Quiet post

Bake on Saturday

I woke up today with lots of good intentions of going down to the Market and then having breakfast by the river but what I really wanted was a quiet morning at home to bake and so I did. Oatmeal cookies are always good so when I saw this recipe for Triple Oat Cookies I knew I had to try them. The three oats are large flake, steel cut and oat bran with some dates for sweetness. Really nice with a cup of tea.


I just finished reading The Pioneer Woman: black heels to tractor wheels by Ree Drummond and thoroughly enjoyed it except the part where they go to Australia and decide to eat at McDonald's and I quote, 'for some safe and predictable American food' end of quote. But it is a cute love story. From the recipes at the back of the book, I decided to try the cinnamon rolls. If you are on a diet, forget these. They are loaded with whole milk, butter and sugar and after they are baked you drizzle the still-warm buns with icing made with yes more sugar, butter, coffee, and maple syrup. Fantastic recipe!

Our basil has gone crazy so the only thing to do is make pesto. I always use the recipe from one of my favourite cookbooks, Cooking with Herbs by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead. It's a very simple recipe - garlic, basil, pecans, olive oil, and lots of grated Romano cheese.

My favourite

A year ago the lavender in the front garden edging the path was magical to see, the stalks of purple, violet, pink and even white lavender spilling over onto the gravel walkway, brushing against your legs as you walked along stopping every so often to watch the bees busy at work.
But,sadly, these lavender plants did not survive the winter.
In my back garden the feverfew now gets all my attention, the hundreds of tiny flowers filling the lower terraced garden with their oh so happy faces.

Last night

Mending

Does anyone do mending anymore? We should rethink this one. We live in such a disposable society; it's worn out then throw it out. And then buy brand new. But just imagine the look on someone's face when their cherished and well worn item of clothing is brought back to life with a simple square of cotton and some decorative hand stitching. Someone who likes airplanes was very happy to be able to wear their old summer pj's.
When the girls were little and I had lots of time, I always patched the girls jeans. Patches, in my books, signify that someone cared enough to restore and reinvigorate the families favourite clothes. My motto - love it again for a second time.

Raspberry cakes forever

Tables at the Farmers Market will be a sea of red soon as raspberries come into season. We still have a bin from last year so this morning I baked two new recipes and both are good but the bread was our number one choice. The Raspberry Buttermilk Cake from the June 2009 issue of Gourmet is a very simple and small cake, just enough for six.
And then there is the Raspberry Almond Crumble Bread from the May/June 2011 issue of Victoria magazine. This brunch bread is good, full of flavour, and the streusel topping makes it a winner. Both of these recipes are keepers.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!