Easy scones

The last Farmers Market I bought two sugar baby pumpkins; they were slowly roasted and then scooped out of their shell and frozen right away. And then one morning they were gently mixed with flour, spices, buttermilk, and then baked until golden and crispy. It takes a lot of planning to make a scone.

Lunch time art walk

It's amazing what you'll find when you walk down the back alleys of the city.

Zero calories gingerbread

This is a little something I made over the weekend from an old Fons and Porter Sew Many Quilts magazine dated November 1996. It brought together some of my favourite things; buttons, rickrack, ribbon, and a little bit of hand quilting.


I made five of these little babies; four for the store and one for our charity auction.

Two favourites

We can still go out to the garden, even though we've had a bit of snow, and pick some sage for this chicken recipe. The best part of this dish is the lemon, sage, white wine reduction sauce; the plates are licked clean.
And someone really outdid himself today with this dinner; Beef Stroganoff with lots of mushrooms, onions, and tender beef. I really like the pasta he chose; Pennoni Lisci.

Quiet post

Yesterdays remembering brought tears and sadness
but then the sun came up and again I was filled with hope.
I filled my lungs with crisp morning air.
Pausing in the quiet of the morning knowing it would not last long.
- A D

Master Thesis: Tiramisu

1. How long should the lady fingers soak in the coffee-booze mixture?
2. If they have not absorbed enough of the liquid, it will be difficult to cut through the dessert with a fork. Left too long, it all becomes mush.
3. Having consulted numerous research papers, a definitive answer is hard to find; most are vague and leave it all to guess work on your part.
4. The best methodology would be to set-up several mixtures of strong coffee and liquor such as Marsala and Grand Marnier. The lady fingers are immersed, the timers are set at one minute intervals, and forks at the ready to taste test each one.
5. Never again will you have to guess at a crucial part of an iconic dessert such as this; you will confidently serve your guests without worrying about the embarrassing moment when the fork meets the layers of cheese, cream, and well-soaked savoiardi.