Butterscotch & Seed Butter Cookies (Nut Free)

Posted on September 20, 2018September 20, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

When I moved away from home to start college, my mom sent me off with a batch of homemade peanut butter cookies. They provided a comforting taste of home as I was adjusting to my new home, school and city. I think about them often as that was the last time I tasted peanut butter cookies. I started developing a peanut allergy shortly after and haven’t been able to eat any amount of peanuts for the last decade.

I’ve found myself craving peanut butter cookies more and more over the past few months, even though I can’t fully remember what they taste like. I’ve put off trying to replace these cookies – one of my favourites – fearing it was impossible. Then, last week, I found myself longing to have these cookies again and decided to try making them with one of my favourite peanut butter substitutes for baking: sunflower seed butter.

It worked! I can’t say if they taste just like peanut butter cookies, but they’re utterly delicious as they are. The texture is dead on and exactly what I needed. ♥

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Ingredients

1½ cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup sunflower seed butter
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup butterscotch chips

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F and line two sheet pans.
Whisk flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugars together in a large bowl until well blended.
Beat in the egg, sunflower seed butter and vanilla.
Stir in the flour mixture. When almost mixed, stir in the butterscotch chips until everything is well blended.
Shape into balls and arrange 12 to a half sheet pan. Press with a fork to flatten.
Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

All photos by me.

Fall is for Night Skies and Lullabies

Posted on September 18, 2018September 18, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I loved this skirt when I made it in velvet for last winter. The fabric was soft, lush and lovely but very thick and heavy. It’s really only wearable for people who live in parts of the world that see long, cold winters. I wanted to bring the design to more seasons, and more people, so I made a lighter version in organic cotton sateen! The fabric is still heavier and more tightly woven than a basic, breezy cotton and has a subtle sheen to it too, giving it just the right amount of warmth and texture for fall layering.

Sweater ModCloth
Skirt Sophster-Toaster
Shoes ModCloth
Earrings Designs by Amber
Button Craft Arts Market

All photos by me.

Changing Seasons

Posted on September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I used to be a typical Canadian who lived for summer and hibernated all winter, dreading the snow and waiting impatiently for the season of outdoor activity to return. I resented being born in a country where I could only enjoy the weather for a few months out of the year. I always wished I could love the colder seasons and not get so down during the long winters but just couldn’t make it work.

Then, one year, I decided there was really no point to putting life on hold just because there is a cold wind blowing and snow on the ground. I bought wool socks, some decent boots, a cute scarf and made a goal to enjoy time outside as far out of summer as I could. I got to about the end of October and slipped back into old habits but I got out again early in the spring and enjoyed that first soft spring sunlight on my face for the first time. Every year, I got a little further into the fall, always commenting to my husband how beautiful our favourite hiking spots must be in the winter where there aren’t any leaves on the trees to obstruct the views.

I would enjoy late fall hikes and walks around town on mild and sunny winter days but never seemed to make it back out for a hike. That was until last year, when we brought our puppy home. She needed to walk everyday, no matter the season. She loved the snow, the dog park and long nature walks. We bought thermal clothing; I got even thicker socks and better boots to keep up with her. Soon, I was taking her to the dog park and playing with her in the snow in January. We were taking her on long hikes in February, when the winter storms let up and the sun started coming out again. In March, we got into a habit of taking her on the hour long round trip walk along a river-side path that leads from our home to a Starbucks, where we would all get a Saturday morning treat.

Last winter was one of the longest I think I’ve ever experienced. It started with big snowstorms at the end of the fall and snowed right up until the last days of April. It was long, and wet, and cold and most people were miserable but the hubs and I couldn’t stop remarking to each other how short winter had felt and how early the first signs of spring seemed to have come this year. We would say things like, “remember when it was -25°C every day? That was weeks ago. It’s so much nicer out now”. We realized that going outside e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y for a bit of exercise with the dog had made the season seem so much shorter and more enjoyable.

Now I find myself looking forward to the leaves changing and falling, the sun growing dim and the forest being quiet and calm under a heavy blanket of snow during every one of our weekend hikes. The season I used to dread has become one of my favourites.

Top L.L.Bean
Pants ModCloth
Necklace gift
Shoes Keds

All photos by me and Matt Harrison.

End of Summer

Posted on September 11, 2018September 11, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

We spent all summer working on our new barbecue patio. It took every free weekend from Victoria Day weekend to Labour Day weekend, the entire Canadian summer, to dig out the dirt, sift out all the plastic, broken glass and rusty nails so we could put it back into our gardens, refill it with gravel, and place the flagstone and brick border on the garden side. It’s so nice to now have use of this awkward and uncared for corner of our small backyard for the first time since moving in. Even Pepper likes lounging on the cool gravel on hot afternoons.

The weather turned cold this past weekend, finally ending this year’s summer weather that felt like one long heatwave. We used and enjoyed out new patio as much as we could while the 30 degree days stretched into September and look forward to spending more time outside in our finally fully rehabilitated backyard when the more seasonable early fall weather returns. I know I’m going to spend all winter waiting for the snow to melt and reveal our beautiful pea gravel and flagstones again.

Dress ModCloth
Belt hand-me-down
Shoes thrifted
Sunglasses ModCloth
Earrings ModCloth

All photos by me.