Pinecone Camp

Baked

2012-02-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

Ah, the sun is shining. Makes it an even better hump day. How's your week going?

I was craving something not quite cake like, more like pudding, and not too sweet, so I baked some clafoutis. Have you tried it? It's so simple and delicious. Here's the recipe...

Blueberry Almond Clafoutis - makes 2 small or one large

1 half pound of fresh or frozen blueberries (I had some in the freezer)
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup milk
1/3 cup raw sugar (or regular granulated)
1 teaspoon almond extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons sliced almonds for topping

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray two 5 inch oven proof pans, or one 9 inch pan, with oil, and set aside.

Whisk the eggs and egg whites together in a large bowl, until well mixed. Keep whisking while adding milk, then sugar, almond extract, almond meal, salt and cornstarch. Mix until well combined and smooth.

Layer the bottom of each pan with blueberries, then pour batter over berries. Sprinkle the tops with sliced almonds. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!

Let me know if you give this one a go - I'd love to know what you think.

Have a lovely day! Back soon.
Janis

Weekend Observations

2012-01-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

How was your weekend? I hope you had a good one!

A little of my rain soaked weekend...

That was a little of my weekend. What did you do? Any of you getting anxious for spring, like I am?

Back soon!

janis

The Weekend is here...

2012-01-27T16:59:00.000-08:00

Nina may have serious face on, but I think she knows how to have a good time. Nina is a new friend we met at this great shop in Palm Desert. Have a great weekend everyone!

By the way, I did a post for Poppytalk all about Palm Springs. If you'd like to check it out, click here.

Baked

2012-01-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Happy hump day! It is Wednesday, isn't it? I'm a bit thrown off this week. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post about Palm Springs - it was quite the adventure.

If you've been reading my blog for a bit, you may have noticed that I do like a good cracker. Any kind, really. Today I offer up rice crackers with wasabi and nori. The wasabi just gives them an extra kick, and who doesn't like that?

Rice Crackers with Wasabi & Nori - makes about 24-30

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup brown rice, cooked
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon wasabi - either from a tube or powder (I used the powder-follow instructions.)
1/4 cup chopped/crushed nori (sheets of dried seaweed)
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place rice flour, rice, wasabi, and oil in a food processor and process until finely ground. Slowly add the water while processor is running. Mix until a ball of dough forms. Transfer to your work surface and knead in the nori until well combined.

Roll into small balls, the size of a marble, and place between two pieces of wax paper. I used a small baking pan to flatten ball. You want to make sure you flatten the dough very thinly.

Place on baking sheet and bake for about 5-6 minutes, then flip over with a thin spatula. Bake for another 6-8 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and turn oven off. Mix tamari and honey together, then brush onto each cracker. Place in turned off oven for another 4 minutes, allowing them to dry. Allow to cool on a wire rack. These are pretty addictive - enjoy!

Have a great day. Back soon!

janis

Weekend Observations

2012-01-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

Hello All! How was your weekend? I just got back from 5 days in Palm Springs, and despite the massive wind storm it was great. Here's some of the weekend...

After the chaos of the Saturday wind storm (to my knowledge, there were no injuries), Sunday was a lovely day of calm...

Links:

•The Backyard Oasis exhibit, at the Palm Springs Art Museum, was fantastic. Click here for more info.

•Salton Sea is a pretty crazy place to visit. Loved it. Click here for info.

•The Hideaway is mid-century hotel, with large rooms and a lovely pool. So quiet and peaceful! Check it out here.

•Would loved to have used the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, but that wind. Click here for more info.

That kind of wraps up the weekend anyway. What did you get up to? Let me know!

Much more Palm Springs fun to share with you - will be posting on Poppytalk soon!

Back soon,

Janis

A very warm Friday

2012-01-20T21:38:00.000-08:00

Still in Palm Springs, and the shoot is going really well. I have to say, it is kind of nice to experience some warmth for a few days too. ;) Such a pretty place. To all of you that have given me tips on what to do here, merci beaucoup! I really appreciate it.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Back soon,
janis

Baked

2012-01-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

It's hump day! How's your week going so far? I got a bit snowed in today (anyone who has experienced real snow would laugh at us here in Vancouver), which worked out well as it was a huge post production kind of day for me.

