Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Hello Goodies! Hope you all are recovering nicely from a week and weekend filled with turkey and all the fixings! I know that I have been eating leftovers since my family dinner on Sunday. The weather here in Southern Ontario was just amazing - absolutely perfect for a Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanksgiving is a time when families come together to celebrate the harvest. This year (as well as in years past) I got to celebrate twice (spoiled)! First I celebrated with my in-laws-to-be, up in sunny St. Catharines and second with my family. Dinner at each house was superbly executed and delicious! I cannot wait to have a house of my own and host my first turkey dinner. I very much look forward to the stressful enjoyable experience.

As you all are aware I love to bake, and if you read my interview for the Real Women of Philadelphia, you would know that everything around me is cause for inspiration. For Thanksgiving with Joel's family, I was inspired by the deliciously scented candles that I had purchased for Ashley's bridal shower as favours. They were all the yummy fall-inspired scents from Bath and Body Works - Salted Caramel, Hot Chocolate, Creamy Pumpkin are just some to name a few. Personally, the Apple Crumble is my favourite. I decided a perfect holiday dessert would be a pie! What inspires you?



The first pie that I decided to make was inspired by the new movie "The Help". It was first a bestselling novel (which my mom had read well before it was a bestseller - she does that a lot with books) and then recently made into a motion picture. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you do! Not only did the story have you laughing and crying with the characters, but I know the movie had me drooling over all the amazing southern food. The climax of the movie was centered all around a pie - a chocolate pie! So that is what I had to make! Like everything in the movie, I made it all from scratch - including the dough! As my added twist (I love to make things my own), I added some pecans, to make it a Chocolate Pecan pie.

I didn't get a chance to try it, but I heard that it was delicious - especially for those who love chocolate!




The second pie I decided to make was a mixed berry pie with some sliced apple. I thoroughly enjoy this pie! It did however leak, on our journey up to St. Catharines and I was not thinking as I grabbed Ashley's nice Ralph Lauren towels for it to sit under in a box. It looked like murder, with all the juice on the towels. Thankfully, the stains came out. As soon as I returned late Saturday night, I prewashed and washed the towels right away.



Stay tuned for a double post! I made some Starbucks-inspired Ginger Molasses cookies for our journey up to St. Catharines and have been asked many before times for the recipe. So it is my pleasure to post to it for all of you to try at home! Check back soon.

Tea for Two... and Two for Tea

This past weekend, I hosted my first bridal shower... Boy was I not anticipating the amount of work that has to go into planning. There's the venue, the guest list, the menu, games, favours and so much more to think about! Thankfully the shower was for my best friend, Ashley (my baking side-kick and roommate), she is not fussy about things... Me on the other hand, like things just so.

We decided to have a tea-party themed shower, because Ashley loves tea! She and I scoured the local thrift shops for the prettiest, most dainty, English teacups we could find. The teacups - coupled with my mom's teapots and silver serving ware, the shower turned out to be a beautiful sight.







There were about 30 women who came to support Ashley and lots of them were generous, bringing tons and tons of desserts! I am so thankful, because I was not sure if there was going to be enough dessert. *Pictured above are the desserts I made, along with some yummy European pastries from my friend's bake shoppe. I made tea-inspired sugar cookies, coconut macaroons, ginger molasses cookies, Scottish shortbread cookies, coconut cream pie and apple cinnamon cupcakes*. As well we served sandwiches with all kinds of teas and home-roasted flavoured coffees.

All in all, I think the shower was a success! I would like to give a BIG thanks to my mom, for all her hard work, planning, running around and all of the beautiful fresh flower arrangements.

Real Women of Philadelphia Featured Post

This just in: THE BIG NEWS that was promised to you yesterday! Remember the video I entered into the Real Women of Philadelphia contest? If you don't, you can relive my embarrassment here (I look silly on camera). Well, Elise Copps-Smith, a host at Real Women of Philadelphia has been gracious enough to write a feature post about Goodies 2 Choose on their website and Internet community.

If you haven't heard about this online community - emphasis on the word community, you should check it out. Women are encouraging each other everyday, as they exchange life stories, helpful hints and recipes - all while they bond over a mutual love of cooking/baking and of course Philadelphia cream cheese.

I am so thankful for this opportunity, to share with more people something that I love to do!

If you are interested in reading the article click here or to read the full-length interview click here.

Happy Birthday!

To those of you goodies who have a birthday in September - Happy Birthday! It's a great month to have a birthday (mine is the 15th). Last week I made this cake for my best friend's mom's birthday! Mrs. Wolin's favourite colour and mine happen to be the same - purple, so I thought it was a great idea to colour the Italian meringue buttercream so. This chocolate cake was 8" round and super-d-duper tall. But boy, was it de-licious!

Some big new coming up! I am really excited to tell you all, but you will have to wait until tomorrow!!

