The Summer Cold

It’s the dog days of summer.  In Southern Ontario, this year, that means it is hot – like, REALLY hot – and so humid.  Oh, so humid.  My naturally curly hair looks, most days, like a squirrel’s nest.  The only hairdo I can handle is a pony tail.  This year the dog days of summer brought with them seasonal allergies and a fantastically horrific head cold.  Combining those two things meant I had no energy, aching bones, and a head which didn’t efficiently take in much oxygen most of the time.  The energy I could muster up was used to float on a blow-up ring in my mother’s pool.

When the cold was at its highest point, and my energy at its lowest, I had previously committed to going down to Burlington for a dozen cupcakes to be eaten at a family birthday party.  So hubby and I loaded ourselves into the car and as we approached Burlington, he saw a sign for “Canada’s Biggest Ribfest“.  Fellow multi-allergy sufferers – you all know there wasn’t going to be anything there for me to eat, right?  As we got closer he said, “Oh – can you smell that???”  No, actually, I could not.  That was the extent of this cold.  However, being a good wife, I told him that of course we should walk down to the Ribfest, and of course he should get a rib dinner, and please tell me how good it tastes.  Here I am, wishing I could have some too:

The cost to my husband was buying me a Raspberry Square at Kelly’s Bake Shoppe.  He happily obliged.

 

Anyway, all that to say – I did not do a new recipe this week.  I did, however try some things I’ve done before, and will pass those on to you.  First off – a friend sent me a link for Elderberry Syrup, which is supposed to boost your immune system.  Clearly I started taking it too late.  However, I made it, and it’s in the fridge.  I’m taking some every day, so hopefully it will help for the future.  You can find the recipe by Wellness Mama here: http://wellnessmama.com/1888/elderberry-syrup/

 

I also tried a Chocolate Cherry loaf from The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread, by Betty Hagman.  The only substitution I had to make was chia eggs for the two eggs she calls for, and it was quite good.  Moist, held together well, and tasted good.  She says to use 3/4 cup to one cup of chocolate chips – when in doubt, go for more chocolate, I say!  🙂  Here is the link for her book: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-gluten-free-gourmet-bakes/9780805060782-item.html

(or you could see if your local library has it!)

The last thing I did was homemade pizza, using a recipe from Donna Washburn’s book, seen here

: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/complete-gluten-free-cookbook-150/9780778801580-item.html?ikwid=donna+Washburn&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=1

Most of her recipes are really good.  I have three of her books, and haven’t been disappointed yet.

 

So there you go.  That is probably more information about me and my cold that you ever hoped to read, but I hope some valuable information for you to use as well.  On a positive note, our heat wave is scheduled to break in a couple of days, and my cold is on its way out!

 

Breakfast Cookies

Bananas

Oats

Sunbutter

Maple Syrup

Raisins

Don’t those all sound like lovely things to eat for breakfast?  Either on their own, or combined in different ways?   Yeah….that’s what I thought.  Yum-mo.  Recently Kate and I were privileged to review Kelly’s Bake Shoppe on our blog, and one thing included in our review was Kelly’s Skinny Cookie.  Now, while I would love to live close enough, and have the appropriate budget, to buy these cookies every single day, the truth is I live 45 minutes away, and my budget is….meager.   No worries – that’s what experimenting in the kitchen is for.  I would never claim in any way that I had perfected a recipe that Kelly’s Bake Shoppe has made their own, but as something I can make at home, these were pretty darn good!

4 roasted bananas

2 cups gluten free large flake rolled oats

1/2 cup Sunbutter

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (mini if you want tiny bites of chocolate, chunks if you want fewer pieces, but a good bite.  Your choice.

First up – roasting the bananas

Preheat your oven to 400*F.  LEAVE THE SKINS ON THE BANANAS.  Plop those whole, unpeeled bananas onto a parchment covered cookie sheet, and bake for 20 minutes.  Let them cool completely.  I tried this recipe twice, and by far, the riper the bananas, the more successful this recipe is.  And by riper I mean use bananas with black spots on them.  🙂

 

Now for the cookies:

Remove peels from bananas and mash them up.  They will be very soft, so this will be easy.  Stir in the oats, sunbutter, maple syrup, baking powder, raisins, nutmeg, and chocolate chips/chunks.

Scoop onto parchment lined cookies sheets.  You can use an ice cream scoop, or a very heaping tablespoon.  Flatten the top slightly with a fork.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350*F.  Cool.

 

 

I kept these in the fridge, and actually, I prefer to eat them cold, right out of the fridge.  However, I did not get many out of the batch as hubby found them, liked them, and…..ate them.

Kelly’s Bake Shoppe!

A few days ago Kelly’s Bake Shoppe put out a Facebook post, asking any interested bloggers to contact them, and there was potential to be chosen as a blog to review the bake shop.  I sent our information, never dreaming they would pick us.  But….they did! Read about our the announcement here. With much glee and excitement, and full tummies, we now review…..Kelly’s Bake Shoppe!

