Baked

I hope you all had great weekend! How's your Monday going?

Played around with different pizzas over the weekend, so I thought I'd share my favourite with you. We brought back heaps of fresh corn from our trip, and I wanted to make sure it all got used. Tastes flipping great on this pizza! To be honest, I hadn't heard of Appenzeller cheese (from Switzerland) until the guys at Benton Brothers Fine Cheese, recommended it. It. Is. Good.

Appenzeller Cheese,  Corn and Tomato Pizza - makes two 12 inch pizzas

Pizza Crust:
2/3 cup warm water (about 45c/115f)
1 8g packet active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra for oiling bowl
1 3/4 cups to 2 cups whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon coarse salt

Garlic spread:

1 bulb garlic

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil

Topping:
3/4 cup fresh corn (about 1 cob)
3 roma tomatoes, sliced
1 cup Appenzeller cheese (or whichever cheese you prefer!), grated
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded

To make pizza dough:
In a large bowl, stir together 1/3 cup warm water, yeast and sugar. Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until mixture turns foamy. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 3/4 cups flour, cornmeal and salt and blend until mixture forms a dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, adding up to the remaining 1/4 cup of flour if dough is too sticky, until smooth and elastic 5-8 minutes.
Place dough in a deep bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down dough, and cut in half to form two thin 12 inch pizza crusts. I rolled my dough out a little, then stretched it out when on the pan.

To make garlic spread:
Cut top off garlic bulb, then place oregano leaves on top, sprinkle a little olive oil over top, then wrap bulb in foil. Bake in a 350f/180c oven for about 40 minutes. Let cool, then squeeze out garlic into a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and mash with a fork.

To assemble pizza:
Spread garlic mixture all over pizza dough. Sprinkle corn over top, then tomato slices, then cheese. Bake in a 400f/200c oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is a light golden colour and cheese is melted.

The great thing about making pizza, is that you can add anything you like for toppings. A perfect meal. Enjoy!

One more thing. If you have some time, pop over to Poppytalk!  I did a road trip post there today. I posted heaps of pics from our trip. I do feel like a bit of a homer, but I really do think BC is a beautiful place!

That's it for today. Back soon!
janis

Sunday Observations

Did you have a nice weekend? Hope so! I've been making pizza dough to freeze, and doing heaps of laundry. Pizza dough, fun. Laundry, not fun. Here are a few other things I got up to today...

What did you do today? If you're in Vancouver, are you pinching yourself over this beautiful late summer weather? 

Back soon!

janis

A long, lazy week wraps up

I just returned from our road trip to BC fruit and wine country, so my apologies for being a little, well, lazy.
We've been taking advantage of the last of the warm, summer days. I promise to have some fun stuff for you starting again on Sunday!

Until then, happy friday and have a fantastic weekend. I'm looking forward to catching up with your blogs!

Back soon!
Janis

Baked

Did you have a good weekend? Hope so. Right now, I'm sitting in the wine country region of British Columbia. Such a beautiful (and delicious!) part of the province.

I baked some of these tasty crackers for a bit of a "potluck" picnic, and brought some on our road trip. They are beyond addictive. Please try these ones out, and let me know what you think!

Peppercorn & Parmesan Cornmeal Crackers - makes, well, a lot. I ended up with about 100 mini crackers.

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons packed golden brown sugar
4 teaspoons dried peppercorns (I used a mix), coarsely crushed and divided
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chopped into small cubes
2/3 cup well shaken buttermilk
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1 large egg, beaten

In a bowl, whisk together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons peppercorns, and table salt. Blend in butter, using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms. Gently knead dough, about 6 times, on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in two, flatten slightly, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Mix coarse sea salt and remaining peppercorns in a small bowl.  Roll out one half of dough, on a floured surface, to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out whatever shapes you like (I used hearts, stars, and circles about 1" in size), and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush each cracker with egg and sprinkle the salt and peppercorn mix on each. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Repeat with remaining dough. Cool completely on a wire rack. Try not to eat them all immediately!

I mentioned that I took some to a picnic, and the following pics are how I "packaged" them....

That's it for now. Have a lovely Monday! 

Back soon!

Janis

Last of the Summer Road Trips

Taking off for a few days with a few friends. It'll be so nice.

Have a great weekend everyone! We'll catch up soon!
janis

Small Space, Fabulous Style

I wanted to share this fantastic space with you. I shot Tamar's apartment, for Style At Home, and I have to say, it's one of my favourites. I could absolutely live here. Tamar Rosenberg, a visual artist and design consultant, has an amazing eye, and her collections and little vignettes are perfect.

Love the needlepoint portrait of Prince Charles, and her collection of red garage sale finds.

A red brick wall with 2 vintage chairs, serve as a fantastic focal point.

I think I need to go and colour code my book shelf. Great grouping of vintage glass on top too!

A very spare and tidy office space. Love that wallpaper. 

