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Leisurely Homemaker

A modern lifestyle blog that meets you where you are

  • Close-up of a banana muffin with chocolate chips on top. It's held in a hand and a bite has been taken out.
    Cooking & Baking

    Banana Muffins (With No Added Sugar!)

    February 11, 2025 - By Amy

    I’ve often said there are three kinds of people in this world: People who had that banana-flavoured antibiotic as kids, hated it, and now hate all banana flavoured candy; people who never had it; and people who mysteriously loved it and actually like banana flavoured candy. If you can’t tell, I’m part of the first camp… but I do love things baked with real banana. Overripe bananas are a baker’s best friend, because they easily add sweetness, moisture, and body to a variety of recipes. There are tons of things you can use your overripe bananas for beyond the ubiquitous…

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    Close-up of chocolate cupcakes

    Quick & Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

    February 4, 2025
    Lasagne in a glass pan, before baking

    Easy, 6-Ingredient Lasagne

    January 23, 2025
    Three zucchini muffins sit in a bowl on top of a blue and white table cloth

    Delicious, Healthy Zucchini Muffins

    November 25, 2024
  • Close-up of chocolate cupcakes
    Cooking & Baking

    Quick & Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

    February 4, 2025 - By Amy

    In launching Leisurely Homemaker, I have discovered that many of the recipes I’m confident enough to publish happen to be vegan. I myself am not vegan, but I like to do my best to serve food that all my guests can enjoy. Over the years, I’ve discovered that I love the challenge of experimenting with recipes to come up with a great vegan alternative that is delicious in its own right and isn’t trying to be something it isn’t, like my vegan pumpkin pie (if I do say so myself!). This recipe [skip to it now], for a simple but…

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    Close-up of a banana muffin with chocolate chips on top. It's held in a hand and a bite has been taken out.

    Banana Muffins (With No Added Sugar!)

    February 11, 2025
    Lasagne in a glass pan, before baking

    Easy, 6-Ingredient Lasagne

    January 23, 2025
    Three zucchini muffins sit in a bowl on top of a blue and white table cloth

    Delicious, Healthy Zucchini Muffins

    November 25, 2024
  • Lasagne in a glass pan, before baking
    Cooking & Baking

    Easy, 6-Ingredient Lasagne

    January 23, 2025 - By Amy

    One thing about me is that I love cheese of all kinds. Rare is the cheese that is not for me (even blue cheese has its place, in my opinion!). The other day, my husband surprised me with some goat cheese he picked up on his way home, just because he knows I like it. Is cheese a love language? I think it might be, in my house. [Click here to skip to the recipe] Another thing about me is that I like to have back-up dinners ready to go in the freezer. When I make chili, meatballs, or stew,…

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    Close-up of a banana muffin with chocolate chips on top. It's held in a hand and a bite has been taken out.

    Banana Muffins (With No Added Sugar!)

    February 11, 2025
    Close-up of chocolate cupcakes

    Quick & Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

    February 4, 2025
    Three zucchini muffins sit in a bowl on top of a blue and white table cloth

    Delicious, Healthy Zucchini Muffins

    November 25, 2024
  • Close-up of a self-healing mat covered with various sewing tools mentioned in this post.
    Sewing & DIY

    The Making of My Wedding Dress, Part 3: Sourcing Materials

    December 6, 2024 - By Amy

    Welcome back to my wedding dress series! In my first two posts, I talked a little about why I decided to do it and how the mockup process went. Today, I’ll be covering what supplies and materials I used, and which were most beneficial. Before I began this project, I already had a fairly well stocked sewing space. Before I get into items I purchased for the project, here are some of the things I already had: I will note that I have a nice iron with a great steam function, which I consider necessary for garment sewing. For a…

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    The Making of My Wedding Dress, Part 2: Toiles, Toiles, and More Toiles

    October 24, 2024
    Detail photo of Amy wearing her wedding dress; her face is not showing and her hands are in the pockets. The bottom of her veil is visible.

    The Making of My Wedding Dress, Part 1: The Decision

    October 17, 2024
  • Three zucchini muffins sit in a bowl on top of a blue and white table cloth
    Cooking & Baking

    Delicious, Healthy Zucchini Muffins

    November 25, 2024 - By Amy

    ... especially now that we’ve got a toddler to feed, I want to be offering healthy choices. With that in mind, I’ve been developing some muffin recipes I can feel good about serving my son at breakfast or any time, starting with these delicious zucchini muffins that you won’t believe are barely sweetened! They have a lightly nutty flavour from the whole wheat flour, a moist but not cakey crumb, and a gentle hint of cinnamon. They are super low on sugar, with just a ¼ cup of maple syrup in the whole recipe... but not low on tastiness!

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    Close-up of a banana muffin with chocolate chips on top. It's held in a hand and a bite has been taken out.