Sandy – As I  gradually lost all fun food from my diet (as a reminder – dairy, gluten, soy, nuts and eggs), I also lost hope  that I’d be able to go out and eat, anywhere.  I was able to rearrange recipes to make myself at home, but there’s something about going out and just buying something once in a while that is fun.  I started to research and Google things, and lo and behold, up popped Kelly’s Bake Shoppe.  It’s only about 40 minutes down the road from us, so that part was great.  Well, great or bad, depending on whether you have any self control or not.  Ha, ha.  From the pictures it looked like a cute, pretty place, so I talked the hubby into driving down. From that day on it’s been a place we use as a date/road trip.  Combining a trip to the bake shop with a walk on the beautiful Burlington Pier makes a lovely afternoon.
Katie – I am writing this blog from the stand point of someone who can eat….well, pretty much anything! I have no food allergies or restrictions, unlike my mom. I am just a person who eats at Kelly’s Bake Shoppe by choice because it’s delicious!

Sandy – Kelly’s Bake Shoppe was founded by Kelly and Erinn, a dynamic mother/daughter team.  The staff they have hired are equally dynamic and friendly.  Even when the bake shoppe is busy, as it generally is, you don’t go long upon entering without a friendly “Hello!”. 
Katie – Being an entrepreneur, I really appreciate the style & atmosphere of Kelly’s Bake Shoppe. Kelly & Erinn are certainly to be admired – they have taken their store to the ‘big times’ by pursuing opportunities, partnering with businesses in their hometown and really getting the word out about their amazing bakery! They have a strong social media presence and you can always find great pictures, new products, and even promotions through their Facebook page (make sure to like it!).

And then…finally the day came when we went down for our treats!  As usual we were greeted with a warm welcome, and they were all ready for us.  We were handed a box containing two cupcakes of our choice, their famous mile high brownie, and one of each of their four cookies – a snickerdoodle, a chocolate chip, a World Peace, and a Skinny cookie.
MILE HIGH

Sandy – The first item to be sampled enthusiastically was the mile high brownie.  We cut it in half, and mostly kept our forks out of each other’s portions.  The mile high brownie is moist, chewy, and delicious.  It is a very rich treat, but as with all of Kelly’s Bake Shoppe goods, doesn’t feel heavy as you eat it.
Katie –  If you are a regular at Kelly’s, you WILL have eaten a Mile High brownie. This is a classic Kelly’s item and you do NOT want to miss out! The best part about it is that it’s not *just* chocolate. There is a sweet caramel sauce, and then chocolate in different forms – the brownie, the ganache and frosting is paired well with caramel and their delicious whipped cream. It is so good, you will want to lick your plate…

THE SKINNY
Sandy – Next up for me was the Skinny Cookie.  I’ve never tried the Skinny Cookie before, and it was delicious!  It tastes of banana, of course, because it is sweetened with banana.  It is full of seeds and fruit, and is delightfully moist and sweet.  Also, it was so good that I ate it too fast and now it’s gone.
Katie – This was a new one for me, too….but I would eat this cookie every day if I could! It tasted like a delicious banana chocolate chip loaf, sweetened with coconut. It was chewy, thick, filling and sweet! Like my mom said earlier though, at Kelly’s (with every thing I have tried there!) you get the sweetness of the cupcake or cookie, but not that heavy feeling in your gut.

WORLD PEACE
Sandy – Soon after that was the World Peace Cookie, which was equally yummy, just in a different way.  More like a traditional oatmeal cookie with fruit and nuts.
Katie – For me, I definitely preferred the Skinny Cookie, but the World Peace had some great sweet notes…almost like a breakfast cookie! 🙂 It was very filling with the seeds and oats, but then had sweetness from the berries & raisins. I could see myself with a cuppa Earl Grey de la Creme and this cookie over breakfast or an afternoon snack. It’s a less traditional cookie (aka. not pumped full of sugar), but a perfect snack.

SNICKERDOODLE & CHOCOLATE CHIP
Sandy – The Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Chip cookies are ones I have had before.  They taste just as you expect they would – the snickerdoodle is soft inside with a crisper exterior and lovely cinnamon/sugar topping, and the chocolate chip cookie is like a…..chocolate chip cookie.  🙂
Katie – The thing that I love most about these cookies is that they are BIG. 🙂 I agree with what my mom said – they both have a fabulous crispy exterior, but always a really soft & chewy inside. They are…perfection. For myself, snickerdoodles are definitely a favourite, and these do not disappoint. It doesn’t have that ‘puffy’ middle that a typical (smaller) snickerdoodle might, but it hits all the right notes with the cinnamon and sugar. For myself, it’s the perfect balance of crispy outside and chewy inside – I would get this cookie every time!

