Molten Chocolate Cupcakes

Each day when the sun breaks through and the temperature begins to flirt with us, we momentarily escape from winter's grasp and envision the beauty and charm that accompany spring-like weather. We head to bed at night with promise that tomorrow will be just as tantalizing and bring even more hope. That's when winter gathers all her energy and power and reminds us that we're not in charge. 

Today was one of those days. We woke up to the sounds of mother nature beating on our windows and the snow blowing fast and hard. The coffee that usually warms us from the inside out was no match for the fury outside. It was cold and blustery and everything I didn't want to face today. I felt like crawling back to bed and tucking the duvet under my feet and pulling the covers as tight as possible. 

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Baked Chocolate Pudding

This is my 100th post. A moment to celebrate and recall some of my fondest memories since doing this. It's also a chance to share with you one of my favourite recipes, a baked chocolate pudding that I turn to when I'm in a pinch for time and want something delicious that oozes chocolate goodness for dessert. Serve it with berries or cream or creme fraiche. Either way, this is top shelf.

I love looking back on my first few posts. I like to think that in a short time I've come a long way. As a matter of fact, some of my earliest posts are cringe-worthy, like looking back on old school photos when you thought you could rock a certain outfit for picture day and live to regret it every time someone reaches for the photo album. That's what looking back on my first few images is like. I laugh. I squint and cringe.


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Frozen Banana Bombs

I used to spend a couple of weeks every summer outside the city and at my grandparents. Those hot days in July and August were like fresh flowers and freedom. It was an escape from poor air quality and congestion. It was an escape to a simpler way of life.

I would waste spend hours outside by myself throwing the ball against the fence. When you grow up an only child you find ways to keep yourself busy and happy. And when I visited with grandparents, I was just that. I would play in the gigantic backyard trees with roots big enough to dig under the neighbouring property. I would catch butterflies, or at least try. I would do anything to stay in the moment. The days there would turn into nights with a blink of an eye and I couldn't count sheep fast enough so I would awake to another bright day.

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Nutella Caramel Squares

I remember the moment. I was 10 years old. I was staying over at a friend's house and woke up to a different routine. Instead of squinting and rubbing my eyes and smelling bacon drifting from the kitchen, I smelled toast and chocolate. Did I sleep through the day? Did I wake up in parallel universe where dessert was served after every meal, including breakfast? 

We went downstairs and I saw the jar. And the plate with chocolate-covered toast. My world would never be the same again. The taste has stayed with me all those years. There was an alternative to bacon and eggs and I was a fan.

Up until that moment in time Nutella was a foreign word to me. I had never heard of it, never tasted it. I'm as big a chocolate fan as the next person but it didn't dawn on me that it worked on toast as well. In hindsight, how could it not? Chocolate rolls with everything. Waking up that day to a cup of juice with  chocolate and hazelnut on a crispy piece of bread changed the way I looked at food. It no longer was something resigned to the forms you grew up knowing. 

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