View allAll Photos Tagged sweetsunday
August 28, 2016
Kith:
[kith]
noun
1. acquaintances, friends, neighbors, or the like; persons living in the same general locality and forming a more or less cohesive group.
2. kindred.
3. a group of people living in the same area and forming a culture with a common language, customs, economy, etc., usually endogamous.
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Keeping with the summer Sweet Sunday theme, I picked up some raspberries and thought of this recipe for a nice summer day.
It's really simple but a little time consuming since you have to wait for it to freeze, but it is honestly minimal effort and tasty, so it's a recipe to keep around if you're having company.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of raspberries
- 1/2 of honey (you could also use simple syrup if you prefer)
Directions:
01. In a blender or food processor, puree 3 cups raspberries with the 1/2 of honey.
02. Strain into a loaf pan or shallow dish and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
04. Using a fork, scrape the surface of the raspberry ice to create icy flakes; divide among bowls.
05. Serve with the vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and additional raspberries, if desired.
Hope everyone has had a Sweet Sunday.
Click "L" for a larger view.
October 16, 2016
Preservative:
[pri-zur-vuh-tiv]
noun
1. something that preserves or tends to preserve.
2. a chemical substance used to preserve foods or other organic materials from decomposition or fermentation.
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So after having a cold for a week and finally getting back on my feet the past couple days, I found I just did not have the energy to bake this week.
I'm feeling better, yes, but my energy levels are not at what they usually are and after getting the "musts" done around the house, I was just too tired to come up with something.
So luckily when I stepped outside the house yesterday, my neighbour was making his annual homemade jam, which inspired this shot.
It's not my usual, and there's no recipe, but hey, we're all entitled to an off week. Right?
Anyway, hope everyone is having a good Sunday.
Click "L" for a larger view.
September 13, 2015
"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." - Anthony J. D'Angelo
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It's another gray and rainy day; so I figured rather than getting drawn into a funk by the weather I would make my own sunshine... well, buy some sunshine.
After my soup-fest yesterday, I didn't much feel like making a sweet today so I made use of the uneaten dessert I picked up for yesterday.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
July 24, 2016
Delectable:
[dih-lek-tuh-buh l]
adjective
1. delightful; highly pleasing; enjoyable:
a delectable witticism.
2. delicious
noun
3. an especially appealing or appetizing food or dish
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It's been another fairly hot week in the city, so as the temperatures were rising and I was trying to decide on Sweet Sunday it became very clear to me that baking wouldn't be an option.
Something frozen sounded good to me, and I had a bag of black cherries in the freezer so I thought I'd try my hand at this instant cherry sorbet to see what it's like.
I think next time I'd add a little cherry juice to the blend, but otherwise, this is a simple and tasty treat!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of frozen black pitted cherries
- 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar
- 2 tablespoons of amaretto (I don't have amaretto in the house, I used 1 tablespoon of almond extract instead)
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Chopped Almonds
Directions:
01. Whirl 2 cups frozen black cherries with 2 tbsp superfine sugar in a food processor until crumbly.
02. With the motor running, gradually pour in 2 tbsp amaretto (or 1 tbsp of almond extract) and 1 tsp lemon juice until smooth but not runny.
03. Serve topped with chopped almonds. (Optional)
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
August 16, 2015
"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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I'm disappointed with my Sweet Sunday this weekend; I picked up these snacks at Gertrude Hawk Chocolates while I was in NY yesterday with high hopes for the shot, but found that when it came to shoot today the ideas that were there had left.
It happens. There's always next week for a better Sweet Sunday right?
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
August 30, 2015
"Knowledge is love and light and vision." - Helen Keller
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Sylvia and her girls left mid-afternoon today, so I spent the rest of the day trying to remove the glitter from the house, did you know princesses leave a trail of glitter behind wherever they may go? If you were not aware and are planning on having a royal visit sometime in the near future, prepare yourself.
After a few hours of cleaning, the sun was starting to set (is anyone else super sad about short the days are getting to be?) so I grabbed a quick prop with some delicious cookies Dad gave me earlier in the week and took advantage of the nice light in my freshly cleaned living room.
It was after 6 at that point, and as I had not yet eaten dinner I decided to be an adult and finish off the cookies for my meal, it was of course, a fantastic supper!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
~Story people~
Wish you guys a sweet Sunday! :)
Please no large glittery graphics, photos or big group invites in your comments!