CUPCAKES
Sandy – I saved my most chocolate-y treat until the end – in fact I saved it until the next day.  When you purchase from Kelly’s Bake Shoppe, you will notice a sticker on your pretty pink box that tells you to either consume your goodies that day, or freeze them.  Refrigerating them dries them out.  I froze my cupcake, and ate it today.  Truthfully, I love to eat the cupcake only partially thawed – they are just really yummy that way.  At any rate, my Triple Chocolate Cupcake fulfilled all my chocolate needs today.  It was a lovely cupcake, and chocolate in every way possible – from the cake, to the whipped icing, to the drizzle of chocolate artfully placed on top.

Katie – Cupcakes are an integral part of Kelly’s Bake Shoppe, so it was hard to choose just one to sample! Thankfully, I have been there many other times to sample others. 🙂 When you walk into Kelly’s, you see their gorgeous cupcake display right away, They always have tons of variety, and they change their special cupcakes frequently, too. You will want to watch their Facebook & website to make sure you are up on the latest and greatest cupcake creations!
I digress. For my cupcake, I made sure to choose one I had never had before (tough as that was!)…and I chose the Mexican Chocolate Cupcake!  As expected, this cupcake had a beautiful spicy note to it, but all the cupcakes component play together so well that you are left with just an after-taste of spice. It is filled with chocolate and whipped cream – smooth and sweet, not too heavy. This cupcake was eaten….way too fast. I loved the “all in one” bite – getting some of the cupcake spice, chocolate and whipped altogether.

Sandy – Things we didn’t eat today but deserve a mention are:  the Black and White, Mostess,  and Chocolate Raspberry cupcakes (can you tell I love chocolate?), any of the cookies made into a sandwich cookie, and the raspberry squares (I always ask for a corner one…..so good).  Perhaps someday I will be able to say I’ve eaten their whole menu, but all the ones I mentioned there get my seal of approval!
Katie – The Dulce de Leche and Black Magic definitely need to be on your list! Frankly, I have loved everything I have eaten there. I don’t avoid the allergens because of any restrictions that I have, but their stuff is amazing and honestly, just doesn’t sit so heavy in your gut after eating. I would highly recommend talking a stroll on the Burlington pier this summer with some Kelly’s Bake Shoppe goodies in hand!

This was definitely the most delicious review we have ever done! (Okay, our first review…) Our goodies are gone, we are sad, and we can’t wait to go back to Kelly’s Bake Shoppe again soon!

The Announcement

All of you who have been reading our blog knew this day would come at some point….we are famous! Give yourself a pat on the back for your loyal reading of our blog and you can officially use the line, “We knew them when…”

Okay, so we aren’t *really* famous. I tricked you. But in our minds, we are famous….or at least equivalent in some regard. An extremely delicious little spot in Burlington, Kelly’s Bake Shoppe, asked for people who would be willing to review some of their food on a blog, and of course, being lovers of food, my mom submitted our name (THANK YOU, MOM!).

We got the email today, and we are SO excited to go down to Kelly’s, get some incredible food and share it with you all on the blog…coming soon! We are honoured to have been chosen! We love their food so much…it’s unreal. Both my Dad and myself have driven to Burlington on occasions to surprise my mom with cupcakes from Kelly’s, or made special trips out to Burlington to eat cupcakes and walk the pier. Sounds like a pretty good afternoon to me! They do incredible, allergen-free baking, and it’s a place where my mom can walk in and eat almost everything……and trust me, she tries! 😉 Jokes jokes…she tries to space out her visits at least! For myself, I am not avoiding any of the foods my mom does, but I still think their food is incredible and honestly, you wouldn’t know the difference! Okay okay, I am getting ahead of myself, more later on the actual review blog.

So, keep your eyes peeled for a fabulous blog with mouth-watering pictures and the most scrumptious descriptions we can write up. Don’t worry, we’ll be honest…it won’t be hard to write beautiful things about their food! For now, here are the top 10 reasons why Kelly’s Bake Shoppe and Katie & Sandy are meant to be together.
1. They are mother and daughter. We are mother and daughter.
2. They are blonde and brown. We are brown and blonde.
3. They are beautiful people. We are beautiful people.
 4. We all clearly like to laugh.
5. They are wizards in the kitchen. My mom is a wizard in the kitchen. (I like to be in the kitchen.)
6. They own a bakery. I love the smell of a bakery.
7. Their store is in Burlington. My mom likes to walk the Pier in Burlington.
8. They are famous. We like to pretend that we are famous.
9. They won a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor. I was in the Circle of Excellence for Steeped Tea.
10. They make the world’s best cupcakes. We LOVE to eat the world’s best cupcakes!!

Thank you again, Kelly’s Bake Shoppe, for this awesome opportunity! We are SO looking forward to doing our review!

Make sure to follow Kelly’s on Facebook, and watch this video for a better look into what they do…