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There is a For Sale sign in my front yard. I was at home the afternoon it went up – a friendly guy stopped by to make sure we were indeed selling our home before he installed it. As we chatted back and forth for a minute, he said he hoped this was a happy occasion. As it turns out, it is! My husband, Sean, and I are selling our sweet home, leaving our workplace and heading out on an adventure. (Don’t fret, dear reader, Blaise is coming too!)

Adventures can be hard to come by these days, there are always more important things to do. Things to take care of and bills to pay. But for sometime now, I’ve been feeling the pull of something more creative. I’ve been so happy to have spots like this blog or Instagram to share some of my creative pursuits. Over time, I’ve come to wonder if I couldn’t find a way to incorporate more of that creativity into my daily life.

Which is where we come to the part of me jumping out of the boat – I decided to leave it all, the consistent routine, the house and steady job, and strike out with the intent of doing something new. We’re moving back to Canada to be close to family and to take a minute to just breathe and reorganize ourselves. We don’t know where we will end up, maybe around the corner from my childhood home, maybe on another continent. 

For many reasons, the uncertainty of my life at this moment brings me back to my garden. Most days when I find myself wondering about just what it is we are setting out to do, I go sit in the garden. Awhile back when I realized that I might not see a full growing season in this garden, I started to adapt my plan for just what I would plant. There seemed to be little point in devoting a good chunk of the garden to dahlias and tomatoes, both favorite garden additions, but always hitting their prime in the later part of the season. Instead, I wanted to play up the parts that I could likely enjoy in the early part of summer. In the midst of my sadness over leaving this garden, I have been steadfast in my plan to enjoy every single moment I am afforded there. 

There is no denying viagra without prescriptions uk that these meds work wonderfully to reduce stress and improve male’s ability to be hard in the bed. Keep all brand viagra 100mg medications far from scope of youngsters and pets. Yohimbe: Yohimbe, an evergreen tree, grows in the western find this link buy viagra in australia India. Sildenafil Citrate medicine like viagra buy cheap is the drug consumed by millions of male patients today. So, early in the spring, I started reading the seed packages, carefully calculating the number of days until harvest, Tomatoes take time to grow and mature, so most varieties were put aside for that reason. But a few hardy and early varieties have made it into my garden this year. I don’t know that I will be around to pick them, but these ones seem like the most likely candidates. Of course, there are peas. All of the shelling variety, but there are two different kinds, planted thickly so I have plenty of young greens to harvest. And plenty of pods for Blaise and I to feast on, right out in the midst of it all. Green beans, along with purple, romano and yellow, made the cut, but this time with fewer climbing varieties. The salad greens are out of control, as usual, with plantings of French sorrel, purslane, dark red lettuce and New Zealand spinach all elbowing in amongst each other. The early plantings of radishes have already come and gone for the season.

The newcomers to the garden this year include the okra and carrots, both planted with the younger generation in mind. And last but not least, the Padron peppers. These beauties are a hands-down favorite at our house. Lightly charred in oil and seasoned with flaky salt, we enjoy these peppers while seated in the garden, with cups of Cava in hand. This is the way the Spanish do it, I’m told, and I am not going to mess with that tradition. Fingers crossed I have at least one of those meals to come this summer.

Either way, I remind myself that there will be other gardens. Already, I have some ideas of what I might do differently in a future space. Just the other day, I optimistically bought some seeds to plant for a fall harvest of maché. But the location of that garden is still to be determined. I’ll find it one day – build, plant and harvest from it.

I recently attended a graduation ceremony, listening as attentively as I could after hours of ceremony, to the advice that was doled out on the graduates. It seemed somehow appropriate for me as well, starting out on my own new adventure. The snippet that stuck with me all of these days later was from someone sharing advice from a fortune cookie…”A thrilling adventure awaits you, be on your guard.”

So, here I go, with my jumble of jubilance and uncertainty, only knowing that out there, a new life awaits me. I’m ready!

This is a story about breakfast, but not my breakfast. This is the breakfast I have been making for my husband ever since I spotted this recipe early this year in the January issue of Bon Appétit. First, I should tell you that I don’t usually worry about making breakfast for anyone during the week. We are more of a fend-for-yourself household in the mornings. Sean has a coffee routine he follows with almost religious fervour. He doesn’t deal in big productions, simplicity is the story of his morning. I prefer to take my breakfast to work to eat when I have a little more of an appetite. And I take a big enough bowl of fruits and grains to fill me up for the morning.

