frenchy's finds

change is in the air

2009-04-29T14:46:00.005-03:00

Another willow picture for you, for this momentous occasion.

I've been thinking for awhile that I need to change things up here at Frenchy's Finds. A new name, primarily, that better fits with what I post. Although I'm always coming home with Frenchy's goodies, many aren't that exciting, and what I do post is often in amongst garden pictures, recipes, and pics of the babe. And it has always driven me a little bit crazy that the blog address is frenchyfinds, while the blog name is frenchy's finds. That 's' has been nagging for too long.

And so, I have a new blog to announce! I thought that Spring would be a fabulous time for a fresh start. I'm actually importing all of the posts from this blog, too, so you'll be able to search for that perfect bread recipe or tips for forcing branches, all over at my new blog,

Twenty-two Pleasant

I will leave this blog as is, so that links from others to posts in my archives will still work. So please, update your Reader and blogroll links, and come on over to Twenty-two Pleasant for a cup of tea!

recipe-a-week # 15: spaghetti with tomatoes and peppers

2009-04-26T08:48:00.006-03:00

I'm a little bit late with this recipe; the baby shower and visiting with my sister took up much of my time this week. Better late than never!

This is a delicious, quick meal. I chose it in order to use things up that I had on hand, so I ended up modifying the original recipe quite significantly. As you can see, when I made this, I didn't use penne. Or two tomatoes. And I added in some yellow and red pepper, because it was starting to soften. The original recipe, from Everyday Food is here, and is also in the May 2009 issue of the magazine. And here's my version:

Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Peppers

6 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper
12 ounces spaghetti (I used a mix of white and whole wheat)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 red or yellow pepper, sliced (or half of each)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 cup snipped chives

1. Place cheese in freezer. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.

2. In pasta pot, heat oil over medium-high. Saute garlic slices for one minute; add peppers and saute until slightly softened. Add tomatoes and pasta water, and cook until tomatoes are softened, 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Add pasta, chilled cheese, and chives to pot. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Enjoy!

I also wanted to share some bread trials for the best recipe ever with you. I tried making it with half spelt flour last week, and it turned out pretty well. The dough is quite runny and a little bit difficult to manoeuvre, but the bread turns out well. Nice and crusty, and the bread itself is a little bit sticky to the touch. I think I might try with 2 cups white, and 1 cup spelt next time, to see if that helps. Right now, I have a loaf on the go with 2 cups white, and 1 cup whole wheat. It turned out perfectly!

Hope you're having a fantastic weekend.

happy mailbox

2009-04-23T20:41:00.004-03:00

These have nothing to do with the mailbox. I picked them this afternoon after work. Also after buying some at the grocery store, since despite all of my ditch-stalking as I drove for work, I hadn't found any. Until right after I paid for some, of course. These ones that I picked are much nicer than the store ones.

This has more to do with the mailbox! Jen, The Wool Fairy, and I did a swap this week. She's right here in Nova Scotia, and has a blog here, and an Etsy shop, here. She makes these adorable wool vegetables, which Phillip loves. The 'salad' (lettuce leaves in the bowl) are today's favourite. I love Jen's presentation, too - especially the stamp on the berry box. Brilliant! Thanks, Jen!

Does this fabric look familiar? The very talented Austen, who had that fantastic project in Canadian Living, made the bag from this material, and was sweet and kind enough to offer to send me some when I gushed over how great I think it is! I can't wait to whip up one of those bags. She's also just started a brand new craft blog, Make & Do, over at Canadian Living. It's definitely worth checking out, especially since there's a giveaway going on over there right now. (I shouldn't even tell you, since I really want that book, but in the interest of being kind, I will.)

Happy Thursday!

spiced hot chocolate

2009-04-22T19:55:00.003-03:00

I don't often post other people's photos, but a) it's too dark and gloomy to take one of my own tonight, and b) I haven't actually made this yet. The photo is from here. I came across the recipe in The Naturally Scented Home, a book which I was completely pleasantly surprised by. It's definitely worth borrowing from the library, for the information and recipes for herbs and spices for both culinary and beauty purposes. I was especially excited for this one, because it calls for cardamom, my spice du jour. It seems like a wintry, cold-weather kind of recipe, but even though it's April, it fits today perfectly since it's been pouring rain for a few days and I feel soggy around the edges.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Add a small stick of cinnamon, a little grated nutmeg and 3 cardamom pods to 600mL (1 pint) of milk. Warm very gently, taking off the heat just before it boils. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon and cardamom pods and add grated chocolate (the recipe doesn't specify how much). Stir until melted over gentle heat. Pour into bowls and top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of grated chocolate.

baby shower

2009-04-22T19:45:00.003-03:00

The baby shower for my sister last night was lovely. Lots of our family were able to be here, including piles of kids, so it was relaxed and fun and so very, very nice to see everyone. A few times, I just kind of sat back and was delighted to have our house full of people we love, all together to celebrate a brand new little person about to arrive in the world. There is nothing more exciting than that.

lemons and little house in the suburbs

2009-04-20T20:00:00.006-03:00

Hello, lemon! I think you just might end up in some lemon bars for tomorrow night's baby shower. If I have enough time, that is. If not, maybe I'll use one of these suggestions.

Today, Blogger tells me that this is post #928, so you can disregard yesterday's message.

I found a new favourite blog today! It's Little House in the Suburbs, and it's full of fun DIY projects to try. First on my list: Quick Stick Deodorant. And for fellow gardeners out there, newspaper seedling pots and how to build a seedling tray. Oooh, and if your sink drain is in trouble, here's a very natural and effective way to clean it out! And on, and on. Have fun browsing around!

I'll be back with shower pics in a couple of days!

post 963 & soap tidbits

2009-04-19T19:30:00.004-03:00

Wow, this is my 963rd post! Speaking of numbers, I'll be hitting the 300 mark soon (I hope it's soon - I'm currently at 293) for the number of soaps sold from my Etsy shop! The person who orders the 300th bar will be getting some extra goodies with their order, just so you know.

I'm in the process of updating my Birch Bark Soap blog, and will be making a few more minor changes as I figure out how to do what I want, with help from Adam. Have a peek! I just posted a tutorial on making round bars and loofah soaps, so you just might learn something new.

I'm off to get a loaf of the best bread ever started, and to continue cleaning up in the kitchen. The ceiling is done, leaving a fine film of drywall dust in its wake. My afternoon was spent cleaning and scrubbing and wiping down the kitchen, which was really kind of fun. I also made soap and did up that tutorial, so I think I'll be relaxing a bit tonight.

Have a great week!

grandma's collectables and cardamom cookies

2009-04-17T20:45:00.007-03:00

In the course of a search for a perfect little jar for solid perfume (which I did not find), I did find this fantastic little marmalade crock at Grandma's Collectables, a funny little shop near Weymouth with just about everything antique-y and collectable and old that you could imagine. I'm a little bit giddy over it. Next time I go, I want much more time and my camera.
I also found these jars. I know, I know. Why on earth would I need more glass jars? Because these ones have the glass centre piece in the top, along with the metal ring. Fantastic! I have semi-specific plans for these ones, once they've been washed up and moved from the top of the washer.
And I found this cute little biscuit cutter, too.
To use some of my cardamom, I wanted to make something where it would be the main flavour. So I made these cookies. I wasn't expecting the lemony taste that cardamom has. All of the spiciness and warmth, yes, but not that citrus-y tang. It makes sense since it's in the ginger family, and the recipe is pretty good. Not amazing or earth shattering, but definitely decent.

Speaking of baking, I heard Michael Ruhlman on the radio this afternoon, talking about his book Ratio. I must say that I'm intrigued. The idea is that to be more creative in cooking, one needs freedom from the restrictions that recipes impose. By learning basic ratios of ingredients, you can then play around and make what you like. Part of me likes the idea, but the other part of me says, "Why bother?" I'm kind of thinking that the "Why bother?" side might win. I requested the book from the library, so I'll let you know what I think once I get my hands on it.

Lastly, we're working away on the kitchen! Adam's sanding the ceiling as I type. The "before" is above, and is now happily covered with new gyproc so that all potential lead is sealed in. It's crackfilled and will be painted tomorrow. A new floor will be installed next week (!), and then we're going to paint the trim and fix all of those little silly things that should have been done long ago. I am SO excited. And then we'll paint the porch, and redo the bathrooms and the spare bedroom...

Happy Friday!

recipe-a-week #14: the best bread, ever.

2009-04-15T19:35:00.009-03:00

This bread is hands-down the best bread I have ever eaten. Seriously. And I made it! (I'm as surprised as you.) It's chewy and crusty and airy and perfect. Oh, so crusty! And of course, it's a great vehicle for butter - my first requirement for good bread.

I'm always hesitant to try the latest cooking trend, which is why it's taken me so long to get around to trying this. It's along the lines of the 5-minute artisan bread, which apparently became popular after it was written about in the New York Times. I should have tried it much, much sooner. It's been a part of my weekend routine for the past few weeks - two minutes on Saturday afternoon, a bit of attention on Sunday morning, and it's ready for lunch. Leftover pieces make amazing garlic bread, too.

I found the recipe in Mother Earth News, and you can find the original here. You use a Dutch oven to bake it in, which helps to give it the perfect crust. "Holy yum," as Ingrid would say.

No Knead, Dutch Oven Bread

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Really, you need to make this one. Like the tarragon chicken from last week. Did anyone try that recipe? Did you love it as much as I did? Let me know how you like this one!

Edited to add: I wanted to share some bread trials for the best recipe ever with you. I tried making it with half spelt flour last week, and it turned out pretty well. The dough is quite runny and a little bit difficult to manoeuvre, but the bread turns out well. Nice and crusty, and the bread itself is a little bit sticky to the touch. I think I might try with 2 cups white, and 1 cup spelt next time, to see if that helps with the dough consistency. Right now, I have a loaf on the go with 2 cups white, and 1 cup whole wheat. It looks terrific!

cardamom continued

2009-04-15T19:28:00.004-03:00

Phillip and I had fun "squish-squishing" the cardamom before supper tonight.

Thanks for all of the suggestions for things to make. I haven't yet made anything with it, although cake, granola bars, chai tea and cookies are all on my list. Holy carbs, Batman. Now that I think of it, I hope that I like it. And I think I'll have to buy some more.

Next up: a very exciting recipe-a-week!

itsy bitsy spider, p style

2009-04-15T19:17:00.005-03:00

Check out P's dance moves in the bathtub. He didn't learn them from us, that's for sure. I'm not sure if anyone in their right mind could watch this without cracking up. He's such a ham.

He woke up during his nap this afternoon, repeating "lepidopterist". Over and over. He learned it from Maybe You Should Fly a Jet! Maybe You Should Be a Vet!

baby shower

2009-04-14T19:59:00.002-03:00

We found out yesterday that we have a niece on the way! My sister is coming to visit next week, and we're hosting a shower, so it was kind of fun to find out that it's a girl before the big event. My Frenchy's senses were tingling when I drove by today (I'm only half-joking) so I popped in for a minute to see what there was to find. I bought this super-fun set of candlesticks, which I think I will put pink candles in and line up on the table.

Do you have any fantastic shower suggestions? It will be in the evening, and will be pretty low-key. Lots of chatting and visiting and eating. But I'm thinking that some simple things like these would be cute and non-tacky.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

sewing

2009-04-14T19:44:00.005-03:00

How exciting! I picked up this table at the Superstore yesterday. I'd had my eye on it for awhile, but since the regular price was $129 and I didn't want to pay that much, I waited. And it paid off - yesterday, I paid $40 for it. Now I can sew downstairs while Phillip is sleeping, without having to unearth all of my sewing things from the corners of the house.Last night, I whipped up this tote from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing. It took me less than an hour, and I like it! The main fabric is those Frenchy's curtains, and the other two were picked up at La Shoppe Vert. I made the straps longer than the pattern called for, since I wanted to be able to wear it on my shoulder, and next time, I'll add in a lining, as well.

And speaking of sewing...
Go pick up the current issue of Canadian Living! There's a fantastic pattern in there for these simple "His and Hers Travel Mates". Don't you adore that fabric combination? And the boxy shape? I do!
Oh, and wait! Whose name is at the top of the page? Austen Gilliland. Wait a minute, didn't she win some soap from me a few weeks ago? Yes, indeed!
Her name's at the beginning of the magazine, too. I feel like I know a celebrity. It's a great pattern, Austen, and I can't wait to make one! Or two, or three.

easter fun for the fam

2009-04-13T13:39:00.003-03:00

I thought the family would like to see Phillip and his Easter egg hunt yesterday. So very, very cute.

spring miscellany

2009-04-11T15:20:00.002-03:00

After breakfast yesterday, I asked Phillip what he would like to do more than anything else in the world.
"Go outside!"
So out we went. First for a long walk, where we saw these hundreds and hundreds of crocuses. See all of the ones at the top of the photo? I couldn't get a closer shot without going right into the backyard, but it was beautiful.
I also made these scones again yesterday. Yum. Quick and easy. Oh, and I used my new mixer! It works like a dream.
Yes, there are two on this plate, both of which I promptly ate.
I am enjoying A Homemade Life, a birthday gift to myself, very much. It's by Molly from Orangette, and it's a cookbook of sorts. There are plenty of recipes, and each is accompanied by a well-written mini essay on a particular event related to the recipe. I love that it's in (pardon the pun) bite-sized pieces, and I can sit and read one or two and feel satisfied, or if I'm comfy and the tea is good, several. It's definitely worth picking up, and this is one I wouldn't recommend getting from the library, since you'll want to go back and make the recipes again and again.

turn it up

2009-04-09T20:23:00.002-03:00

Thanks to Andrea for sharing this! Click on the little "HQ" in the bottom right corner, and turn the volume up!

