Tag Archives: photography

Mirabelle Plums

9 Jul

School is finally out for summer and we’re all so ready for some good lazy summer vacation days around here.  We’re extremely happy to to have a break from those painfully early morning wake ups, the long bus rides to and from school, the homework and the studying.  I’m looking forward to focusing on spoken English in our household and I have dreams of my kids finally grasping the difference between “much” and “many”.  Hopefully by the end of the summer my kids won’t ask me questions such as “Mama, how many flour does the recipe call for?” or “Mama, how much cars are there on the road?”.  Wish us all luck.

This past week-end the girls and I spent some time picking all the ripe Mirabelle plums from the tree in our garden.  The last few years we didn’t get any fruit on the tree but surprisingly enough this year we had a tree full of miniscule sweet yellow prugne.

After picking the plums we decided to make a plum raspberry crumb cake to take to a friend.  It turned out to be such a tasty cake and knowing that it was made with plums from our tree, raspberries that we had picked and eggs from our chickens made us all extremely proud.  It is a really rich cake made with a crumb top and bottom and with a fruit and custard filling.  It’s delicious served warm with a little bit of vanilla ice cream.  If there is one recipe that you must try it is definitely this one.  You can substitute lots of different kinds of fruit for the plum and raspberries in this cake.

Plum Raspberry Crumb Cake

3/4 cup chilled butter (cut into small pieces)
1/3 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 cups Mirabelle plums (halfed and pits removed)
1 cup fresh (or frozen) raspberries
1 large egg (beaten)
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk

1.  Preheat oven to 350 (180) degrees. In mixer place ground almonds, 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and small pinch of salt and mix until combined.  Add butter and mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Press 3 cups of the crumb mixture into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the side of a greased 9 inch springform pan. Bake until set, about 18- 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

3. Scatter halved and pitted plums and raspberries on cooled crust.

4. In a medium bowl whisk together 1 Tbsp of flour with 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar.  Whisk in egg, egg yolk, heavy cream, milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and small pinch of salt.

5.  Pour custard over fruit (on cake base) and then sprinkle remaining crumble mixture on top.  Bake until custard is set and golden brown, about 45-50 minutes.  Let cool for at least 25 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Raspberry-Plum Crumb Tart recipe.

And because I have bowls and bowls full of these little plums I, of course, made a quick batch of jam.  I made some Plum Rhubarb Jam with Brown Sugar.  It’s got a dark caramel colour and a perfect balance between sweet and sour.  The rhubarb came from a plant in our garden that is growing completely out of control.  I’m in desperate need of new rhubarb recipes.  Please send them along.

So here’s how to make it.  In a large cast-iron pot put about 500 grams of pitted Mirabelle plums, 200 grams of chopped rhubarb, 75ml of water and the juice of half a lime (or lemon).  Let this simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes.  Add 125 grams of brown sugar and 225 grams of white sugar and let simmer for a further 30 minutes ( or until preferred consistency).  Pour into sterilized jars (makes approx. 2 jars).  Enjoy!

So that’s it.  Now I’m all plummed out for another year.

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“Traveling With Kids” Column on Classic Play! (Japan)

5 Jul

I’m really really excited to let you all know that I have been asked to be a contributor to one of my favorite blogs.  I’ll be writing a Traveling With Kids column for Classic Play! and I’m over the moon ecstatic to be doing it.

Today my first column is published and it’s about our recent trip to Japan.  For the post I asked the kids to give me their top 10 favorite memories about the trip and in the end they came up with the exact same ones I would have (except the Japanese toilets maybe!).  I’d love it if you popped over there to take a look and even make a comment if you so please.

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Oatmeal Cookies with Marzipan, Coconut and Dried Figs

4 Jul

After a week-end of broiling hot weather we finally have a day of rest from the heat.  The sky is full of glorious grey clouds and the streets are glistening from the recent splattering of light rain.  The windows are all open and a cool breeze is dancing through the house and chasing out that heavy humidity that has been lurking in here for the last few weeks.  We can all breathe again.  Thank you.

So now that the house is full of renewed and re-cooled energy I can actually turn my oven on to do a bit of baking (oh how I’ve missed it!).

