This lovely 1940s cake is really peachy keen

Awwww, you gals...you always know how to make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. Thank you deeply for the many wonderful, cheery comments you left on my last post about the fact that I'll soon be jumping coastlines, saying farewell to Ontario and nestling back into my home province of British Columbia.

I absolutely loved getting to share that wonderful piece of news with all of you all, and look forward to keeping you in the loop as things progress on that exciting front.

In celebration of how sweet you all are, and the fact that I'll soon be calling B.C.'s Okanagan Valley home again, I thought it would be oodles of fun to feature one of the area's finest fruits in this week's vintage recipe.

Though the Okanagan produces more fruit than you can shake a stick at (apples, pears, nectarines, apricots, grapes, and cherries to name but a few, the later of which I recalled some of my memories of last spring in this post), few are quite a delicious or memorable as its fantastically good summertime peaches.

Given however, that we're in the thick of winter, fresh peaches are not in abundance or at the their finest right now (at least not in the western hemisphere), so instead in this delightful Peaches 'n' Cream Cake one can easily use canned sliced peaches, as the recipe itself suggests.

 

{There are few tastes that personify the spirit of summer better than peaches, the star ingredient of this lovely 1940s cake recipe, which comes by way of Look Homeward, Harlot on Flickr. Click here for a larger version of this simple, but oh-so-tasty peach stuffed dessert recipe.}

This cake is just plain pretty. No matter how stingingly cold the temperature, or sombrely grey the sky during January, this dessert will help bring a much needed jolt of summertime flavour and beauty to any table.

Come the steamy, exhilarating warm days of July and August, when peaches are at their finest peak, you can (and should!) whip out this recipe again and make it the star of your vintage recipe filled picnic, barbeque or cozy al fresco meal for two.

I certainly will be next summer, bushels of soft, golden hued peaches always ready and within arm's reach for terrific dessert recipes like this scrumptious whipped cream topped cake. I can hardly wait!

Wonderful Wednesday Recipe: Spiced Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Yesterday, brushing my ever-present shyness aside, I posted a few fairly recent photographs of myself here on Chronically Vintage, and in response was met with an outpouring of the most thoughtfully kind comments imaginable.

I mean it with the utmost sincerity when I say that you, my amazing readers, have the ability to undo a lifetime of self-esteem and negative body image issues with your heartfelt, caring, supportive words. I read through all of your comments, trying to keep my tears at bay, this morning and honestly wished I could reach out and hug every one of you.

I know that there are many out there who haven’t the slightest qualm about sharing their photos publicly, but for those of us who struggle for whatever reason with showing our faces (in photographic form) to the world, positive, caring feedback can truly make an astronomical difference in terms of how our ability to develop better self-confidence, but also to help our self-esteem levels on a day-to-day basis.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who left a comment on yesterday’s post, this recipe – a little something sweet for some of the sweetest people on earth - is dedicated to all of you.



~ Spiced Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch Chip Cookies ~

Bursting with the heady, soothing scent of warm spices, these cookies are just the thing to have on hand for lunch boxes, desserts and serving to company with mugs of hot tea, warm milk or even eggnog during the holiday season.



{Making cookies is such a fun (and deliciously rewarding!) activity that usually requires less time than many other forms of baking, making it the perfect for those days when you want a homemade treat but aren’t able to devote ages to hanging out with your oven. Vintage photo of a woman dropping spoonfuls of cookie batter onto a baking tray from the Life Magazine archives.}


Cinnamon is my favourite of all the spices and I constant try to track down, or create my own, recipes that include this aromatic, zingy flavour. This particular cookie recipe is one I whipped up a few years back – during the fall, naturally (no other season calls to mind the pairing of apples and cinnamon quite like autumn) – and continue to make each year when the mercury starts dropping and you’re suddenly hit with the feeling that you want every morsel of food you eat to be wholly comforting in terms both of taste and aroma.


Ingredients

• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening or butter (or a 50/50 ratio of the two combined, which is a favourite cookie baking approach of mine as I find it helps to yield a really nice crumb), softened (room temperature, not melted)

• ½ cup homemade or store bought sweetened applesauce (you want a fine textured apple sauce, so if yours is on the chunky side, you may want to run it through a food mill or food processor before including in the cookie batter)

• 1 extra large egg (or equal amounts of egg whites, I’ve made these cookies with egg white many times and they turns out just as well)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 ¼ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup white sugar

• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp nutmeg (optional)

• 1 cup butterscotch baking chips (such as Hershey’s “Chipits”)



Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C/gas mark 4).