I must say that I bawled when I watched this, for a variety of reasons. People need to be surprised and delighted.

sewing accessories, etc.

2009-04-09T19:12:00.005-03:00

I found this little sewing case at Value Village this week in Halifax for 99 cents. I couldn't pass it up, especially because of its resemblance to this fantastic place. Don't the blue metal and the font scream 'Brunswick'? There were only two spools of thread worth saving from the things inside, but the case will certainly come in handy.

I haven't had a chance to use any cardamom yet, but check out the comments on this post for a granola bar recipe from Sarah.

Look what I bought with some soapmaking money! I think the picture that was chosen for the cover was a dreadful selection. Shells on lampshades? Really, Martha. I'm disappointed. But the rest of the book is excellent, and I have some more things added to my list of crafty projects. Like I need more things on my lists. Good grief.

It's a long weekend! We may have some friends coming to stay, and as always, there are lots of other things to be done. Soap needs to be made, and I'm eager to try making some solid perfume. The one I ordered isn't quite the right scent for me (too much lemon and not enough sugar), so I'll do it myself. "Sherrie do it!" (Phillip's been saying "Phillip do it!" lately when he wants to do something on his own. I wonder where he gets that from?)

Today was a kind of crummy day, punctuated by a fun, impromptu lunch with Ingrid. But there's always tomorrow, and a long weekend certainly helps! I hope that you have a great long weekend, whatever you're celebrating. (Even if it's just having a long weekend!)

la shoppe vert (lots of photos)

2009-04-07T20:22:00.004-03:00

This is 'La Shoppe Vert'. It's in Concession, near Saulnierville, and there are walls and walls of fabric, sewing and quilting doodads, and some very old groceries.
Ingrid and I went on Sunday afternoon, and we both found some fabric for crafty projects. How happy does she look, clutching her fabric and Blackberry? (The Blackberry was an integral part of me finding fabric to match the curtain material I found at Frenchy's last week, since I didn't think to take it with me. She just looked up my post, and voila, I found some to match! Brilliant.)

La Shoppe Vert is in an old building, and these are the original smoke detectors.
This is down in the basement, where there used to be a bowling alley. Well, it's kind of still there, only under boxes and dust and such.
This is the material I didn't buy so that I would have an excuse to go back.
We had a fantastic lunch at Chez Christophe, where I had never been before. I had fricot, which I had never had before. They have a thing for glass jars, too.
And dessert was apple crisp with ice cream. Yum.
I've been sticking pictures and postcards and past months of this calendar up on the pantry wall. And I haven't gotten tired of it yet! Probably because it's always changing.
See the Bird's Custard Powder can? The owner of La Shoppe Vert gave it to me. I think it's from 1982 or so.
And these are the fantastic new shoes I found at Frenchy's! They're greener than they appear, and are so very comfortable. So comfortable in fact, that I wore them home. Phew! That was a long one. Thanks for tuning in!

recipe-a-week #13: slow cooker chicken with tarragon and leeks

2009-04-07T20:02:00.007-03:00

I'm back! With a fantastic recipe this time. I made this recipe from the current issue of Real Simple (shouldn't it be 'Really Simple'? Or 'Real, Simple'?) magazine last week, and it is fantastic. Really, truly, delicious. And you know how I feel about slow cookers! Actually, I was surprised by a good recipe in Real Simple. I had a subscription for awhile, and found that most of the recipes were a box of this and a can of that somehow equals a 'recipe'. Regardless, this one's a winner! As in, you should go out and buy the ingredients this minute and have it for dinner tomorrow.

Chicken with Tarragon and Leeks

1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes (about 16)
8 small skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds) (I actually threw in a whole local chicken I had, but it would have been more manageable with the pieces)
3 leeks (white and light green parts), halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup dry white wine (I had some white cooking wine on hand, so I used that)
salt
10 ounces frozen peas
1/3 cup heavy cream (now you know why I like it!)
1 tbsp fresh tarragon (I couldn't find this, so my version was more 'Chicken with Leeks'.)

Place potatoes on the bottom of a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Add chicken, leeks, wine, and 1 tsp salt.

Cook, covered, until the chicken and potatoes are tender, on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-7 hours.

Transfer the chicken and all but 4 of the potatoes to a plate. Using a fork (I used a wooden spoon since I didn't want to scratch my slow cooker), smash the remaining potatoes into the cooking liquid to thicken.

Add the peas and cream and cook until just heated through, 3-5 minutes. Spoon over the chicken and sprinkle with the tarragon.

You'll enjoy this one for sure!

disappearing act

2009-04-05T22:29:00.003-03:00

I posted this picture on my other blog a few days ago, but thought I would ask you guys, too - what can I make with cardamom? Any ideas, other than chai tea?

I had a very "fun-day", as Phillip says. You can read a bit about it over here. I'll be back with pictures and stories and a wickedly wicked fantastic Frenchy's find that is green and goes on my feet. Since she was with me (or I was with her and my luck oozed out), Ingrid also found something great.

I'm scooting to Halifax (not literally) for a couple days for work, so I'll be back soon. Speaking of Halifax, my soaps are now at Love, Me Boutique! I'm hoping to stop in for myself. If you're in the city, have a peek.

Have a great week!

necklace storage & it's about time for some frenchy's finds

2009-04-03T18:50:00.004-03:00

My necklaces have been not-so-stylishly stored on hideous plastic dollar store hooks until today. I liked that they were visible and accessible, but the hooks had to go.
So I was really excited to pick up these fun hooks at Wicker Emporium, on sale for $3 each. They look much nicer, and the necklaces won't get whacked by the door when Phillip opens it excitedly, like they did before.Can you tell that it's raining? Today's pictures are rather dark and drab and slightly blurred, but I'm too impatient to wait until tomorrow to share. I found a couple of very fun things today at Frenchy's when I scooted in for all of two minutes today. That orange thing is a felted wool pot handle cover, and it's perfect for our cast iron pan, which we use just about every day. I've been meaning to make one for about three years, so I thought that I should probably fork out the 25 cents and use this one. It's in the wash, yipee!
And check out this fabric! It's a couple of old curtains, and I love the pattern. I think I'll try making something from this book with it.
Happy weekend!

etsy goodies

2009-04-02T19:32:00.005-03:00

My sweet husband is now selling card sets of his gorgeous photos in his Etsy shop. There are three different sets, so go have a peek, and snag some all-purpose cards for those folks you want to impress. Or the ones you just plain like. (He's got lots more, so if something's in his sold items, never fear! Just send him a convo.)

Speaking of Etsy, Adam bought me these teeny-tiny vases for my birthday from this Etsy shop. They are so cute on the windowsill, each with one little snowdrop peeping out. I think the green ruffly one is my favourite.

In miscellaneous news, a large number of real e-mails seems to be landing in my spam folder. I used to empty it without reading the subjects of all the messages, until I started to see some real e-mails in there. So if you wrote to me and it either took me a really long time to respond, or you haven't heard from me, my apologies. I love hearing from you, and please try again. Happy Thursday!

the day after (and the winner!)

2009-03-31T20:36:00.004-03:00

First, the picture - I have a pile of images that need to be properly named and filed, and picked one completely at random. More of my favourite white and green combination!

I had so much fun reading your birthday memories after yesterday's post! Thanks for sharing.

My favourite, and the winner of some of my soap (can you tell I haven't decided what to send yet?) is Austen! This was her comment:

"The year I turned 29 my sister arranged a big surprise party for me. As part of the distraction plan, she shipped me off for a visit with a friend, a visit which included an hour-long hike around the edge of Lake MicMac. (At the end of January. It was frigid.) Eventually my friend dropped me off at home and I rushed inside, ripping off my boots and jacket and making a beeline for a hot shower, yelling to my sister (who I figured was somewhere around the house), "Honey, I'm home and holy god, I'm freezing my ass off!" By the time I screeched to a halt in front of them, sweater off and shirt soon to follow, the two-dozen-odd people hiding in my living room were laughing too hard to yell "surprise." (Funny how the hot flush of embarrassment can warm you up in a hurry!)"

I think it's probably my favourite because a similar thing happened to me, which Konstantina mentioned in the comments. A surprise birthday party was waiting for me, and I entered our then-apartment with a yell of "Geez Louise, I have to pee!" On my way to the bathroom, past the doorway where everyone was lurking, some movement caught my eye and I nearly jumped out of my skin with a shriek that would have woken the dead. It was hilarious!

So, Austen, e-mail your mailing address to grahamsherrie [at] yahoo [dot] ca, and I'll send you some loveliness in the mail!

recipe-a-week #12: crushed raspberry tart & bonne fête à moi!

2009-03-30T16:01:00.005-03:00

Snowdrops are just plain delightful. They're green and white, my favourite colour combination, they're the first flowers of the season, and they multiply and do their thing without any intervention whatsoever. I love birthdays anyway, but I'm especially glad that mine is at this time of year. I'm 28 today, and have no list of things I want to achieve over the next 365 days. That's my gift to myself.
Speaking of birthdays, Ingrid came over yesterday, and we made my birthday non-cake! She also brought me a Donna Hay magazine, which I intend to have a proper date with tonight. And some yummy tea. The non-cake is Donna Hay's Crushed Raspberry Tart, from her fruit book, and here's the recipe:

375 g (13 1/4 oz) block store-bought puff pastry, thawed
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tbsp caster sugar (we used regular granulated)
2 cups raspberries
1 tbsp icing sugar

sour cream filling:
1 cup sour cream (I think it would work better with the really thick type)
1/4 cup single or pouring cream (half and half; we used whipping, mmm)
1/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch and trim to a 20 cm (8 inch) square. Cut 8 strips measuring 1x20cm (1/2 x 8in) from the remaining pastry. Place the pastry square on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Brush with the egg white and place half the strips around the edge to form a border. Brush the borders with the egg white and place the remaining strips on top. Prick the base with a fork. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the pastry with caster sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. To make the sour cream filling, whisk the sour cream, cream, and brown sugar in a bowl until smooth. Combine half the raspberries with the icing sugar and crush lightly. Fold in the remaining raspberries. Spoon the sour cream filling over the pastry base and spoon raspberries on top.
One more thing: a great surprise on my birthday! My new Artisan mixer arrived this afternoon, when I wasn't expecting it until next week. Nice! I'm excited to try it out.

For those of you who are still reading, I'm hiding a little birthday giveaway in here. Leave a comment with your funniest birthday memory, and I'll pick my favourite tomorrow. The winner will be sent some of my fantastic handmade soap.

Happy Monday, and Happy Birthday to me!

before and after

2009-03-29T18:56:00.006-03:00

Before the haircut, and...
after!

Our sweet boy after his haircut. (You can imagine away that hideous floor. After some hard work on our part over the next few weeks, your dreams will come true!) How sweet is that little face? I often wear my sunglasses on my head, so I think he was copying me.

Speaking of our wee one, he threw up all over me tonight, after my impromptu birthday gathering ended. All over. He's sleeping now, and I'm hoping that that was it, and he'll feel better in the morning. As for me, I had a horrendous day sick in bed yesterday, but today I feel human again. Good grief! Adam and I watched Hot Fuzz last night, which was hilarious. So was Shaun of the Dead, which we watched a little while back. Good mindless sick-day movies to watch.

And on a significantly happier note, the cherry twig I brought in to force has blossomed!
I have a great dessert recipe for you tomorrow, so "Be sure to... be sure to what?... what was Little Orphan Annie trying to say?... Be sure to drink your Ovaltine." Oh, wait. Be sure to check in for the recipe, having nothing to do with Ovaltine.

Spring and cleaning

2009-03-27T14:33:00.006-03:00

Birds and eggs inspire hope and happy thoughts in pretty much everyone at this time of year. The cardinals and finches have been frequenting the feeder today, and Phillip and I watched the grackles starting their annual nest in the neighbour's cedar tree this morning. (Between coughing fits and blowing my nose, in my case. I'm feeling better, but worse, you know?)
My MIL bought me the sweet pottery bird feeder above at Value Village last week, and I'm excited to put it outside.

