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11.25.2012

cinnaberry cake || a christmasy recipe

The snow is falling softly outside, the Christmas tree lights are twinkling, & a distinct happy thrill is in the air. The holiday season is almost upon us & what better way to celebrate than by sharing a recipe?
You may or may not know this, but I love baking. I consider it an art... a wonderfully delicious & creative art. And so, feeling extremely adventurous the other day, I decided to create my own holiday recipe. All my favourite Christmasy ingredients in one cinnamony, delightful cake!


ingredients: 
~ 1 cup sugar
~ 1 cup dried cranberries
~ 1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (can be substituted for one additional cup oats if nut-free is desired)
~ 1 cup oats
~ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
~ 2 1/4 cups flour
~ 1 teaspoon baking soda
~ 6 eggs
~ 1 teaspoon vanilla
~ 1 cup melted butter
~ 1/2 cup milk



directions:
Mix together the sugar, cranberries, walnuts, oats, & cinnamon in a large bowl.




In a smaller bowl, mix the flour & baking powder together. Then, add them to the cinnamon-cranberry mixture. Stir til combined.


In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, milk, & vanilla.


Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the cinnamon-cranberry mixture, in three separate portions - stirring in between additions.



Pour mixture into a cake mould.




Place your creation into an oven preheated to 375F & bake for approximately 20 minutes, or til toothpick comes out clean.



After your cake is done, you may want to add icing. I personally just prefer a little dusting of powdered sugar on top - it gives it a little extra wintery flair.

And ta-da! Your Cinnaberry Cake is all set & ready to serve (or eat all by yourself as part of a midnight baking experience, & that's ok - I won't tell ;)... & it didn't even take you half an hour. Now go sit by the Christmas tree, inhale the cinnamony scent in the air, drink some hot cocoa (or coffee), & eat your sweetly delicious slice of cake.
cozy warm hugs,

e

p.s. who has snow? we have about five inches already! :)

11.02.2012

shelby || senior shoot

I had the wonderful opportunity of taking a friend's senior portraits a couple of weeks ago. To tell the truth, I was actually pretty nervous at first. I don't have much experience with posing, so I was extremely terrified I'd end up with an average of twenty photos & twenty boring poses. So I scoured through Pinterest like crazy the night before, & even printed out a posing guide and make a whole list of notes (because I'm organized like that... yes).
Despite my fears, however, the photoshoot went great! Shelby & I had tons of fun, even if we DID get lost in the woods of the conservation area... & may or may not have stumbled into someone's backyard by accident. At one point, we even met a guy with a Nikon D600 who walked up to us & actually took our photo for the local newspaper. It was a wonderful adventure. I was surprised at how easily I got used to the whole 'photoshoot' atmosphere. The posing & everything kinda just 'clicked in' with me. I simply can't wait to do this again!
Hope everyone is having an exciting November so far!

hugs,
eve

p.s. my little sister & Shelby's little sister tagged along as well. they're so cute together! <3