I'm off to see the wizard...

... and by wizard, I mean the hordes of blackflies that are most likely waiting for me at my cottage. However, the main point to take away from this is: I am going to my cottage this weekend!!!

We leave tomorrow morning and I cannot wait. Even if I do get eaten alive, or if it does rain the entire time, it's the principle. The symbolism. (Or symbology, if you prefer.) It means that summer is here, and I win. Take that, meteorology.

So, preparations began last night, in our attempt to not leave everything to the last minute, and today I picked up a pound of my favourite Bridgehead coffee for the weekend. Every Friday I buy a fresh bag of Bridgehead coffee beans, but our machine at home is a grind-and-brew, so I always get them in whole bean form. Since it is for the cottage this time, I had to get the beans pre-ground, and oh my goodness... the intoxicating scent of freshly ground coffee has filled my entire floor. Seriously, people are coming down the hall looking for the source of the aroma, and asking me where I got it and what kind it is (Ethiopian Limu - for those who live in Ottawa and have access to the national treasure that is Bridgehead). Pardon the enthusiasm, but coffee is definitely my drug of choice. Here it is all its glorious glory (ridiculousness intended).

{The bag is a bit crumpled due to the number of times I have shoved my nose into it, along with a few of my colleagues...}

I'll be back on Tuesday, hopefully to regale you with tales of first sunburns and delicious ice-cold caesars on the deck. If not that, then definitely tales of bug bites and hours of cribbage and Clue played indoors. Until then, don't forget:
"A penny saved is worth two in the bush."

Happy May Long everyone!

artist love

This week's artist is amber alexander.

First of all, I have to take a moment to say, wholeheartedly: Thank you Dooce! I am SO thrilled to have been led to this incredibly talented artist's etsy shop. I saw these two prints on Dooce back in April, and the rest, as they say, is history. At this point I think I've said enough, I will let her amazing work speak for itself.

I. love. her. I want to buy every single one of these prints. And maybe I will do just that.

pear pressure

How excited am I to make these?!

I just came across this recipe this morning, and something about it - I don't know if it was the pear, or the buckwheat, or the several days straight of chilly grey weather we've been having, or the Gorgeous (with a capital "G") photographs - anyway, something about it spoke to me and now I must make it, immediately. The funniest thing is, I am not even a real pancake 'fan' to be honest. I would never order them at a restaurant, I almost never make them at home - I much prefer waffles, or even crepes, on the odd occasion that I am craving something sweet for breakfast - but I am a 100% tried and true classic (bacon/sausage-eggs-homefries) breakfast lover. (Is it just me or do I talk about breakfast more than the average person?)

So, here is the recipe and a few of the beautiful photos, all from the lovely Sprouted Kitchen. Normally I would try a recipe out before posting it, but I was just so irrationally excited about this one that I couldn't wait. I will be sure let you know how they turn out, though!

PEAR + BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES // Makes 12
Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp. Turbinado Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Spice Blend*
3/4 tsp. Sea Salt
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Large Egg
2 Firm Pears (I used Bosc and Comice)
1/2 Cup Honey
2 oz. (1/2 stick) Unsalted Butter

1. Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure everything is evenly distributed.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk/milk, and butter until combined. If you don’t have buttermilk, all milk will be just fine.
3. Peel the pears, and grate them in the large holes of a box grater. Add the pears and their juices to the buttermilk mixture.
4. Gently add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir ’til just combined. It should be fairly thick – Boyce recommends letting it sit for a little while, or overnight in the fridge. If you let it rest, you will need to thin it out with milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Adjust to your pancake thickness preference.
5. Melt the honey and 2oz. of butter together, and keep warm to pour over the pancakes later.
6. Heat a cast iron pan, or griddle over medium heat. Add batter in 1/4 cup mounds to the pan, once the tops start to bubble, check that the bottoms are golden brown and flip to the other side. Cook about 5 minutes total.
7. Wipe the pan between batches, and rub a little butter in between.
Serve the pancakes hot from the skillet, with a splash of honey butter on top.

{I'm sorry, a splash of honey butter?!?! Yes, please.}

the deer hunter

This guy is exactly what is missing from my living room. He'll live on the wall overtop of our obnoxiously large flatscreen television. I've been waiting for him to go on sale, or for an applicable promo code, for six months now (I just can't bring myself to pay full price, what can I say).

I really think Mr. Owl will like him! I can't wait for the day I can finally place the order. He will be mine. (That doesn't sound creepy, does it?)

tunesday

I am very happy to share with you a Canadian band that I discovered while I was in university, thanks to a neighbour who was an old friend of the band. They are called Slowcoaster - a three man jam rock band from Cape Breton.