And eggs! These are actually artificial (gasp!) eggs that MIL bought for me at Michaels. (She's good to me, I know.) I like that they're not as fragile as real ones (so they'll survive an egg hunt with Mr P, and being counted many times over) or as tacky as the neon plastic ones. That's the extent of my Spring decorating here - looking out the window is Springy enough, with the snowdrops up, crocuses here, and tulips poking up from the ground. Oh, and I did change my winter pinecone wreath out for a more Springy twiggy one, like this one, only darker.
I was looking at some Springy things online this morning, and found this gorgeous egg photo, featuring a great apron, by Abby Try Again, as well as this apricot blossom photo. I had never given any thought at all to apricot blossoms, since apricots aren't grown around here, but now I'm envious of those of you who might have access to some of those branches to force.

There's nothing quite as Spring-y as Spring cleaning! I looove this picture, also by Abby Try Again, and would love to have a huge one on a kitchen or pantry wall.

Speaking of cleaning, I have a safer solution for cleaning your porous old bathtub! (If you have one, of course.) I tried a mixture of 5% peroxide (available in the natural cleaning aisle at the health food store or grocery store) and baking soda in our ancient, porous clawfoot tub to get it to look somewhat clean, as suggested in The Baking Soda Book. I sprinkled on the baking soda, and used a spray bottle to liberally spray the peroxide over all of the baking soda. I left it for about 2 hours, giving it a light brushing with a scrub brush every now and then to make sure it was well covered, and it made such a difference! Without all of the scariness and toxicity of chlorine bleach. I would have left it a bit longer, to get the last tenacious stains gone, but it was time for P's bath, which waits for no man. So I rinsed it very well, and it looks great! It worked much better than anything else I've tried, including scary foamy stuff I had languishing in the cupboard. So, go forth and clean! Have a great weekend.

lounging

2009-03-26T16:47:00.003-03:00

I'm glad that you appreciated the discrepancy between the beautiful begonia in yesterday's post and the topic. I thought that it might make me feel better, and it did. Much like yesterday's post, this image is somewhat irrelevant to the text in this one. But I love it and wanted to share. These are a few of the Olivier soaps I bought last week, in a handmade bowl I bought primarily for pictures. Like these ones.

Thanks so much for all of your sweet well-wishes. Whatever I have seems to be getting somewhat better already, which is a very welcome development. I've spent pretty much the entire day in bed, although with the sun shining and the idea of evil germs lurking about, I did wash the bedding and my mom was good enough to hang it on the line. We're so very lucky that she is able to come and look after P when both of us are working. Or when I'm sick and Adam's working. I remade the bed with some lighter and Spring-ier bedding, and promptly went back to sleep for most of the afternoon.

Okay, on to fun things to share! I found a brand new (really, truly, brand-spanking kind of new) pair of Dansko clogs, exactly like these ones at Frenchy's. (Annie, if you were here, I would give them to you, since I know that we both have a thing for clogs.)

This is an endlessly entertaining flickr set of Darling Dexter's outfit every day. Fun!

And I can't recall if I've mentioned her blog here before (I must have!), but Amber of Amber's Ambry posted a hand balm tutorial the other day which looks fantastic. Easy peasy and a super sweet little gift idea. Have fun trying it out! I'm hoping to get around to it soon.

Marta posted today about Fresh's lemon sugar eau de toilette, which almost made me buy some, since I adore anything lemon-y. But I couldn't justify $28 for something I wasn't guaranteed to love and probably wouldn't use. And since I don't usually wear scents of any kind, I thought it might be wasteful and ridiculous. I could definitely make my own, using essential oils and Amber's recipe, and I think I will. But since I'm feeling icky, in a moment of weakness I took a peek around on Etsy, and found this Lemon Sugar solid perfume to try. I'm hoping that it's one of those super-light and delightful scents that you have to touch your nose to your arm to smell. The nice thing about the solid perfumes is that they don't spray all over everything else in the room, so you can control exactly how much you use. And now I'll have a tin to refill, too.

Happy Thursday! I'm off to take another one of these.

uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh

2009-03-25T19:54:00.004-03:00

I think I'm finally coming down with something. I had been so proud of myself for being so healthy all Winter long. Well, now that it's Spring, so I guess I was healthy all Winter long. (I think that seasons are deserving of capitals.) Oh yeah, except for the bladder evils in January. Okay, never mind. I've been feeling progressively worse all day and am sore all over, with chills, right now. So, I have a cup of peppermint tea to drink until Phillip is really, truly asleep. Then my plans include a nice hot bath, some reading in bed, and lots of sleep. Good night!

kitchenaid mixer development

2009-03-24T15:23:00.004-03:00

If you recall, there's an ongoing KitchenAid saga here in the Graham household. I bought a new mixer in May 2008. I returned it it August because of a crazy noise it was making, and received a replacement. The replacement unit did the same thing, so I returned it in February. I've called twice to check on the status of the mixer, and was told on the 13th that I would be contacted by someone with more details. I called again today, since I hadn't heard from them, and after waiting on hold for quite a long time (which was okay, because I was able to do all kinds of other things as I waited) was told that I would be immediately sent a new Artisan mixer (the one I returned was Ultra Power) as they didn't have the original model in stock. Yipeeee! The image is of the model I will be receiving, and I can't wait to get my hands on it, especially after all of this hassle! You will most certainly be seeing some photos when it arrives. Happy Tuesday!

forcing branches

2009-03-24T12:53:00.002-03:00

For the past few years, I've forced branches every February or so. I did the same this year, but a few weeks ago when I was cleaning up in the garden on a beautiful March evening, I found a few other little branches strewn around on the ground, and wondered if they would do something interesting if I plunked them in some water. Did they ever! The spirea is pictured above, and there are teeny-tiny little buds in the leaves, which I'm guessing will turn into some sweet white flowers.
Some Japanese Cherry blooms are almost open, too. They're extra special to me, since they were blooming when P was born. Some great friends cut some of the branches from our tree and brought them to me in the hospital.
And I had heard of farmers sticking willow switches in the ground, which would then grow into beautiful willow trees. Now I can see why. These little twigs were in water for a week or so when the roots started to appear. It's been a little more than two weeks now, and check out those roots! I think I'll be starting some little willows in pots.
So go and see what you can find on the ground or in the yard, and stick it in some water. For woody branches, it works best to cut a notch into the bottom of the twig, where the branch was cut from the tree, so that it can soak up plenty of water. For flowers, try quince, cherry, forsythia, or spirea. I love the little fuzzy yellow willow 'flowers' (seeds?), and think they're gorgeous, too. I've never tried lilac, but something tells me they wouldn't work as well. Have fun!

recipe-a-week #11: roasted curried cauliflower

2009-03-23T20:43:00.004-03:00

I made this dish last week, and it was really good. I haven't met a vegetable yet which can't be improved upon by roasting, and cauliflower is no exception.

Will you forgive me that the recipe isn't from one of my cookbooks? I know that was kind of the point of this whole recipe-sharing endeavour, but I bought the cauliflower expressly for currying and roasting, and there was not a curried cauliflower recipe in one of my cookbooks. So I found this recipe, and it was good.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

3/4 tsp	coriander seeds, crushed	1 g
1/4 cup	olive oil	65 mL
3 tbsp	wine vinegar	45 mL
1 1/4 tsp	curry powder	4 g
1 tsp	paprika	3 g
1/8 tsp	cayenne pepper [optional]	0.4 g
	ground pepper to taste
	salt to taste
3 1/2 cups	cauliflower, cut into equal-size florets	550 g
1/2	onion(s), cut into quarters	100 g
4 tsp	fresh cilantro, chopped [optional]	3 g

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F.
Crush the coriander seeds either with a mortar and pestle or using a rolling pin. Place the seeds in a bowl. Whisk in the oil, vinegar, spices, and salt.
Prepare the vegetables : Cut the cauliflower into equal-size florets. Peel the onion, cut it into quarters lengthwise, then pull apart the quarters to separate the layers. Add the cauliflower and onion to the vinaigrette bowl, then toss to coat well. Spread the vegetables in single layer on a large baking sheet.
Roast the vegetables until golden and tender-crisp, stirring occasionally, about 30 min.
Serve warm or at room temperature. You may garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Very good. You would rather have this one than the one from one of my cookbooks which I was disappointed in, right? Okay, I'm trying to make myself feel better for my weak recipe resolve. You're such a nice bunch, I know that it's okay. Just this once.

I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow, and I have lots of new pictures to share with you. So if those two things collide in a wonderful twist of fate, you'll be seeing a few new pictures I'm excited about. Happy Monday!

what did I buy while I was away?

2009-03-22T14:43:00.004-03:00

Soap, of course! Of all the things I need, soap is most definitely not on the list, since I have so much that I make. So I bought some anyway, from Olivier in the Saint John City Market. Partly for a picture I want to take, and partly because they make beautiful, natural soaps, and everyone can always use more of those, n'est-ce pas? Oh yeah, and they were in the 2/$5 basket.

I'm happy to be home, and it was surprisingly lovely to go without touching a computer for a few days. I think I'll have to do it more purposefully every now and then. Phillip had a very happy few days, so his mama did, too. But of course, it's nice to be home.

off for an adventure

2009-03-19T10:02:00.004-03:00

My in-laws are here for a few days. MIL bought me this sweet little begonia for my upcoming birthday, and I love it. Especially since I plunked it in the clay pot with the antique saucer. I love pink and green together, especially in Spring.
Speaking of Spring and green, we ate our first food from the garden with last night's supper! The chives are up a wee little bit, so I picked some and we ate them sprinkled on tacos made with local beef. Delicious.
And lastly, I cleaned the windows two days ago. Yesterday, a very loud crash scared me, and I couldn't figure out what it was. I searched the house, and finally gave up. Later on, I realized that those smudges on the window weren't more of Phillip's hand prints, but a greasy bird print, left after a high-impact collision with the glass. Ouch.

I'm glad that you're finding the dishwasher info helpful! Baking soda really is an amazing thing.

Phillip and I are going to visit the in-laws for a few days, so I will be back in a few days. In the meantime, here's P, singing in the pantry with an oven mitt. Happy Spring!

natural dishwasher detergent update

2009-03-18T12:11:00.005-03:00

Hello, sun! This is the fifth consecutive day of sun. Maybe more. Fifth consecutive day of hanging clothes on the line, at least. I am one happy gal. I think it's time to take down the Wintry pine cone wreath and replace it with something a bit more Springy.
We have company for a few days, which translates into more dishes than usual, hence the prompt follow-up to yesterday's dishwasher post. I popped an Ecover tablet in the dishwasher this morning, ran the load through, and it looks good. The tablets have a few more ingredients in them than the borax / baking soda solution (equal parts), including "plant-based fragrance", which I'm assuming can only be essential oils. I'm not sure why it's listed like that. Regardless, the fragrance isn't strong at all when the dishwasher is running, which I like - the regular grocery store stuff smells pretty vile (in my opinion) when it's going through. Of course, no scent from the baking soda / borax mix, ether. I did notice a few water spots on a glass washed in the baking soda load yesterday, but I think I was looking for them. And that's waaaay down on my list of things to be concerned about!

b. s. (or, baking soda) and natural dishwasher detergent

2009-03-17T14:19:00.009-03:00

I read Eats, Shoots & Leaves over the past few days, and I loved it. I was reminded of a few punctuation rules which I am sure that I often break, and was also reminded of how much fun can be had with punctuation. No, I am not kidding. The book referred often to people like myself, who love finding punctuation and grammatical errors on signs and in books.
How fortuitous that I borrowed this book from the library! It's replete with errors. Such as "Breathe Freshener" instead of "Breath Freshener",
"Dishwasher Power" instead of "Dishwasher Powder",and - perhaps my favourite - "Use your hand to rinse clean the sin", rather than "sink".
Despite the errors and the decidedly un-beautiful cover, there are lots of good tips in the book, such as making dishwasher powder with equal parts of baking soda and borax. I was really excited to try this one, so I gave it a go this afternoon, and it seems to have worked well. The dishes look clean, and the glasses aren't cloudy. (I do have some residual Jet-Dry in the dishwasher, which I'm planning on replacing with good old white vinegar when the Jet-Dry is gone). I'll try the mixture again with a heavier load of dirtier dishes and see if the borax and baking soda does a good job on those. Here in Canada, Borax is in the odd box pictured below, in the laundry aisle at the grocery store, next to the washing soda on the top shelf, and costs around $5 for a box which will last a long time. (Toilet talk note: shake 1 cup of borax in the toilet before bed, swish it around and flush it in the morning and you'll have a clean toilet, free of rust stains and other nastiness.)
In the interest of some bloggy dishwasher experimentation, I also bought some Ecover dishwasher tablets which were on sale, $8.79 for 25 tablets, to do some unscientific testing against the Nature Clean gel we had been using, which costs $9.99 for 1.8 L, and the borax / baking soda homemade stuff. The Nature Clean stuff works well; best if the pre-wash compartment is filled as well as the wash one. But it's pricey. The Ecover tablets are going to be the priciest option, even on sale, so I hope they work. I'll do an update once I've tried those, too.