Here's a treat that's not too hideous for you, and it's perfect for a day like today. Oatmeal, Chocolate, Cherry bars can be made with regular flour or they can be gluten free, which is the way I went. Pretty tasty.

Oatmeal, Chocolate, Cherry Bars - makes one 8"x12" pan

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)*
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups whole oats (not quick oats)
1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped
8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
* you can use 1 1/2 cups regular all purpose flour then omit the almond meal and guar gum

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray an 8"x12" pan with oil and line bottom with parchment paper. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, almond meal, baking soda, cinnamon, salt.

Gradually add dry mix to butter mixture and stir in until just combined. Fold in oats, chocolate and cherries. Place dough in prepared pan, and press down. Bake for about 25 minutes until a light golden brown. Enjoy!

By the way, I'm off to Palm Springs tomorrow for a shoot, and I'd love to get a list of shops and restaurants to check out. If any of you have some helpful hints, please pass it on. Thanks!

Back soon!
Janis

Weekend Observations

2012-01-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for the week? Did your weekend go by as fast as mine? Yikes. Here's a bit of my weekend....

I had to create a card for my mom, to let her know that we are taking her to Las Vegas for her birthday. I've only been once, ages ago, but did find these pics that I took of old motels. I was obsessed with them. Las Vegas looked so cute and innocent, way back then. ;)

Worked on images of Lily Ellis' (Birch and Bird) home that we shot for HGTV.ca. Here's a sneak peek for now...

Did a some grocery shopping down at Granville Island. The aqua ferry is the handiest mode of transportation.....

That was my weekend. What did you get up to? Please share!

Back soon,

janis

Hello Weekend

2012-01-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

Another busy week wraps up. Thanks for popping by!

Have a lovely weekend, all!

Back soon,
Janis

Baked

2012-01-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I completely missed Wednesday! How's your week going so far?

It was my husband's birthday yesterday so I hung with him and baked him chocolate pavlova. He's Australian, so he grew up having summertime birthdays, hence the summery pavlova ;)

Chocolate Pavlova with Raspberries - makes 4 small, or one large

4 egg whites
3/4 cup berry/caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

To top:
fresh raspberries
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
shaved chocolate

Preheat oven to 275f/140c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add sugar mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in cocoa, balsamic vinegar, and chopped chocolate.

Spoon mixture onto baking sheet and form into mini round(ish) pavlovas. With the back of a spoon, make a little well on top of each pavlova.

Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Turn oven off, open door a little, and allow to cool completely in oven. Should be crunchy on the outside and kind of like marshmallow inside. So good.

Top with a little whipped cream, raspberries and shaved chocolate. Enjoy!

Weekend Observations

2012-01-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a nice weekend! It was rainy here, but we did take a little drive to this pretty spot, Deep Cove, just 20 minutes out of Vancouver. A tiny neighbourhood plunked right by the water and mountains...

Did a little shopping here...

You can check out Room 6 here. You can shop online too ;)

and I completely jumped off my healthier eating wagon for this.....

This little drive was a nice break from working on my taxes. Sob. What did you get up to this weekend?

Have a lovely day! Back soon.

Janis

Ahh, it's Friday

2012-01-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

I just may do a little of this as it will be raining sideways all weekend, apparently.

Thanks for all your kind words and support for The Union - it's so appreciated! I hope you have a nice, relaxing weekend, where ever you are.

Back soon.
janis

Baked

2012-01-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

Happy hump day! Hope your week (and year!) is off to a good start.

Speaking of good starts, I'm trying to be just a touch healthier for at least the first month of 2012 ;) Cutting out gluten and a little sugar, when I can, is a start, and it needn't be dry, dusty, and boring. I found a recipe awhile back while in a waiting room. I couldn't tell you where it's from as there were too many people around to rip out the entire page, so I wrote it down. Heh, heh. These are so flipping good - I hope you give them a try!

