Scenes From the Weekend

We had a gorgeous holiday weekend, here's a little bit of what I saw

I went for a walk on Saturday morning and captured some of the colours and fruits of the season.

I finally took some photos of my fall decorations, I made a friend with a neighbourhood barn cat, and our sweet family made a special Thanksgiving wedding cake, so we could celebrate with all of the family members that couldn't make it to New Brunswick for the wedding.

It was also a baking weekend. I roasted my own pumpkin for the pumpkin spice cupcakes, and the carrot cake recipe from a family friend was a big hit with our first Thanksgiving crowd.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

#fallingforfall

Have you seen this hashtag trending in your instagram and facebook feed? Personally, i'm a big fan of fall, so i'm in for falling for fall. I was inspired by this perfect red maple leaf when I was volunteering last weekend at the Run For The Cure. I carried it around, searching for the perfect place to take its picture...a few people even commented on the fact that I was carrying this little guy around. Despite my lack of photographing talent and my constant use of my iphone camera over our beautiful Nikon we received as a wedding present, I pretend to be an artistic photographer every now and then and it brings me great joy.

We have a busy holiday weekend ahead including two Thanksgiving dinners! I am on dessert duty for both and will be making carrot cake, a lemon dessert and these pumpkin spice cupcakes (recipe here). I have decorated the house with a few of my fall decorations. With my buffet and two additional fireplace mantels that I didn't have in our last place, the decor is looking a little sparse, but definitely festive. I also picked up two pumpkins last weekend, so my porch is looking season ready!

Wishing you all a great Thanksgiving, hoping you get to enjoy all the tastes and sights of the fall!

Harvest Share Update

The Harvest Share program is only 4 weeks away from being done, and I have to admit the end of the summer/early fall brings the best bounty. Here is a look at the last four weeks...loving my pie pumpkin from last week!

And the winner of the weirdest item is................... A Romanesco cauliflower/broccoli! I received this item in week 15, and immediately took its picture.

I sautéed it with a little oil garlic and chili flakes tonight, and I found that it really does taste like a cauliflower with a tightly wound broccoli texture...perfect for this tightly wound chick! Not only is this vegetable beautiful, it is pretty fun to eat as well!

Here's how it looked after I cut up half!

Have you tried any new fruits or veggies this season?

Love in the Mail

We got some major love in the mail last week. My good friend Jessica crocheted us a beautiful afghan as a wedding present. At my husband's request, she made it in Toronto Maple Leafs colours and big enough to cover his entire body. At my request, she made it wide enough to share and cuddle.  I am blown away by her talent, and determination to take on such a big project. I had a nap just yesterday under this sweet gift, and it is absolutely wonderful.

What was the icing on the cake of this sweet gift was the very thoughtful message she wrote in her card. Here is just an excerpt that makes me smile:

"...This should not be the kind of blanket you put on display, but rather one that gets used on the daily. It should be the blanket that gets pulled over your head during a scary movie. It should be the blanket that goes on road trips, to the soccer field, to the hockey rink, to the cottage on those chilly nights. It should get covered in cat hair, tear stains, coffee stains. It should be washed often, need to be mended, be patched up, be tossed around. Basically- it should be loved! It should be that hg that you need, the comfort that family and friends give from a distance. Let it remind you of the warmth and love love that surrounded you on your wedding day..."

As you can see, our family has already started to put those directions to good use. I love that we will always have a reminder of our wedding day and my sweet friend Jessica when we snuggle up with this blanket.

Goodwill Hunting for Treasures

It's been a crazy week as exemplified by my lack of posting. I still want to get up a number of wedding posts, but I am waiting to receive my photos from my photographers. Yesterday before meeting my friends for dinner, I stopped into a Goodwill store for a quick peak at their Housewares and Furniture Section. Here are three of my favourite things that I didn't take home:


Top Left: Wooden Birdcage ($10), Top Right: Wooden Baby Sled ($15) Bottom: Wooden Bench with Storage ($15)
The pillows definitely would have been left behind or recovered!

 
We have a relaxing Saturday and busy Sunday ahead of us. We're going to Soupfest if the weather holds out, and I am looking forward to making some goodies with all the great veggies that showed up in this week's farm basket! Happy Weekend everyone:)

Fall Tea in my Favourite Mug

I shared my love for tea in this post. One of my favourite things about fall is definitely the flavours. I picked up the Pumpkin Chai and Mom's Apple Pie teas from David's Tea a few weeks ago, and I'm loving them!

Ps- of all my mugs, this cracked one is my favourite. I took it from my parents place when I moved over 7 years ago, and it always reminds me of home. My Grammy has them too, so it is always a nice memory!

Goodbye Fruit Flies; Hello Pies

Last Saturday was a very wet, rainy dreary day, so the mister and I decided to stay in. While he occupied himself with a video game (do they ever grow out of these???); I played chef and baker. I had a ton of stuff from my farm basket that I wanted to use up. I ended up making fresh tomato sauce, potato and leek soup, these yummy pear streusel bars and a peach pie.


I had some much peaches and pears, that the cats were starting to double as fruit fly swatters. I knew I didn't want the fruit to go to waste, so I looked for a couple of recipes for yummy baked goods that I might be able to freeze (hoping to bring them to Thanksgiving dinner).

This pear streusel bar recipe is excellent. Very easy to make, and tastes delicious. The sugar glaze is definitely optional. One of the reviews I read suggested substituting the cinnamon chips with chocolate chips...not sure that would be my first choice. Caramel or butterscotch would be my go-to if I couldn't get the cinnamon chips.

Then I made this peach pie. I loved the recipe because it was so easy, no peeling the peaches, no top crust, the fruit is mixed with sugar only. I haven't tasted it because it got froze for a special occasion, but after reading the reviews, I'm pretty sure it's going to be delicious!

PS- I am loving the Brown Eyed Baker Blog (say that 5 times fast), she has tons of recipes, they are easy to follow and she likes to keep things simple (a woman after my own heart).