Chocolate Dipped Valentines Cookies

Happy Valentines Day to you. Up until now I had never really paid much attention to this day. A day that was created for the sake of commercialization just didn't scream love to me. But my sister pointed something out to me that has changed my attitude about this day. She said it is what you make of it. Yes there are commercials on tv that tell you what this day is about and how you need to celebrate it, but today is a day to celebrate love, no matter how that love looks like. My sister for example, she works with special needs kids and her and her teachers are trying to teach the kids to love each other and giving them creative art projects that are helping them express that love. You see it doesn't need to be an over commercialized day, having a day that we set aside to remind us to show the people around us that we love them can be a very good thing. 


Today I wanted to make sure that I let my amazing husband know that I love him. But today was also a difficult day as I only arrived home at 6am after a 21 hour traveling journey with a seven-month-old. So I knew that I wouldn't have a lot of energy today. So on Sunday I spend some time making these Valentines Day cookies so that when I arrived today I was able to present a token of my love to the one I love very much. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year: Gingerbread Men

Wow, Christmas is pretty much here and so is the end of the year, and what a great year it has been too. As this is going to be my last posting for the year I wanted to spend some time talking about this year and about the next as we start onto new adventures.

This year brought on some of the biggest personal changes to my life, a move to a new country and the birth of my first child. Today is also extra special as it is my third year wedding anniversary with my best friend and partner in crime. I really couldn’t ask for a better year, and yet I am looking forward to the new and very different year ahead. One of the new challenges that I am looking forward to I will be able to share right here, weaning my daughter onto solid food. I am going to be doing baby led weaning and so I am going to be looking for and sharing recipes geared towards babies but that are also something great for parents, because for me there is nothing more stressful then having to cook two separate meals when my day is already full!

It will be a fun and at times frustrating challenge but I am determined to be creative with her foods so that it is full of flavour without relying on things like salt that aren’t good for her digestion. I am also looking to prepare her a wide variety of foods to try to help her develop a love for food that is healthy and open to trying new things. Not only is this going to be great for Morgan but also it is going to be so much better for our budget. I mean, seriously, have you seen the price they want to charge for baby food? I think it is sad that they play on a parents desire to provide what is best for their children by claiming that their food is better for your baby. A jar of sweet potato baby food is no better for your baby then a mashed up sweet potato, and in the long run you can get more for your money by buying it fresh and making it yourself. My challenge in the new year is to incorporate recipes that you can feel safe giving your little one and that you and the rest of your family can enjoy so you can say goodbye to fussing around with separate meals for everyone.

But back to this year; I just want to thank everyone for enjoying this food journey with me and I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas, an even better New Year and I will see you next year with more delicious recipes.

Christmas Cookies-Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

During the year I try really hard to stay away from baking a lot of cookies because lets face it I have no self-control when it comes to cookies. But Christmas is the one time of year that I let myself go a little crazy. I have been known to cook 10-12 different kinds of cookies during one Christmas season. I don’t think I could honestly say that I have one favorite but I do have a few that I can't go through Christmas without having and one of those are Jam Thumbprint cookies. I find them so irresistible that I have to make sure to bake a large batch; otherwise I end up eating them all before anyone else has a chance to sample them.

What is one of your must have cookies during the holiday season?

An old Scottish Family tradition

My mom's grandfather is originally from Scotland. While there aren't many traditions from the MacLeod family still in our family today one has continued to be a tradition and the making of shortbread. I have so many wonderful memories of my mom baking these when I was growing up and now I am excited about eventually making these for my daughter.

Having family traditions is wonderful way to create a sense of identity. As our society becomes more and more multicultural it is important for us to not loose that sense of individuality. Whether it comes from old family traditions that can be traced back generations or just a simple family tradition that you started two years ago, having that helps us feel more secure in who we are. Helping to create a strong sense of comfort and nostalgia that we often lean to when we are adults. It's something that your children will treasure when they are older, so if you have old family traditions or if you don't, find something and make it your own special family tradition.