turkish delight cupcakes

I made these last weekend for my friend Farah's 30th birthday sleepover party. They were by far the best (baked) recipe I've tried. Very rich, very fabulous. Don't go crazy adding water to the icing, however. I got carried away and made it way too runny (see photo above).

Turkish Delight Cupcakes
From Cupcakes: A Fine Selection of Sweet Treats

Ingredients
185g unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cups sugar
1.5 cups self-rising flour
.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
.5 cup milk
3 Big Turk bars, chopped (or about 6 squares of rose-flavoured Turkish delight 4-6 squares of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped)

Rosewater icing
2 cups icing sugar
1 tbs rosewater
2 drops pink food colouring
Turkish delight (not chocolate coated) for topping

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tins with paper cases.

Beat butter and sugar with electric beaters until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flours and cocoa together and fold in alternatively with the milk. Stir through the Big Turk (or Turkish delight/chocolate). Fill muffin cups approx 2/3 full. Bake for approx 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool

To make the rosewater icing, place the icing sugar in a large bowl. Add the rosewater and 1.5 tablespoons of boiling water ans stir until smooth (add a little more water if necessary to make a pouring consistency). Add the food colouring and stir until well combined. Spread the icing over each cake, then decorate with pieces of Turkish delight.

travis

I so rarely take pictures of men. I'm not sure why this is, but I'd like to make an effort to take more this year. I definitely don't have a style when it comes to male portraits, though I suppose I could specialize in beefcake photography of politicians.

I kid.

But, back to this guy you see above here. Travis is a great friend, and was such a natural model when he asked me to take a quick photo of him for work. In the 3rd click, I knew we had the shot. That almost never happens, especially with men. Usually they are painfully awkward save for one precious, unguarded moment that ends up being the photo I keep.

Men's tense demeanor and the "picture faces" of women too accustomed to posing are the toughest armour to penetrate. I make it my mission to do so, but it ain't easy.

If only there were a proven formula for helping everyone feel this relaxed. Until I find one, I'm gonna stick with lame jokes, compliments, and extremely cheesy imagined scenarios*. I throw natural super-cool aloofness (ha, imagine?) out the window and act like a giddy idiot if it will make people smile, sacrificing dignity for art. Every shoot is different, and it's only at least halfway in that I find the way to show a person as they are.

For these reasons, a portrait like Travis' here, wherein the subject is so immediately at ease in his skin, is just divine. Simple, yet perfect.

* "pretend someone just handed you a basket of kittens," "pretend you're walking out of the ocean in slow-motion wearing a heavy dress," "pretend you're about to avenge the woman who stole your lover by chopping off her hair..."

scenes from a montreal café

Welcome to Montreal, where even the most sleepy-eyed manage to look glamourous.

review: gosh cosmetics extreme art eye liner

This week I tested GOSH Cosmetics Extreme Art Eyeliner. Using them marked the beginning of beautiful cosmetics relationship.

Why I love them:

1. Each one of the great palette of colours is amazingly vibrant


2. They look great on all skin tones


3. They're semi-permanent and waterproof, so they last all day


4. They dry quickly and set well


5. Can also be used with a coat of clear top coat for nail art

I suggest you try the particularly colour-saturated Green Grass or Deep Sea for special occasions and the slightly more subtle and very elegant Orange Art or Gold Art for daytime. Available at Shoppers Drug Mart across Canada (or Pharmaprix here in Quebec).

review: kms hairplay makeover spray

Until recently, I'd sworn off bangs entirely. Every time I tried to rock them, I would be appalled by photos of me with combover-esque cowlicks and greasy, stringy fringe, I had resigned myself to the sad fact that bangs would never work for me. That was before I discovered dry shampoo.

Anyone who's had bangs knows that small section of hair gets dirty way before the rest of the head does. No matter how clean the rest of one's hair is, greasy bangs can make a girl look like a pubescent athlete post-gym class.

Dry shampoo is the solution!

Back in November, I posted about Cake Beauty's Satin Sugar Hair & Body Refreshing Powder.

Since I was travelling almost every day over the holidays and not having access to showers, blowdriers, and flat irons, I purchased KMS Hairplay Makeover Spray and was thrilled with the results. I can go from looking haggard to fresh in 5 seconds with this stuff.

Costs approximately $18. I'm still on the hunt for a cheaper dry shampoo (since it looks like I'll be using bottles of it), but this one is worth the investment.

in the mirror

My photo of freelance journalist Sarah Lolley on the cover (and on pg 31) of Montreal Mirror today. She's in the bottom left corner. Congrats to Sarah for being named a "Noisemaker 2010."Click here to view the online version.

Sarah's first book, Emilie and the Mighty Om, a children's book about yoga, will be released fall 2010. Follow her on Twitter.

storm chasing

Most families spend Christmas day cozied up to the fire. In a family of photographers, however, someone is always going to venture away from the festivities in search of great photos. This year, my mom and I went to watch the waves. Don't let the lack of snow fool you - it was freezing! But the thrill was worth the chill.