For sprinkling baking soda on sinks and surfaces, I bought this shaker this morning at Yarmouth Natural for $1.99. (Hello! You can see me in the picture.) I have another shaker, but decided that it would be sensible to have one upstairs and one downstairs. $1.99 didn't break the bank, and the holes are larger than the standard ones, allowing for better flow when sprinkling it in the tub. Apparently, mixed with a 5% peroxide solution, it makes a good cleaner for porous iron bathtubs, such as ours. I'm currently out of peroxide, but will pick up some more (with the natural cleaners aisle at the Superstore, since they didn't have any at Yarmouth Natural) and give it a try. I didn't know that since vinegar and baking soda neutralize each other, sometimes the cleaning power isn't the best. Which is why peroxide is recommended. It makes sense, I guess!

There! I hope you picked up some natural cleaning tidbits you can make use of in your home. And despite all of the tragic errors in the baking soda book, you should see if you can find a copy at the library. It's entertaining, if nothing else. Let me know if you try any of these tips!

recipe-a-week #10: chocolate 'n' cream sandwich cookies

2009-03-16T09:28:00.004-03:00

These cookies are delicious. I'm not the biggest chocolate fan, but these are good. Very sweet, and very good. They're a one-at-a-time-with-something-to-wash-it-down kind of cookie.
I loved working with the dough. The texture was so very lovely.
And I got to use my new cookie sheets.
So, here's the recipe, from April 2009's Everyday Food, with my notes in parentheses, for:

Chocolate 'n' Cream Sandwich Cookies
makes 15 (I had 18) :: prep time 25 minutes :: total time 35 min + chilling

Because there's butter in the cream filling, store these cookies in the refrigerator. For a minty touch (which I meant try but forgot) add a few drops of peppermint oil to the filling.

1 1/4 cups flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 cup cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
cream filling (below)

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside. In another bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and egg. Add flour mixture, and stir until dough forms.

2. Divide dough in half; roll out between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Stack on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment (oops). Using a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut dough int rounds. Place on sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are firm and fragrant, 8-10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through (again, oops). Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.

4. Spread half the cookies with 1 tbsp cream filling; top with remaining cookies. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 5 days.

(You can feel free to ignore this information:) per cookie: 211 cal; 7.9 g fat (4.8 g saturated); 2.4 grams protein; 35.1 g carb; 1.7 g fibre

Cream filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature, until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar, beating until combined. Beat in 2 tsp vanilla extract.

And try not to eat them all.

morning walk

2009-03-16T09:12:00.006-03:00

Have you ever heard a lake melting in Spring? I hadn't until yesterday. I tried to catch it on video, but the sound didn't do justice to the event. It sounds like a warbly airplane is flying overhead. And then you realize that it's the lake, waking up from a long rest to say hello. It was really, really, neat.

Here's one of the clips I took anyway, just because the lake's edge was so lovely.

perfect Saturday breakfast

2009-03-14T14:30:00.005-03:00

First of all, I brought some spirea branches in to force. I bought the plants at Canadian Tire on clearance last fall for 50 cents each. Not bad, eh?
Today's my first day of March Break! We had a celebratory breakfast, including all of the essentials: butter, maple syrup, and (warning: gross meaty picture coming up): bacon.
I had never cooked bacon in the oven before. This is probably because we buy it approximately once a year. I treated myself to some new baking sheets (some people are addicted to drugs, others, cookware), and I thought it would be a good way to use them. If you've never done it, it's easy; just place the bacon on a cooling rack over the baking sheet in the over at 425 for approximately 20 minutes, or until it's crispy and lovely. This way, it doesn't just cook in its own fat, and the slices stay nice and flat. You might want to line your baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up. Downsides: 1) even though it's done in the oven, your clothes will still smell like a dog treat, and 2) it's a pain to scrub the type of cooling rack I have.

How many songs do you know about baking/bacon? I love wordplay. We've been singing this one:

Other fun things I've enjoyed on this first day of the break: going to the Old World Bakery with Phillip for "muffins juice" and seeing some friends, getting the last faucet that was on sale at Canadian Tire, hanging out a full line of clothes, and reading Donna Hay's Fruit. It's a very good day.

audience participation and lisa hannigan

2009-03-10T19:27:00.006-03:00

This photo was taken a few weeks ago, on the Yarmouth waterfront. It was a gorgeous day (a saying which Phillip has picked up from us, I might add. Too cute!) Today was another beauty, with clear blue skies and warmth in the sun. The reason this picture is only appearing now has to do with today's random question: have you ever bought a new memory card for your camera, and your card reader won't recognize it at all? I can get the pictures from it, but it's a long and silly process I would like to avoid if possible. Any suggestions?
Phillip has been having lots of fun playing outside during this spell of nice weather. These "lellow boots" are getting small for his fat little feet, but he clomps around the backyard quite happily in them anyway.

I am usually 100% energy and positivity, but for the past week or so, I've been feeling kind of sluggish and glum. I think a break from the regular routine is much needed, and since I'm lucky enough to have the whole week off next week, I want to take advantage of the opportunity to do something extra fun and out of the ordinary. I'll be going on vacation from the Etsy shop, and Adam's parents are coming for a few days, so they can watch Phillip. I want to know if you have any suggestions for things I (or we) can do to change things up? Preferably something inexpensive, unusual, local, and out of the ordinary. Maybe a photo project? A winter picnic on the beach? Hmmm. Any suggestions are welcome and will be considered!

In the meantime, I've found some lovely links to share with you on this Tuesday-before-March-break, to help get you through.

Martha's Crafts Department has a blog! I haven't had time to take a thorough soak in it yet, but I'm looking forward to it, very soon.

Canelle et Vanille (translation: cinnamon and vanilla) is a painfully gorgeous food blog. Seriously. Once you see it, you'll know what I mean. I'm a wee bit envious of all of that beauty in one spot.

And I'm a bit enamoured with Lisa Hannigan as of late. You may have seen me driving with the window down and singing along to this song this morning. Isn't she gorgeous? (She has the same cheekbones as my sweet friend Jen. Hi Jen!) And the accordion in this song is fantastic.

While the first video is the song that's been in my head all day, I love this video. (To tell you a secret, this is how I like to imagine myself. Maybe I just need to sing more. And turn beautiful and Irish.)

Only three more work days until the break!

recipe-a-week #9: zucchini bread & exciting garden developments

2009-03-08T13:42:00.006-03:00

First things first: when the snow melted this week in the raspberry patch, look what was hiding underneath! The first snowdrops of the season. I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted them from across the yard; I zoomed over (in Adam's shoes, since I was emptying the compost and his were closest to the door) to make sure that my eyes weren't betraying me. Yipeee! I can't even express how very, very exciting this is. Prepare yourself for this year's garden pictures!

In indoor news, I'm having fun baking this afternoon while P is sleeping and Adam's at the gym. First, I whipped up these simple and quick brownies, as per Adam's request. I can't say enough good things about them - they are what I would call a perfect recipe. One pot, 4 or 5 minutes, and into the oven they go. Delicious, too, of course. (Edited to add: I originally posted about them with pictures, here.) The second thing, which is currently in the oven, is zucchini bread. I still have some frozen and grated zucchini from last fall in the freezer, and decided that some zucchini bread would be a great way to reduce my stores. The recipe I used is from More-with-Less, and it goes like this:

Zucchini Bread
350, 1 hr, makes 2 loaves

Preheat oven to 350. Combine in mixing bowl and beat well:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 c vegetable oil (you can use part applesauce; I used butter)
2 c raw, peeled, grated zucchini (mine was frozen and thawed; I drained off some of the water)
1 tbsp vanilla

Sift together:
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
3 t cinnamon

Add to zucchini mixture and stir until blended. Add 1 c coarsely chopped nuts (I didn't.)

Pour into 2 greased bread pans. Bake 1 hour, or until tester comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on rack. Yum! I like is best cold and with butter, à la post-funeral/celebration/exciting gathering in a church basement. Enjoy!

the early bird

2009-03-06T11:25:00.006-04:00

Sweet Teresa's blog was the first place that I saw this particular handmade giveaway twist, and since I was one of her first five commenters, I'm 'paying it forward'. (I haven't decided yet if that's one of those phrases I detest, but I think it might be. Too catchy.)

The rules are (and I'm copying the text from Teresa, with some edits):

The first 5 people who respond to this post will get something made by me: it will be my choice, but will, hopefully, be something you can use or enjoy for its aesthetic merits. (The picture of my sewing machine does not mean that it will be used in the handmade wonderfulness which is this swap, although I just had a brilliant idea...) This offer does have some restrictions & limitations...

*I make no guarantees that you will like it...but I hope you do!
*You will receive this item before the end of the year (December 31, 2009) or sooner.
*You will have no idea what the item will be, or when you will receive it.
*To participate, you must re-post this meme on your blog and put together something to be sent out as 5 surprises of your own. These surprises can be anything....a piece of art, a photo, a poem...whatever you choose.

Now I'll just wait for the comments to come rolling in! If you're one of the first five commenters, please e-mail me your mailing address (grahamsherrie AT yahoo DOT ca), and those will go in the mail sometime in the next 9 months! Happy Handmade Friday! (Yes, I just made that up.)

dreamy soap shed

2009-03-05T20:56:00.004-04:00

Isn't this the perfect soap shed? Okay, maybe larger windows would be nicer. But on sunny days I could open those doors and enjoy the fresh air as I whip up some beautiful soaps.
A colleague of mine was here from Halifax yesterday and today, and since we were in Pubnico this morning, we went to see the windmills.

kicks

2009-03-04T21:54:00.003-04:00

Doesn't that pasta look absolutely simple and delicious? Today I'm on a Donna Hay kick, from whence the photo by Chris Court comes. This follows the Ina Garten kick (that kick ended after the hours-long Ile Flottante, although there are still many recipes of hers I'm hoping to try). As most people who know me can attest, I go on 'kicks' quite often. During these 'kicks' of adoration for a particular person, author, or subject, I go to our local library website and place holds on whatever books are available. I just placed holds on 4 Donna Hay books. Yay! It's definitely cheaper than ordering them for keeps, and if I really, truly fall in love with a book and still want it when my birthday (March 30, just so you know) or another holiday rolls around, then I ask for it. If no one buys it for me, I can use Air Miles to get Chapters gift certificates. If I don't have enough Air Miles, I just might cave in and buy it with soap money. And if all of those avenues fail, I just might buy it. (And of course, I always check the book bin at Frenchy's - that goes without saying.) The Martha Stewart kick is the only one which has no beginning and no end. My mom has food kicks, as I think most moms do (probably me included). I know that Adam went through several Tater Tots kicks of his mom's when he was growing up. The thing I like about kicks is that they usually come around again, sooner or later, and enthusiasm for a particular thing peaks once again. So there's no need to feel as though you've abandoned anything - you'll get back to it eventually. If only there were enough time in each day to do everything I want to, I could be on a perpetual kick of everything. What are your kicks? Are they seasonal? I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and can't wait to hear about yours. I feel another kick coming on; the gardening one this time, which is most certainly seasonal. To me, it's by far the most exciting time of the year.

gerberas and good books

2009-03-02T20:10:00.004-04:00

I hosted a little soapmaking workshop for four locals who wanted to learn how to make soap. I had lots of fun, since it involved talking about and making soap. Each participant made a one pound batch of soap (six bars' worth) with the essential and/or fragrance oils they chose, and I made a demo batch. One of the women who came brought me a gerbera plant! I thought that was so very sweet. And Springy! Happy March!
If you're at all interested in poring over gorgeous pictures of other people's homes and gathering ideas for your own, all three of these books are winners. I have to return them to the library this week, and I really wish I could keep them forever. Found Style, Family Living, and Country Living Storage Style - I think that just about anyone could find things they like in each of these books.

I enjoyed a storm day today, since we had an icy night and morning here. On the weather forecast I check online, they had an icon of triangles falling from the sky, which I had never seen before. Phillip and I washed the dishes, read books, and made granola bars. While he was asleep, I hemmed pants, read in those terrific books, packed up a soap order, cut the bars that the group made yesterday, and generally puttered about happily.

I'm so excited, I'll say it again - Happy March!

**
P.S. Thanks for all of the great comments about Adam's site! Just to be clear, I take all of the pictures for this blog, unless otherwise noted. He's a good inspiration to have around.

adamgrahamphoto.com

2009-03-01T19:10:00.002-04:00

My fantastic husband launched his new website today. He's been working at it for a long time, and I think it looks great. Have a peek! If you're in the area, he is now photographing weddings and other happy events such as babies and family portraits in addition to his gorgeous fine art pieces. One of the latter is in a show of local photograpers' work at Th'YARC, as of today. Notable note: as he's building his portfolio, he's offering discounted rates for the weddings he does this season, so contact him if you're interested.

