Be Back!

saschiemaclean — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 07:06:15 +0000

Hello!

If you’ve stopped by lately and are wondering where I’ve gone… I’ve relocated! I’ve started a new blog on tumblr. Come visit me

Obsessions of a Girl

xoxo

Saschie

Pumpkin Pie

saschiemaclean — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:32:27 +0000

I like to take advantage of all things autumn. Especially food. Butternut squash soup, hearty and cozy dinners, and pumpkin of course. For Thanksgiving I made my very first pumpkin pie from scratch. It was easy and super tasty! Much better than anything I have bought from a store.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Filling:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

Make the pastry: combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the ice water and work it in to bind the dough until it holds together without being too wet or sticky. Squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough out into a 10-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough firmly into the bottom and sides so it fits tightly. Trim the excess dough around the rim and pinch the edges to form a border. Place thecrust on a sheet pan to catch any spills. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Filling: Puree the pumpkin in a food processor with the butter and a pinch of salt. Measure 1 1/2 cups puree into a bowl. In another bowl beat the eggs and sugar until the sugar has melted. Add the eggs to the pumpkin puree and whisk well. Add the cream,cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the pie shell, and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg white. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until the pie is set but still jiggles slightly, about 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Sugar Fix

saschiemaclean — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:08:39 +0000

I finally checked out Thomas Haas’ Bakery on West Broadway. It was about time. Despite having once eaten one of their three tiered box of chocolates almost entirely by myself, I hadn’t made my way to experience the store for myself.

It was lovely.

Display cases filled with sugary treats that you can pass off as breakfast and rows and rows of truffles and macaroons; it was a sugar heaven. In addition to the sweets and freshly baked goodies, there was a friendly staff that was keen on giving me my much needed caffeine fix. Definitely a great spot for a coffee date or an afternoon treat.

Sunny Starts

saschiemaclean — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:16:23 +0000

We were blessed in Vancouver with the most gorgeous weather these past few days. I took advantage of the sun by photographing on my rooftop patio. Happy Monday!

Dreaming of Dinner

saschiemaclean — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:10:36 +0000

I am going to be ambitious this weekend. I’m planning on making, all from scratch of course, cranberry sauce, candied yams, corn bread muffins, and of course, pumpkin pie. I’m not crazy so I’m not doing the turkey. I have to ease myself into this somewhat. Besides the fact that I have a economical size oven in my apartment, I still have very little for kitchen supplies so this is all going to be done at my parent’s house. My plan is to have a perfect (or perfectly imperfect) Thanksgiving dinner, and these lovely kitchen things would make cooking so much more fun!

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Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Think Pink

saschiemaclean — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:02:51 +0000

When I was little my Mom always told me that to have big boobies like her I needed to eat potatoes. Mashed potatoes are clearly my favourite food. But she also told me that I would go blind if I went to bed with my hair wet, so I don’t know how truthful some of her advice is. Regardless, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ladies take care a take a look here for some of my favourite pink picks.

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From Cold to Cute

saschiemaclean — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:00:57 +0000

As usual, the midterm stress, lack of sleep, and cold weather has awarded me with my annual October cold. Stuck with the sniffles, all I want to do is bundle up in warm knits and lots of layers. This pretty, put together look will definitely distract from my runny nose — if I ever get out of my apartment that is.

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Autumn Colours

saschiemaclean — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:00:27 +0000

This is my favourite time of year. The leaves are changing colours and getting crispy, the air is cold and brisk in the morning, and when we’re blessed to get a dry day, Vancouver is stunning. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving dinner (my dad is home from being being in Africa for the last four months and cranberry sauce is my favourite!), my birthday at the end of the month, and halloween!

Celebrating this season, I picked up some seasonal flowers from a street vendor the other day and put together this autumn arrangement.

Miss Me?!

saschiemaclean — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 07:00:04 +0000

Hi friends!

I was trying to come up with a good reason for my absence… but really, I’ve just been lazy! With school everyday, working three times a week, cheerleading practice, and playing in a dodgeball league, I’ve been over indulging in my downtime by doing nothing. I’m going to take my vitamin B12′s from now on so I can cut out my midday nap and have more time to blog/ do laundry/ homework. (B12 deficiency is simliar to an iron deficiency – it makes me sleepy!)

This past weekend I had a long over due brunch with a good friend who is getting married soon. Lots of chit-chat about her small upcoming wedding over really tasty food from Acme Cafe.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Acme prior to going, and my experience lived up to the hype. We got there early, and good thing because when we left there was a line up out the door.

The bride-to-be had the French Crepe with chicken breast, Swiss cheese, and béchamel sauce

I had the special of the day which was a breakfast BLT with hashbrowns

I was warned that I had to save room for pie. Their home baked apple was awesome — although it was hard to choose with all the tempting options. I almost took a slice of the pumpkin spice layer cake with cream cheese frosting to go.

For great diner food, check out Acme Cafe. Definitely worth the line up. But if you’re not in the mood for waiting they also do take out.

Back to the Backpacks

saschiemaclean — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:40:41 +0000

With school in full swing I’m regretting my previous choice of choosing fashion over function. My messenger style bag is taking it’s toll. With lugging my macbook, text book, notebook, and every-other-type-of-book, I think it’s time to convert. I haven’t rocked a backpack since my elementary school days and that was when it was still in the shape of a teddy bear, and all it carried were my dunk-a-roos. I’m looking for something with compartments and bonus if there’s laptop protection. Double bonus if it’s cute.

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