Explored ... #105! :)
Frosty:
[fros-tee]
adjective
1. characterized by or producing frost; freezing; very cold
2. consisting of or covered with a frost
3. lacking warmth of feeling; unfriendly
4. resembling frost; white or gray
5. of or characteristic of old age
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It's been another hot weekend so turning on the oven just was not an option.
Found this recipe online and thought to myself, 'could be good, or could be disgusting', so I figured I'd try it.
In the end, it's alright. Not my favourite, but not absolutely awful so I won't complain!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 Large avocado, pitted and peeled
1 (14oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 package of instant pistachio pudding mix
2 tbsp of lemon juice
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of shelled salted pistachios, roughly chopped
Directions:
01. Combine the avocado, sweetened condensed milk, pudding mix and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
02. While that's blending beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
03. Fold in the pistachio mixture until fully combined, then stir in the chopped pistachios.
04. Pour the mixture into a freezable container. Freeze for at least 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.
Enjoy!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
August 14, 2016
Nectarous:
[nek-ter-uh s]
adjective
1. of the nature of or resembling nectar.
2. delicious or sweet.
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After yesterday's rain, the sun came out today and what's better for a sunny day than a nice cool beverage and a good book?
To be fair though, the drink looks better than it tastes and this is going to be a throw away recipe for me, but still, I'll share it with you in case you have a way to improve upon it.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of strawberries, halved
- 6 cups of water
- Juice from 4 or 5 lemons
- 1/2 of cup honey
Directions:
01. In a food processor or blender, mix the strawberries, 2 cups of water, the lemon juice, and honey.
02. Blend on high for at least 2 minutes or until smooth.
03. Pour into a large pitcher and stir in the remaining water. (Take a sip and Stir in more honey if you'd like it sweeter.)
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
October 18, 2015
"Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." - Mark Twain
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Stopped off at the Orleans bakery yesterday before hitting the trails and picked this Raspberry Mousse for today's Sweet Sunday.
Not a bad Sunday so far, I've managed to get quite a few things around the house and my laundry is almost done.
Other than the odd sighting of flurries and a little bit of hail through my window it's been a pretty good Sunday.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
October 04, 2015
"How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours." - Wayne Dyer
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A busy Sunday getting things done around the house in preparation for the work week ahead, so sweet Sunday was shot much later than usual, actually just before my parents and I settled in for dessert, and as you can see, Dad was a little anxious to dig in.
Anyway, still a few things to get done before I call it a night, so hope everyone has had a sweet Sunday.
Click "L" for a larger view.
September 06, 2015
"Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second." - Mattie Stepanek
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Nothing too exciting for today's sweet Sunday; I had bought a few bags of Skittles last week while Sylvia was visiting in case I needed a quick prop.
Turned out I didn't need them last weekend so I saved them for this week. That and I was a little too lazy last weekend to sort out the colours to get the shot I wanted last Sunday but was a little more motivated today.
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
August 07, 2016
Deplete:
[dih-pleet]
verb (used with object)
1. to decrease seriously or exhaust the abundance or supply of.
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Another hot weekend in the city kept me out of the kitchen and hanging around the freezer.
Now this recipe isn't entirely heatless, but the heat is minimal so I decided to risk it and give it a shot.
I would recommend using silicone popsicle makers if you're going to give this one a shot. The reason there's only two in the photo, instead of the 7 I made is because only two of these slid out of the mold nicely... It was kind of a pain actually. So save yourself a headache, and get a silicone version... or find a trick online for the plastic ones!
Recipe for those interested:
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups water, divided
- 1 cups sugar
- basil leaves
- 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
- 4 lemons, juiced or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
Directions:
01. Make a basil simple syrup by combining 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar and the basil leaves (the more you use, the stronger the basil taste, use at least 5-7) in a pot over medium heat.
02. Stir until sugar dissolves, then let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
03. Remove the basil leaves, and set the syrup aside to cool.
04. Puree strawberries in a food processor or blender.
05. Add lemon juice, basil simple syrup and the remaining water and blend.
06 Pour mixture into your popsicle mold and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Hope everyone has had a good day!
Click "L" for a larger view.
September 20, 2015
"You can pour melted ice cream on regular ice cream. It's like a sauce!" - Chris Pratt
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The weather is cooling down as autumn approaches and so I found myself in the ice cream aisle of the grocery store.
I know, the logic is lacking, but that's how it went and how I ended up with ice cream as the most obvious sweet for this week.
I liked the design between the colours in this so I decided on a close up shot; and to give it some variety from my recent sweet Sunday's.
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
June 14, 2015
"I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening." - Larry King
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A quiet but productive day around the house today, managed to get a closet cleaned up and the laundry caught up.
Otherwise the majority of the to-do list sat on the sidelines while I made up new things to tackle around the house.
All in all, not a bad Sunday.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
September 27, 2015
"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have." - Vince Lombardi
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I woke up with a massive headache this morning so I figured pancakes and Advil (not pictured) were probably the best idea for breakfast today.
It sort of worked and the headache came down to a manageable level, so I can't complain too much.
Otherwise a productive day around the house which is good, as always there was bunch of things to get done on the ol' to-do list. So a productive day was a good thing.
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good Sunday.
Click "L" for a larger view.
August 23, 2015
"Indecision may or may not be my problem." - Jimmy Buffett
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It was a busy and productive Sunday; I cleaned the house from top to bottom, assembled a futon and cleaned up the basement for company next week. I just need to re-connect the TV and video game consoles down there to entertain Sylvia's girls and I'll be good to go... well once all the linens are washed... then I'll be good to go!
Picked up a pie yesterday and to my dismay, once removed from the pie tin, it did not keep it's shape and sort of went flat on the plate, which made Sweet Sunday a little difficult, but I improvised and I think the end result turned out okay.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
August 21, 2016
Slake:
[sleyk]
verb (used with object)
1. to allay (thirst, desire, wrath, etc.) by satisfying.
2. to cool or refresh:
He slaked his lips with ice.
3. to make less active, vigorous, intense, etc.:
His calm manner slaked their enthusiasm.
4. to cause disintegration of (lime) by treatment with water.
5. Obsolete. to make loose or less tense; slacken.
verb (used without object)
6. (of lime) to become slaked.
7. Archaic. to become less active, intense, vigorous, etc.; abate.
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Full disclosure time, I know there's measurements in the recipe below, but I didn't use them. Today was a day for saving on dishes and improvising, so I used all the ingredients but just eyeballed the amount.
It worked out; the kids and Sylvia devoured these as soon as I was done shooting and they all seemed to enjoy the treat and came back for more, so this one is a winner on a hot summer day!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 6 Cups of raspberries (I used frozen raspberries)
- 2 cups of raspberry sorbet, softened
- 1 tablespoon of finely grated lime zest, plus more for garnish, if you'd like
- 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice (3 or 4 limes)
- 1 cup vanilla ice cream, softened
Directions:
01. Mix 5 cups of raspberries, the sorbet, lime zest, and lime juice into a blender. Use a spatula to push down the ingredients. Pulse a few times, then puree until very smooth.
02. Add ice cream and puree, stopping and stirring with spatula as needed.
03. Stir in 1 cup raspberries. (I skipped this and just threw all my raspberries in at once)
04. Pour mixture into glasses. Garnish if you'd like and serve immediately.
Hope everyone is having a very Sweet Sunday.
Click "L" for a larger view.
November 01, 2015
"When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile." - Regina Brett
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I've spent today cleaning the house; from top to bottom and I'm not done yet. I happened to take a short break late this afternoon and realized that with the time change in effect I was about to lose daylight in the house and scrambled to find something for today's sweet photo.
A while ago; some mystery person left a box of two little chocolates on my desk at work and I'd forgotten about them.
Good thing I found them today! Something simple after yesterday's sugar rush for many I'm sure!
Hope everyone has had a good Sunday.
Click "L" for a larger view.
April 05, 2015
"We all eat, and it would be a sad waste of opportunity to eat badly." - Anna Thomas
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Nothing too exciting to report today; Scott is visiting and we started the day with breakfast at my favourite place with my favourite waitress.
Later in the day my parents came to visit and to pick up their cat, Moki, and fortunately Dad didn't notice my props in the fridge and sweet Sunday was allowed to happen.
This week's treats are chocolate buttercream cakes and chocolate truffles from Epicura catering. I didn't feel like baking this week so I cheated and bought my prop; hopefully I'm back to wanting to bake next week.
Hope everyone has had a good day and a happy Easter.
Click "L" for a larger view.
August 09, 2015
"One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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A fairly quiet Sunday; spent the morning catching up with a friend and this afternoon a visit from my parents. I like these leisurely Sundays. They always feel like a great way to end the weekend and ease into another work week.
Otherwise, nothing too exciting to report. I picked up this week's sweet at Epicuria but it wasn't labeled so I have no idea what it's called, just figured it would make a good shot.
Spent the prop home with my parents for dessert, so hopefully they found it tasty, and maybe figured out what it was!
Hope everyone has had a good Sunday.
