Bread Maker Cinnamon Bread

Happy Thursday! On top of self  isolating, we have been doing a kitchen reno so we haven’t had a kitchen for a few weeks and will not have one for a few more at least. I am already having baking and cooking withdrawals as that’s what I love to do. I especially love to bake every Friday night as a release after a long week at work. Since I anticipated that I’d be out of a kitchen for a little while, I did some baking beforehand to “get it out of my system” so I’ll be sharing those recipes with you for the next little bit. Once the new kitchen is done, we can do lots of baking and cooking in there to share with you all.

I tried out another bread maker recipe not long ago. This time I made some raisin bread and boy was it delicious. I actually made it a few times and did a loaf right before the kitchen was pulled apart so that I could have some yummy bread for breakfast’s.

Bread Maker Raisin Bread

You will need...

1¼ cup of warm water (microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds roughly)

2tbsp. of butter

3¼ cup of flour

2tbsp. of sugar

1¼ tsp. of salt

1tsp. of cinnamon

1tsp. of active dry yeast

½-3/4 cup of raisins

Warm your water and add to the bread maker pan.

Now add in the butter, sugar, salt, yeast, and flour and sprinkle the cinnamon on top.

Put on the sweet setting on your bread maker and choose the large loaf and darker crust.

You should hear a bunch of beeps about half way through and that’s when you’ll add in the raisins.

When it’s ready, allow it to cool before slicing it and put it all in a tightly sealed container. Enjoy!

Bread Maker Bread

Another week at home so as I was cleaning up I rediscovered my bread maker. I haven’t used it in some time as I have been so busy and it was easier to just buy bread. Since I have been left with so much free time on my hands, I thought I’d make some fresh bread (I’ve actually made a few loafs and will be making even more). Fresh bread is always so yummy. I made some to have for breakfast and I made some to go along with some pasta the other night.

I will admit that in the past it took some figuring out which recipe worked the best. I have made some bread that didn’t rise and some that were super dense, but take a look at the recipe below to see one that worked out perfectly!

White Bread Maker Bread

You will need...

4 cups of sifted flour (must must must be sifted)

1 ½ cups of warm water (must must must be warm)

2 tsp. of sugar

2 ½ tsp. of dry yeast (I use break maker yeast)

2 tsp. of salt

2 tsp. of oil

How to...

Sift flour.

Warm up your water. You don’t want it to boil but you want it slightly warmer than room temperature. I put it in the microwave for about a minute. Pour the water into the bread maker pan.

Now sprinkle the yeast and then the sugar on top. Allow to sit and foam/bubble for 5 minutes.

After the 5 minutes are up, add the salt and then the oil. I used Mazola oil but you can use olive oil instead.

Finally add the flour.

Place the pan into the machine and put it on the basic bread setting. Choose your crust colour and then press start. This setting usually takes about 3 hours.

Once the final “bread is ready” beep occurs, remove the pan and allow the bread to cool in the pan. The pan should be cool to the touch before you try to remove the bread.

You can slice and serve the bread warm or you can let it cool completely and either leave it or slice* it all and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy the fresh delicious bread!

*a regular bread knife will do the job but my dad gave me an electric knife and it sliced my next loaf so perfectly.

Aquaholic-Infused Water

It’s all about water today! Infused water that is. The eyeshadow colour that we have chosen is called “Aquaholic” and it’s a sparkly teal shade.

We’ve got some good infused water ideas/ recipes that we are going to share with you today. They’ll be perfectly refreshing for the Summer months ahead.

Strawberry

4-6 strawberries hulled and quartered

½ lemon, sliced

Small handful of basil

Ice and cold filtered water

Fill a pitcher half way with ice and the strawberries and lemon slices. Scrunch a handful of basil in and then cover with water. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Strawberry Cucumber

Take ½ cup of strawberries along with ½ cup of cucumber slices and add to a pitcher and add water and put in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Watermelon

2 slices of watermelon cut into thirds

Small handful of basil

Fill a pitcher half way with ice and watermelon. Scrunch a handful of basil in and then cover with water. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Lemon Lime

Slice an entire lemon and a lime and place those slices in a pitcher and fill with water. Allow it to sit in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

Blueberry Orange

Slice one orange and add it to a pitcher along with ¼ cups of blueberries. Fill with water and refrigerate.

Blueberry Mint

In a pitcher add ¼ cup of blueberries and 2 small sprigs of fresh mint. Add water to fill and then place in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Raspberry Lime

Quarter two limes and squeeze the juice into a pitcher before throwing in the quarters. Add a small packet of raspberries, about a cup and mush them up a bit. Fill the pitcher with ice and cover with water. You can serve right away.

Pineapple Mint

Into a pitcher add a couple of sprigs of fresh mint. Then add a couple cups of fresh pineapple chunks and mush them up a bit before filling the pitcher with ice and water.  

Grape Orange

Add two cups of halved grapes into a pitcher and then add a thinly sliced orange. Fill with water and refrigerate overnight.

Cherry Lime

In a pitcher add 2 cups of fresh pitted and halved cherries. Then add in a thinly sliced lime (if it’s small, then you can add two). Add water to fill and put in the fridge until you’re ready to drink. 

New Brunswick, Bay of Fundy

We’re in New Brunswick this week exploring the Bay of Fundy so here are some interesting facts...

