The Art of Baking - Holiday Cookies!

I don't know what it is about the holidays and food, but it is a thing that is so special that it deserves a blog of its own. There is something about this time of year and the massive amount of baking and cooking, and inevitably eating that fills our lives. It is a wondrous thing, but also a powerful thing, the way the simple act of baking Christmas cookies brings families together and creates memories.

For me the greatest part of this tradition is trying something new for the first time. As we all know there are those recipes that are classics that everyone looks forward to, but I love to learn, be creative and be adventurous so there is nothing more fun than trying a new recipe. Will it be good, or will it bomb? I can say I have had my share of both (though more on the good side, so I'm told). And even when a recipe doesn't work out, like a cookie is too crispy, or a macarons is too flat, you still learn something to help you improve for next time.

The next best part about this traditions is sharing with others. I love baking and my friends love eating, so it's a great fit. Just today I baked with my good friend, and a few days ago baked with my boyfriend. I shared some cookies with my friends and received rave reviews. There is one thing I've learned in PR (yes I know I'm crazy bring PR into baking). That is: evaluation is key. How will you know what to do better next time? How will you know what the response will be? That is why the sharing and feedback of Christmas baking is so important. It's how I find out my cookies rock!

Here are some of the recipes I made and I guarantee that I will be making more.

 


1. Eggnog Snickerdoodles 
(The Hamilton Spectator)

2. Peppermint Biscotti 
(Taste of Home's
Holiday & Celebration Cookbook)

3. Cherry Pecan Icebox Cookies 
(Taste of Home's
Holiday & Celebration Cookbook)

4. Gingerbread Cutout Cookies 
(Anna Olson's Back to Baking)

5. Chocolate Shortbread Meltaways 
(Anna Olson's Back to Baking)






P.S. Enjoy your Holidays!

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The Art of Crafting - DIY Holiday Apron!

Can Christmas come too early? Many people think Christmas festivities should only begin in December. I disagree  based on the fact that Christmas is my favourite time of year. Not to mention, there are so many things to do for Christmas that one month could not nearly be enough. Like baking, gift shopping and wrapping, card making and sewing wonderful Christmas aprons! This post really has nothing to do with PR, but here I will try to briefly tie the two together.

I love sewing because I love creating things from ideas in my head. I create a plan of action, I execute it, I evaluate it and make adjustments if necessary, and then I have a final outcome that I judge against the initial vision I had. This is what I do with any art-form, and not surprisingly it is a method that also works well for developing creative PR strategies. Now that I have successfully linked PR to sewing, let us get to the fun part. 

I made this Christmas apron based on a pattern from Jona Giammalra (it’s an old post but amazingly well done). And I even added my own touch by adding a pocket on the front. Also, I should mention that I came across this fabulous idea on Pinterest! I just love the way visual communications and photo-sharing leads to great sources like this tutorial (Pinterest is a great PR tool). 

So anyway, had to share the final results with you (I love the prints I found) and had to tell you that this is a great gift idea and you don’t have to be a pro (I’ve only been sewing for 3 months). And really, I decided to post this to add some variety to my blog's main storyline (Step 7 post is coming) and also because my cupcake post was so popular I figured this fell along those lines too. Comment if you like and have a great day. 

P.S. I love PR.

The Art of Creativity - Cupcakes!

Today's theme is creativity and its many forms. Creativity is the it factor when it comes to PR. PR firms are always seeking out creative individuals, and to be honest showing your creativity is a difficult thing to do in a resume. Where do you draw the line between professional and creative? That is why recently I updated my entire resume and cover letter template, and made myself a letterhead. It seemed the best way to remain professional while showing some creative flare.

Another way I like to be creative is in my interests and hobbies, which is definitely something I like to share about myself during interviews and when meeting people. I love art! I love to draw, paint, do calligraphy, origami, and make stuff, whether its jewellery, out of wood, DIY projects for decor or sewing on my sewing machine. I also love cooking and baking. These are all ways for me to let out my creativity.

Just recently my friend and fellow baker (and Western alumnus) had a baking session that was super creative, and fun to say the least. We baked cupcakes, which is a favourite past-time of ours. We made some awesome cupcakes (not to make you hungry but they were vanilla confetti, with strawberry whipped cream filling and chocolate buttercream all made with wholesome ingredients and much love as homemade goodies usually are). And well in honour of our creativity and the Halloween season we decorated them as spiders!

Here they are!

I had so much fun that I just had to share this on this blog. This really is only one way that I like to be creative, and if these awesome cupcakes don't impress future employers of mine then I don't know what will.



 

P.S. I love cupcakes as much as I love PR.