Click "L" for a larger view.
October 11, 2015
"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." - Martin Luther
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I managed to make away with a slice of my Granny's Apple Crisp after yesterday's (Canadian) Thanksgiving feast.
I wasn't sure if there's be any left, it's a highly requested dish and Granny only makes it on family gathering occasions, so I stationed myself in the kitchen and "helped" serve the dessert.
Of course, that meant that my piece made it's way into a Tupperware container rather than on a plate so that worked out perfectly for me.
Hope everyone has had a very sweet Sunday.
Click "L" for a larger view.
Feeling a little domestic today, so I grabbed the apron and started looking through the kitchen.
Perfect, the ingredients for coffee brownies (a variation of the beer brownies I made in 2016, recipe here, just substitute the beer for coffee).
But before mixing everything together I figured I'd set up a quick shot and get my photo of the day done too.
Two birds, one stone! And brownies as a bonus!
Not complaining about that, at all!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
December 06, 2015
"The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice, love, passion." - Nadia Boulanger
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Panicking for an easy recipe for a last minute Christmas party? This is the one for you. Making bark is incredibly simple and always a favourite with guests (or unsuspecting neighbours who walk by).
I took the lazy way out and melted the chocolate in a microwave rather than pulling out my double boiler, but hey lazy works sometimes.
Need the recipe? Here you go:
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of white chocolate, broken into pieces and divided in two
- 6 ounces of semi-sweet or dark chocolate broken into pieces
(yes, you can use chocolate chips, but that effects the taste and melting consistency, I'd recommend using a higher end brand, I used Baker's)
- 1/4 (x2) teaspoons of peppermint extract
- 3 candy canes, crushed (you could get away with one or two if you don't have three hanging off your tree)
Directions
1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminium foil, smoothing out any wrinkles. (Honestly, this is the most difficult part of the entire recipe)
2. Melt the first batch of white chocolate. *Note* if you're using the microwave, do so in 15 second bursts. Microwave for 15 seconds, stir with a rubber spatula after each burst of heat. Continue until chocolate is completely melted.
3. Remove from microwave and mix in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
4. Pour melted chocolate into the baking pan and spread into a thin layer.
5. Place in the fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden the chocolate. *Note* You do not want to pour the next layer while the first layer is still warm, the colours of chocolate will blend together and you'll end up with either a diluted brown or swirls.
6. Melt the semi-sweet or dark chocolate in the same manner as you did for the white chocolate.
7. Mix in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
8. Pour melted chocolate into the baking pan and spread into a thin layer.
9. Place in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.
10. Melt the other 6 ounces of white chocolate in the same way as you have before.
11. Spread melted chocolate into a final layer in the baking pan.
12. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. (I put the candy canes into a ziplock baggie and crushed them with a rolling pin, but this was very loud so I wouldn't recommend doing this at 2 in the morning if you have neighbours nearby. I've also heard people use a food processor to simplify the process, so you could try that. Me, I like to save on dishes.)
13. Refrigerate until completely hardened then break into pieces or cut into squares. If you're going to cut the pieces, let the bark sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften slightly.
You can freeze this if you're preparing ahead of time, or can be kept in the fridge for about three weeks.
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
September 18, 2016
Zymurgy:
[zahy-mur-jee]
noun
1. the branch of applied chemistry dealing with fermentation, as in winemaking, brewing, the preparation of yeast, etc.
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After a busy day on the road yesterday, it was a bit of a treat to hang around the house and have a bit of a lazy day.
There was one outing. As I was mixing the dough for the cookies it dawned on Scott and I that while we grabbed eggs when grocery shopping we somehow managed to lose them in a cart re-arrangement and they didn't make their way home.
So off we went to the store to quickly get some eggs.
Crisis averted!
Recipe for those interested:
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 2 cups of white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 5 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
Directions:
01. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
02. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
03. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
04. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
05. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
06. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
07. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. (I didn't do this; I just rolled and flattened the cookies)
08. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (As always, I lined mine with parchment paper)
09. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven.
10. Cool completely.
Enjoy!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
June 28, 2015
"Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment." - Claude Monet
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Picked these treats up from Epicuria, a catering place near by, knowing that his weekend would be chaotic with little to no down time.
Honestly, I maybe spent 5 minutes with today's shot. I usually like to take my time with weekend photography but I had too much going on this weekend, so it had to be a quick Sweet Sunday.
