Rye and Caraway Seed Bread

Bread

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I really cannot get enough of homemade bread. I make it every week now. I eat toast for dinner by choice. Everything else I eat is eaten on toast. It's just so darn good! If you still haven't tried these no-knead long fermentation breads that I've put on my blog (this will be the 7th, I think), then get on it! You're missing out on some delicious bread.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Almond and Raspberry Croissants

Fruit | Pastry

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For those of you that follow me on instagram, you know that for the past few days, I was in Tofino, BC! Tofino is a little seaside town on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It has beautiful beaches, great surfing, incredible rainforests, and a bit of a hippy feel to it. In the colder months, it's a great place for a relaxing vacation. You can rent a cabin, like my boyfriend and I did two years ago, and go for long walks on the beach in bright yellow ponchos, then come inside and dry your socks in front of the old wood burning stove. In the summer, there are tons of adventurous things to do, like kayaking, whale watching, hiking, surfing, and fishing. 

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Lemon Lavender Tarts with Honey Meringue

Custards | Fruit | Tarts

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I know absolutely nothing about building things. 

You can tell me to pipe meringue on 350 individual tarts in a specific pattern, I'll do it. You can tell me to make 5 litres of lemon curd, I'll do it. But you tell me to find the right kind of nails to nail two wooden boards together, I can't do that. I don't know, normal nails? There's different kinds of nails? Big nails?

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Raspberry Marshmallow Eggs

Confections | Fruit

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To me, Easter is one of those holidays purely for kids. When I was a kid, I loved it. We would have Easter egg hunts in our back yard with little brightly painted baskets. Other kids that I don't think I even knew would come over and join the hunt. There are photos of me as a kid wearing a little polka dot dress and my face painted like a bunny, it was adorable.

But, seeing as my family is not religious, once my brother and I got older, we just stopped celebrating Easter. We would still get a little bit of chocolate on Easter, but that was it really. No more hunts. That's okay, I'm a 21 year old adult now who has bills to pay and things to do and people to see. But I still like getting a little craftsy around the fun kid holidays like Easter.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

Fruit | Pie

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Woah, hey, what's this now? Do these photos look a little...nicer? They do! 

Finally, I have upgraded my camera! Well, not officially because I am currently "borrowing" my boyfriend's camera, but I will eventually pay for him for it and be able to call it my own. Since my boyfriend upgraded his camera, I get his "old" camera, which is not at all old and is about 100 times better than the one I was using. Needless to say, I am stoked.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Cookies and Cream Macarons

Chocolate | Cookies | Macarons

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Growing up, Oreos were never that big of a deal to me. I had eaten them before and they were good, but we never had them in the cupboards at home. Out of sight, out of mind. Over the years, they were grouped into the "store bought cookies are nasty" category in my mind and then subsequently forgotten about.

Until I decided to make these.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Hazelnut Creme Brûlée Tart

Custards | Tarts

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Whenever I think of my travels in Italy, I think of hazelnut gelato. My first trip to Italy was when I was 12 years old and it was just me and my Mama. I think I had gelato two or three times every single day of that trip (thanks Mum!). Most of the time, that gelato was straight up hazelnut.

There were tons of flavours in every gelateria, but hazelnut was just something different. I could've gone for chocolate, stracciatella, nutella, or vanilla (all my favourites), but in the end, hazelnut won me out. Now, every time I eat a hazelnut flavoured dessert, it brings me back to Italy with my Mama.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Coffee Cakes with Almond Streusel

Breakfast | Cake

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Is it spring yet? Sure doesn't feel like it. I mean, yeah, everything on Pinterest is "Grow your own garden!" and "Spring cleaning tips!" and "Strawberries and rhubarb and asparagus and peas!". And I'm just sitting here in rainy Vancouver with no rhubarb or strawberries or asparagus or peas. And it's cold.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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Pecan Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Bread | Chocolate | Fruit

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Remember last week when I was bummed about my new job and how I just felt like I was doing a bad job every day, no matter how hard I tried? 

Yesterday, I decided that I had had enough of the stress, anxiety, and confusion. I talked to the pastry chef and told him how I felt about the job and how overwhelming it was for someone with such little experience in the industry. And I told him it just wasn't working for me. I quit.

Posted by : Hint of Vanilla
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