    Banana Muffins (With No Added Sugar!)

    February 11, 2025
    Close-up of chocolate cupcakes

    Quick & Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

    February 4, 2025
    Lasagne in a glass pan, before baking

    Easy, 6-Ingredient Lasagne

    January 23, 2025
  • A close up of a jar of pickled red onions.
    Cooking & Baking

    Quick Pickled Red Onions

    November 21, 2024 - By Amy

    I’m a big believer in garnishes making or breaking a dish. I’m still learning what kinds of garnishes and toppings I like best, and I’m especially still learning how to plate food in an appealing way. But it’s a journey I’m excited to be on, and I’d like to bring you along for one of the stops: pickled red onions! A couple of years ago, I started seeing pickled red onions everywhere, especially online. Lots of food content creators seemed to be making and using them on all kinds of dishes. I wanted to try them, and it seemed like…

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    Close-up of a banana muffin with chocolate chips on top. It's held in a hand and a bite has been taken out.

    Banana Muffins (With No Added Sugar!)

    February 11, 2025
    Close-up of chocolate cupcakes

    Quick & Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

    February 4, 2025
    Lasagne in a glass pan, before baking

    Easy, 6-Ingredient Lasagne

    January 23, 2025
  • Close up of a stovetop with two 4L measuring cups and a large metal bowl, all filled with stock. A roasting pan is also visible.
    Cooking & Baking

    Make the Most of Thanksgiving: Soup Stock from Scratch

    November 12, 2024 - By Amy

    Have you ever hosted Thanksgiving, cooked and carved a turkey, and then stared at that giant carcass and thought, “This seems like such a waste,” as you break it up into pieces for your compost? Or has the potential waste ever held you off on cooking a whole bird? I have the recipe for you! In my household, we usually cook our turkey on a Saturday, which gives us the rest of the weekend to make soup. If you are making your turkey on Thanksgiving Monday (this is a thing here in Canada!), you will have trouble finding time to…

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    Close-up of a banana muffin with chocolate chips on top. It's held in a hand and a bite has been taken out.

    Banana Muffins (With No Added Sugar!)

    February 11, 2025
    Close-up of chocolate cupcakes

    Quick & Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

    February 4, 2025
    Lasagne in a glass pan, before baking

    Easy, 6-Ingredient Lasagne

    January 23, 2025
  • Vegan pumpkin pie
    Cooking & Baking

    Seriously Tasty Vegan Pumpkin Pie

    November 7, 2024 - By Amy

    Let’s start with a disclaimer: If you’re looking for a recipe that will taste exactly like traditional pumpkin pie but be vegan, this is not the post for you. But if you’re looking to make vegan pumpkin pie that gives regular pumpkin pie a run for its money, read on!  Yes. I’m going to share with you my perfect vegan pumpkin pie recipe. Let me be clear: I’m not claiming this is the perfect vegan pumpkin pie. It is, however, my perfect vegan pumpkin pie. I have been hosting my friends for Thanksgiving for over a decade, and I regularly…

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    Close-up of a banana muffin with chocolate chips on top. It's held in a hand and a bite has been taken out.

    Banana Muffins (With No Added Sugar!)

    February 11, 2025
    Close-up of chocolate cupcakes

    Quick & Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake

    February 4, 2025
    Lasagne in a glass pan, before baking

    Easy, 6-Ingredient Lasagne

    January 23, 2025
  • A green napkin has been partly fed through a brown napkin ring and shaped into a bow.
    Hosting & Mixology

    Quick, No-Fuss Napkin Rings

    November 4, 2024 - By Amy

    Is there anything more inviting than a beautifully set table? With carefully chosen linens, dishes, and glassware set out just so? I suppose it can almost be intimidating, like you don’t want to be the first to disturb it. But there’s still something inviting about it. It makes it feel like you were expected, and will be well taken care of. I strive to have a beautiful tablescape when I host dinner, but I am often hosting a rather large party, which limits the space I have. And I can’t justify buying all the different items I’d need to keep…

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    An open syrup jar nearly full of syrup, with its lid next to it

    Homemade Simple Syrup

    October 28, 2024
  • An open syrup jar nearly full of syrup, with its lid next to it
    Hosting & Mixology

    Homemade Simple Syrup

    October 28, 2024 - By Amy

    Sure, you can buy simple syrup. But making it is easy, super quick, and highly rewarding! I love a low-effort, high-reward activity, and this is certainly one. [...] Simple syrup is exactly what it sounds like: a simple recipe for a sweet, thick liquid, which is a little runnier than most honeys, and is often used to sweeten cold drinks.

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    A green napkin has been partly fed through a brown napkin ring and shaped into a bow.

    Quick, No-Fuss Napkin Rings

    November 4, 2024
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