I'm told the treats were delicious though; I'm not a fan of things like mascarpone, so I passed on dessert today but am happy it was enjoyed by others!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
November 27, 2016
Soliloquize:
[suh-lil-uh-kwahyz]
verb (used without object)
1. to utter a soliloquy; talk to oneself.
verb (used with object)
2. to utter in a soliloquy; say to oneself.
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After breakfast this morning, I got to baking while Sylvia sat around and relaxed. I thought these had nice look to them so I thought I'd give them a shot.
They actually have an interesting taste to them too, almost like a brownie cookie and really, who can resist that?
Recipe for those interested:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of Unsweetened Cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 2 tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 8 tbsp of unsalted butter
- 8 oz. of Chocolate Baking Chips Unsweetened
- 3 cups packed of brown sugar
- 6 eggs
- 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
- 8 tsp of instant Espresso Powder
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
01. Preheat oven to 325F degrees with the rack in the middle.
02. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
03. In a bowl whisk or sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
04. In a separate bowl microwave chocolate chips and butter in short intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is mostly melted. Continue stirring until all chocolate is melted.
05. In a bowl whisk sugar, eggs, espresso powder and vanilla extract together.
06. Add melted chocolate to the mixture and whisk until combined.
07. Add the flour-cocoa mixture and fold until no streaks of flour are seen.
08. Let sit for 10-15 minutes for the mixture to cool down and harden slightly.
09. Set two bowls with granulated sugar in one and confectioners sugar in another.
10. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter and drop it into the granulated sugar mixture first. Roll around in the sugar, then roll into a ball with hands. Next drop into the confectioners’ sugar until coated.
11. Place coated cookie balls onto a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
12. Bake for 6 minutes, rotate the sheet, and baking for another 4-6 minutes, 10-12 minutes total. Cookies should be set around the edges and still soft in the middle.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
July 05, 2015
"The beginning is the most important part of the work." - Plato
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A relaxing Sunday; I started with work in the kitchen, cutting up fruit for the week and getting things ready for my family dinner this evening.
But by 1:00 I was outside reading in the sunshine so I really can't complain about today. All in all, it was a good way to end the weekend.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
January 24, 2016
Scrumptious
[skruhmp-shuh s]
adjective
1. very pleasing, especially to the senses; delectable; splendid
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Sunday is supposed to be a pretty busy day for me, so I needed something quick for Sweet Sunday.
I also needed breakfast so I decided to combine the two and get a head start on the day!
I've never really mastered the art of crêpe making but this set turned out pretty good, maybe people are right when they say practice makes perfect.
Recipe for those interested:
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 cup of milk (I used skim)
1/2 cup of flour
1 tablespoon of butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Directions
1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium high
2. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk, flour, butter, sugar and vanilla until no lumps remain.
3. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into the centre of the hot pan, lift the pan from the burner and tilt from side to side to have a thin layer of the batter cover the surface. Return pan to burner and cook until top is set and edges begin to turn golden. Loosen with a spatula and flip. Cook for another 30 seconds or so. Remove from heat.
Repeat as necessary. This recipe made 4 crepes and I kept the ready ones warm by storing in the oven at a low temperature.
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day!
Click "L" for a larger view.
July 10, 2016
Sherrick:
[sker-ik]
noun,
1. a small piece or quantity; a bit
------
It's an overcast and cooler day here, so pancakes were on the menu.
A simple classic that makes a gray Sunday morning perfect.
I made these in a cast iron skillet, which led to a nice taste and conformity to the shape and size, which is great since they were being used for a photo. Generally though, I'm okay with mismatched pancakes.
Just a classic pancake recipe today, nothing fancy.
Ingredients:
- 1 & 1/2 of cups all-purpose flour
- 3 & 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of white sugar
- 1 & 1/4 cups of milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter
Directions:
01. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
02. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
03. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
04. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
05. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
September 11, 2016
Gaffe:
[gaf]
noun
1. a social blunder; faux pas.
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Apparently my mind blanked yesterday when baking my banana bread because instead of grabbing the tin for loaves, I grabbed a 9x13 baking tin....
It's alright though, the taste is the same and this mixed it up nicely... I guess.
I'm still sort of shaking my head at myself, but what can you do?
Oh well! Recipe for those interested.
Ingredents:
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of softened butter (I used unsalted)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 6 mashed bananas (recipe called for 4, but I had 6)
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt (if you used salted butter, I'd skip this)
Directions:
01. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
02. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla.