**
P.S. The first hyacinth flower is opening today, and is starting to smell wonderful!

recipe-a-week #8: my grandmother's bread & hyacinth

2009-02-27T19:13:00.008-04:00

I have a hyacinth on the way. Phillip and I are both very excited. He asks to smell it already. See why I chose carnations? They still look great, two weeks after Valentine's.

I've talked about winning things before, and how I seem to have a knack for it. Last weekend, a friend and I went to see Murder is a Game at Th'YARC, in which Ingrid is a star player. I lent the friend $5 for 50/50 tickets, and she won. And promptly paid me back! Tomorrow is the last night for the play - I meant to post about it sooner, but if you're free tomorrow night at 7:30, you should definitely pick up a ticket. It's a fun and entertaining show, and it wraps up all tidily at the end, which I love.

It's my dad's birthday tomorrow, and he always asks me to make him some bread. Chewy, gluten-y, white-flour-y, perfect-vehicle-for-jam-and-butter (yes, and) kind of bread. So I have a batch of his mother's bread rising by the fire as Phillip reads himself to sleep. I only have one memory of my Grammie, as she died when I was a few years old. We were in her kitchen, and I remember her opening the potato bin - one of those ones that looks like a cupboard but when you pull the handle it angles out toward you. My only memory of her husband (these were my dad's parents) is of him lying in his bed not long before he died. Both of my mother's parents died while I was in university, so I consider myself very lucky to have some fantastic grandparents of Adam's who I've taken as my own. I made a Queen Elizabeth Cake last night, which is one of Adam's Grammie's recipes, and tonight I'm making my Grammie's bread, so I'm feeling close to some great women and their kitchens.

Grammie's White Bread
Makes 3 loaves

Dissolve 1 yeast cake (or 1 1/2 tbsp traditional yeast) in 1 cup lukewarm water with 1 tsp sugar.

In a giant bowl (I use a huge metal one), put 2 tbsp butter and 2 tsp sugar. Add 1 cup milk. Pour 2 cups boiling water over, to melt butter. Add 2 cups cold water. To this, add the yeast mixture and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Add flour (approximately 12 cups), and mix until it's lovely and doughy, adjusting with more or less flour as needed. Form into a blob, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down, and let rise again. Divide into loaves, and let rise in pan before placing in oven to bake for approximately 1 hour, until loaves sound hollow when tapped and are golden brown. Of course, it's best served warm with butter and homemade strawberry jam - my favourite combo. My dad likes it with butter and peanut butter (now you can see where I get my affection for butter). Or store bought grape jelly in a squeeze bottle. However you like it, enjoy!

nothing but blue sky

2009-02-25T20:57:00.002-04:00

The sky was the most incredible shade of blue today.

Phillip and I went for a walk after I came home from work.

An electrician came today. He replaced some old and hideous light fixtures and repaired some outlets.

It was a very good day.

reading

2009-02-24T19:28:00.003-04:00

Phillip was reading 'Baby Beluga' immediately preceding this, but we weren't quick enough to catch that on video. Instead, may I present a reading of 'The Wheels on the Bus', complete with hand gestures for "Move on back," as spoken by the driver of said bus. Oh, and my favourite part: "Oh, this one!"

no more monkeys jumping on the bed!

2009-02-23T17:03:00.004-04:00

It's been too long without a picture of Mr P. So here he is, jumping on the bed. He's such a little monkey!

food week, day five: dessert

2009-02-20T18:32:00.004-04:00

I'm realizing this week that many of the recipes I use regularly are from allrecipes.com. I love that you can be really specific with your searches, and that there are a bazillion (give or take a few) recipes to choose from. But I haven't used it to find a new recipe since January 1, as per my resolution to use the recipes I have in print more often.

Food Week's final day is dessert, and this Fruit Pizza is one of my all time favourites. It takes almost no time to make, and I don't think I've met a single person who doesn't like it. Okay, I just thought of one, but she doesn't like cream cheese, so her taste can't be representative of many others. So get that block of cream cheese out of the fridge, and invite some friends over so you don't eat the whole thing. The one pictured is one I made today to take to a staff meeting I went to, and it certainly isn't the prettiest one I've ever made. You can top it with whatever fruit you wish - because it's so sweet, I like it best with tangy fruit such as kiwi and pomegranate. But really, anything goes! The recipe is here. Enjoy!

Thanks so much to everyone for participating in Food Week! I've had fun collecting some new recipes, and I hope you have, too. Now go and have a fantastic weekend and do something out of the ordinary!

food week, day 4: vegetarian

2009-02-19T16:47:00.003-04:00

This falafel with cucumber sauce is one of my favourite meals, and I don't make it often enough. We had it for lunch today, and there are some leftovers in the fridge which I can't wait to dive in to. Rather than copying the recipe here on my blog, you can just skip on over to the original here. I recommend doing the last step (making the cucumber sauce) first, so it mellows while you're working on the rest. You can see the list of everyone else who is participating in Food Week here.

It was a snow day here today, and I had the chance to make five batches of soap this afternoon. I feel very productive. One of them is a new exfoliating citrus bar with orange peel powder in it, along with essential oils of bergamot (I adore bergamot), grapefruit, and benzoin, to hopefully help hold the other oils' scent. I think I'm going to love it. My new base (of olive, coconut, and castor oils) seems to be working perfectly, so I'm a happy soaper.

The snow has stopped, and it looks like it's raining now. I have tickets for a play tonight, which Ingrid is in, so I'm having an all-around fan-diddly-tastic day. (Just call me Flanders.) Tomorrow is dessert day, and I have another excellent recipe to share, so pop on by again!

food week, day 3: supper (dinner)

2009-02-18T19:32:00.005-04:00

Hey, it's that pantry picture again! There are some green lentils in that third jar, and that is the main ingredient in today's recipe. Speaking of lentils, something lovely came in today's mail...

My photo, published in Flavor (oooh, it's hard to spell that without a "u") magazine! I'm pretty tickled.

So, on to dinner! Lentil Sloppy Joes it is! I love this dinner (I guess I use both 'supper' and 'dinner') because it's super easy, quick, healthy, and the flavour of the dish is much more than the sum of it parts. Having the lentils done up beforehand is key. It's a crockpot recipe, so you come home to an amazing-smelling kitchen, too. I copied the recipe from a library book, and now I've forgotten the name of the book. It's something about vegetarian slow cooker recipes. Here it is:

Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 tbsp vegetable oil (I use olive)
1 onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup water (I use a lot more (probably 1 1/2 cups) - it tends to burn with too little water)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cups cooked brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed
hot pepper sauce (optional)
toasted hamburger buns

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for one minute. Stir in ketchup, water, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Add lentils and stir well.

2. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until hot and bubbling. Add hot pepper sauce to taste, if using. Ladle over hot toasted buns and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

food week, day 2: lunch

2009-02-17T20:38:00.003-04:00

It's time for lunch! This is my favourite quick lunch to throw together in a hurry. I originally posted it here. There's no official written recipe, but it goes a little something like this:

Cook a box of whole wheat pasta, and run under cold water to cool. Toss in some cubed cheese, frozen peas, green onion or chives, and whatever else you like (red peppers, sundried tomatoes, etc). Mix up a dressing of a blop of mayo (maybe 1/3 cup-ish), salt, pepper, a splash of olive oil (2 tsp), parmesan, 1 tsp mustard and lots of garlic powder, mix, and voila! The reason I cook a whole box is because I can eat this for days in a row and not get tired of it. It's that good!

Click here to see the list of everyone who's participating.

**
P.S. - I'm sending my replacement Kitchen Aid stand mixer in for repair or replacement. Awful high pitched sound again, and one of the knobs broke in Adam's hand tonight. Good grief.

food week, day 1: breakfast

2009-02-16T19:07:00.006-04:00

Happy Food Week! I'm excited to get started. So, let's jump right in. Here are the participants:

Vickie, mothergoose, sebrina, Sarah C, Alli, Stacey J, Ingrid, and ELK. If you'd like your name added, or if I've made some other error in the list, please let me know, and I'll "fick-its", as Phillip says.

Often on the weekend, we make a big batch of either waffles or pancakes, and freeze most of them between waxed paper to pop in the toaster on weekday mornings. I picked up a fantastic waffle iron on Freecycle (I know I've mentioned it here several times) and love using it. My favourite recipe that I've tried is from The Joy of Cooking - it makes light, delicious, fluffy butter-vehicles. I mean waffles. One of the things I love about the recipes is that you can use anything for toppings - fruit, jam, maple syrup (of course), butter, whipped cream or anything else that you enjoy.

Basic Waffles

Use 4 tbsp butter for a reduced-fat waffle, 8 tbsp for a classic light and fluffy waffle, or 16 tbsp for the crunchiest, most delicious waffle imaginable.
Preheat your waffle iron.
Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I usually add in some whole wheat)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together in another bowl:
3 large eggs, well beaten
4 to 16 tbsp butter, melted (I use somewhere between 4 and 8)
1 1/2 cups milk

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently whisk them together. If you wish, fold in 1/2 cup of anything from blueberries to bacon to cheese. Cook on waffle iron, and enjoy!
This is the fish dinner we had last night; it was supposed to be fish tacos, but someone (*my hand is raised*) forgot to write 'red cabbage' on the grocery list, and I thought they would not be so swell without. So I made up a breadcrumb mix with cayenne and some spices, pan-fried the fish in a teensy bit of olive oil. The salad is just a bunch of chopped up things in an olive oil dressing I whipped up. It turned out really well - a tidge of horseradish and some maple syrup made it very pleasant.

And it's been a little while since I posted a picture of Mr P - I thought these were good ones for food week. (Also because I thought you might like to see them, Annie!) I love how he stuffs his little face.

vines & food week

2009-02-15T14:43:00.003-04:00

It's the garden's off-season. It's certainly still beautiful, in a very different way.

So, are you ready for food week? It starts tomorrow, and if you have a blog or flickr account and want to join in, please do! Each day will have a specific type of recipe to post.

Monday - Breakfast
Tuesday - Lunch
Wednesday (you guessed it!) - Supper
Thursday - Vegetable (a vegetarian vegetable dish)
Friday - Dessert

They can be recipes you've already posted on your blog, ones you have in your head, ones passed down - anything goes. What I want is your very best recipe (by my standards) in each category. Very best. By best, I mean it's relatively simple, delicious, and quick, using mostly ingredients I would have in my pantry already. And hey, since I'm making up the rules, no boxed ingredients in the recipes (like boxes of jell-o, packages of cake mix, or canned soup). Boxed broth and frozen phyllo or puff pastry are fine. (I love making up the rules!) Really, though, I'm not going to boycott your post if it doesn't strictly meet all of those requirements - I just want more great recipes to go around!

I will post a list of participants tomorrow (Monday) along with my breakfast recipe. So if you're in for sure, please leave a comment on this post, to make sure that you're included. It would be great if you could link back to my blog with each post throughout the week, but don't get your knickers in a knot over it if you forget - things are pretty laid back around here.

I'm hungry already, and can't wait to see all of your fantastic recipes!

**
P.S. Speaking of hungry, Adam made these cookies the other day, and they are chewily divine. Phillip loves them, too. Also, we're making these for dinner tonight - I hope they're as good as they look!

summer is coming... someday... and decluttering

2009-02-14T14:45:00.005-04:00

As of this morning, I'm tired of winter. I have these little beachy tidbits on the windowsill in the kitchen, since going-to-the-beach weather can't come soon enough.

Have I told you that I've been cleaning out the house like a madwoman lately? It's been a process, over the course of several months, really. And of course, there's always room for more. But lately I've been very productive. I think I've just had enough of 'stuff'. If it's not useful, beautiful, needed, or used, out it goes. I've taken bags and bags of stuff to the Salvation Army (everything from clothes to curtains to housewares), Freecycled some things, and some (holy boxes, Batman!) was just garbage and/or recycling that had to be cleared out. I highly recommend the process. I feel like I've lost twenty pounds - it's that satisfying. I have less stuff to look after and take care of, and what I do have is stuff I enjoy and use.

Here's a tip if you're thinking that the whole thing sounds too overwhelming to tackle at your home - tuck a garbage bag somewhere out of the way (I have one in my bedroom closet). Every time you come across something and think "I haven't used/worn this in ages!" or "I never did like this" or "Why do I still have this?", instead of putting it back where you found it, into the bag it goes. When the bag is full, donate it and start a new one.

I'm excited for some nice Spring days to come - Adam and I are going to make a date, send P to visit his grandparents', and clean the shed. Properly. (Seriously, this is the kind of thing I find exciting.) The last time that was done was a few days before Phillip was born, so it is well beyond needing to be done again.

