she's baaaack...

... and talking about herself in the third person, apparently!

Hello again my friends, and my apologies for the much-longer-than-planned absence! These last couple of weeks have been crazy. But I am back now, and will be doing my best to keep on top of things again. It always amazes me how quickly the summer fills up with things to do, and then flies by before it has even really sunk in that it's here. With weddings and birthdays and cottages and bachelorette parties and a million other things I can't even think of right now, almost every single weekend is already accounted for. Straight through to September! Crazy or what. I have to remind myself that these are all fun things, with people I love, and I am going to enjoy every minute of my summer. Nevertheless, it can be a little overwhelming to think about it, so much so that one can almost start to feel as though it is already over. But, it is only just beginning and I have to savour it. Even when I am playing soccer in 35 degree humidity (my face has never resembled a tomato more than it did on Tuesday night, it was a tough game!). And even when I am getting eaten alive by blackflies at my cottage because I'm just crazy enough to go up there on the May long weekend. Because we just don't get enough summertime around here to feel anything less than utter gratitude for every last second of it.

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?