03. Add eggs and mashed bananas.
04 Mix in remaining ingredients.
05. Pour into loaf pan (or a 9x13 baking pan) lined with parchment paper.
06. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
April 24, 2016
Copious:
[koh-pee-uh s]
adjective
1. large in quantity or number; abundant; plentiful
2. having or yielding an abundant supply
3. exhibiting abundance or fullness, as of thoughts or words.
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Okay, so I must say that this is one of my favourite recipes that I've stumbled upon for Sweet Sunday. The cake is light and fluffy and the crumble is just sweet enough without being overbearing.
If you're planning on having friends over for coffee and need a snack to go along with it, I would recommend this recipe.
I found the original recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction. I adjusted it slightly, her recipe called for a glaze, but I thought that might be a bit much for me so I passed on that. I think I made the right choice, the glaze would have made this just a little too sweet for my taste.
Recipe for those interested:
Ingredients:
Crumble:
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Cake:
1 1/3 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of sour cream, at room temperature
(Side note, for the ingredients at room temperature, I failed to plan ahead and ended up using ingredients straight from the fridge, both the cake and I seem to have fared well.)
Directions:
01. Preheat oven to 350°F.
02. Grease and lightly flour a round or square 8-inch pan, or line with parchment paper.
03. Combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
04. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender (I don't have a pastry blended, so I just used my hands.) until the mixture resembles pea sized crumbs and set aside.
05. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
06. In another bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute).
07. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together.
08. On medium-high speed, add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition.
09. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream.
10. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix. (The batter will be smooth and thick.)
11. Carefully spread half of the batter into the pan.
12. Sprinkle with half of the crumble.
13. Carefully spread the remaining half of the batter on top (This was the most difficult step)
14. Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top.
15. Bake for around 30 minutes or until the cake is baked through.
16. Allow cake to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
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July 17, 2016
Refreshing:
[ri-fresh-ing]
adjective
1. having the power to restore freshness, vitality, energy, etc.
2. pleasingly fresh or different
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Early this morning I received an invitation to visit a friend at a cottage about an hour away from the city, so as you can imagine, I jumped at the chance to escape the city and had no time for baking.
Luckily though, I went a little fruit happy when grocery shopping yesterday and was able to throw together a delicious fruit spread for Sweet Sunday.
So no real recipe this week.
All you really need to do is chop up a bunch of your favourite fruit and mix.
Since I chopped up a bunch of fruit, some that doesn't last too long once cut, I added a bit of lemon juice to preserve the fruit to get through most of the week for snacks.
And yes, I sampled the fruit while shooting. The cherries are delicious!
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day.
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Bonus cottage day collage in the comments!
February 21, 2016
Ambrosial:
[am-broh-zhuh l]
adjective
1. exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell; especially delicious or fragrant.
2. worthy of the gods; divine.
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It's been a busy morning in the kitchen, started around 6am to make this for today's Sweet Sunday & for snacks throughout the week. While this was in the oven, I started on the soup for tonight's dinner.
Luckily for me, the soup I'd decided on was minimal effort and came together rather quickly and is simmering on low for family dinner later this evening!
So for those interested, I found this recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
Banana Bread
- 2 cups of white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, not packed
- 4 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cups of mashed very ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
- 1/3 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt (I used greek vanilla bean yogurt)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Simple Glaze
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with a stand or handheld mixer on medium speed until well blended – about 1 minute. 4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. With a wooden spoon, stir in the mashed banana, yogurt, and vanilla.
6. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Batter will be thick. (I just dumped them all in once, and it seemed to work out okay, just needed a little more folding)
7. Pour half of the batter into prepared loaf pan. 8. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar swirl ingredients. 9. Top with remaining batter.
10. Bake for 40-45 minutes (50-55 minutes if your oven sucks) or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
11. Cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on the wire rack.
12. While the bread is cooling, make the glaze in a small bowl by combining the powdered sugar and heavy cream. Add more powdered sugar or cream until you reached desired thickness.
13. Drizzle over banana bread.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
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March 08, 2015
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles M. Schulz
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As some of you already know, it was Nard's birthday this past Monday and to celebrate, his leading lady, Jo, made him this fantastic Reese's Cake. I didn't get to try it, but I did "steal" it for an hour or so this afternoon for Sweet Sunday.
So thank you to Nard & Jo for the contribution to this week's treat!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
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April 26, 2015
"Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows." - Robert Green Ingersoll
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These lemon bars turned into a headache for me and a sign that I'm slowly losing my mind.
I somehow managed to mix up my flour and icing sugar containers (that look nothing alike) and messed the first batch of lemon squares that I made.