In a large mixing bowl thoroughly cream the white and brown sugars and butter (or shortening) together with a mixing spoon or electric beater. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well combined with the sugar and butter; once those ingredients have mixed together well, stir in the apple sauce and beat until amalgamated with the other moist ingredients.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir well, ensuring that the spices are evenly distributed through the dry ingredients.

Next stir one third of the dry mixture to the wet ingredients at a time, stirring (or beating, if using an electric mixer) well after each addition. If the mixture seems slightly dry to you (it should be pretty moist thanks to the apple sauce), add a tablespoon or two of lukewarm water, milk or more apple sauce, if you have extra on hand. Now pour in the butterscotch chips and blend well to ensure even distribution throughout the batter.

Grease or line two baking trays (cookie sheets) with parchment paper (or a non-slip silicon baking liners) and drop cookie mixture onto the trays in rounded teaspoon portions, leaving a bit of space between each cookie (I usually put about 12 cookies per tray). (Note, if – like mine – your oven tends to cook things unevenly based on what height the tray is placed at, you can either bake one try of cookies at time or rotate the racks that the trays are placed on half way through baking.)

Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are firm and the tops are lightly golden brown. Allow warm cookies to rest on their baking trays for a couple of minutes and then transfer them to wire cooling racks.

Serve warm or at room temperature, storing leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days (these cookies can also be frozen for at least two months in a freezer safe container).

For an extra special treat, serve the cookies while they’re still toasty from the oven with bowls of French vanilla or caramel ice cream, or with dishes of sweetened whipped or clotted cream for dipping.

Makes approximately two dozen cookies

Bon appétit!

Five for Friday {October 16, 2009}

...Half a month exactly until All Hallows Eve arrives and with each day that ticks by I feel my excitement mounting. We are short on holidays in this country if you ask me, and even thought Halloween isn’t a stat (much as it should be, what child – let alone your own inner youngster – wouldn’t love having the day off?), it still counts as a holiday in my books, which is all the more reason I jump at the chance to celebrate it. This weekend is for decorating and giving thought to your costume (if you haven’t done so already), for raking massive, mountainous piles of tissue thin leaves – and should you fancy, jumping to them them. Two days to unwind in an easy chair with a good book and the fading, but still lemon curd hued, sunlight caressing your face. A time to mingle activity with serenity, and perhaps for an outing to the nearest pumpkin patch, too...

♥ ♥ ♥


{To house all manner of treasures, be they spooky or sweet}


{Glass cloches have been enjoying a moment for the past few years in the areas of home decor and holiday decoration, but the truth is these curvaceous, clear beauties have existed and been put to both practical and decorative use for centuries. If, like myself, you’re a cloche fan, Halloween is a particularly excellent time to place your favourite or most eerie of items under glass. Large glass cloche (also available in medium and small sizes), £19.95 (UK pounds), from Pale and Interesting.}


{To inspire the accessories portion of your wardrobe this season}


{Right around the start of September I spied this delightful, autumn hued vintage fashion shot on the pages of Tales of a Retro-Modern Housewife’s blog and instantly found myself enamoured with it. I love how amazingly the accessories this pretty blonde woman clutches look when set against a sleek and simple black sweater, and also that we get to see paisley during the 50s, for it is a pattern that is often associated much more with the following two decades. While fall is still in full swing, I wanted to share this inspiring and understatedly glamorous photo with you all. Image from Tale of a Retro-Modern Housewife.}


{To help ensure you’ve carved out room on your menu for festively shaped desserts}


{There is something undeniably old fashion looking about this beautiful, intricately carved baking pan that makes it lovely enough to display – though I bet it would hard not to keep it in constant use, just look at the immensely cute pumpkin shaped mini loaves/cupcakes/muffins it churns out! Non-stick cast iron aluminum pumpkin baking tray, $32.95 (US) from Crate and Barrel.}


{To shine a light on the beauty of a time-honoured, traditional way to see in the dark}


{There is no denying that in conjunction with my adoration for all manner of vintage related things, I have an intense passion for antiques as well. Fortunately the two are often able to cohabitate and mingle together marvelously, in both the worlds of home decor and fashion. Recently this rather wonderful antique looking silver candle holder with built-in match box, popped up in my online travels and I’ve been smitten with it ever since. As the days draw shorter and chillier, the desire to put candles to good use – especially once the sun has set – is ever-present for me and this candle holder would go a long way towards ensuring a flickering flame of light is never far away. Pewter “Go-To-Bed” candle holder, $29.95 from Victorian Trading Co..}