What cleaning projects do you have on your list? Do you enjoy decluttering? Is a weekend spent organizing a room better than chocolate to you? Is alphabetizing right up your alley? Do tell!

pretty in pink

2009-02-13T21:02:00.004-04:00

How's this for the most-feminine-photograph-of-the-year award? Would you believe that I didn't appreciate pink until a few years ago? I detested it, actually. But I've come around, and I love these pink mini-carnations, brought to me from my two valentines. (I did drop a hint in true Sherrie style - "You can buy me the light pink mini carnations at the grocery store because I want to take some pictures of them.") Happy Valentine's day, wherever you are and whoever you're with.

recipe-a-week #7: pfitzauf

2009-02-12T18:34:00.003-04:00

We hosted a midwinter potluck on the weekend, and had a lot of fun seeing some friends we hadn't in awhile. Frankly, we just wanted to see everyone - it seems as though the winter keeps everyone home and isolated, and we missed everyone. We're definitely going to do it again, and hopefully soon! One of our friends who came is an amazing cook, as well as an extraordinarily dedicated teacher. And she's one of the loveliest people I think I've ever met. Did you catch that she's a great cook? (She even has one of those fancy little blowtorches!) Oh, and she's German, so I was especially excited that she brought a German dessert. It was heavenly, and I can't wait to try making it myself.

Pfitzauf

250 g flour
pinch of salt
1/2 litre milk
5 eggs
125 g butter

Mix the flour with a bit of milk and the salt. Boil the rest of the milk. Add the eggs and the hot milk. Melt the butter. Butter the pans and add the remaining melted butter to the dough. Only fill the pans halfway. Don't add sugar, rather put some icing sugar on after baking. Bake for about 30 minutes at 200 Celsius. Serve with whipped cream. Enjoy!

***
A special note to Ingrid (to know what I'm talking about, see the comments on this post and this post): I will freely apologize for liking Mariah Carey's Christmas album. That is clearly a problem with me. But Sam Roberts? Not liking him is your problem, my friend. I just pre-ordered their new album. Heh heh. And I had fun at lunch with you today. :)

mail, sweet mail, and two things of which I never tire

2009-02-11T19:35:00.007-04:00

I've had all sorts of great goodies arrive in the mail as of late. Firstly, sweet Sarah sent me some lovely dishcloths! I asked Phillip which of the dishcloths was his favourite, and he chose the blue one above for me to photograph. They're my favourite kind - they do such a nice job of scrubbing, and will definitely make washing up more enjoyable. Don't you think that the pattern above looks like little peaks of frosting? Mmmm. And how's that for a gorgeous envelope? (It may be my favourite part of the package. Shhh, don't tell Sarah!) I also received this beautiful thank you note from classy Joslyn. It's just right, in every possible way.
This one didn't come in the mail, but I found it at Frenchy's. I've got soap-dishy plans for it, and think it's right up there with bees knees.
Also in the mail, I received a beautiful package of swappy loveliness from Spain, including this beautiful Italian-made notebook,
these leather dishes which the swapee made,
and a sweet little leather pouch which she also made, along with a few other goodies. I sent her soaps and scrubs and other bath goodies. I love a good swap. Yay, mail!
Two things of which I never tire:
1. This is one of my favourite driving albums of all time. Track 1 is fab.
2. Star Anise, in any form.

I seem to be having a busy few weeks at work, which is fun, but leaves me tuckered out at the end of the day. So I'm off to enjoy the bounty that is magazine week - the week when all of the next month's magazines arrive in the mailbox. Happy Wednesday!

mavillette and food week

2009-02-09T19:21:00.004-04:00

I had a chance last week to take a quick photo stop on my way to see a student, on a very sunny day. Do you see why I love it here? See?
And I found my new dream house, which happens to look directly at the view in the first photo.
It even has a soap shed. And someone else has done all of the work to fix it up.

Next week will be Food Week! Keep thinking about those recipes you'd like to share with the blogosphere.
Monday - Breakfast
Tuesday - Lunch
Wednesday (you guessed it!) - Supper
Thursday - Vegetable (a vegetarian vegetable dish)
Friday - Dessert

They can be recipes you've already posted, ones you have in your head - anything goes. What I want is your very best recipe (by my standards) in each category. Very best. By best, I mean it's relatively simple, delicious, and quick, using mostly ingredients I would have in my pantry already. And hey, since I'm making up the rules, no boxed ingredients in the recipes (like boxes of jello, packages of cake mix, or canned soup). Boxed broth and frozen phyllo or puff pastry are fine. (I love making up the rules!) Really, though, I'm not going to boycott your post if it doesn't strictly meet all of those requirements - I just want more recipes to add to my collection. Now that you have the outline, you have one week to decide which recipes you'll post, and we'll start one week from today. Happy Monday - I hope that your week started off well.

recipe-a-week #6: blueberry galette

2009-02-08T18:24:00.002-04:00

This was the easiest thing to make, and was delicious. Back into my usual way of doing things, I didn't measure anything for the filling (I just mixed a couple cups of frozen blueberries with a teensy bit of sugar and a bit of cornstarch). The crust, though, I do have a recipe for. It was written down by me (from this Saipua post) and it isn't from one of my cookbooks, but I'll count it as one of my weekly recipes, since technically it was on paper. I know, it's a stretch.

Galette Dough

1 1/4 cups of flour
1 /2 cup cold butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Blend until butter is in fine crumbs.

Gradually add in 1/4 cup cold water until dough holds together in a ball. Form into a disk, and cover, then refrigerate for one hour. Then roll it out, and add whatever filling you like - savoury, sweet, cheesy - anything goes! Just turn the edges of the crust up around before baking, and bake until it's done (maybe 25-30 minutes-ish.)

There's a recipe for a blueberry filling here. I turned up my nose when I read that the recipe is from Gourmet magazine and it calls for refrigerated pie dough. Ugh. I think I'll soon try it with a savoury vegetable filling - yum!

baby's breath

2009-02-06T19:04:00.005-04:00

I took several photos of the baby's breath I mentioned yesterday, and this is one of my favourites.

I forgot to pass along that Moroccan Couscous recipe which I mentioned last week! And you know what? You can find it here, so since I didn't get a good picture, you can go see the recipe and make it. It's really, really good. Seriously. Way better than I thought it could possibly be. There! Some of your weekend menu planning is done already.

I'm going to update my Etsy shop over the course of the weekend, so have a peek at some of my snazzy new offerings. And have a great weekend!

snow day 2.0

2009-02-05T21:40:00.002-04:00

I had a second, consecutive, glorious snow day yesterday. I took a nap, which was divine. And despite all of the snow, there is still lots of green in the garden, if you know where to look.

How do you like the new header? I was completely inspired by this, and had to buy some baby's breath tonight at the grocery store to take some pictures of my own. It's really too bad that such sweet flowers are used so tackily in French braids (as Ingrid pointed out tonight) and Valentine's bouquets. I'm happy to bring them back to their simple, sweet selves.

snow day 1.0 and Martha's fruit crumb bars

2009-02-03T18:36:00.004-04:00

Yay! I had a great first snow day of the winter. This picture was actually from the other day, at the entrance to a cemetery not far from our house. If it wasn't so blustery and nasty out today, I would have gone to take some more pictures this afternoon.
During Phillip's nap, I did a number on the porch. I washed and tidied up these shelves and organized all of the coats and bags and other miscellany that was hanging on the hooks. Holy satisfying, Batman.
And I snatched this two-for-one shot just after supper. Today's snow and Martha's Fruit Crumb Bars. I wasn't planning on making these, until two dishes of homemade applesauce jumped out of the freezer this morning at Adam and the containers broke on the floor. So I used that as the filling. The recipe is in the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics. They're pretty yummy, and Phillip looooves them. And as you can see, mine look nothing like the picture when you follow that first link. It's kind of like apple crumble in layered bar form. Yum! In further snow news, it's looking like freezing rain will continue well into the night, so my fingers are crossed for tomorrow.
And look (through the mirror dirt, eeeeew) at what arrived in the mail! A snazzy new strap for my little camera, from this Etsy shop. I love it. Three of my favourite things: green, brown, and damask. Nice!

beautiful day and an upcoming theme week: food

2009-02-02T19:21:00.005-04:00

Phillip and I walked downtown today after work, along the waterfront, and did some sky watching. I've noticed that over the past week or so, the quality of light has changed. It's warmer - less winter-blue and more yellow-warm. I like that. A lot. And each day, the light lasts a wee bit longer.

I post a lot of recipes here, mostly because I love to eat. I know that some of you have pretty amazing recipe ideas up your sleeves. Monday of Comfort Week was one of my favourite days - my soup list is as long as my arm, now. What do you guys think about having a food week? Are you in? I'm thinking breakfast, lunch, supper, vegetable, and casserole. (EDITED: I forgot DESSERT! Forget casseroles, we're doing desserts!) I'll give you a couple of weeks to thin out your options - you can only choose one for each day, and I want it to be a doozy! Your very best go-to recipe in each category. So keep that in the back of your mind - I'm thinking that we'll tackle it in a couple of weeks. There has to be something fun in between winter and spring! (Oh, and by the way - I have Spring Renewal week all laid out. Now we just have to wait for Spring.)

Ooooh - one more thing - cross your fingers for me! We have a snowfall warning for tomorrow, so I might get my first snow day of the year! If that happens, you'll definitely hear from me. Happy Monday!

recipe-a-week #5: crème anglaise

2009-02-01T20:44:00.005-04:00

So... I did make Ina Garten's Ile Flottante from Barefoot in Paris today. It's 8:45 and I literally just finished cleaning up the kitchen - I started making it just after 3:00 this afternoon. I had hoped to have a daylight pic of it. (Thanks to Adam for taking this one!) I don't think I'll be making it again, and the recipe is loooooong, so how about I just share the crème anglaise part of it? (Can you tell I'm tired out?) Of course, I made supper and gave the boy a bath in there, too. And for supper, I made Moroccan Couscous, another recipe from Barefoot in Paris, which was delicious, simple, and quick. I think I'll share that one later in the week. In the photo, the crème anglaise is the saucy bed. I used beautiful, huge, local eggs, so it has a gorgeous yellow colour.

On to the Crème Anglaise:

4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp corn starch
1 3/4 cups scalded milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp Cognac
seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean (optional)

Beat egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachement on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce speed to low, and add corn starch.

With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs. Pour the custard mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly (this step took 30 minutes!) until thickened. It will coat the spoon like heavy cream. Don't cook above 180 degrees, or the eggs will scramble!

Pour the sauce through a fine strainer, add vanilla, cognac, and vanilla seeds, if using, and chill.

You can serve this over just about anything. Kind of like whipping cream. Mmmm.

a home for all seasons

2009-01-31T13:47:00.004-04:00

This is a great little book I picked up this week for $4. (When I say 'little', I mean physically little. It's very cute.) It is full of beautiful pictures and inspiration. I've been gazing longingly at the light, bright, summery images. Although I do enjoy winter, too.

It's snowing today; beautiful, fat, wet flakes. I'm hoping to take a few more pictures later on.

Tomorrow, I'll share the next Recipe-a-week, from Barefoot in Paris! It's a dessert, so save some room!

pretty paperwhites

2009-01-28T19:02:00.002-04:00

Look what's open! Phillip loves them ("paper-WHITES! Ooooooh") as do we. Except for the stink - but it's worth suffering through for the lovely pictures, don't you think?

I'm heading away tomorrow for work, so I'll be back on the weekend with a new recipe. Enjoy the last few days of January!

recipe-a-week #4: broccoli soup

2009-01-25T19:20:00.004-04:00

This week's recipe is for Creamy Broccoli Soup, from Great Food Fast and it takes 30 minutes, start to finish. It's quite yummy, although I would make a few minor modifications to it next time.
Here is is:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1/8 tsp nutmeg
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable broth)
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, florets separated, stems peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
salt and pepper

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the broth, 1 1/2 cups water (I would use 1 next time), the oats, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until the broccoli is tender, 5-10 minutes.

3. Puree the soup in batches, and blend with a stick blender, or a regular blender in batches. Return soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
What's that? Oats in soup? Yup. It thickens the soup without adding cream, and you don't see or taste the oats in the finished soup.
We served it with pitas brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh parmesan, and broiled for a couple of minutes. Yum!

Happy Monday! Hope your week is off to a good start.

winter morning, and the comfort week winner!

2009-01-25T18:24:00.006-04:00

Phillip and I made a short documentary of our play time outside this morning to share with you.

The winner of the three bars of my fabulous soap, for participating in Comfort Week, is right here in Nova Scotia! Yay, Andrea! I had a list of participants, and had Adam pick a random number without telling him why. He chose Andrea's number! E-mail me your address (and last name, too, to grahamsherrie at yahoo dot ca) and I'll send the soaps your way. Thanks again to everyone for playing along, and the gears are turning to come up with something for Spring. Which, thankfully, isn't far away!

Oh, and lastly - thanks so very much for all of your sweet well-wishes. I am feeling much, much better. I think this prescription is doing the trick!

comfort week, day 5: image

2009-01-23T19:42:00.002-04:00

I came across this image on marthastewart.com after seeing Ingrid's comfort food post (the above soup) on Monday. The colours, the texture, the warmth of the food and the light all make me feel warm and cozy. I looked for other images, but this is the one I kept coming back to as best representing comfort to me.

Thanks so much to everyone for playing along this week! I've had a lot of fun, seeing the things that bring each of you comfort. Home and family are definitely recurring themes in everyone's posts, as they should be. Have a great weekend, and I'm definitely hoping to host some more weeks soon... I'm already thinking Spring!

**
For the rest of Comfort Week participants, take a peek here.

comfort week, day 4: habit

2009-01-22T18:20:00.005-04:00

One of my favourite comfy places in our house is our bedroom. I love that everything in it is creams and whites - it's very calm. I had the chance to take a few photos this afternoon while the sun was out, and when I thought about it, I have a funny little habit which has to do with bedding. If I'm wearing a jacket which has corners with the right texture (at the bottom), or a blanket in bed (usually a quilt) with the right kind of corner, I kind of flip it back and forth between my fingertips. I don't miss it if I don't have the right kind of corner handy; I just don't even think about it when I do, and flip away. The corners on the curtain in the picture are kind of the right kind, only not thick enough. I know, it's a little bit strange. For the story of the 'headboard', see here. How do you like my new duvet cover? Guess where it's from (washed and freshly bleached with Ecover's oxygen bleach)?

**
See here for the list of everyone participating in Comfort Week. Tomorrow's the last day, and I still haven't decided on an image! I'll be doing the draw for the soap prize over the weekend.

a whole lot of great things at home

2009-01-22T13:58:00.007-04:00

First, do you remember this red enamel pot I got through Freecycle? Well, I decided to order some vinyl letter stickers from this Etsy shop, and they arrived yesterday! They're anything but perfectly positioned, but they do remind me that there could possibly be a snack hiding inside.
And this arrived ages ago, and I keep forgetting to post it! It's my very own blog book, which I ordered through Blog2Print. I am very happy with it, and if you're looking for a physical record of your blog, I highly recommend it. The only things which are kind of funny are that the comments are compiled at the end of the book, rather than with the posts (you may be able to change that somewhere during the process of creating your book), and any text that contains a link is in the same colour as the rest of your text, which can make for some funny sounding sentences. The process was quick, easy, and the book looks great. I have enough material for about 10 more books (this one only covers the 6 months before P was born) so I should order my next one soon. One more thing - they offer free shipping in the US (I had mine sent to my sister, who sent it to me).

Despite all of the reflections in the glass, I think you can see this gorgeous print that Adam ordered for our living room. I bought a hideous piece of 'art' at a yard sale, in this square frame, for $2 last summer. Since square frames are hard to come by, and this one is perfect for over the couch (although I hung it a bit too high) I think that's a pretty great deal.
Speaking of great deals, I found this adorable wooden bus with cute little riders at Frenchy's. Phillip's latest favourite song is 'The Wheels on the Bus', so I knew that he would love this. And he does.
And here are the blinds! The pictures aren't the greatest, but I'm quite happy with them. I think I have enough leftover fabric to make a couple of cushion covers, so maybe I'll get to that on the weekend. The pattern is from Simple Soft Furnishings.

Ingrid brought a couple of her Barefoot Contessa cookbooks over at lunch time! I'm excited to devour them. Thanks, Ingrid! I'm at home today, trying to rest a bit and shake off this silly infection. Thanks for all of your kind thoughts - I'm sure I'll get over it sometime soon. :) There's some comfort coming up later on. Happy Thursday!

tidbits

2009-01-21T20:18:00.003-04:00

Blogger was down for a bit, and I lost some comments I was trying to leave on some Comfort Week posts. So if you didn't hear from me, I am LOVING the different directions your comforting places are going, and I can't wait for tomorrow!

I also wanted to let you know that Andrea has officially joined Comfort Week, and has been added to the Comfort Week participant list.

Lastly - the aforementioned infection is still here (tenacious bleep-bleeping bleep bleep), and I spent the day in a waiting room today, most decidedly in an UNcomfortable state. I did get a LOT of reading done, though, including Buy-ology (cover to cover) and the first thing on my birthday list - Barefoot in Paris. And two magazines, Mothering and Canadian Home and Country (I love the new look!) and a few more chapters in Naked by David Sedaris. I want to make all but one recipe in the Barefoot in Paris. Okay, maybe two. I think I was the only one reading a cookbook in the waiting room.

comfort week, day 3: place

2009-01-21T19:09:00.005-04:00

Once again, today's picture was taken by Adam. He's one talented guy. Oh, and this photo was published in Photosho magazine. Nice, eh?

I grew up in a community right on the ocean, in a house overlooking the wharf where my dad fishes from. He is a lobster fisherman, and fishing is the largest employing industry in this area. His dad fished as well, so I like to think that the sea is in my blood, as airy-fairy and silly as that may sound. You can see more, including some snazzy pictures I took a couple of years ago, here. So being near the water is my special place - I feel settled knowing that the ocean is there.

**
To see everyone else's posts for Comfort Week, look here.

comfort week, day 2: home

2009-01-20T20:35:00.003-04:00

My favourite place and thing to do at home. Thanks to Adam for taking the picture! Oh, and guess where the chair cover is from? And my scarf, and shirt, and pants...

**
To see everyone's contributions to Comfort Week, click here.

PS - I just finished the blinds, and I think I like them! I'll take some pics tomorrow.

participants updated

2009-01-19T20:25:00.002-04:00

I made a few changes (as requested, and when I noticed I had made a mistake) in the participant list, so it should be up to snuff now.

recipe-a-week #3: root vegetable and split pea soup & comfort week day 1: food

2009-01-19T16:13:00.007-04:00

I decided today that ill-fitting socks which slide around in one's shoes are not in accordance with the ideals of Comfort Week.

A chicken pot pie recipe I make is my favourite comfort food. You can see the original recipe here. But I've posted it before, so I'm going to share a new recipe with you which I tried this weekend, was definitely comfort food, and it doesn't have any butter in it. Comfort food without butter? What? I'm also counting this as my new recipe of the week. (Incidentally, I have only been using my print recipes and haven't consulted the internets once so far since that post.)

Like some of the other participants, comfort food to me is often in soup form. And this one is a doozy. I've never had a vegetable soup with the flavour of this one - utterly delicious. Lots of parsnips may have been the ticket, or maybe the split peas - whatever it was, it was yummy. Phillip loved it, too. The recipe is from 1000 Vegetarian Recipes and is called

Root Vegetable and Split Pea Soup

4 cups water
1 1/4 cups chopped celeriac (I didn't have this, so I tossed in 1 1/4 cups of regular celery)
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped parsley root or parsnips (I used parsnips, and probably more than 3/4 cup)
3/4 cup split peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. In saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add celeriac, onions, carrots, parsley roots, split peas and garlic. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, 1 hour.

2. Add broth and parsley. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes longer. Stir in salt and pepper.

I think this might also be delicious pureed, but I left it chunky so that Phillip could eat it a bit more independently. Oh, and I also added some cooked chopped pork that I had on hand. It's soup - completely open to variations.

**
For a list of everyone participating in Comfort Week, have a peek here.

comfort week participants

2009-01-18T17:52:00.009-04:00

This the post I would like for participants to link to in each Comfort Week post. I'm looking forward to having a look at everyone's blogs this evening - I'm excited that some of them are new to me. And I'm even more excited to see some new recipes tomorrow! The participants are:

Vickie, Annie, Amber, Jane, mothergoose, Alli, Ingrid, sunmamma, Barb, Austen, Teresa, Mitten Monster, Heidi, nahiacreations, myself, Andrea, Sarah and Sarah!

Let me know if you'd like to change your name or link, or if you see a mistake in the list above.

For more info on Comfort Week, have a peek here.

The bowl pictured was a Christmas gift from a sweet friend of mine, and was made in Quesnel, BC. Thanks so much, AC! It's beautiful.

bowling enlightement and home enlightement

2009-01-18T14:21:00.006-04:00

We went bowling yesterday with Ingrid and her hubs. Phillip loved it.
Ingrid kept score.

It's a pretty retro place.

Since it's Comfort Week next week, and to me, comfort = home, here are some great new home-y books I've acquired recently, mostly from redeeming Air Miles for Chapters gift certificates. Nice.

I've heard Annie Bond a few times on Whole Living, a radio show on Martha's channel, and she knows a LOT about green cleaning. This book was mentioned, so I borrowed it from the library. It's not exactly what I was looking for, but it does have some cleaning recipes and useful information on enlightening your home. It's a little bit out there (to me, anyway) on some of the other home things, like using crystals to help people get along at a family dinner, and physically hugging trees. I think what I was hoping for might be in another of her books, Clean & Green. So I put a hold on that one.

Comfort Week starts tomorrow, and I've got an amazing recipe to share! It's not too late to join in the fun!

comfort week : 2 things I forgot

2009-01-17T12:57:00.005-04:00

If biscuits aren't comfort food, I don't know what is. I am so excited about how many of you will be participating! I'll compile the list of participants tomorrow evening, and if anyone wants to join part-way through the week, that's totally fine. (I'm pretty flexible!)

Last night, I thought of a couple of things to mention about Comfort Week:

1) if you don't have a blog, but have a flickr account or other web-based place to share, and would like to participate that way, that would be great!

2) please link back to the as-yet-to-be posted list of participants on each of your posts, so everyone who might stumble upon a Comfort Week post will be able to link through to all of the other participants.

I hope you're having fun thinking up some things to share! I can't wait to see everyone's contributions.

To see more about Comfort Week, look here.

comfort week: January 19-23

2009-01-16T19:57:00.006-04:00

Comfort: a state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety.

When I think of comfort, I think of all of the standards: curling up with a book and a cup of tea by a crackling fire, sliding into clean sheets right after a hot bath, buttery chicken pot pie, and toasty scarves and mittens.

I took it into my head today while driving that I want to host a 'comfort week' here in the blogosphere next week, January 19-23. I've never hosted any kind of a 'week' before, and haven't even read the particular's of anyone else's, but being an enterprising soul, I'm going to dive right in. I chose the 'comfort' theme because it's January, it's cold, and we might as well embrace it.

What's a 'week', you ask? Well, this is how I'm doing it: leave a comment on this post to indicate that you'll be participating, by doing postings on your blog next week which go along with the particular theme of the day (listed below). Posts do not have to include pictures, although I do love a pretty picture. I'll compile a list of participants, and do a post on Sunday night including everyone's names and links, so you can click through to see the contributions. It's a nice way to invite you all to participate in my blog - I'll have to work on teleporting next, so we can all get together for tea.

Here are the themes for each day:

Monday: food: your favourite comfort food (with recipes, if possible!)
Tuesday: home: the most comfortable (or comforting) thing in your home
Wednesday: place : the place most comfortable to you
Thursday: habit: a behaviour or routine that brings you comfort
Friday: image: a picture that represents total comfort to you; either an image of your own or a link to one you love

And that's it! I would love to see everyone's personalities in the things that mean comfort to you, so be creative! (Didn't it always drive you crazy when teachers said that?)

Invite all of your blogging friends to join in, especially because there will be a prize! At the end of the week, I'll draw a name of one of the participants who posted every day, and the winner will receive three bars of Birch Bark Soap.

So get your thinking caps on, and leave a comment if you'll be joining in.

a little red here, and little red there

2009-01-15T19:33:00.002-04:00

Look what opened up yesterday! "Am-ryl-isss! Boo-ful!" (In Phillip speak, of course.)
And this is my current project. I'm making a set of the Swedish Roll-up Blinds from Simple Soft Furnishings. The fabric is a heavy, almost canvas-y cotton, in the form of tab-top curtain panels from Wicker Emporium. They were on sale, I loved the fabric, and we could definitely use some new blinds in the living room. Bonus: I have enough left over to make some cushions. I haven't decided if I'll be able to handle the matchy-matchy, but I'll give it a shot. I've got the main part all done; I just need to pick up a few supplies to finish them up.

Oh, and I'm excited for Tuesday! We're having someone coming to do an energy audit on our house. That should provide us with lots of information and direction for some of the improvements to make to the house (of which there's an ever-growing list!)

Oh, and the reason for two posts in one day (one of which was at 6:24 am)? Bladder infection has me home for the day, and had me in outpatients all night on Monday (10:30 pm - 5am), noticing things like the floor's resemblance to oatmeal and that the number dispenser looks like a cardinal in one's peripheral vision. The vending machines are circa 1982. That's generous. I'm starting to feel better, and hopefully tomorrow will be right as rain. Happy Thursday!

tasty "heirloom type" tomatoes

2009-01-15T06:24:00.006-04:00

We used these tomatoes on kebabs this week. They roasted up beautifully. I'm still curious what exactly "heirloom-type" means. I know it means they're not heirloom, but what exactly are they? Regular commercial tomatoes in pretty colours, I guess. Ah well, they made for a nice picture.