Enter this delicious oat bar. It is like a granola bar, only better and packed with oats, nuts and seeds. Mix and match ingredients to add in favorites or suit specific tastes. It is already gluten free, but can be vegan or nut free if needed. Bake up a loaf and prepare for a week of easy and portable breakfasts. We might not be eating breakfast together, but we have been baking this morning treat together just about every Sunday for the last several months.

But don’t limit this bar to just breakfast. It packed up perfectly for winter adventures for months around here. Paired with the sweetest winter citrus, it made for a great snack out in the snow. I can’t help but think it will be equally at home packed up for a summer adventure or stashed away as a ready-made camping snack. Tuck a slice into the back pocket of a cycling jersey or feast on a quick bite after a run. And if dessert is needed, pair a slice with some ice cream or fresh fruit. There is not stopping this oat bar.

I feel like I must make mention of the dates in this recipe. Sean takes a pretty tough stance on dates, they just are not his favorite. So the first few times I made this recipe, I kept that little detail from him. Trickery in cookery? Why yes, sometimes we must all resort to it. And in this case it was a success. He now knows that there are dates in the bar, but still is a big fan. I hope you’ll give them a shot!

Breakfast Oat Bars

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Mix and match your favorite nuts and seeds in this bar. Swap out the almonds for walnuts, cashews or other favorites. Coconut also makes a tasty addition.

6 large Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
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½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
2 cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup almonds or other nuts
½ cup shelled sunflower seeds
½ cup pepitas
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Lightly coat a glass loaf pan with oil, then line with parchment paper, leaving the edges out of the pan. (See picture above.) Heat oven to 350.

Combine dates, maple syrup and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium high and cook to soften, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and mash the dates until they combine into a thick paste. Add butter and stir to melt and combine. Set aside to cool for a minute or two.

Stir oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Add the date mixture to the bowl and stir to evenly coat. Spoon mixture into prepared loaf pan. Tightly pack the oat mixture into the pan with a spatula. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until dark golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to ensure the bar does not stick as it cools. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and leave the loaf in its pan until it is cool, even overnight.

Wrap tightly and slice when ready to use. Keeps for a week of delicious snacks.

I like to eat seasonally. Right now I have a crate of citrus in the garage and that doesn’t happen at any time of the year other than a few short months in the dead of winter. Strawberries and tomatoes are scarce at my house right now, but you will find my produce drawers full of kale, parsnips, brussels sprouts and fennel.

But more than that, I’m talking about the actual dishes I make. I am sure it is not news to anyone that a warm stove on a cold day is a good idea. So I’m often roasting or simmering a pan of something. And more often than not, it’s a pot of soup. What’s  not to love about a pot of delicious vegetables stewing away – warm, tasty and convenient. Around here, a pot of soup will definitely tie us over for a few meals, saving cooking and clean-up time when it matters most during the week.

Lately I’ve been toying with potential variations to a Mexican tortilla soup. You know, the rich tomatoey blend that lets you build your own bowl, adding tortillas and whatever else your heart desires? Surely that concept carries over into other ethic flavor combinations?
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Last weekend in a fit of garage cleaning, I decided I had better start into my hoarded squash collection before the weather turns and I am no longer feeling like eating squash or roasting anything. I roasted up a pan of squash and once cooked, scraped them into the soup pot. It was giving me an Italian feeling, so I quickly sautéed a little kale and added a spoonful of roasted tomatoes and a little dollop of sour cream. Tasty!

So what about you? What would you add to your bowl of soup to make it even more delicious or to round in out into a meal? I’d love to hear your ideas.

In the heart of winter, I just want to hunker down inside and get cozy. Sometimes that might be a warm cup of tea in the afternoon or a toasty pair of wool sock and slippers as I pad around the house. Whatever the case may be, I must be talking about this idea a fair bit as my son has taken up the cry. I know it is just a two-year-old’s stalling technique as he hollers from his bedroom that he needs another blanket to be cozy, but it’s just too cute not to oblige.