Mini Chai Tea Muffins - makes 48 mini muffins

1/4 cup cane sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup apple butter or applesauce, unsweetened
1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons unsweetened powdered cocoa
1/2 cup wheat free oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chai tea mixture - steep 4 chai tea teabags in 1/2 cup hot milk. Allow to cool.
1/2 cup diced apple

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Heat milk and steep 4 chai tea teabags, and set aside to cool.

Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in apple butter and honey until well combined. Stir in the flour, almond meal, flax seed, cocoa, oats, baking powder and baking soda, while slowly pouring in the chai tea mix. Stir batter until smooth. Fold in the diced apples.
Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean.

New Year, New Restaurant

2012-01-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hello 2012! I hope you all had a great weekend. What did you get up to for New Year's Eve? Due to my incessant coughing, we had a semi-quiet night with friends. Nice way to wrap up the year.

As you may know, I'm part of a family that insists on opening restaurants. Number 4 is due to open January 4th, so I thought I'd share some pics of all of them. They were all designed by Evoke (husband and brother).

Habit is kind of like a 70's rumpus room. Paintings are by Robert Edmonds (a.k.a. my permanent date)

Latitude is a mix of marble, wood and concrete. Food and cocktail style is Latin American.

The Cascade Room is located right beside Habit. It's a modern British style "pub". I love the Queen Victoria lamp shades.

Introducing the newest member of the group, The Union. These pics were taken yesterday, while frantic set up was taking place. South East Asian street food in a reclaimed wood, concrete and tile setting. I was asked to get some shots of the neighbourhood, focusing on textures and colour, for the backlit bar cabinets (pictured above). I want to do this in our kitchen!

You'll find The Union, right next to the Jimi Hendrix shrine (go figure) on Union Street in Chinatown/Strathcona neighbourhood. Purple Haze. Love it.

If you pop by, be sure to check out these great shops all on the same block:

Charlie and Lee

Jett Grrl Bike Studio

The Board of Trade

Land

Hogan's Alley Cafe

Have a great day everyone! Back soon.

Janis

Final Friday of 2011

2011-12-30T18:08:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's the last weekend of the year. Where did it all go? It's been so nice getting to know you all. Thanks for all your support, lovely comments, and for getting me hooked on some seriously good blogs all over the world!

Wishing you all a fantastic New Year's weekend. Here's to a perfect 2012 for all!

Back soon,
janis
x

Baked

2011-12-28T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well hello everyone! How was your Christmas? I've spent the last 6 days bed or couch bound due to a Yuletide cold/flu (what is the difference anyway?). I did pop out to my mom's for Christmas day, but that was it. Hope you managed to breeze through the holiday bug free!

I tried out a recipe for our New Year's Eve get together. Yum. Have you made yorkshire pudding before? I grew up eating it pretty much every Sunday, but only recently starting making them myself. I thought I'd make mini ones, then top them with a mushroom compote along with a little gruyere cheese. Bite (maybe two!) size and perfect for a cocktail party.

Mini Yorkshire Pudding with Mushroom Compote - makes about 24

1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
4 oz all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
about 1/3 cup vegetable oil for mini muffin tin

Mushroom Compote: You might want to double this recipe. I did.

4.5 oz mixed mushrooms, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1.5 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine
3 tablespoons olive oil

To make yorkshire pudding: Preheat oven to 425f. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. Make a well in the flour mixture, and whisk in the 3 beaten eggs. Add the milk, a bit at a time, while whisking away. Your batter should be a little thicker than unwhipped whipping cream. Refrigerate batter for 30 minutes.

12 minutes before you take out your batter, place 1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil in each cup of the mini muffin tin. Place in oven and heat until it smokes, about 12 minutes. Take pan out of oven and place on a stove top element/flame set on low (I do this so the oil stays as hot as possible while I pour batter into tin cups). Put one tablespoon of batter in each cup, working quickly, then place back in oven. Your oil really needs to be super hot, so the puddings rise high and are light and airy.

Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, until puffed high and golden brown. Really try not to open the oven door while cooking, as they may flatten. Place on a wire rack to cool.

To make compote: In a large pan, on medium low, heat up your oil, then add onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, red wine and thyme, and cook for another 10 minutes.

To assemble: Warm up yorkshire puddings in a 350f/180c oven for about 5 minutes. Top with a small piece of gruyere and a spoonful of the compote.

I'm definitely going to make these for the party. Pretty easy and, if you're not shooting the process, or getting over a yuletide bug, it takes no time at all. ;)

Back soon!

Janis

Joyful Friday

2011-12-23T17:20:00.000-08:00

If you're celebrating Hanukkah, I hope you have a great one too!

Thanks for checking in with me this week, and for leaving such lovely comments. It means a lot!

I'll be back next week...

janis

Yarn + Trees

2011-12-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Hump day before Christmas!

I found myself, last minute, in Seattle late Monday night into the very wee hours of Tuesday. We saw Prince play at a nightclub, after his arena show. Wow and wow. Absolutely amazing. I was 5 feet away from that magical man. The show wrapped up at 4am and on the way home (2.5 hours away), we saw this spectacular display of yarn bombing. They looked beautiful in the dark with no one around.

I feel like knitting our tiny tree, in our back yard, a Christmas sweater now ;)

Back soon!
Janis

Baked

2011-12-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

Where have the last few weeks gone? Is it really Christmas this weekend? Wow.

I've made some mocha shortbread for a little get together. Nothing like a coffee/chocolate combo. FYI, I have made these with gluten free all purpose flour and they taste the same. If you do use a gluten free flour, make sure to add 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum as well.

Mocha Shortbread - made about 22 cookies with the tree shaped cutter

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 teaspoons instant coffee granules

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Cream butter until light and creamy. Beat in icing sugar and coffee granules. Sift over top the flour and cocoa and mix well. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out whatever shapes you like. Place on baking sheet, one inch apart, and bake for about 20 minutes. That's it. Done. Easy. Delicious.

Do you heaps of baking on the agenda for the week? Do you try something new every year, or do you have your family traditions that you can't do without? Let me know!

Back soon,
janis

Weekend Observations

2011-12-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

Didn't get much shopping done. Oh well, there's always tomorrow ;) What did you get up to this weekend?

Back soon!

Janis

Joy to the World, it's Friday

2011-12-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

The week got away from me! How was yours? I leave you this week with something I wish I had right now.

By the way, I did a post earlier in the week, over at the Poppytalk. I still have 15 more of these to make for our family Christmas dinner ;)

Have a lovely weekend! Back soon.
Janis

Baked

2011-12-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Did you have a nice weekend?

I baked some Fruit and Nut Biscotti over the weekend - not too sweet and it can last for a couple of weeks. Not that I expect this will be sitting around for long. ;)

I got the original recipe from Canadian Living, but have made a few changes. This version is gluten-free (would never know it!) and is minus the golden raisins as I'm not a fan of them.

Fruit and Nut Biscotti - makes about 18 think slices

4 egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

3/4 cup gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)*

1/4 teaspoon guar gum*

1/3 cup whole almonds

1/3 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 cup candied orange peel (I had some left over from last week)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

* if using all-purpose flour, you use the same amount and omit the guar gum

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line the bottom and sides of a 9"x5" loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

Sift together the flour and guar gum and sprinkle half over top of mixture. Fold in, then add remaining flour mixture. If using all purpose flour, sift flour directly over top egg white mixture. Add the almonds, pistachios, orange peel, and cranberries and fold in. Scrape mixture into prepared pan, and smooth out top.

Bake until firm and pale golden, 35 minutes. Let cool in pan, on rack, for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, peel off paper and allow to cool completely. Wrap and place in freezer until firm but not frozen, 30 minutes. Using a sharp (seriously sharp) serrated knife, cut into thin slices, about 3mm thick. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, 1/2 inch apart, and bake in a 300f oven for about 18 minutes until golden and crisp. Allow to cool on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Back soon!
Janis

Sunday Observations

2011-12-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

Had a pretty quiet day today.....and it was so needed. Hope you had a lovely, relaxing Sunday too.