{To pair with accents of orange on Halloween and then wear, joyfully, any other day of the year you desire}


{A modern day seamstress created the sweeping design of this chicly elegant black dress, which reminded me instantly of something Audrey Hepburn might have worn or of the type of dresses seen in numerous fashion spreads from the mid to late fifties. A deeply timeless piece, this gently fitted, breathable knit frock features a silk screened deep turquoise band around the neckline and a femininely lovely fuller skirt. “Renaissance Dress in Black”, available in sizes XS to XL, $149.00 (US), from etsy seller a Resurrection of Romance.}


My deepest of heartfelt of thanks goes out to everyone who commented on my post this morning about my sister’s birthday. Your fantastically kind wishes mean so very much to us both!

May you all have a sublimely lovely, fun-filled autumn weekend!

Merry half a year until Christmas!

Ho-ho-holy moly is it hot! With temps skyrocketing this week and the pleasant, cooler days that still retained some semblance of spring now a thing of the past, it would seem more apt to think of palms than Christmas trees, but I’m a holiday loving gal! I woke up this morning delighted by the fact that the six month countdown until Jolly Old St. Nick arrives has begun!

Indeed you might as well call me Ms. Festive; from decoratiing the tree to basting the bird, stuffing stockings to baking gingerbread, I’m wild about the winter holidays! What I’m not however, is one to buy into the mass consumerism and boatload of stress that sadly so often accompanies modern day holidays of all sorts. No matter the current year, to my mind, Christmas is eternally about the spirit of love and joy, about giving and sharing, spending time with those you hold dear and being thankful for what you have and what you can bestow upon others.

A simple Christmas is a beautiful Christmas in my books, which is a huge part of the reason why I love to turn to the past when I think of this cheerful time of the year.

I know that a lot of my fellow readers are sweltering under soaring temps now, so I thought it might oodles of fun to imagine for a few moments that it was suddenly December and we’re getting ready to deck the halls, linger under the mistletoe with a certain special someone, open our gifts, and sit down to a mouth-watering meal, as a gentle breeze blows picture-perfect snowflakes past the window. Naturally, we’ll be celebrating in vintage style!

♥ ♥ ♥

December’s just begun, which means it’s time to start the advent calendar and count down the “sleeps” until the big day arrives!




There’s so many wonderful things to do this month, but before the days fly past, we must ensure that we’ve checked our list twice, our Christmas card list that is! Wouldn’t want to accidentally forget a dear friend at this most amicable time of the year!








Next comes a different kind of list, the one youngsters (and the young at heart) pen to Santa! For that task, every member of the family will definitely need to pour through the Wishbook. From Johnny to Sally, mom to pop, there’s always something that everyone secretly hopes to find under the tree :)












With wish lists clutched firmly – and eagerly – in hand, it’s time to go pay a visit to Santa himself. Remember to tell him you’ve been extra good all year, kids – and to smile!








With friends dropping by, packages being sent to relatives, and plenty of hungery little snowman builders bustling around the kitchen, we’ll definitely need to whip up plenty of cookies and baked treats to have on hand.














The holidays are a time for socializing, from big office parties to small, intimate gatherings around the fireplace, and everything in between. So dust off your party dress, invite the gang ‘round and celebrate with festive cheer!










With the days ticking down, it’s time to head out to the woods – or for those of us who live in the city to the neighbourhood tree lot – and bring home a lovely tree for everyone to help decorate with all the beautiful, treasured ornaments you’ve collected over the years.








At last Christmas Eve has arrived; time to ensure that everything is ready for tomorrow! From prettily wrapped gifts under the tree to cookies and milk left out for Santa, the only thing left to do is hang our stockings and figure out a way to fall asleep!










Did you get any sleep or were you too excited to rush downstairs and discover the gifts piled beneath the tree? Or were you thinking about the delicious supper that awaits everyone later this afternoon? Whatever you’re jubilant about today, and however your family celebrates the holidays, I hope you have a very merry Christmas!

















{All images in this post are from Flickr. To get more information on a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}


Did you enjoy our brief escape from the blistering heat, as we peered into Christmases of the past? I truly hope so, because I had an absolutely delightful time putting this post together.

Having hit the six month mark until December 25th, are you looking forward to counting down the months or dreading the thought of another holiday season? Personally I’m stoked, there’s nothing like the joy of celebrating the holidays in vintage style, watching my all-time favourite Christmas movie (White Christmas), singing carols, and roasting a turkey with all the trimmings to put a mile-wide smile on my lips in and in my heart.