Tamar has created a bedroom that is calm and inviting, with a great mix of mid century furniture, and a happy collection of ornaments. I want that chair.

A simple, clean, and modern bathroom. 

A tiny, but well organized kitchen. I would love that portrait. Who is that man? 

I find Tamar's home so inspiring. It's amazing what she's done with just 725 sq ft. What do you like about her home? Let me know!

Back soon! Have a great day.

janis

Baked

Did you have a nice weekend? Hope so!

I baked a batch of these Chocolate Caramel Cookies over the weekend. They're not the prettiest cookie out there, but they taste pretty great. I've been baking slightly healthier treats lately, but sometimes you just need heaps of chocolate. I did make them with whole wheat and spelt flour though ;)

Chocolate Caramel Cookies - makes about 24

4 oz dark chocolate, chopped (about a 100 g bar)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour*
1 cup whole spelt flour*
* you can use 2 cups all purpose flour in place of the whole wheat and spelt. I was trying to feel less guilty. Yeah, right.)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large Caramilk bars, chilled

Melt the dark chocolate in a heat proof bowl, over a pot of almost boiling water, stirring occasionally. Let cool. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, then melted chocolate.

In another bowl, whisk flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into butter mixture until combined. Cover dough, and refrigerate until firm enough to shape, about 30 minutes.

Break each caramilk bar into separate squares/pieces. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, then flatten and place one square of chocolate in the centre. Wrap and seal dough around chocolate and place, seam down, on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake in centre of oven, at 375f, for 10 minutes, or until edges are firm and centres are still soft. Let cool on pan for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!!

Now, about that give away for "About A Village", by Eamonn McCabe.

The winner is....
#20 - Marianne at Style For Living! Congratulations!

Sunday Observations

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

Here are a few observations from my Sunday....

Check out Stepack, located here in Vancouver, here

For more Walrus, click here.

That was some of my Sunday. What did you get up to? 

One last reminder to enter the give away (sponsored by Frances Lincoln Publishers) for the book

"About A Village", by Eamonn McCabe. Click here, to enter! I'll make the draw tomorrow.

Back soon!

janis

Welcome, Weekend

 In case you missed my last post click here, if you'd like to enter a contest for a beautiful book called "About A Village" by Eamonn McCabe. Give away is sponsored by Frances Lincoln Publishers.

Have a fun weekend! Back soon.
janis

About a Beautiful Book and a Give Away

I have a really special give away to offer one of you! I was sent this beautiful book, About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, by Frances Lincoln Publishers, and they kindly offered an extra as a give away. I love them.

Eamonn McCabe is an incredibly talented British photographer, and in this book he shares a beautiful photo essay on a tiny village called Firle, in East Sussex. He definitely answers the question "What is it that makes the ideal English Village?" It pleases me to no end, that places like this still exist in the world. Enchanting is not a word I use often, but it is the perfect word to describe this book. I want to step right into the images, and meet the friendly faces peering back at me. You can also purchase it here, if you can't wait for the give away. ;) For more of Eamonn's work, check out his portfolio of images he's shot for Elle, Vogue and Marie Claire, here. Pretty stellar.

Here is just a small sample of some of my favourite images from this stunning book....

© Eamonn McCabe from About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, $24.99 (27.95 Cnd) from Frances Lincoln Publishers.

© Eamonn McCabe from About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, $24.99 (27.95 Cnd) from Frances Lincoln Publishers.

© Eamonn McCabe from About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, $24.99 (27.95 Cnd) from Frances Lincoln Publishers.

© Eamonn McCabe from About A Village by Eamonn McCabe, $24.99 (27.95 Cnd) from Frances Lincoln Publishers.

Amazing images, yes? This give away is open to residents of North America only. To enter, please leave a comment. I'll make the draw on Monday August 15th. Good luck! Now, back to my book and my morning tea.

Back soon!
janis

Baked

Well, it's the start of the week and so far so good. How's your Monday?

I made some Plum Cobbler over the weekend, and tried using spelt flour (I had run out of all-purpose flour) this time. It turned out great, and I know it's just a wee bit better for you too.

Plum Cobbler - serves 6 to 9

7 cups sliced, pitted plums
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
pinch of cinnamon

Biscuit Topping:
1 cup spelt flour or all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 cup cold butter
2 teaspoons orange rind
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400f/200c. Gently toss plums, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon, in a large bowl. Pour into an 8x8 inch glass baking dish.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, or 2 knives, until the mixture is crumbly. Mix together buttermilk, orange rind and vanilla then drizzle over flour mixture. Stir with a fork to form a soft, sticky dough. Drop dough, with a spoon, in 9 evenly spaced mounds over fruit.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until topping is light golden and cooked through.

This cobbler is super easy and quick to make. Not too bad for you either! ;)

Let me know if you try out this recipe, and if you use spelt or kamut flour instead of all-purpose flour.

Back soon!
janis