This week we had snow. I’ve been waiting for a bit of the white stuff for some time now. And that big winter storm that covered the Pacific Northwest a few days ago promised to deliver. What followed was a wee bit more messy – snow, freezing rain, ice and then slush. And in the end, it seemed a little bit more treacherous than your typical snow day should be. But I made the most of it with a little quality driveway snow shoveling and some baking to keep us all cozy and fed on a winter afternoon.

Sometimes a winter snack calls for something with a little most substance. Something that stands up to a quick dip into my hot chocolate. These biscotti fit the bill for me. There is even a little crunch of cornmeal that makes me feel all the more healthy for adding it in. And depending what I’m in the mood for, I can make them as healthy as I like. Almonds and cranberries make a nice festive cookie. As would pistachios and cranberries. Chopped dark chocolate plays to their cookie sensibilities. And dark chocolate and orange peel sounds enticing.

I like the dry, crunchy texture of this biscotti. Even the dry shower of crumbs that they always leave behind. And not that they ever end up sitting around for long, but they taste just as good on day one as they do several days later. So a little tin of these biscotti is always welcome around the espresso machine in these parts. Sometimes they will even stand in for a little breakfast tie-over while brunch is in the works. But whatever the occasion, these biscotti always seem to bring the right level of coziness to any snack.

Almond Biscotti

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Lenox Almond Biscotti in Baking

I’ve made this recipe dozens of times with many variations. It may not be authentic, but someone at my house loves chocolate! Dark chocolate chunks and almonds are a pretty addictive combination. The sky is the limit, but I’d try to keep my additions to about 1 cup in total. And since all that chocolate sweetens up the dough, I often reduce the sugar a little as well.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

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1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup chocolate, chips or chopped your choice

Heat your oven to 350 F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the cornmeal and whisk to combine.

Working with a stand mixure, or hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for about three minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat for another two minutes, scrapping the bowl as needed, until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine. You’ll have a very soft dough. Scrape the bowl and beaters to clean and gently stir in the almonds and chocolate.

Scrape half of the dough onto one side of the prepared baking sheet. Using your fingers and perhaps a rubber spatula, work the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Sometimes a little water on your finger tips works well too. The log does not have to be perfect. Form a second log on the other side of the pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the logs are lightly golden and still soft to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. If you turn off the oven, bring it back to 350 as you prepare the next step.

Using a wide spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board and trim the ends of the logs. They make a perfect snack at this point! Cut the logs into 3/4-inch-thick slices and return to the baking sheet and the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden and firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Enjoy!

One of my favorite things about the holidays has to be snow. I’m not going to try and tell you that all of the usual things – family, food and traditions – aren’t high on my list. But when I get right down to it, snow is one of the traditions I don’t want to do without at Christmas. This realization came to me the other night while I was standing out in the driveway with my sister in the middle of a snow storm. Snow was falling fast and thick and we had a couple of inches we planned to clear before calling it a night. Count on a good Canadian upbringing to make you realize that there is just going to be more snow to shovel in the morning if you go to bed in a snow storm.

Layered up in cozy clothes with snow shovel in hand, I thought, “It wouldn’t be Christmas if we weren’t out here shovelling the driveway.” Turns out I have just a few holiday memories tied up in that whole snow shoveling ritual. I don’t know when exactly we were turned loose in the driveway with shovels. Maybe it was a punishment, maybe it was a treat. I don’t really remember. Perhaps we were sent out to burn through some after-dinner energy or maybe to give our parents a few minutes of peace and quiet.

I can tell you a few things though, like the fact that there is a right way to shovel snow in our family. It is very precise and when the shoveling is done, everything looks perfect. There are no wonky lines going here and there, everything is tidy and orderly. And one other thing, don’t walk all over the snow before you shovel – clear a path and walk in that.  Otherwise your footsteps will stick and then it won’t look nearly as perfect! Likely, all of this comes from many winters of experience. When you are expecting a winter full of snow, you have to shovel with some of this in mind. You know that the snow bank is going to be a few feet high and if you know what’s good for you, you shovel accordingly.

For the longest time, the main snow shovel at our house was one of my dad’s creations. A piece of plywood nailed onto some other wooden remnant to make a handle. It was not easy to lift, so for us girls, it was more of a snow pusher. Someone else would have to come along behind and lift the snow, flinging it onto the bank. That shovel was around for years, slowing wearing out at a distinct angle after years of grating against the pavement. Sometime in the last few years, it was retired and replaced with a fleet of more ergonomic options. 

