. Last year we figured out a great solution to address this issue, which involves placing an adhesive outdoor hook on the inside of the door upside down so that the hook portion is facing down. Then you can tie a long ribbon around the top of the wreath from the outside, up around the top of the door and inside your house, tied around the hook. This allows a nail-free way to hang the wreath from the outside and still looks great!

Making an Autumn Wreath

Required Supplies

Wreath Base

Ribbon for bow

Scissors

Faux Flowers, Leaves, or Garlands

Glue Gun (if making embellishments permanent)

Steps

Collect your wreath elements. For me, it included the wreath base, ribbons and garland. Add the garland and any other embellishments to the wreath. My garland was flexible and easily wrapped around the wreath so it was not required for my wreath. I'm so in love with the garland; isn't it gorgeous?!

Add your bow! And in my case, the attaching ribbon for my inside door hook trick! I kept the theme natural looking with wood wreath, pops of orange fall colour and burlap ribbons. I'm pretty pleased with the result! 

What do you think?

As a side note, the pumpkin doughnuts were delicious, and definitely elevated my autumn spirit!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Cream Currant Scones

The past few months have been crazy to say the least. I have been working at home and so my world bubble has become  much smaller. I'm grateful to be safe and healthy, but I have got to say, stir craziness has often gotten the better of me. To pass the time I have been taking up new hobbies, and focusing on improving existing ones. This has led to my slight obsessive desire to get in hand a list of go-to recipes (cooking and baking) that are 'perfected'... I have been whipping through new recipes day after day to find the best and tastiest, and doing multiple attempts at those with promise. Enter scones. Who doesn't love a soft, sweet and buttery scone? Scones are one of my favourite baked treats and I have yet to find any shops nearby that sell a decent one. So as part of my baking quest I have been working on a good scone base. This scone recipe is an alteration of the scone recipe in the book Cook Like a Pro, which has undergone some tweaks to reach its peak yumminess. I have made these scones at least 8 times over the past three months, and I'm not sick of them yet! My husband and immediate family members keep raving about the scones, and I hope that you do too! You'll probably have the base ingredients in your pantry and fridge, and the process is simple too. 

Scone 101: Keep the dough COLD. Through my trials and some research it was apparent that warmer scone dough does not rise as much- they spread out and ruin the beautiful shapes that you have created! I've gotten around this by placing the chopped butter cubes in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before incorporating into the dry mix, and placing the formed, individual scones on a plate in the fridge for 15 minutes directly before baking. This helps particularly in warm weather and prevents in some part the batter getting too sticky while working with it. La pièce de la résistance is the cinnamon sugar topping; honestly, don't forget it! It creates a lovely sugary coating that completes the buttery-ness of the scone and is adhered to the scone through a cream coating. I like to use a small sieve and a spoon to more evenly sprinkle the topping, but hands work too! If you really don't like cinnamon you can replace the sugar mix with coarse sugar instead, but you'll be missing out. 

To ensure that your scones are baked through the correct amount, keep your eyes on the browning of the bottoms and sides. The use of cinnamon sugar can be deceiving and may make you think the scones are ready to come out of the oven too soon. The trick is to ensure that you have even browning on the bottoms and a bit of colour on the sides to ensure that the scones aren't underbaked. 

Well, what are you waiting for?

Cream Currant Scones

Makes: 6 scones

Time: 50 minutes including chilling

Ingredients

Scone Base

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup of heavy cream (whipping cream), plus two teaspoons for scone tops

1/4 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of lemon zest

90 grams of unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup of dried currants

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Instructions

1. Cut up the butter into cubes and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest, and then use a pastry blender to combine in the butter until you have a consistency of small crumbs (a few bigger pieces of butter are ok).
3. Stir in the dry currants.
4. Add the whipping cream incrementally, mixing as you go, so that there are no dry bits at the bottom of the bowl. The dough should be combined but not overly wet. 
5. Flour a silicone sheet or a clean board/ counter top. Roll the batter into a ball and place on your surface. Roll out with a rolling pin to a circle 6 inches in diameter. Make sure the dough is an even thickness, approximately an inch and a half. 
6. Divide the dough into 6 pieces; I like to score the dough first with a knife before making the cuts so they can be adjusted as needed.
7. Separate the individual scones; I like to use a cookie spatula to help remove them safely. Place onto a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
8. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Whisk the cinnamon sugar topping in a bowl.
9. When the scones are chilled, place them on a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment, at least one inch apart. 
10. Brush the scone tops with the two teaspoons of cream and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top. 
11. Place the scones in the oven and bake for approximately 15-19 minutes, until the bottoms are evenly browned and the sides have a bit of colour. The baking time will depend on your oven and the baking sheet that you use. I used an 13 x 18 inch aluminum pan and it usually takes 17 minutes.
12. When baked, move the sheet to a trivet to let the scones rest for a few minutes, and then transfer scones carefully with a cookie spatula to cooling rack for at least 15 minutes.

Homemade Fudge

It's the holiday season, and you are invited to a last minute party. There's a potluck at work, a new baby to celebrate, or a bake sale. You need a gluten free dessert. Or you realize that you need a present for someone who already has too many things. This is where the magic of fudge comes in. Over the past few years I have realized that homemade treats are the way to go. They are relatively inexpensive, you can often make them in bulk (which is a real time saver!) and are more often appreciated due to the personal effort and love that goes into them. One of my favourite edible gifts is this homemade fudge recipe that I have been making since third grade. We had a fudge-only bake sale at school, and since I didn't have access to an age-old, top secret family recipe, my favourite teacher of all time, Mrs. Wilkie, gave me this Five Minute Fudge recipe from the wrappings of a Carnation Milk tin. This recipe has proved itself over the course of time and has been my go to recipe for bake sales and potlucks alike. It is a quick recipe that involves minimal effort on the part of the baker (you! me!) and only a few basic kitchen ingredients and tools. It is also very easy to increase the batch size for large groups. In just five minutes of cooking, give or take, it results in a creamy chocolate bliss, which has always been a real crowd pleaser!

Homemade Fudge

Makes: 20 pieces

Time: 15 minutes plus cooling

Ingredients

1 2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

2 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a large pot, combine sugar, milk, butter and salt. Cook, stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly with a heat resistant spoon; remove from the heat.
4. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate chips, and vanilla until blended.
5. Pour mixture into the pan; smooth the top with an offset spatula as necessary. Let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
6. Cut the fudge into pieces, cleaning the knife as you go. Store fudge in the fridge in a sealed container.

Delish!