Woman in Real Life

I'm always a little shocked when I hear the first Christmas songs playing over the mall sound system. It strikes me as waaay too early! But then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Christmas is almost here and I'm not nearly as prepared as I want to be. Fortunately I've got my Christmas table decorations all set. I partnered with beloved Canadian retailer Giant Tiger to put together a beautiful, budget-friendly festive Christmas table. Read on to see how I built my table decor step by step from the tablecloth on up.

I also have a new recipe for you - it's a simple vegan chocolate cake with fudge icing and crushed candy canes on top. I like this recipe because it requires only common ingredients and it's not difficult at all to prepare. In fact, this cake is quite easy to make, and yet your friends and family - especially the kids - will be impressed by its festive appearance, thanks to the candy canes.

The first thing to know about this Quick Banana Cake With Caramel Drizzle is that it smells sooo good when it's baking. The combo of banana and cinnamon makes for such a lovely, fragrant scent emanating from the oven. It's the perfect antidote for a dreary winter day. It's also packed with nutritious, natural ingredients while still tasting as sweet and decadent as cake should. As with all of my recipes, this banana cake is vegan, meaning no eggs or dairy needed.

If you haven't yet planned a decadent dessert to share with your loved one(s) this Valentine's Day, not to worry. This Coco Chocolate Berry Mug Cake can be whipped together in minutes! And you can make as many as you want. If you plan to curl up on the couch by yourself to watch Bridget Jones, make just one mug cake. In that case I recommend adding coconut whipped cream and chocolate drizzle on top too. Nobody's watching.

If you are celebrating Valentine's Day with a partner, line up two mugs and repeat the recipe in each. If you have kids, get them to make their own mug cakes. My kids love creating mug cakes - especially since they can be eating a rich, chocolate dessert in mere minutes.

On Friday, my son was home with a sore throat (or so he said) and I decided that we should have cake for breakfast! Because that's what you do when it's Friday and somebody claims to be sick, right? This little vegan Maple Syrup Ginger Breakfast Cake can be whipped together quickly, so you too can enjoy cake for breakfast any old day of the week!

I added ground flaxseed, because it was breakfast time and flax makes anything healthy - yes? Plus, I threw in ginger paste for a little bit of virus-killing action (in case there was some truth to his sore throat tale). I absolutely hate mincing or shredding fresh ginger. It never seems to work! So I buy those little tubes of paste. They are easy to use and they have always worked well for me in any past recipe. Shortcuts, my friends, always find the shortcuts.

I am finally joining my (crazy fit) buddy Laura for her menu planning challenge.

I always think about planning my meals for the week, but I rarely do it...at least not in any really successful way. But it's a new year and a perfect time to re-examine my priorities.

If music be the food of love, I’ll take cake instead.

Give me excess of it.

Not that I don’t like music, but cake is…cake.

Celebratory and sweet, cake is the perfect companion for a spring day, and the ideal delicacy to share with your friends and loved ones over a cup of tea.

Today, I decided to make a quick and delicious maple syrup cake. I call it Staple Maple Cake because it is so good it could just become a staple in your household. Perfect for unexpected guests or for an easy homemade treat to go with your coffee.

Eat it on its own, dusted with a little icing sugar, or add some special sweetness with Penuche Icing. I highly recommend you do the latter.


You might find that the icing drips gracefully down the sides of the cake. I say so be it! It tastes just the same.

You can even do as I do, and pour it over your own slice using a lovely little creamer jug.

Look at it purely as an opportunity to celebrate the special people in your life—partners, parents, children and friends. You don’t even need to spend any money. Just make a card, or better yet, a cake.

How about a breakfast in bed? Or, for the busy parent, a coupon to be redeemed later for some precious alone time?

It was in this spirit of celebration that my sister-in-law and I held an after-school Valentine’s party for our kids this past Friday. The kids were so excited to spend some time with their cousins, doing some simple crafts and decorating cupcakes.


The “secret” ingredient combination is silken tofu blended with real strawberries.

Here’s one of my nieces with her cupcake creation (a little bit of licorice on top).

Here’s my son with his cupcake. He’s often a lone boy in a sea of girls, I’m afraid. Luckily, daddy came home after work to join him.

We did simple, dollar store crafts—nothing too taxing for the moms to come up with. Here’s my daughter with her door hanger craft.

  

Here’s my niece with a card she made for my daughter.

Happy Valentine's Day!