And besides, you dash your viagra cheapest reputation to the rocks with spamming. Ripe bananas are ideal food women viagra australia for infants. The bottom line is, don’t take the medicine if you have problems like cardiac, hypertension, generic purchase viagra Continue diabetes Don’t increase the dosage for yourself as it may cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Also they would inform you after receiving payment and lowest cost levitra delivery of the product. When we’re not out shoveling it, it seems that we like to find activities to get us outdoors. The last couple of years have focused on snowshoeing. Happily, we can virtually strap on our shoes right at the house, so it makes getting out there pretty easy. There is something so peaceful about the snow. Tramping through the woods can be so quiet, sometimes almost too silent. But the towering trees and snowy pathways are always inviting in their quiet way. And although there was not too much snow, we made a couple of forays into the woods.

We’d all string out, single file along the path. And with a few errant picture-takers in the group, there always seemed to be someone running along, trying to catch up. Not to mention a little guy up front who insisted on being carried, no one was really able to set a very daunting pace.

As we made our way home, we came up a party of sledders, making their way into the woods to do some sledding in a clearing. First came the kids, giddy with delight, running up the hills with sleds in tow. But what amused me the most were the adults who came behind. Some carried chairs. Someone else was pushing a giant cooler on a sled.  They were going to have a party out there in the woods. I couldn’t help but be a little jealous of the idea of a winter picnic. Maybe I’ll have to think about that for next year! Can’t you just imagine Thermoses filled with tasty soups and hot chocolate? Trade out the chestnuts roasting on an open fire for a few marshmallows and you’d be set!

Snow will always be a part of my fondest Christmas memories. The giant flakes I’d see falling in the light of the street lamp at the end of the drive. The snowbank where we heaved our parents exercise bike for the sake of some goofy photos. The snow forts built on very snowy years. That’s why, in the midst of that snowy downfall, I bundled up my little guy, complete with scarf, hood and mittens, and took him out into the night. Dustpan in hand, he pushed snow with the rest of us. It’s all part of our tradition, after all.

I’ve been getting just a tad excited about the holidays. For me, the holidays are not necessarily about Christmas as a single day. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas is a wonderful day and there is not much that tops the stockings exchanged at our house on Christmas morning. For me, it is more about the season. It is a cold and grey time of year around here. The early falling darkness draws me into the kitchen where warmth and goodness seem to radiate. And if that’s not enough, there is a glowing tree just around the corner from the kitchen along with a tidy row of Christmas lights outside the window.

So there you have it, I love the holidays. I can’t help but think the addition of a small child to our household also boosts that feeling a little bit. His boundless enthusiasm for prolonged viewings of the Christmas tree or anticipation for our next cookie baking foray is contagious. It’s nice to have a partner in merriment. We bake cookies at the drop of a hat and we sit in the living room and just gaze at the tree. We started things out with Deb’s delicious gingersnaps, which seemed like the perfect blend of holiday coziness without jumping the gun too much. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I even went so far as to put together a special Christmas garland for him. It plays off of the idea of an Advent calendar, except it is a little more free form. The little gifts are wrapped and tied together with some red string. I found the idea in the November issue of Martha Stewart and couldn’t help but imagine the delight this would bring as we countdown to the holidays.

This is ideal for owners, as it removes the hassle of travelling, the need for sedation, stress in the animal, and cost; a full anatomical report costs about the same as a bad TV sitcom. levitra prescription http://cute-n-tiny.com/item-7696 Because it’s so competitive, cialis india online it is hard to many men and many men identify themselves with their penile. In men, this buy cheap levitra can result in penile erection. Shame is your barometer that things viagra viagra are not well in your relationship. And while we’re busy counting down the days with our little garland, I’ve been happily taking note of all of the amazing recipes out there. There will definitely be a lot of cooking happen this holiday season and here are a few of the things I am most excited about.

Doughnuts! They are everywhere! Here and here.

Ditto for meringues. These to go with hot cocoa and these for the buche de Noel I’m scheming up.

A trifle of a chocolate sort. Or maybe the peppermint sort.

I can’t get enough of the stollen, so I am making my first batch now.  It’s equally delicious at breakfast or with a little tea later in the day. I think I’ll have a little Russian Earl Grey with mine…

There’s no doubt about it, Paris has officially stolen my heart. No matter that my French is nothing to be proud of and that my scarf tying techniques still need improvement. I can’t think of a better place to work on both of those deficiencies!

My only complaint about my last visit was that my sister was not with me. That was understandable, since my own plans came together fairly last minute out of sheer need to get away. And while the timing couldn’t have been better on that front, I realized that future trips need to include more planning time so we can spend that time together.

For me, travel is not so much about what I can see. Don’t get me wrong, I am not going to miss an opportunity to stop by the Eiffel Tower. But some of my favorite moments might include regular treks to a nearby market. Especially once you have stopped by enough times to gain a little recognition with a vendor. This time, my regular stops by the produce stand yielded me a fresh piece of fruit with each visit. Fruit, at the cusp of ripeness and perfection, gently wrapped in a paper sack with a little packing for the journey.

And with that daily selection of choice ingredients comes the need for some time in the kitchen. Simplicity is key when you are traveling – no fancy dinners here. Just plain fresh good food, with the automatic additions of a baguette and wine. That time spent standing over the stove, gazing off into the courtyard, makes me feel at home.

Tina and I are always cooking together whenever we get a chance. Paris is no different. We roll up our sleeves, turn on some music and pour a glass of something before setting into the task at hand. Suddenly, the generous basket of chanterelles doesn’t seem to daunting to wash. The salad dressing becomes amazing with two sets of tasters sampling it. Cooking is always better with someone else.

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All of that shopping around is bound to bring inspiration. This time, the Raspail organic market gave me some ideas for a salad. Of course, the Sunday market on Boulevard Raspail is a dream to most food-oriented folks. One after another, vendors line the street with a range of everything organic. I was hungry when I got there and couldn’t help notice the vendor with the little tubs of take away salads. A simple fennel salad caught my attention and I ordered a little to take with me. (Don’t you doubt it, the hot potato galettes at the start of the market had me standing in line straight away, but I am talking about the salad today!)

Shopping done, we wandered over to the Luxembourg Gardens and found seats by the Medici fountain.  The gardens always seem like a perfect spot for a picnic, and my fennel salad made for perfect picnic fare. This simple salad consisted of roughly chopped fennel, dressed with citrus and a more than generous helping of pink peppercorns. I savored the moment, and the salad, tucking away the specifics in my mind for recreation later.

Fast forward a few weeks and I am standing in my kitchen. It’s not overlooking a courtyard. I’ve gathered all of the ingredients, not from an organic street market, but I’ve done my best.

It doesn’t take long – I slice up the fennel, a little thinner than my original salad. A bulb will do, depending on how many people you are serving. A generous squeeze of lemon juice, followed by a drizzle of olive oil and you are just about done. Salt to taste and pepper with as many pink peppercorns as you dare. Initially, I was concerned about overdoing it with the pink peppercorns, but as I learned, they are not the same as our usual black and white peppercorns. Instead, pink peppercorns add a fragrant and distinctly sweet flavor for foods. And, it really shines in this salad.

So here I am, sitting at my table with my dish of fennel salad and tasting Paris. I might as well be sitting right back at the fountain on that beautiful fall day. Really, it’s the simple things that end up meaning the most.

Fall came this week.

The colour of the light changed ever so slightly. A little softer maybe. And with the turn in the season I went to my closet and pulled out all the warm fuzzy cashmere I could find. Then I had a crisis.
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This weekend I learned that my friends seem to all have style icons. Where have I been! I certainly do not have a style icon nor has it ever crossed my mind. And no I’m not running around wearing a paper bag on my head, I’m aware of fashion. If you were to ask me who Kyle Maclachlan is I would said “Isn’t he the guy from that spread in Vogue with Linda Evangelista back in the 90’s?” I just have never thought about having a style icon.

So while I was pulling out all my winter sweaters and scarves I did a little style soul searching. I tried on numerous outfits. And then tried them on again and finally decided that I don’t really need a style icon after all, I just needed to make a kale salad.

Kale salad inspired by the many kale and quinoa salads on My Cooking Diary and the Tahini dressing by 101 Cookbooks