I thought I'd pop in one last time before the holidays get into full swing and we're all busy having to much fun drinking way too many glasses of holiday wine to spend any amount of time on the computer, which is the way things should be. Brent and I are back in Ontario for the holidays, spending what I hope is an equal amount of time with both of our families. Since landing on Wednesday I have managed to eat the very best Indian food

I know, an extra large serving of poutine, a veggie burger with havarti, avocado, red pepper with a tangy beechhouse sauce that I need to figure out how to recreate at home. Two St-Ambroise Citrouille beers, a french mint chocolate bar from Laura Secord, and the most insanely delicious spicy orange hot chocolate from Soma. As you can tell, I am heading into this holiday season with fierce determination to eat all of the foods I love and miss from home, and in return, I will likely gain 5 lbs, but it will be 5 lbs of pure happiness.

Not a whole lot has changed since I was home last. My parents just got a teeny tiny Havanese puppy that squeaks and dances on his hind legs when excited, and it's all kinds of adorable. Winter is as cold as I remember. Gas is cheaper than usual. Driving on the 401 during rush hour is still a nightmare. My baby niece Lila is walking and talking, and has the deepest voice I have ever heard on a baby.

Soma Chocolate is still my favorite place to spend a lot of money. I never realized how convenient the GO train was until I left the city and experienced other cities public transit. And two weeks is not nearly enough time to see everyone. I will do my best to cram in as much as I possibly can, see as many people, and eat my weight in poutine before these two weeks are over. We are heading back to Seattle on Dec 30 and then off to Mt Baker until the 4th. This will be my last post until the new year. I'm going to take some time off from blogging/internet/social media for the next few weeks. It's been a hella intense year this 2014, and my mind and body need some time to rest, recoup and restore. You guys wont mind, because if you're anything like me, you will be caught up in the thick of it all, drinking nog, watching Love Actually, and playing inappropriate card games.

I'm pretty excited that my final post for 2014 includes a recipe for these apple turnovers. I made them on a whim a few weeks ago. I hosted a dinner party at my house, and intended to make this whole roasted cauliflower with cheddar beer sauce, followed by this mushrooms and kale risotto. I picked up all of the ingredients, got home, started cooking and then realized that I forgot to buy the cauliflower. I was hoping that I could feed people wine and chips, and then slide in the risotto with no one the wiser. I probably could have succeeded if  had of doubled the risotto recipe, but the bowl was scraped clean, and I could see that people were still hungry.

I had two apples sitting on the counter, a sheet of frozen puff pastry in the freezer, and an idea to transform them into a puff pastry apple turnover pocket of pure delicious. It was problem solving and multi tasking at its finest. Brent encouraged me to jot down the recipe, and the next morning I was pretty glad that I did. It was such an easy and simple pastry to make. Only a handful of ingredients, and the turnovers turned out far better than I could have imagined. No more store bought apple turnovers for this girl.

I hope you all have the most wonderful and happy holidays filled with chocolate, cookies, pastries, a healthy serving of nog, and lots of hugs from ones you love.

APPLE TURNOVERS

makes 4

2 medium apples, peeled and chopped

4 tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

1/2 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp water

1 sheet puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk

Remove one sheet of puff pastry from the freezer and let thaw on the counter. Once thawed, cut into quarters, and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In a large frying pan, add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, and water. Cook on low-med heat until apples are soft. Add an additional tbsp of water at a time if the apples become to dry while cooking. 

Divide the mixture into four, and place in the center of the puff pastry squares. Fold the puff pastry in half, over the apples, into a triangle. Press the seems together with a fork. Brush with egg wash. 

Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk. If the mixture is not pourable, add a little more milk. 

Drizzle over the apple turnovers. Serve warm.