l i t t l e r e d h e n: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

minimal/scandinavian home

A sneak peek - Ashley defines her decorating style as a mix of rustic, vintage-modern with a hint of “I wish I was more minimal” and a dash of “wanna-be-Scandinavian.”

Love this bright & cozy loft.

Lovely nook / guest bed!

More of this place here.

& lampshade table.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Cupcake Ingredients¼ cup butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups flour
1¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Cookie Dough Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. butter, softened
½ c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup old fashioned oats
½ bag plain mini M&Ms
¾ cup mini or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can play around with these amounts, and use all chocolate chips or all M&M’s, or use seasonally colored ones as we did for the photo)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer, cream together softened butter, creamy peanut butter, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla until combined.
Add in the flour, and baking powder until combined. Once combined, slowly add in the milk. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Fill the cupcake liner about ⅔ full. I was able to get about 12 cupcakes. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
To make the frosting, in a stand mixer blend together the cream cheese, peanut butter and butter until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar, brown sugar, flour and vanilla. Add in the oats.
Stir in the M&M’s and chocolate chips. Frost each cupcake with the frosting
We would suggest refrigerating any left over cupcakes due to the cream cheese in the frosting.

beth's oatmeal

maple & milk oatmeal with salted candied banans

yield: enough for two hungry people

INGREDIENTS

2 cup whole milk, cow or goat
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 cup maple syrup (i'm obsessed with noble)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 banana, ideally almost completely ripe but not quite, sliced on a bias
1/4 cup sugar (i used demarrara)
1 tablespoon of butter
pinch of good, flaky sea salt (essential)
almond slices for sprinkling (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

bring the oats and milk to a boil. reduce to a simmer; add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; and cook about 5 minutes or until the oats are tender and most of the milk absorbed. add the maple syrup to finish.
meanwhile fry up your bananas. srinkle the slices liberally on both sides with sugar. melt the butter in a skillet. turn the heat to med-high or high (depending on your stove) and fry them until the sugar is melted and they're golden brown. about 2 minutes per side. the sugar will candy on the outside, leaving the banana warm and creamy on the inside. lightly sprinkle the fried slices with the flaky salt, and top your oatmeal with them. add almond slices if you like!

Pictures & recipe here!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Nipawin Heritage House

built 1945 / 1430 sq ft / 3 bedrooms / 1 1/2 bath / 728 sq ft basement

original wood floors? wood burning fireplace / single garage

More info here & here.

amazing sweden house

Love this bright, clean, colourful sheepskin-filled home!!!

More here.

Monday, March 24, 2014

carrot cake

Flourless Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

You will need:

4 eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
Zest of one medium orange
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large carrots, finely grated (about 2 cups grated carrots)
1 and 3/4 cups almond flour

For the Mascarpone Frosting:

1 cup heavy cream
1 tub (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8 inch springform pan with butter and dust with flour, set the pan aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until soft peaks form. Add the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed. Set the bowl aside.

In a separate bowl, combine sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Beat at medium to high speed until all combined and light in color. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the 2 cups of grated carrots and one third of the egg white mixture. Fold everything together until all ingredients are combined. Fold in the remaining egg whites along with the almond flour and continue to fold until everything is incorporated.

Pour the cake batter into prepared springform pan. Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. You will know the cake is finished once the sides pull away from the pan and once a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer cake to a cooling rack and let it cool completely before you top it with the frosting.

While you’re waiting for the cake to cool, prepare the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, combine room temperature mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar. Beat together until smooth in consistency. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Continue to fold everything together until everything is incorporated.

Spread your frosting on top of the cooled cake. Feel free to eat as is or garnish with chopped almonds, leftover grated carrots or some more orange zest. Enjoy!

Recipe found here.