bacon jam

I know what you're thinking... this is AMAZING. Best idea ever, right?! Bacon jam? A bacon themed Christmas on ps.heart? Yes. That's right. You're welcome. Bacon is the best, and this bacon jam is going to blow your bacon-loving mind, because this stuff is seriously delicious and addicting and epic beyond words. You might even be hailed as the favourite (friend/child/brother/sister/cousin/whatever it is you are) if you decide you can part with this goodness and gift it away!

Ingredients:

2 packs of bacon (each at 500g)

2 medium onions

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup coffee

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp cinnamon

pepper and salt to taste

Instructions: 

1. Cut up your bacon into 1/2 inch strips. Dice your onions, and peel then smash up your garlic cloves.

2. Set a heavy skillet to med-high heat and begin cooking your bacon until it begins to brown. Keep your bacon fat! (cause really, if you're going for bacon jam, you might as well go all in).

3. Stir in your onions and cook until softened (8-10 minutes).

4. Add in your maple syrup, vinegar, coffee, and worcestershire sauce. Season with cinnamon, pepper, and salt. Continue to cook until the mixture has a glossy appearance and a syrup-like consistency (up to 1 hour). Don't forget to stir occasionally!

5. Let the mixture cool for 20 minutes, then stick it in the blender and puree. You don't want it to end up "pasty," so don't go to town while blending! It should still be thick and chunky at the end.

6. Enjoy the pure awesomeness that is now bacon jam! 

*Note: bacon jam can be refrigerated for approximately 1 month. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

p.s. ♥ clara 

pumpkin squares with creamcheese icing

This recipe is seriously fail-proof. It is soooo good, perfect for fall, and so simple!

They're always a hit and although they always satisfy my pumpkin cravings...

they definitely keep me coming for more :)

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oil

2 cans (15 ounces each) of pumpkin puree

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix first four ingredients in a medium sized bowl until light and fluffy.
Sift together the dry ingredients separately, then stir into wet mixture.
Spread batter into a 9x13 inch pan that is greased.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Cool before frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 cup of softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups of icing sugar

I promise, you won't regret making these! They're always a favourite and get gobbled up right away :)

p.s. ♥ clara

tasty tuesday: pumpkin pie yogurt parfaits!

I am absolutely in love with fall. As a girl who grew up in southern Ontario, I seriously miss the beautiful changing colours of Ontario's countless maple trees. Fall to me meant long hours raking our big backyard with my little brother then jumping off our trampoline into mountainous piles of crunchy, colourful leaves. It also meant pumpkin season. Every year, my parents took us out to the pumpkin patch where we would get to pick a pumpkin (not everyone is as blessed to have grown up on a real farm *cough* kelsey *cough*... and no, I'm not jealous... not at alllll..). I'm getting side-tracked though, so to get to the point, fall = pretty leaves = pumpkins = best season ever. 

Don't ask how that equation works, it just does. And yes, math is not my friend. 

So here's a deliciously simple breakfast or snack for all you fellow pumpkin-loving fall people!

Seriously, it's awesome. Healthy, scrump-ta-la-lump-tious, and so so simple!

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup of your favourite granola
1 tbsp hemp

Instructions

1. Mix together the first four ingredients.
2. Start with a base layer of granola.
3. Layer in your greek yogurt and pumpkin mixture.
4. Finish it off with a dollop of greek yogurt and sprinkle more granola and hemp on top.
5. If using mason jars, make extras and stick them in your fridge for an easy breakfast-to-go!

Happy pumpkin picking, dear friends!

p.s.  ♥ clara

tasty tuesday : snickerdoodles

I love snickerdoodles. And for more reasons than the fact that they are delicious! They're my favourite kind of cookie... soft, moist, chewy, with a lovely cinnamon-sugar topping.... and then there's the name. Snickerdoodle. 

Best. Cookie name. Ever. Right?

So, this got me thinking... why in the world are they called snickerdoodles? So here's what my research (*cough* wikipedia *cough*) revealed to me.

Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin and it a corruption of the German word "Schneckennudein," which was a kind of pastry that translated means "snail noodles." 

Yeah. Weird. 

But wait, it's ALSO possible that: the name could also simply be a nonsense word with no particular meaning, originating from a New England tradition of whimsical cookie names. 

Much better. 

So there you have it! A little lesson on the origins of the perfectly delectable and delightful sounding, "snickerdoodle."

{  i  n  g  r  e  d  i  e  n  t  s  }

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
a very, itsy, bitsy, teenie, tiny pinch of nutmeg!

{  i  n  s  t  r  u  c  t  i  o  n  s  }

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees!
2. Cream together your first three ingredients.
3. Mix your dry ingredients separately.
4. Blend your two mixtures together until they are well-blended!
5. In a separate small bowl, mix in your 2 tbsp of white sugar and spices.
6. Roll your dough into small balls, then roll them in your small bowl of the cinnamon sugar.
7. Place them onto a greased baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes (DON'T OVERBAKE!), and remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!

p.s.  ♥ clara

tasty tuesday : chocolate coconut cupcakes

So here's the deal, I love coconut. Seriously, I am a little obsessed. And I'm not as talented of a baker as miss Kelsey or miss Jordyn... so what am I presenting to you? Their incredible chocolate (cup)cake recipe with a large dose of coconut! Call it a lazy post if you want, but this coconut spin on their chocolate cake recipe was ah-may-zinggg!! And it went perfectly with the Great Gatsby inspiration shoot that I organized last week... that's right dear readers, the Great Gatsby is coming your way and here's the first sneak peek!

Ingredients:
3 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Cocoa

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1 TBSP Vanilla
2 TBSP Vinegar
3/4 cup Margarine (melted)
1 cup Warm Water

1 cup Coconut Milk

Instructions:
1) Mix together all dry ingredients; then pour all wet ingredients over top and mix until moist.
2) Pour batter into 9x13 pan /or 2 round pans /or cupcake tins (makes about 24-30 cupcakes)
3) Bake at 350: for 35-40 minutes for cake [or until a toothpick comes out clean] OR:  for 20-25 minutes for cupcakes.

So if you go --> here <-- you'll find the original recipe and more photos on how to make the batter! And below is the coconut frosting I used to top this delicious cake.

Ingredients for Coconut Frosting:

1 cup butter at room temp

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes 

Mix in the first four ingredients until your icing is a good texture - frost away, and then sprinkle your coconut flakes on top! 

And here's some frames from the Great Gatsby shoot... If you want to see more, visit my website at Clara Cecilia Photography to get the full sneak peek!! 

p.s.  ♥ clara

tasty tuesday : zucchini pecan bars

I really love when I can eat baked goods and feel "healthy," so this zucchini pecan recipe is a perfect fix for me! And I know - adding cream cheese icing on top really doesn't help my case at all, but it adds sooo much and I could never say no to a cream cheese icing! So here it is, my misleadingly "healthy" zucchini pecan bar recipe with a delicious cream cheese icing :)

.  i n g r e d i e n t s  . 

3 eggs                                              1 tsp salt

1 cup veggie oil                                 2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups white sugar                       1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp vanilla                                       2 cups grated zucchini

2 1/3 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

.  d i r e c t i o n s  . 

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13" pan.

2, mix together first four ingredients in a large bowl. combine the rest of the ingredients in separate bowl - then combine them together and then add in the zucchini.

3. spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

4. bake for 20-25 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean!

5. let cool before adding your cream cheese frosting

6. add some pecans on top and enjoy!

.  c r e a m   c h e e s e   i c i n g  . 

1 (8 ounce) package of softened cream cheese

1/2 cup of butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups icing sugar

Cream together the ingredients and frost away! I tend to use only half the recipe for a 9x13" bar recipe and I'll freeze the rest for the future.

p.s.  ♥ clara