I opened my baking drawer and grabbed the first things that I saw: oatmeal, coconut, marzipan and dried figs.  I was in the mood for a heavy duty cookie (that didn’t involve chocolate – unbelievable but true).  In my younger days cookies involving these ingredients would have been considered a waste of calories.  Dried fruit in a cookie was for people who substituted carob for chocolate.  But I’ve grown up and matured and I’m ready to accept the fact that these ingredients actually enrichen a cookie (in moderation of course).

I also made these today as a special treat for my daughters who just got braces and have sensitive painful mouths at the moment.  I thought a good batch of cookies might lift their spirits a little.

As usual I made a double batch and froze half for another time.  Making a double batch isn’t any more work and it’s handy having ready-to-use cookie dough on hand for last minute guests, parties or late-night cravings.

Here’s the recipe:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (230g) butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cubed marzipan
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped dried figs (or apricots etc)

1.  Combine flour, oatmeal and baking soda.  Set aside.

2.  In mixer cream butter with sugars.  Turn speed down and add vanilla, eggs and salt.  Mix until combined.

3.  Slowly add flour mixture and mix until combined.

4.  Stir in marzipan, coconut and dried figs.

5.  Spoon onto sheet lined with baking paper.  Bake for about 14-16 minutes (the cookies should become golden brown).

6.  Let cool on wire rack.  Enjoy!

My kids love these cookies.  They also have no idea what is in them.  I might have accidently told them there was white chocolate in them.  And I might of left out the fact that there are dried figs.  But all this is not important.  What’s important is that they are happily sitting in the garden munching away and happy as clams.

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Things I love…

3 Jul

Outdoor breakfasts with friends.  Especially if they involve stacks of crepes and waffles.Little brothers who make stacks of cookies for their sisters (who were away for 4 days).Gifts from friends that you can appreciate every year. Taking a walk through the woods and finding this that was etched into a buiding over a decade ago.One-on-one time with my daughter.Watching my kids mess around with water colour paints.Discovering a new and gorgeous spot that is actually less then 30 minutes from home.

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Blueberry Anise Jam (with bling)

29 Jun


Last week, on a scorchingly hot day, a friend of mine and I took our children to the local organic blueberry farm to pick some delicious high-bush blueberries.  We picked over 3 kilos of beautifully plump sweet berries.  I put about half in the freezer for next winter and have been busy using up the other half since then.  I was of course contemplating what sort of jam or jelly I could make with them as well.

After talking with my mom she convinced me that star anise and blueberry are flavours that work really well together.  She told me that the anise gives it a warm spiced undertone without being too overbearing.  I wanted to add fresh ginger but she suggested to keep it simple and see how it turns out.  And you know…I’m glad I listened to her.  The jam turned out perfectly and there is indeed a deep blueberry flavour with the slightest hint of anise (which is a good thing because you don’t want to go overboard on such a pungent flavour). 

This is a very simple and quick recipe.  I cooked 6 cups of mashed blueberries with 3 1/4 cups of sugar, the juice of half a lemon and 2 whole star anise until it became thick and syrupy ( I ended up letting it simmer for about 20/25 minutes due to having to chase escaped chickens back into coop).  Since I didn’t have any pectin to add it isn’t really thick but works just fine as a jam or a sauce to pour over ice cream.

Since we  had picked so many blueberries I was busy the whole week making not only blueberry jam but also blueberry gelato, blueberry crumble and even blueberry financier cakes.

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Ghirlanda d’Estate

28 Jun


The other day I was contemplating what I was going to do to keep my three children happy and busy for their two month summer vacation this year.  It’s always a time of lazing around, reading books, going to the lake, playing with friends and traveling.  But every now and then there’s a lull in the activity and the “Mom, I’m bored” starts.  I’m a strong believer in letting kids get bored because I find it’s really when they come up with the most creative things to do and make but sometimes you can just hear that they are too tired/hot/fed up to come up with something on their own.

