Happy December! It’s the last month of the decade, so let’s wrap it up with a celebratory dessert or two, shall we?

I’ve been wanting to write this post for at least four Christmases now, but it never felt quite right. Last December we had just moved into a new home, but with most of my kitchen equipment still in boxes, my holiday baking was minimal.

However, we’ve just celebrated one terrific year in Nova Scotia and I am feeling very festive. On any given day in the Simple Bites kitchen there are oranges drying, lemons preserving, pie crusts chilling and gingerbread baking.

The holidays are a time to be a little extra … so make a splash and play in the kitchen. The Twelve Days of Holiday Baking Projects are meant to inspire you to tie on an apron, break out the cookie cutters and create a festive masterpiece.

Fall baking is a home kitchen tradition, just as much as spring cleaning and summer grilling are established seasonal rituals.

For me, the cooler weather sparks a return to baking projects and the desire to transform the kitchen into a cozy space. What better way than with a pan of spiced Pear Gingerbread in the oven and an accompanying pot of applesauce bubbling on the stove.

Fall is also a return to routines — and a sure way to keep the school kids happy is to tuck a thick slice of Chocolate Beet Bundt Cake in their lunchbox.

I‘ve discovered the perfect picnic brownie and so naturally I’ve been making them on repeat. As is my custom with a favourite new-to-me recipe, I had to share it with you.

We’ve already had our first wave of summer visitors and we spent many happy hours exploring Nova Scotia beaches while they were here. With 10 hungry folks to feed, I needed a sweet treat the toss in the picnic basket that had a few redeeming qualities (my parents are extreeeeeemly health conscious).

Fortunately, Peace, Love & Fibre had just landed in my kitchen, the latest (and greatest!) cookbook from the Queen of Fibre herself, my friend, Mairlyn Smith.

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