So this afternoon I ended up making a second batch, this time with the right ingredients and am glad I didn't give up and go buy something.
They turned out to be quite delicious, but maybe that's just the extra effort.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
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September 04, 2016
Chicanery:
[shi-key-nuh-ree]
noun
1. trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry
2. a quibble or subterfuge used to trick, deceive, or evade.
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This is a great dessert if you've misled your dinner guests into believing your culinary skills are a little more advanced than "I've figured out how to mince garlic without losing a finger."
It looks a lot more complicated and time consuming than it really is, so if you have guests that need impressing, remember this recipe!
Recipe is from the Sea Salt Sweet cookbook (bakebook?) by Heather Baird.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter, for ramekins
- 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 teaspoon of fine-grain sea salt
- 6 sheets of frozen phyllo dough, thawed
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
- 12 fresh figs, quartered
- 6 tablespoons of chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1/2 cup of wildflower honey (I used regular honey, wildflower was super expensive)
Directions:
01. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
02. Butter six round ramekins and set aside. (I only have four ramekins, so I did two sets of three in the oven. If you do this, make sure to cover the waiting phyllo sheets with a damp paper towel.)
03. Place the ricotta and heavy whipping cream in a small to medium mixing bowl. Beat the mixture on medium speed with an electric mixer, gradually adding the sugar, until the mixture is thickened and has soft peaks.
04. Add the vanilla and salt; mix well. Cover the mixture and chill while the other elements are prepared.
05. Stack 2 phyllo sheets on a work surface and cover the remaining sheets with a damp paper towel to prevent the dough from drying.
06. Brush the sheets evenly with some of the melted butter.
07. Top the buttered phyllo sheets with 2 more sheets of phyllo and brush with butter as before.
08.Top with the last 2 phyllo sheets and gently press all the layers together.
09. Cut the phyllo stacks into six rectangles. 10. Carefully fit a rectangle of phyllo into each buttered ramekin, creating a phyllo cup. The phyllo will slightly extend over the top of each ramekin. (This is the second hardest part of the recipe)
11. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
12. . Bake for 20 minutes, or until the phyllo dough cups are crisp and golden.
13. Allow the phyllo cups to cool for 5 minutes inside the ramekins, then gently remove them and place them on a cooling rack. (This is the hardest part) The cups may also be kept inside the ramekins for serving, if you prefer.
14. Just before serving, divide the ricotta mixture evenly among the cups.
Top each basket with 2 quartered figs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of toasted walnut pieces over each cup and drizzle each cup with honey.
15. Serve immediately and impress your guests!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
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"At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet." - Plato
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I took a few weeks off from baking after going overboard during December, and I tell you, the break felt good.
But today as I was looking through the kitchen for a snack, I realized snackage was seriously depleted.
Since I didn't feel like going to the grocery store, I started looking for ingredients, and had just the right amount of stuff to make cheddar scones!
Done, and now I have snacks for the week! Delaying groceries for a while longer! Win-win!
Recipe for those interested:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup grated old cheddar
- 1 cup cold milk
Directions:
01. Place rack above centre of oven. Preheat oven to 450F (230C). Line a baking sheet with parchement paper.
02. Using a fork, stir flour with baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Work in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese.
03. Make a well in centre. Pour in milk and stir just until moistened.
04. Turn out onto a floured cutting board. Divide in half and pat each portion into a 6 inch circle about 3/4 inch thick.
05. Cut each into 8 wedges.
06. Lift wedges onto baking sheet, placing about 1 inch apart for crusty-sided scones or 1/2 inch apart for soft-sided scones.
07. Bake above oven centre until golden, from 10 to 12 minutes.
Enjoy!
Hope everyone has had a good idea.
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May 08, 2016
Oenomel:
[ee-nuh-mel, en-uh-]
1. Something combining strength with sweetness.
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I managed to get my hands on a waffle maker this week; what a treat! And appropriate since it's Mother's Day and who doesn't love the classic brunch to spoil Mom!
Now in the spirit of honesty, Mom didn't get to induldge; we celebrated yesterday with the extended family in Kingston, so today Mom wanted to take it easy and relax at home... well she's probably found projects to do. But that's Mom for you!
Anyway, the waffle maker was pretty cool, but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy one. The taste wasn't too different than the (not frozen) store bought waffles and there's a lot less clean up involved in those!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
4 teaspoons of baking powder
2 tablespoons of white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of warm milk
1/3 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside.
2. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.(the iron I borrowed only had two options, on and off, so I selected on...)
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla.
4. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.
5. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. 6. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp.
Anyway, happy Mother's Day, hope you're all having a good day.
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May 03, 2015
"I came, I saw, I conquered." - Julius Caesar
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Spent a wonderful day being fairly lazy after a point; as planned I was up long before the sun and managed to have the house work complete just before the sun rose and was able to spend the majority of the day outside.
To celebrate the warmer weather I thought an ice cream dessert would be most appropriate so I whipped up a parfait in a stemless wine glass and went for it!
Hope everyone has had a very sweet Sunday. Reality strikes tomorrow!
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May 31, 2015
"The Law of Raspberry Jam: the wider any culture is spread, the thinner it gets." - Alvin Toffler
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It was cold this morning when I woke up, so I took advantage and used the opportunity to get all the chores that I'd been neglecting this weekend done.
This afternoon the sun decided to shine through for a few minutes and luckily for me, those few minutes happened to be in the middle of an (outdoor) engagement shoot I was doing, so that's fantastic!
Came home from the photoshoot, made dinner and walked up to the bakery to pick these up.
So, a busier Sunday than I usually like, but it was at least productive so I shouldn't complain!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
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March 22, 2015
"First we eat, then we do everything else." -M.F.K. Fisher
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A standard Sunday around the house today; a bit of housework, some laundry, some baking and some reading. Nothing too exciting, but the weather has turned cold, very cold, so there wasn't a lot of motivation to go outside and adventure.
So I stayed in for a quiet day. Not that I'm complaining, quiet days are nice and refreshing every now and again.
Hope everyone has had a good day.
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November 06, 2016
Galimatias:
[gal-uh-mey-shee-uh s]
noun
1. confused or unintelligible talk.
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It was a gorgeous autumn day, so Scott and I met my folks for breakfast and then spent about 5 hours out on the trails at Mer Bleue, geocaching and feeding the birds.
The highlight of Scott's adventure was having a Nuthatch land on his hand, not once but numerous times (he may have an exact count) to grab some food. Today, he truly felt like a Disney princess.
Recipe for today's sweet treat is below.
Ingredients:
For the shortbread layer
- 1½ cups of all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup of firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup of butter, softened
- ½ cup of finely chopped pecans
For the cheesecake layer
- 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup of sugar
- ½ cup of milk
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
For the pecan pie layer
- ¾ cup firmly of packed brown sugar
- ½ cup light of corn syrup
- ⅓ cup of butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large of eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1½ cups of pecans
Directions:
01. Preheat oven to 350.
02. Prepare a 9x13 baking sheet by greasing or lining with parchment paper.
03. For the shortbread layer: In a medium bowl, combine flour and ¾ cup of brown sugar.
04. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
05. Stir in ½ cup of pecans.
06. Press mixture evenly into bottom of the baking pan.
07. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven, and cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
08. For the cheesecake layer: Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer outfitted with a paddle attachment, and beat at medium speed until smooth.
09. Beat in sugar.
10. Add milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and beat until combined.
11. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cooled shortbread layer.
12. Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven and cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
13. For the pecan pie layer: In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ¾ cup of brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter.
14. Gently stir in the eggs, salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
15. Stir in 1½ cups of pecans.
16. Pour pecan mixture over cooled cheesecake layer.
17. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until center is set and pecan pie layer is a rich brown color.
Enjoy!
Hope everyone has had a good day!
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November 15, 2015
"Yield to temptation. It may not pass your way again." - Robert A. Heinlein
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Or as I've taken to calling them, crack brownies.
Dad found this recipe for me in one of his running magazines, knowing I can't resist nutella or ferrero rocher chocolates, he sent it over to me.
That was last week, and honestly if I had had the stuff in the house, they would have been made immediately. However, I was lacking a few ingredients so they had to wait for groceries to be done.
They're delicious; especially when warm!
Interested in the recipe? Here you go.
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces of semisweet baker's chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of table salt
- 1/2 cup of Nutella
- 2/3 cup of flour
- 8 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, coarsely chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, partially melt the butter, add the chopped baker's chocolate, stirring frequently until melted completely.
3. Add the sugar and whisk.
4. Whisk in eggs, one at a time.
5. Add the vanilla, salt and Nutella and mix with a spoon until the swirls of Nutella are blended.
6. Stir in the flour.
7. Pour batter in the pan and sprinkle the chopped Ferrero Rocher's on top.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Resist temptation to eat immediately and let cool before digging in with a fork, or slicing into squares.
Hope everyone has had a good day!
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