This is what I got up to....

Now I'm just finishing up a post for Poppytalk. Must wrap it up tonight! What did you get up to today?

Back soon!

janis

Festive Friday

2011-12-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

Another week comes to a close...and it feels like a blur! I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Back soon,
Janis

Holiday Inspiration for Charities

2011-12-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

How's your week going? The week is whizzing by and I still haven't bought any Christmas presents. Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Late last year, the editors at Style At Home magazine asked 8 photographers if they would submit a holiday image for this year's December issue. Something they were inspired by during the holidays. All of the images selected would be 8x10, and available for purchase for $100 with proceeds benefiting various charities. I was one of the photographers asked, and I decided to donate the proceeds to The Arthritis Society. I think this is a fantastic idea, and I'm so happy to be part of it. I hope they do it again next year!

We each submitted a few photos and, from my selection, they chose this BW image. My husband and I were in Australia last Christmas, so they do have that Aussie, summery, feel to them.

I'm happy to say, I have sold a few already! I thought I'd offer up the other two images for The Arthritis Society as well. They will be printed on a beautiful, matte, archival paper, and signed. If you are interested in purchasing any of these images, please contact me directly. I would be pleased to take your money, send you a print, and hand over another cheque to The Arthritis Society.

To see the other photographer's images, and the charities they've chosen, check out the December issue of Style At Home. Have a lovely day!

Back soon,
Janis

Baked

2011-12-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

How was your weekend? Hope it was a fun one.

I'm slowly getting festive around here, so I baked the first of my Christmassy baking. Orange Almond Stars are a German (one half of my heritage) recipe that I've had for years. I can't recall where I found it, but I have changed it up a bit. These are addictive, and not quite as sweet as they sound ;)

Orange Almond Stars - makes about 48 using a 1.5 inch star cutter

3 egg yolks
2/3 cup berry/caster sugar
2 cups finely ground almond or almond meal (I always buy almond meal, as I can't grind it that finely)
Zest of one large orange, finely grated
1 egg beaten, for glaze

Icing:
150g icing/confectioner's sugar
1-2 tablespoons water or milk (I used 2 tablespoons water because I prefer it a little runny)
Top with candied orange peel

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar with an electric whisk for about one minute or until light and fluffy. Stir in the almond meal and zest to make a firm dough.

Sprinkle icing sugar on your work surface, and rolling pin, and roll out dough. Cut out stars (or any shape), prick with a fork, and transfer to baking sheet. Brush egg on each star, and bake for about 8 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To make icing, place icing sugar in a small bowl, add water and stir until smooth. Top with a few tiny bits of candied orange peel. Place iced cookies on a wire rack, and allow to harden. If you'd like the recipe for candied orange peel, let me know!

That's it for today! Have a lovely day.

Back soon,
Janis

Sunday Observations

2011-12-04T17:19:00.000-08:00

My husband, Robert, working on an installation for our new restaurant, The Union. Finally opening very soon!

Took a break at Dr. Sun Yat Sen garden in Chinatown, one of my favourite spots in Vancouver. I've mentioned this garden many times, but I have to brag a bit for them - they were chosen the number 1 city garden, in the world, by National Geographic in NG's new book, Secret Journeys of a Lifetime. If you're in the Vancouver area on December 21st, you should check out the lantern festival - it's magical.

Now, for a flashback to Saturday...

Popped by the Fieldstone Vintage Market in Abbotsford. The ladies of Birch and Bird, have once again put on a great event. If I hadn't broken a ball filled with feathers (top right), and sent the contents flying around, I would have stayed longer. Thanks to Twig for letting me off the hook. Sorry guys!

We spent a day with our friend Paul Wood in his fantastic letterpress studio. Paul's an old pro at it, and my husband is pretty skilled too, so it was nice to be allowed to play with the big boys. Our cards are below....I did the little one, with the pinecone ;)

Well, that was my weekend. What did you get up too? Anything festive?

