• Snickerdoodles
    Baking,  Recipes,  Shaw Christmas Favourites

    Snickerdoodles

    2017 Update: I associate Snickerdoodles with Christmas, not because my family necessarily loves them but because I do, and anything sugary and cinnamony is bound to seem Christmassy to me. I’ve rarely seen this recipe posted anywhere, which surprises me because these cookies are delicious. I got the recipe when I worked at Lang Pioneer Village as a costumed interpreter, baking on the old wood-fired cast iron stoves in the Keene Hotel or the Milburn House, learning to gauge temperature based on how quickly your arm-hair felt singed when you stuck your arm in the oven.  Unfortunately, an electric or gas oven can’t replicate the particularly delicious flavour that a…

  • Blue-Ribbon Pies,  Recipes

    Pumpkin Pie

    One of the greatest pleasures of Autumn is pumpkin pie.  I wasn’t converted until I was well into my twenties; the idea of vegetables in desserts didn’t sit well with me.  Nowadays, as soon as the weather turns cooler I start to think of the creamy deliciousness of my own homemade pumpkin pie.  I got this recipe from Terri, who took me under her wing when I was at theatre school and away from my family for the first time. Whether for Thanksgiving, Hallowe’en, or just to celebrate Fall and harvest-time, this easy pumpkin pie recipe is exactly the thing you’re looking for. As with all of my sweet recipes,…