As well I am hosting a bridal shower this weekend and coming up with some delicious goodies! You'll have to be patient to see what I come up with!

Bonnie Gordon Cakes

If you don't know who that is... you have been hiding under a rock! Bonnie Gordon is an expert on everything cakes and she has opened up a school (bearing the same name) in northern Toronto. As a Christmas gift from my boyfriend (now FIANCE!!), he enrolled me in a one day workshop at the school all about cupcakes! I had not had so much fun in quite a while and the class was small, where women gathered together to learn and help each other out! I was equipped with a set of recipes which I hope to test out here at home and some new knowledge to decorate! Here are the yummy, I mean lovely, cupcakes that I had the pleasure of making (and eating). Bon Appetite!

-Kaila

(I had to take my pictures with my phone)

New Look.

Well it's been almost a year in the thought process, but we've finally updated! Besides baking, I also have a passion for graphic and web designing, so the great graphics are of course by me as well! (Just kidding about the great part) Anyways I enjoy designing new websites/graphics almost as much as I love to bake and create! I couldn't draw to save my life, but with Photoshop or a piping bag, I am invincible!

I thought it would be great to go for a more sophisticated look, as Goodies 2 Choose is getting older! I also wanted to make it totally girly! Let us know what you think of the new look, theme and colour scheme! I am eager to hear some feedback! Some new baking projects coming up in the next couple of weeks here at Goodies 2 Choose! I'll be sure to keep you up to date on all things yummy!

- Kaila

An Ocean Breeze!

Just thought I would update here on vacation in the Bahamas to make all of you dessert lovers jealous! My family and best friend travelled to the Bahamas last Tuesday to soak up the sun and relax after a hard stressful year of school and work. Not only has it been relaxing, but a fun time for my family to grow and enjoy each other. We are staying at an amazing Hotel in downtown Nassau, right on the ocean with a private beach. Warm ocean breezes and white sands are more than enough to cure the winter blues.

We also had a chance to spend a night on Paradise Island and spend two glorious days on the grounds of Atlantis. If you don't know about Atlantis, it is a vast resort of many hotels, casinos and shops, complete with an extensive water park, beaches and aquariums. I would recommend taking a visit to Atlantis if you are planning a trip to the Bahamas. It is expensive, but well worth the price when you step into a paradise.

Here are just a few snapshots of our trip thus far.... think and dream yourself here!

Real Women of Philadelphia

Hello Dessert Lovers! Something new for a change, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Kraft Canada have teamed up to bring you the Real Women of Philadelphia contest! Where women can meet, exchange recipes and learn all over a mutual love - cream cheese! It is an eight week contest, featuring a new dish challenge each week. There are four grand prize winners that take home the big prize - a whopping $20 000!! Into the second week of competition, at home chefs have been asked to create an original side-dish incorporating the oh so versatile Philadelphia Cream Cheese!

I had so much fun with my entry, making my first 'How to' video and uploading it to YouTube. I brought out the big guns, making my very special, backyard BBQ favourite, Sweet and Spicy Macaroni and Cheese! It is definitely a new spin on an old classic and of course the cream cheese takes it to a whole new level! This dish is so creamy and smooth!

It's not a dessert, but you will be drooling I can guarantee! So enjoy my video, take in the cooking and not me. Ha! Let us know here at Goodies 2 Choose what you think - but no laughing!

Happy Viewing.

Puzzled? -Valentine's Day

No need to scratch your head or be boggled by these cookies! These sugar cookies are positively puzzling! For a gift, these cookies are decorated with royal icing and cute animal valentine's day edible wafer paper. To make things more fun, the cookies are in the shape of puzzle pieces so you can mix and match! These cookies are the perfect excuse to play with your food!

You Know You're Famous When.... Your Face is on a Cookie!

This past weekend, Goodies 2 Choose was asked to make cookies for an exclusive Elle Canada magazine party! These were my classic sugar cookies, topped with custom edible wafer paper! Cool eh!? On the cover of the December 2010 issue, is model Laura Rowley. Word is that the cookies were absolutely delicious! Here is a look from the exclusive party hosted by super agent Chantale Nadeau!

Cover model Laura Rowley with her Elle Canada cover and matching cookie!

Delicious cookies.



Supermodel Addison Gill enjoys her cookie!

May the Force be with You.

Well, here they are, fresh out of the oven! These cookies are cute and minimalistic - perfect for a six year old's birthday party! They may not be authentic enough for the Star Wars fanatic, but we think they are just darling!

Wedding fun!

A popular idea these days seems to be a photo booth at a wedding! Why not!? Remember the evening and have lots of fun with your friends and family! A company locally here called Shutterbug did an awesome job at a wedding we attended recently! Look at all the fun we had!!

Lights, Camera, Action!!

Check out this commercial I did for Off the Wall Clothing, owned by the same company as West 49, there are none close to where we live, but you can find them all across Canada! You'll have to pay close attention to catch me!