So after reading Jen’s (from Classic Play) post on Stay-at-Home Summer Camp I got inspired to come up with some summer activities for those emergency times when the kids are in need of “entertainment”.  I organised six activities and sewed them into little cloth bags and then sewed those all into a garland.  When it’s time to pick an activity it’s really a surprise for them when they cut it open (we’ll cut them on the bottom so we can then save the bunting for another occasion or a similar activity next summer).   I’ve hung it up and it’s ready for when they are in the swing of summer vacation (still a week and half of school to go!).

All activities are for the kids to do together and each one is at least 1-2 hours worth of fun (I hope).  The activities are:

Photography Challenge: I’ve written a card with 10 random words and the kids have to go around and take photos that transmit the words into an image.  I’ve noted that they shouldn’t think too literally about these words and they should “think out of the box”.  I’m sure that will spark a great conversation with the three of them.  I then asked them to print out their 10 photos and make them into a book.  I’m excited to see the result!

Origami Challenge: In this little bag I included a package of miniature origami papers and a list of items they have to fold.  They are all seasoned origami experts but I think it will be a challenge to use the tiny paper and I’ve included at least 2 new shapes that they will have to learn how to do.  In the end they’ll have to present close to 50 origami pieces.

Water Balloons: In this one I tucked in about 45 balloons and told them they have to fill all of them with water, divide them into three piles and then bomb away at each other.  I know this one is going to be a hit.

Wooden Stick Architecture Challenge: For this challenge the kids have to use over 100 long wooden skewers and construct some sort of building (or anything) using the grass as their base.  Since the skewers are pointy on one end this makes it quite easy to stick them in the ground and I think they could end up making something quite spectacular.  I mentioned that they can incorporate ribbons, fabric or any other material into their project.  After it’s done I suggested they write a story about who lives there.

Cooking Challenge: In this one I included two very simple recipes that they have to prepare for the family.  I also included a 5euro note so that they can walk to the local grocery store to buy the ingredients needed.  The recipes are Tomoto Garlic Soup and Homemade Croutons.  They are both things the kids love to eat and easy enough for them to do alone.  They are also asked to set a nice fancy table for when they serve their meal.

Neighbourhood Clean-Up:  I had to include this one.  The streets around here are sometimes littered with trash and I always tell the kids how important it is to keep our environment clean (which is why I can often be seen walking around with pockets full of my kid’s trash).  I included three large white garbage bags and 3 pairs of latex gloves and told them to head out and beautify our street.  This one will definitely confuse the neighbours!

So there you have it.  I’ll keep you posted this summer on the different activities and whether they were a hit or miss.  What are your plans to keep your kids happy and busy this summer?

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Japanese Purchases (part two)

25 Jun

A lot of people have been asking me whether Japan is really as expensive as they all think it is.  When we were there we were really surprised at how affordable it actually turned out to be.  For us the prices were comparable to European prices for many things.  Eating out in Japan was actually even cheaper than eating out in Italy and the museums and entrance fees to temples and shrines were also reasonably priced.

The things that do cost a lot in Japan are the accomodation and transportation.  If traveling to Japan I would definitsly recommend buying a rail pass (only available for non residents of Japan and it must be purchased beforehand) and looking into renting a house instead of staying in hotels.  In Japan you pay per person and not per room in most cases.  So for us, a family of five, staying in a hotel became very very pricey.

I thought I’d do another post with some of my favourite purchases from our trip (see previous post here).  I bought some of these souvenirs at the 100 yen shop (equivalent to the $1 shop).  It’s a great place to pick up little gifts and keepsakes to take home with you.

I couldn’t go to Japan and not buy a little Japanese lunch box.  This one has two little compartments inside to store different foods.  It’s lovely but absolutely too tiny to carry enough food for this family of five.  It might soon become a place to store all my sewing needles and seam rippers.I bought these not knowing what they were but merely because I loved the packaging.  For all I knew these tiny boxes could have been filled with anything from shower caps to thumbtacks.While taking these photos I decided to open one up and it turns out that they are delicious soft caramels.  What a nice surprise!  And I’m so glad it wasn’t anything illegal.These rice crackers come from a specialty shop located near some of the famous temples of Kyoto.  Everything in this shop is painfully spicy.  While in the shop you can taste any of their products and we all tasted these crackers not expecting the burning fire of pain that our poor taste buds had to endure.  Luckily there was a lady waiting with a tray of cold matcha tea to ease the pain.  We still haven’t had the guts to open this pack and give them a try.