For the longest time all I had was a burned copy of their album Leaves (2002), given to me by my neighbour. I loved that cd and listened to it until it was so scuffed and scratched that not a single track would play without skipping. My favourite song was instantly (and still is, I think) Jon. (I am not known for my terribly current taste in music, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.) Anyway, these guys have been doing really well for themselves over the past several years, in fact, they just won an ECMA (East Coast Music Association) award for Alternative Album of the Year for their latest release, The Darkest of Discos (January 2011). Congratulations you guys, and keep it up!!! I can't wait to hear more.

these are a few of my favourite things

Since I seem to have developed a serious online-window-shopping problem (I know, I know, who doesn't have that problem) I thought it might be therapeutic (or maybe just fun!) to share a few of the things I've been "visiting" a lot recently. Seriously, every single day I find at least twenty new things that I absolutely cannot live without. I guess it's a curse of having access to all the amazing blogs out there, not to mention Pinterest - an eternal fountain of inspiration... holy moly. It never stops! So here are few of today's favourite things, hope you enjoy them too.

This crocheted dachshund from Le Souk.

In. Love.

This blanket - first seen on Sophia's Pinterest board.

These vintage maple syrup bucket planters - found on Hindsvik's Etsy shop.

This pillow cover from West Elm.







This six-pack bicycle frame cinch (which doubles as a polo mallet holder, naturally)... along with all of the other gorgeous leather bicycle accessories from the Walnut Studio shop on Etsy.

These perfect pre-fab cottages from Modern Cabana - photos from Sunset.

 

These solar-powered illuminated planters from the new President's Choice Lawn & Garden Insider's Report.

PC can do no wrong in my eyes.

 

{Had to take a screen capture, hence the weird image quality}

 This perfect-for-my-bedroom sheet set from Anthropologie (oh, and every single other thing they sell, but that goes without saying).

So, there you have it, that's my wishlist of the day...

What's on yours?

something in the way...

I really love this impromptu shot of the Beatles - taken just before they crossed Abbey Road in the iconic album cover photo. It feels like a glimpse into another time, in another world.

{Photo from here. Via A Cup of Jo}

I feel like chicken tonight

It's a horrible gloomy day here and I have a major craving for some comfort food. It just happens that whole chickens are on sale at my local grocery store this week, so I am really excited to make a couple of my favourite go-to recipes for dinner tonight! It's not too often that I will make the same recipe over and over (I have some weird kitchen karma going on that causes recipes to work out spectacularly for me the first time, and terribly the second time, seriously, it's ridiculous). Anyway, this roast chicken recipe has somehow escaped my usual karmic influence, and it is definitely one of my all-time favourites. The same goes for the accompanying potato recipe... so delicious. Well I'm getting even hungrier now, so before I keep ranting and raving about them, here are the recipes - both found on The Dog's Breakfast (a wealth of great recipes).

Photo from The Dog's Breakfast.

roast chicken provençal

a roasting chicken (about 5 or 6 pounds)
a lemon, sliced in two
a few sprigs of thyme (or rosemary)
3 or 4 large cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
a quarter cup of dried herbes de provence (try to get a mix that includes lavender)

Note: Stop wondering about the colour of juices and where to poke the thermometer. 90 minutes at 425º works like magic. Thanks to Ina Garten for this insight.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. (Use convection if you have the option, but set the oven to 400ºF.) Rinse and dry the chicken, then season the cavity with salt and pepper. Into the cavity, stuff the lemon halves, the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Rub the chicken with plenty of olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and the dried herbs.

Tie the legs together with kitchen twine, and roast for 90 minutes.

Photo from The Dog's Breakfast.

roasted potato salad
Serves 4 as a side dish

Notes: We’ve sometimes added bacon or lardons to this salad, or used sliced shallots instead of Vidalia onions. You can also think of adding dill, or chervil, or whatever mild herbs you like, just be sure to use a generous amount of tarragon. The roasted potatoes do not refrigerate well. You can also make this using unpeeled boiled potatoes, it makes a lighter-tasting salad that does keep well in the fridge.

4 pounds of fingerling potatoes
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
about 2/3 C olive oil
a Vidalia onion, halved and sliced
½ C fresh tarragon leaves
½ C Italian parsley leaves
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1. Clean and dry the potatoes. Cut them, unpeeled, into bite-sizes pieces, toss them with olive oil, salt, and a little peper, and roast them in a 400º oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or until golden and crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside.

2. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Pour the vinegar into a salad bowl, and whisk in enough salt to balance the vinegar’s acidity. Add the pepper and mustard, and whisk to combine. Add the olive oil in a thin stream while whisking. Add the Vidalia onions and fresh herbs, and let them macerate in the vinaigrette while the potatoes finish cooking.

3. When the potatoes are done, let them cool for about 20 minutes before adding them to the salad bowl and tossing them gently to coat with the vinaigrette. Let the salad rest for a few minutes before serving so the potatoes can absorb the flavours, then taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.


So there they are, give them a try and you won't be sorry, I swear! Hope you all have a lovely Saturday, even if it is a grey one.

wise words of the week

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air"

Raplh Waldo Emerson

Print from here.

perfect pendant light

I would absolutely love to have a few of these lights hanging in my dream kitchen someday.

Tom Dixon - Beat White Stout Light

They would go perfectly with the 2-inch-thick carerra marble countertops, natural butcherblock island, subway tile backsplash, creamy white cabinetry and brass hardware.

Please excuse me for a moment while I recover from that trip into fantasyland.