Back soon!

Janis

The Weekend Has Arrived

2011-12-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

I took this shot last December in Australia. I loved the festive wreath dangling off this perfectly rusted post box. I would love to be there right now. Sigh.

I hope you've got a great weekend planned! I plan to check out the Fieldstone Vintage Market, taking place in Abbotsford on Saturday December 3rd. Maybe see you there?

Back soon,
Janis

A Symphony of White

2011-12-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

Hope your week is going well! I'm swimming in a sea of bed linens all this week, either at an actual shoot, or doing post production. Whew. This is a giant job. I love Ami Mckay, so it makes it easy!

If you've been reading my blog for a bit, you know that I shoot a variety of homes for magazines. Thought I'd share a very white one with you. Personally, I'm not "tidy" enough to pull of all that white ;)
The homeowners, Trish (owner of Principessa) and Angelo, designed and built the house. How does one build one's own home? I wish I had that skill. They have since sold it, and are working on their new home right next door to this one. Apparently it's going to be quite different than this one. Looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

What are your thoughts on white? What's your home style? I'd love to know!

Back soon,
Janis

Baked

2011-11-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hope your week is off to a good start!

I'm a huge fan of the humble cracker, and I make them a lot this time of year. They have so many uses. Dips, soups, and just snacking. Love them. I baked a batch of gluten free crackers with middle eastern spices. So flipping tasty. You can use any spice/herb combo you like, really. I'm loving experimenting with gluten free recipes too. Not that I have to steer clear, but it is a bit healthier especially if you're constantly baking, and eating what you bake. ;)

Snack Crackers - makes about 4 dozen

(a re-worked version of Bob's Red Mill crackers)

3/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 tablespoon ground cumin

3/4 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons water

coarse salt to sprinkle on tops of crackers

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Place all dry ingredients in a bowl (except coarse salt) and whisk until well combined. Add olive oil and water and stir until it forms a ball ( I use my hands for this bit). If the dough is too crumbly (see pic at left, below), add a teaspoon of water to form a ball of dough.

Divide the dough in half, and roll out to about 1/8 or 1/16 of an inch. Best to sprinkle a little flour on your rolling pin before rolling out. Use whatever kind of cookie/biscuit cutter you like, to cut out shapes. I used a 2" circle for this batch. Poke a few holes, with a fork, on the tops of each cracker. Transfer, using a thin spatula, to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle tops with a little coarse salt. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and place crackers on a wire cooling rack. Place rack back on baking sheet, and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack.

I created a small card and packaged some up to give as a little thank you gift, along with some cheese and chutney. They are so good. It's hard to stop eating them! If you make some, let me know what you think.

One more thing...I did up a holiday gift guide over at Poppytalk. If you've got shopping on your mind, check it out!

Back soon,

Janis

Sunday Observations

2011-11-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

I could use one more Sunday, before Monday. Oh well! Hope you all had a great weekend!

This is a bit of what I got up to today....

What did you do today? If you're in Canada, are you watching the Grey Cup? I'm not ;)
Have a lovely night!

Back soon,
Janis

Let the weekend begin

2011-11-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

I'm wrapping up the week with a cute deer that I ran into, while on a shoot on Mayne Island. He was just about to bolt....he really didn't want to pose for me.

Have a great weekend!

Back soon.
Janis

'Tis the Season

2011-11-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for a little more Christmas. Happy Hump day, all!

I shot this story with my friend Heather Cameron and sister-in-law/sometime assistant, Kate Keeler. It's the 110 year old home of Colleen, owner of a shop called Roses and Rutabagas. The full story is in the "100+ Favourite Holiday Ideas" - a special issue of Style At Home.

One of the things I like best about my job, is seeing all kinds of different Christmas decor. I love seeing everyone's take on the season. What's your holiday style?