A bigger, more stove-shaped box arrived yesterday with some soaping supplies in it, so I have plans already for version 2.0 of Phillip's stove for "cookings".

cookings, part 2

2009-01-12T19:21:00.002-04:00

Phillip couldn't have those snazzy pots and pans without a stove! So I made one last night from a duct-tape-covered box and some adhesive hooks.

He loves it. (He's checking to see if the fish is done in the photo.)

peter and the creepy doll

2009-01-12T18:44:00.004-04:00

This is Peter, Phillip's new buddy. I bought him from this Etsy shop. He's so sweet, well-made, and Phillip loves him. He's smaller and less expensive than many other Waldorf-type dolls, and I think he's just right. He's stuffed with real wool, and is cute as a button. Unlike this:
Which is the "baby" Phillip loved, and doted upon until Peter's arrival. It was a gift, and its glassy eyes with eyelashes only on the bottom lids kind of freak me out. I think it might disappear, now that Peter can fill the 'baby' void.

A funny story about Peter's name: over Christmas, we got to see some of Adam's extended family, which was great. He has a cousin named Peter, who Phillip took a shining to and toddled around after for an entire afternoon. When we arrived home, the doll was here! The name that came with him was 'Tobly', so that's how I introduced him to Phillip. A little while later, after letting them get to know each other, I asked Phillip what his name was. "Peter." Clear as day. "Peter, Peter, Peter." So his name is Peter.

recipe-a-week #2: curried butternut squash soup & "cookings"

2009-01-11T12:44:00.010-04:00

When we were visiting one set of grandparents at Christmas, out came an old-school Fisher Price cooking set that my husband and his brother played with as kids. Phillip LOVED it, especially putting "salt pepper" (no "and") on everything, including Nanoo's slippers.
So how excited was I to find this great little Ikea cooking set at Frenchy's last week? Very much so! And so was Phillip. He calls the whole process "cookings".
"Mama, cookings!"
The set, for $3, was in a big bag with a bunch of other play kitchen things, including a little wooden rolling pin, pastry brush, and a plastic fried egg.

This morning, he was holding the frying pan, lid on and egg inside.
P, taking off lid: "Ta-daaaaa!"
(P takes "pa-tu-laaaah" (spatula) and pokes at the egg.)
P, looking at Mama: "Ah-most done."
These were taken at Christmas with the 30 year old set at the grandparent's house. The salt and pepper, which sit on the upper right part of the stove, almost disappeared forever over the holiday. Phillip was in charge of putting all of the garbage in a box, and he decided to put the salt and pepper in there, too. A few days later when he was asking for them, and after searching the rest of the house, I realized where they likely were. And there they were, snuggled in amongst the wrapping paper and packaging, ready to go to the curb.

And speaking of "cookings", we had a lot of fun last night, with oodles of yummy food. One thing I made was a squash soup, from The Food You Crave. I decided to make another new recipe from one of my cookbooks, as explained in this post, although it is very similar to my usual one. Equally delicious. Easy and filling, and a perfect winter soup. And I love that it's creamy and filling without having cream in it. I made it while P was sleeping, and kept it warm in the crockpot until everyone arrived. Naturally, I didn't follow the recipe terribly closely, so I'll give you how I made it:

Curried Butternut (well, -cup, in this case) Squash Soup

1 giant buttercup squash (because there were no butternuts to be had), wrestled into submission, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil (because we don't use canola, as called for in the recipe)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carton (900 mL) low sodium organic chicken broth (because the veg broth has way more sodium in it than the store-brand organic chicken)
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp + 2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
low-fat sour cream for garnish

Saute onions and garlic in oil for about 5 minutes in a large soup pot. Add squash, broth, curry powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes (I left it for longer, while I was doing other things). Remove from heat, stir in the honey, and puree until smooth. (I used a stick blender - my food one, not my soap one - but you could pour it in batches into a regular blender.) To serve, garnish with sour cream or yogurt.

Cute Things Falling Asleep. Self-explanatory. Thanks for the heads up, Trudi!

One last thing: it's snowing like mad today, and we're expected to get 20cm. The only letdown is that it's supposed to end early this evening, making a snow day tomorrow less likely. But my fingers are crossed, and I'll definitely be posting if we're snowed in! Hope you're having a restful weekend.

fondue with a new tablecloth

2009-01-10T15:33:00.004-04:00

Guess where I picked up this tablecloth yesterday? Of course - Frenchy's. $1.50.

And I found this Pier 1 table runner, too. Also $1.50.
I bought them especially for tonight - we're having our annual Christmas fondue. Everyone wasn't able to make it in December, so we decided to have it tonight instead, and I'm excited. Phillip's napping, so I was able to get everything ready. Now I'm just waiting for him to wake up and for the guests to eventually arrive. Have a great weekend!

the sweetest boy and funniest movie

2009-01-08T21:49:00.003-04:00

Adam took this picture of Phillip today. I love this boy so much.

We re-watched Little Miss Sunshine tonight. (Warning: there's serious language in the upcoming clip link.) Grandpa and the chicken scene kill me. I'm still giggling.

tea for three

2009-01-08T18:43:00.004-04:00

Ingrid stopped by after work today for a minute, and we had some tea. Those are paperwhites in the green pot on the left of the windowsill, and little terra cotta pots with (gasp!) artificial moss in them on the right.

And is it just me, or does this mini-pita look just like a chubby little bird? He was delicious smothered in baba ghanouj. Happy Thursday!

recipe-a-week #1: cheese biscuits

2009-01-06T18:39:00.007-04:00

I didn't formally make this as a resolution, but I'm hoping to make one new recipe each week this year, all from print sources. No allrecipes ones for these, folks! It's really to get me using some of my excellent cookbooks more. I also like reading recipes from books - it's much nicer than a printout. (In no way am I disparaging allrecipes - it is my go-to site for recipes. Hmm... maybe I should make a resolution to not use any new allrecipes recipes this year and rely solely on what I have in books and print... now that would be drastic. I'll think about it.)

Regardless, this recipe is from The Globe and Mail, the weekend issue from either this past weekend or the one before. So it's not technically from one of my books, but it is from a print source. YUM.

Cheese Biscuits (with my notes in parentheses)

2 cups flour (I used a bit of whole wheat, which kept these from the fluffiest perfection)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
2/3 cup butter (no wonder they're good)
1 cup grated cheddar
1/4 cup chopped dill, chives, or coriander (I omitted this)
freshly ground pepper
1 cup buttermilk (just add 1 tsp vinegar to 1 cup milk for buttermilk)

Glaze: 1 tbsp buttermilk, 1/4 cup grated cheese

Preheat oven to 450.
Combine flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add cheese, herbs, and pepper. Add enough buttermilk to bring together into a sticky dough (slightly less than 1 cup). Scrape dough onto a well-floured surface . Sprinkle with flour and pat or roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a floured 2 inch cutter (a glass works well), cut dough into rounds and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush biscuits with buttermilk and sprinkle each with a bit of cheddar cheese. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 16 biscuits. (I only got 12 with a large round biscuit cutter.) Enjoy!

tasty tea

2009-01-05T21:32:00.003-04:00

As you may recall, I now have a love affair with licorice root; specifically Yogi Tea's Egyptian Licorice tea. Aveda also makes a tea which is lovely, and very simple. Licorice root, mint, basil, and sweet fennel. The Yogi tea has citrus in it, which Ingrid can't consume for fear of throat swelling and death, and the Aveda tea costs a fortune, so I bought the spices at the health food store, and made some up. Delicious! Needs some tweaking, but it's yummy. (No, I didn't measure, as usual. Sorry.) Apparently the fennel seed (which I used) is not the thing to use; sweet fennel leaves are the thing I need to make it perfect. (Follow that link, Ingrid - that's where it can be bought.) Try it and let me know what you think! I'm kind of thinking that I might give up on all of the other things and have straight licorice root tea. Mmmmm. So sweet!

kiva, spread the net

2009-01-04T08:55:00.004-04:00

In case you're looking for a productive way to spend some post-holiday money you have on hand, I just wanted to remind you about Kiva. Each month I give a loan from my soapmaking profits to an entrepreneur in the developing world through Kiva. You can read about December's loan here, and January's will be coming up in a few weeks. Find out more about how the program works at Kiva.org.

Also, I wanted to let you know about Spread the Net. I do love Rick Mercer, after all. In the latest issue of GOOD, there were some staggering statistics about malaria and the number of children who die from the disease. With a donation of $10, you can purchase a mesh bed net for a child to sleep under, which protects them from mosquitoes which transmit the disease. Each net lasts up to 5 years. We bought some this weekend in honour of a family member's birthday. The program is through UNICEF, and is worth checking out.

Edited to add: The malaria statistics are here, not in the Globe and Mail as initially posted. Oops!

shop update

2009-01-02T19:11:00.003-04:00

The shop is updated! Have a peek. I'll be adding some more things over the next few weeks as they cure, including two of my very best sellers, Cherry Almond and Peppermint Poppyseed. I listed one of these French Clay Olive Oil soaps, which is a new offering. Have a great weekend!

birch bark apples

2009-01-02T15:08:00.003-04:00

I found these lovely birch apples this week for 80 cents each, on clearance as Christmas decorations. I love them, and don't think they're particularly Christmas-y at all. They fit right in.

We had our Christmas with my family today (better late than never!) so it finally feels as though it's done. It was so much fun, and my fingers are already crossed for a snow day on Monday, to make my holiday a little bit longer. Right now, I'm working on getting my Etsy shop back up and running while the babe is asleep. Happy Friday!

it snowed, it snowed, it snowed last night (and all day today)

2009-01-01T20:06:00.002-04:00

Two posts in one day! Can you tell I haven't left the house? The snow finally stopped just before dark, but the wind has picked up, making it blustery and blizzard-y. I've accomplished lots of cleaning and organizing over the past couple of days, including the cobweb-ridden scary storage cubby off of our bathroom. I was quite proud of myself for tackling that - now all of the Christmas decorations have been sorted through and stored, and I've freecycled a bag of old ones. A satisfying way to start a new year!

frosty

2009-01-01T09:14:00.002-04:00

Welcome to 2009! We woke up to 30 centimetres of snow, more coming down, and a continued blizzard warning. I took these frosty pictures last week in New Brunswick. That's how it feels this morning! Enjoy January 1. Doesn't that sound fresh and blank?

december 31 blizzard cookies (aka snickerdoodles)

2008-12-31T14:21:00.006-04:00

I bought this gorgeous 2009 calendar from Jen Altman's Etsy shop. I love her beautiful blog, Nectar and Light, and thought that this would be a nice way to enjoy her photography throughout the year. I haven't yet decided exactly how I'll display it... for now, January is on the fridge. I'm thinking of doing something on the wall, but haven't developed that thought yet.
Someone with chubby little hands really likes these cookies. Someone other than me, that is. I've made Snickerdoodles before, and had forgotten how delicious they are. And easy, too. When Phillip's a bit older he can really help with them; for now, he had his own little bowl and whisk with some flour and "cin-min". (One of his favourite things to play with in the pantry is the jar of "cin-min kicks"). Anyway, it's an easy dough, rolled into balls and then in cinnamon sugar. You can see a few more pics and the recipe here. What better way to start a new year than by eating buttery cookies?
I guess it could be eating buttery cookies in the midst of a blizzard. We have a blizzard warning for tonight, and this time I'm a bit more prepared for a power outage than I was last week. I bought a crank radio / flashlight this morning. The radio was really the only thing I was kicking myself for not having last week. Hopefully we won't even need it and we'll have power, but just in case - I like to be prepared. Have a safe and happy new year; see you in 2009!

chicken bones

2008-12-30T14:16:00.004-04:00

I just realized that everyone in the world doesn't have access to my favourite holiday candy. They're called chicken bones, and they're made by Ganong, here in the Maritimes. The outside is a hard cinnamon flavoured candy, and the middle is chocolate. They are lovely. My tongue is bright pink and has been for most of the past week. The ones pictured were at the bottom of a bag, and are a little bit broken and crumbly, but every morsel is delicious. They're in a gorgeous pottery bowl I picked up at Handworks in Saint John at their seconds sale on the weekend.

christmas, part 2

2008-12-29T14:57:00.004-04:00

A boy who had fun building a snowman (with chocolate eyes!) and riding a toboggan with his Papa.

Christmas morning!
And the remnants of Christmas dinner.

We still haven't finished Christmas - we have yet to party with my folks, which we'll do later in the week. The house is slowly coming back to a somewhat livable state, it's a beautiful sunny day, and I think I hear a sweet boy waking up. It's a good afternoon!