Spotted this morning over at Canadian House&Home.

lovely lace

Only over the past few years have I discovered that I really love the look of lace. In the right piece of clothing, I find it can be a perfect union of femininity, tradition, and contemporary style. To celebrate my new passion, I thought I'd do a rundown of some of my favourite lace clothing items. Many of these pieces are so classic and timeless that I know I could wear them for years to come. Having said that... some of them I can afford, and others I can barely afford to look at.

Here we go, in order from 'don't mind if I do' to 'only in dreams'...

AE Lace Skirt - $38

Lace & Tulle Cami - $50 (currently on sale!)

Essential Summer Shift - $128

Gemsa Lace Dress - $229



Dream Strapless Lace Dress - $232



Lace Asymmetrical Dress - $247



Oblique Blooms Dress - $258

Lace Zarita Dress - $323

Leather & Lace Dress - $437

must have

These antique-silverware-style cheese tags! With the amount of cheese I eat and the amount of cheese platters I serve (no, not only to myself... I do have friends over occasionally, you know, to justify the cheese) I really don't think must have is too strong a statement!

Found on Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Now, does anyone know where I can get them??

*Update - May 13: I found some here but unfortunately, a) the retailer is located in L.A., and b) it's $49 for a set of six, which is a little lot more than I am willing to pay. I am now thinking that this is totally something I could maybe diy (totally maybe intended)... or else it totally isn't... but there's really only one way to find out. I will keep you posted!

morning cuddles

Guess who crawled into bed with me during my extended snooze this morning?
 

{Please excuse the photo quality - I took it with my iPhone at 7am}

The funniest part was that he stayed there until I forced him to get up for his walk!

mmm... breakfast

Ever since I mentioned one of my favourite breakfast places in my artist love post on Monday, I've been thinking pretty much non-stop about breakfast. In fact, I had breakfast for dinner at home last night. We're talking the whole shebang... bacon, fresh eggs from my Mom's chickens, homefries, sliced tomato, toast, oj... it was fantastic. And we ate it outside! (That might not sound like a big deal if you live in California or something, but for those of us up here where the winter lasts 8 months (or so it seems) it was definitely a monumental occasion.) I would do the entire meal all over again right now if I could (and if I could convince myself that that would somehow be reasonable, ha!). Anyway... back to the reason for writing this post...

Image from here.

I just wanted to share one of my other favourite breakfast places ever. This one is in Montreal - it's called Griffintown. It was, from start to finish, one of the best restaurant experiences I've ever had. We went for the first time on my birthday back in October, and I couldn't have asked for more. The servers were happy and kind and relaxed, the space was beautiful and yet also very relaxed, and the food was absolutely sensational. Even the latte was the best I've ever had (and anyone who knows me knows that I've had more than my fair share of lattes). Every ingredient is homemade, and can you ever tell. Everything looks incredible and tastes even better. They have a great brunch menu, as well as a "breakfast cocktails" list, which had me at, well, "breakfast cocktails". I ordered the eggs benedict with homemade bacon and added the aged cheddar... it was phenomenal. I am getting dizzy just thinking about it.

They also had a great looking dinner menu, which I've heard is just as delicious as their brunch, as well as an extensive bourbon list, and live music every Thursday through Saturday. I haven't been there for dinner yet, but you can bet I will be back, with bells on.

tunesday!

This week on Tunesday... Willie Nelson!

Image from here.

We all know many of the classic Willie Nelson tunes, but today I'd like to talk about a completely different and *relatively* recently released album: Countryman. It was actually released back in 2005, but considering the length of his career, I'd say that qualifies as recent. Anyway, what makes it completely different? Willie went reggae! And I couldn't love it more. Every track is short and catchy and will have you humming the tune for days (or months if you're me). I love that he chose to totally switch it up with this album, and that he includes some older songs written by other artists, tracks like "I'm a Worried Man" by Johnny and June Cash, which features Toots Hibert vocals on the album.

I am well aware that I am mentioning only one among more than sixty studio albums, not to mention several live albums, compilations, and soundtracks, and that is only his solo career. He also spent a decade (from 1985-1995) as a member of the Highwaymen, which is another old favourite of mine - the group consisted of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.


Image from here.

I really do recommend giving this album a listen, you won't be sorry. (Along with any other Willie Nelson or Highwaymen recordings that you come across.) If you get a chance, let me know what you think!

artist love - roz

For my second edition of artist love, I am pleased to present - Roz.

I first saw this talented artist's work (a.k.a. Rosilyn Young) at one of my favourite breakfast places ever, in Kingston, Ontario. {Pan Chancho, if you were wondering... I highly recommend stopping by, whether it be to indulge in my personal favourite, the Weekender - I can't ever seem to order anything else - or to pick up one of their delicious to-go foods from the front shop, it is well worth it.} She refers to her style as "whimsical fine art" and I don't think it could be more accurate. I have fallen in love with the personality she gives to everything she paints; the roosters, cows, bees... it is impossible not to love them.

Cow #191

Cow #293

Bee #124

It is just incredible, what she is able to convey through these creatures. I highly recommend that you check out her website where you can order prints as well as original paintings, or visit her etsy shop.