It's a SNOW DAY!

OH MY! It's a SNOW DAY! That never happens for me .. EVER! I walked into the school this morning to find out that it was closed. I almost jumped for joy.

So what did I do on my snow day? Reports .. reports ... marking ... reports. In between,


I drank cup after cup of jasmine green tea -- my latest obsession when it's not a coffee day,


and made this beautiful carrot apple loaf, packed full of yummy things like spices, raisins, coconut and whole wheat. I was inspired by this wonderful recipe from Poppy Talk posted by kickpleat, and a big beautiful bag of multi-coloured carrots purchased in Rowe Farms.

Happy Snow Day! (now, back to the grind ..)

Carrot Apple Spice Loaf
adapted from Poppy Talk

1/3 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of plain yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
a splash of vanilla extract
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
a small pinch of grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup of raisins
1 medium carrot, grated
1 small apple, grated

1. Whisk together the oil, yogurt, egg, sugars and vanilla until well blended.

2. Sift in the flour, spices and baking powder. Stir until just combined.

3. Stir in the carrot, apple, raisins and coconut. Pour into a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the top gets nice and golden brown and a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

4. Enjoy with your tea and have a happy snow day.