The Bay of Fundy has some of the world’s highest tides. 

Two times a day, about 160 billion tons of water flow in and out of the Bay of Fundy.

When the tide is low, you can explore the ocean floor that was just recently covered in water! You might be able to find fossils, stones, and sea glass.

It takes six hours and 13 minutes from the Bay to go from high tide to low tide, or from low tide to high tide.

It is considered as one of the Seven Wonders of North America.

The shape of  the bay allows for the tides to reach as high as a five storey building. 

You’ll see breath taking cliffs, sea caves, as well as rock formations and fossils!

Whales and seabirds can be seen if you’re exploring the Bay on boat or from land. Take a Zodiac tour and you might spot Minke, Humpback, Finback, and North Atlantic Right Whales. You may also see dolphins, sharks, seals, puffins, and eagles. 

Lighthouses are always fun to explore and see. The first one ever lit on the Bay of Fundy was on Partridge Island in 1791.

A lot of people’s first thoughts when they think about the Bay of Fundy is surfing. Two times during the day hide tide happens and when high tide happens, a large wave called a tidal bore occurs. It’s a tidal wave that happens on the open ocean and it’s perfect for seasoned surfers to ride. It can come in the form of a single wave with a roller or a smooth wavefront with a bunch of waves afterwards. 

There are many parks that can be explored that surround the Bay as well. Check out Fundy National Park and Cape Chignecto Provincial  Park. 

For some more interesting facts and things to do at the Bay of Fundy take a look at the link below.

https://www.bayoffundy.com/52-reasons-to-visit/

DIY Spa Day for Mom

Today we’re starting a two week break from our Pantone Spring colours to celebrate mom. We’ve planned two blog posts with mom in mind and then we promise to get back to our Spring colours.

It’s always fun going to the spa and being pampered, but we thought it might be a fun idea to put together a girls night in with mom and create the spa in the comfort of your own home. We have found some fun spa DIY’s that you can do at home with your mom this Mother’s Day. It’s always fun to get manis and pedis as well as facials and a nice sugar scrub so check out what we have for you below and you’ll be set to have your very own Mother’s Day spa day.

First of all, before we even get started on the things that you can do, make sure that you and your mom are super comfy. Maybe get her a nice new terry cloth robe and some slippers. You want to be comfy while you are doing your treatments. 

Set the mood and light some fragrant candles that your mom would like. Coming up with some healthy spa treat would be a nice idea as well. Try out this recipe for cucumber water...

Cucumber and Lemon Water:

Put ½ of a lemon and ¼ of a cucumber thinly sliced in a pitcher. Fill it with cold water and ice. Let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes. Serve cold. As the water goes down just add more along with more ice. Add some fresh mint for an added bit of flavour.  

Have some fresh fruit and veggies (maybe a salad) would be sure to make your mom happy. I think making her a nice sweet treat to the end the spa day would be a perfect way to finish off the day. Take a look at next week’s blog post for an inspiration for a sweet treat. 

If you’ve got puffy or sore eyes use some cold cucumber slices or green tea bags. You can sit back with these one your eyes while you get your nails painted or while you do one of the other treatments.

Here are some other facial treatments that you can try.

To exfoliate and remove dry skin try out some of these homemade scrub recipes...

https://www.brit.co/diy-face-scrubs/

http://thecrunchymoose.com/natural-exfoliants-facial-scrub-recipes/

http://homemadeforelle.com/10-simple-exfoliating-face-scrubs/

For a nice mask treat your faces to some of these...

https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/homemade-facial-masks 

http://mamabee.com/52-homemade-face-mask-recipes/

http://www.livingthenourishedlife.com/4-honey-face-masks/

Before your mani and pedi you can soak your feet in warm water and Epsom salts in a big bucket or if you have a foot bath, then soak your feet in there. Afterwards massage your feet with some nice lotion or olive oil.

DIY Manicures and Pedicures:

Step 1. Prep your nails, so remove all old polish and clip your nails.

Step 2. Shape your nails. Some people like to have them squared off and some prefer rounded nails. 

Step 3. Smooth the nail surface with a buffer. You can get one of these at the drugstore. 

Step 4. Give your cuticles some love by pushing them back and then massage them with some oil or lotion.

Step 5. Make sure you are sitting at a desk or table and have your hands flat on the table. If you are doing a pedicure alone then you want to make sure your foot is in a position that you can easily reach. 

Step 6. Put on a clear base coat. Before this step if you have some, you’ll want to put on your toe separators.

Step 7. Now it’s time to start painting. Pick out which colour you want to use. I have a drawer full of colours (I collect nail polish), but if you have a limited collection then you can buy some colours before your spa day or get everyone to bring some so that there are lots to pick from. Paint each other’s nails for that spa feeling or if you’d rather, you can paint your own. 

Step 8. Apply two coats making sure that the coats dry in between layers. This usually takes 2-3 minutes.

Step 9. Apply the top coat.

Step 10. Let them dry. You probably want to do the nail painting after your other spa treatments, so save this for last and pop in a movie to watch while you dry.

And if you’re really adventurous...you can make your own sugaring recipe and give it a go.

Here is the recipe for the sugar paste http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Body-Sugaring-Paste

And this is how you do it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVKrLumCEpA