From Desktop to Stovetop

This summer marked a huge shift in my life. I have shared bits and pieces through social media and for my fans and followers you've been a part of this transition. I wanted to share with everyone the changes that have happened recently and why I am celebrating my favourite season, fall, bigger than ever.

After some treatment for my neurological complications from my car accident, it became obvious that returning to a job that requires me to sit in front of a computer almost exclusively, was an unrealistic goal.  It was apparent that the goal of this caused me great anxiety as I simply couldn't imagine being able to do the basic parts of my job, let alone the more complex aspects of human resources management. I decided that it was best for me to resign from my job, and let go of the notion that I could or would return to that work.

I was cleared by my doctor to do a trial period of work, and she recommended I return to the kitchen as it was physically more flexible for me. So I made a huge leap and signed up to be a vendor at our local farmer's market and enlisted friends and family to help me out. I work very limited hours and only have a few truly productive hours a day, if I'm lucky. It is somewhat torturous for an ex type A, hyper multitasker to do less. My desire to be productive is quickly met with mental exhaustion that forces me to plan to do very little.

Returning to the kitchen, and in particular Kimberley's Kitchen, has been an amazing experience this summer as I continue with my recovery. I've met wonderful people and found purpose, again, in being creative. I still have pretty profound memory loss, confusion, and mental lapses but I'm better able to laugh about it. I watch myself and see a different person now. In some ways this is tough because I see myself struggling to find words or remember names. In other ways I'm proud that I found the strength to take risks and put my health first.

Thanks again for your support and for joining me on this journey. See what's new at Kimberley's Kitchen or come by the farmer's market and say hi!

Cheers- Kimberley

Sin Buns Recipe (Easy Cinnamon Buns)

I made you something. I know that I have been promising you this recipe for about a million years. So it is finally here. In my defense, every time I made some to take photos for you, we ate them before I could photograph them. So this time I was smart and made them secretly, quickly snapped some photos, and months later am finally sharing this with you.

These won't disappoint. Easy, delicious, and basically a food group in my humble opinion.

Love to you!

Kimberley's Kitchen Sin Buns 

~makes one dozen buns~

Ingredients:

Dough:

-1 cup warm milk

-3 Tablespoons melted butter
-2 teaspoons yeast
-3 1/2 cups flour
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 egg
-1 teaspoon salt
Filling: 
(combine the following in a bowl and have ready for when dough is rolled out)
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-2 Tablespoons cinnamon
-1/2 stick melted butter
-1 cup raisins (optional)
Glaze:
-1 cup confectioners sugar
-2 Tablespoons milk
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-in the bowl of a mixer, or in a large bowl, combine milk, melted butter, and yeast. Allow yeast to get foamy- approximately 5 minutes.
-add 3 cups flour, egg, and salt and mix. Slowly add remaining flour until dough is sticky. 
-kneed dough for 5 minutes
-place dough in a well oiled bowl, covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap, place in a warm spot in kitchen (I put it on my oven) and allow to rise to double the size (usually 30 minutes)
-preheat oven to 375 degrees
-remove dough from bowl, roll out into rectangle approx 8 x 11 inches. 
-spread filling over dough, leaving a 1/2 edge around rectangle
-roll long end of dough and pinch dough closed
-with a sharp knife, slice dough in two pieces, and then slice those pieces into 6 pieces
-place rounds cut side up in a well oiled baking dish (9 x 9 or 9 x 13). Drape with damp towel or plastic wrap and leave in warm place to rise again for 30 minutes
-remove towel/wrap and place baking dish in oven to bake for approx 25 minutes or until golden brown
-remove from oven, allow to cool in dish on wire rack, serve once cooled with a drizzle of glaze

Enjoy!

Giving from My Kitchen {Guest Post}

Guest Post from Emily - visit her blog here

I love being creative in the kitchen. I find it therapeutic. Unfortunately I no longer have the metabolism of a 13 year old so I can't eat all that I make. No, I can eat it all, I just shouldn't. In order to bake as much as I want to I give a lot of things away as gifts. From granola to jellies here are a few of the things I've done in the past, but didn't really get around to this year. Hopefully they will inspire you. 

CookiesWhether it's Espresso Shortbread or Vanilla Bean Icebox Cookies, a pretty bag or tin of cookies made with quality ingredients, (local unsalted butter, organic vanilla, free range eggs), is always appreciated. I find that the classic, old fashion cookies have great keeping quality so they work really well. Depending on the recipient I'll even tuck in a copy of the recipe.
See my previous post for a few recipes that are great for giving. 

BiscottiOne year I made custom flavours for family, everything from classic chocolate almond to spiced fruit and nut to blueberry white chocolate. I use a simple basic recipe and then jazz it up with  different flavour. I like to package these using paper coffee bags or in some cellophane.

SpicesI love making my own spice mixes. I keep a basic Tex-Mex one on hand that I use for tacos, chili and anything else that needs a kick. Hubby also is super at making different rubs of meat. Simply whip up a big batch of your favourite spice mix fill up some pretty jars and label. Include a few ideas for how to use it!

PreservesSince I can remember I've been involved in making jam. Strawberry season rolled around and I got the task of standing on a chair by the sink hulling the strawberries while mom and dad did the slicing and boiling. Then it was raspberries, apricots and blackberries. As I got older I graduated to using the food mill. Each summer and fall I look forward to socking up the pantry with jam. This year I only got a few batches made, the week before baby arrived, I made Strawberry Vanilla Bean jam and in August apricot. I`ve still got Roasted Garlic Jelly on the list. Hopefully next year I`ll get ahead of myself and get enough made to give away!
Because there is quite a bit of science involved in canning, and no one wants to get Botulism or other nasties that can appear in improperly canned goods, it`s important to use highly tested recipes. I find that the Bernardin website has a great selection of recipes and good instructions for beginners too!

Thanks to Emily for this post and be sure to check out her blog as I am sure she will be baking up lots more goodness in the months to come :)