Early Christmas Baking!

Bake

Baking holiday treats is one of my favourite things to do! Since it's too early to make gingerbread men or candy cane cookies I decided to bake some oatmeal cookies! They are simple to make and so tasty. They are the perfect study snack and baking them is a nice stress reliever! So put on some Frank Sinatra, get out your ingredients and get to baking! 

Here's my easy oatmeal cookie recipe:

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (150 mL) butter, softened
• 1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) large-flake rolled oats
• 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

• Preparation

  Line rimless baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
  
  In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together rolled oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt - stir into butter mixture until combined. 

  Drop by heaping 1 tbsp (15 mL), about 2 inches (5 cm) apart, onto prepared pans. Bake in top and bottom thirds of 375°F (190°C) oven, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool.

  Recipe courtesy of Canadian Living Magazine

  
  

  Gift them

  Baking is fun but you don't want to end up having to eat everything your self! You can buy cute boxes at the dollar store that you can decorate, fill with cookies and give away as presents! These treats are sure to put a smile on anyone's face!

  
  

  Happy Baking!

Christmas Shopping in Winnipeg

Christmas Shopping

Picking out unique presents can be hard to do, but it’s much better than just buying a gift card (unless that’s what the person asked for). There are so many awesome stores in Winnipeg that sell items that are more special than the generic things you can buy at the mall. Here are a few great places around Winnipeg to check out when doing your Christmas shopping.

Hush and Shout 

This store is right in Osbourne village and has the perfect gifts for the fashionista in your life. Their shelves are filled with beautiful dresses and gorgeous accessories that will make any girl very happy on Christmas morning. The Hush side of the store has lots of dressy going out clothes, and the Shout side sells more casual looks. Either way this store has something for every style of girl! Check out their site to see some of their new items!

Chapters & McNally Robinson

Both of these stores sell so much more than just books, they have tons of items that make great gifts! The atmosphere in these stores makes Christmas shopping so much less stressful. Go to the Starbucks in Chapters or Prairie Ink in McNally and grab a hot coffee, then take your time browsing the store! They sell everything from whiskey stones for Dad or Grandpa, to yoga mats for your Mom or sister! They also carry Fred Flare products, which I love (their cute ice cube trays make perfect stocking stuffers). Chapters also sells the Kobo, their version of an E-reader. This product is one of the hottest gifts of the season, so pick one up for the bookworm in your life!

Tara Davis

This store is perfect for anyone who loves things made locally, the whole store is full of products made in Canada! The store carries beautiful jewelry, purses, notebooks, handmade pillows, and pretty much a little bit of everything! They also have hand knit items that they will customize to whatever colour and style you choose. This store’s right in the Exchange District so while you’re there, browse some of the awesome other shops in the area like Hilary Druxman!

These are just a few of the places in Winnipeg that are awesome for Christmas Shopping, I’ll post more soon! What’s your favourite store for present buying?