I have been collecting Japanese stationary for almost two decades now.  So when I actually got to go to Japan and buy some for myself I was ecstatic.  Surprisingly enough I got these ones above at the 100 yen shop.  They come with a stack of writing paper, envelopes and a sheet of stickers to match.I bought this little iphone case at the same shop my daughters bought their prized purses.  It’s by Wabisuke and Made in Japan (which I love).  Once again, I’m in love with this fabric.Another 100 yen shop purchase are these little paper gift bags.  Oh how I love Japanese packaging!I was surprised to see that in every gift shop you go to in Japan there is always a selection of miniature towels and handkerchiefs to buy.  Apparently it’s one of the number one souvenirs that are purchased and people use them to dry their hands after washing them in the shrines and temples.  My daughter picked out this little one above and it’s made from linen and cotton and is so soft and dainty.

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VIP Priest

21 Jun


Apparently the brother of a local VIP was ordained as priest last week and it has turned out to be the event of the year in my small town.  Everywhere you go there are floral decorations hanging from balconies, from street lamps and from house to house.


Last week-end they held some sort of congratulatory mass service (I think) and there were nuns and priests wandering the streets at all hours of the day in various coloured habits and robes.  In the end I’m not so up-to-date on the church happenings around here but I do love the joy and atmosphere that such an event brings to our small town.

Spirits were pretty high around this little town to say the least.

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Apricot Rosemary Jam

20 Jun


I’ve officially become a jammer (oh geez).  I spend my days planning my next jam-making session and scour the local fresh fruit and vegetable stands for the best in-season fruits.

I’ve slowly acquired all sorts of different sized jam jars and bottles and I’m slowly becoming more comfortable with the whole sterilizing process that goes into canning and preserving jams.  I’m still terrified of poisoning my family or friends with botulism but my fear is waning slightly.

Last week I bought some delicious looking apricots from the local produce truck and decided to make Apricot Jam with Rosemary (found on my all-time favorite preserving site Food in Jars).

Seeing as I almost didn’t survive after making the Cherry Rhubarb  Lavender Jam a few weeks ago  I had to enlist the help of my husband to do the initial cleaning, pitting and chopping of the fresh apricots.  But once they were safely in the Le Creuset and I was gloved, I was ready to start the whole process ( I was even tempted to don some swimming goggles but was terrified of some of the locals catching a glimpse of the crazy Canadian making jam WITH GOGGLES!).

This is a quick jam recipe and I have to say it has such  a unique end result with the addition of rosemary.  It’s sweet with a distinctive savoury background that really makes for a new experience for your taste buds.  It might even initially  confuse them.  But that’s a good thing.

For lunch today I made this sandwich above.  Rustic raisin bread with thinly sliced Gruyere cheese,  salame di Parma and a good layer of the Apricot Rosemary Jam.  It was more than delicious (although I’m pretty sure the kids would bolt from the table if I tried to serve them this).   This past week-end I marinated magret de canard (duck breast) with this jam and some garlic and barbecued it and it turned out to be an absolutely delicious combination.  

Please pop over to Food in Jars for the recipe!

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Summer Uniform

19 Jun

A few years ago (2009) I bought this beautiful Heather Baily material (called Pocketbook in Rose from the Nicey Jane collection) and I’ve been hoarding it in my material cupboard since then.  It’s such a lovely soft cotton and the pale colours so reminiscent of a breezy summer day.  The skirt pattern is from Simplicity (#2226) and is easy and relatively quick to sew up.  It’s got a little fullness from the tiny gatherings in the front and a nice wide waistband. One of my favorite things about the pattern are the pockets.  I just find skirts with pockets so much more comfortable for some reason.  Probably because I have a quick place to put all the garbage my kids hand me every few minutes (these kids actually pass garbage cans to bring me their trash!).The back has a simple zipper closure and a bit more gathering.This just might turn out to be my summer uniform of 2012.  Note to self…clean mirror.

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