Have a great day! Back soon.
Janis

Baked

2011-11-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

I've baked various versions of this cake a few times now. I found the recipe in Chatelaine magazine, but I did make some changes to make it a little less "gluten free" in taste and texture. You should definitely give this one a shot if you need to bake something chocolatey, delicious, and gluten free!

Chocolate Cake - makes one 9" cake

1 cup milk, at room temp
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon guar gum (can find in specialty food stores and it's cheap!)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:
1 cup 33% cream (whipping cream)
110 g unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons honey

To make cake:
Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray a 9 inch round cake pan with oil. You can also use a 10" bundt pan, but I don't have one of those ;)
Whisk together milk and coffee in a large bowl, until coffee has completely dissolved. Whisk in eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, and guar gum, then add to milk mixture. Whisk well. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake in centre of oven until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean, about 25- 30 minutes. Allow cake to cool in pan, completely, on a wire rack before inverting onto a cake plate.

To make glaze:
Heat cream in a small saucepan until almost comes to a boil. Add chocolate and stir until just melted. Stir in honey. Drizzle over top of cake. Enjoy!

If you make this cake, I'd love to know what you think. I love it. Another good thing is that it's pretty high in protein and fibre, due to the flour mix. ;)

That's it for now. Hope your week is off to a good start!
Back soon,
Janis

Sunday Observations

2011-11-20T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hope you've all had a nice, lazy, Sunday. I was planning on being completely lazy, but it hasn't quite worked out that way today. Such is the life of a freelancer!

Here is a bit of my day....

Home Made Home by Mark and Sally Bailey.

Heather Ross In House is located in Vancouver.

Ami Mckay is an interior designer, based in Vancouver.

I was asked to be part of the "So Canadian, Eh" series over at HodgePodge. I can honestly say, I'm not used to being interviewed, but Barbara made it pretty easy.

That was my Sunday. What did you get up to? Now, I must go and get lazy.

Back soon!

janis

Banquet for Friday

2011-11-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

Well, that week was a blur! I'm really looking forward to catching up on some serious blog reading. I'm a week behind on posts! How's your week been?

Thought I'd wrap up a busy week, with the talented ladies, Sarah and Tammy, of Banquet. I had the pleasure of shooting them for the Storewatch page in this month's House and Home. Their screen printed cards, note books, and large prints are fantastic.

Have to say, my faves are the ship, burrowing animals and the gold heart (not pictured). Not only Sarah and Tammy talented, they fed us warm croissants. How can I not love them?

Have a great weekend!

Back soon,

Janis

A little Christmas for hump day

2011-11-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Happy hump day! How's your week going so far?

I shot this Christmas story last Christmas, for Style at Home, and it's on news stands now. It was such a dark and gloomy day, so my assistant, Karen, and I had to be on our toes. Long exposures and lots of reflecting! Thought I'd share some of the day with you....

Angela Robinson is a Vancouver interior designer, and she produced this story along with Jamie Deck. They created most of the props - love that. The bird's nest advent calendar was a clever idea!

Angela busy at work, attaching the birds nests while the little ladies of the house observe.

A little Italian treat, baked by the homeowner, to keep us going on this long shoot.

Erin McLaughlin, editor-in-chief of Style At Home, vacuums up bits of nest before we start shooting.

The kitchen smelled great. Cookies everywhere. Naturally, I was all over it. Angela kept the decoration simple, with a loose garland of cedar and glass ornaments for the window.

A glimpse at some of the other handmade goodness that was going on for this story. Love the family's name spelled out in a variety of sizes and types of letters, for the front door.

After a long day, the cookies/props could finally, be eaten.

Check out the December issue of Style At Home - full of Christmas inspiration.

Back soon!

Janis

Baked

2011-11-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

Hope your Monday has been a good one! Did you have a nice weekend?

I baked Tamale Pie over the weekend - a tried and true recipe that several members of my family have been making forever. It's super easy, delicious, and good for you (which is different for me, I know).

Tamale Pie - makes one large (about a 7x10x3 inch casserole) or 4 small

1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red or green pepper, chopped
2 cups pinto beans*
2 cups red kidney beans*
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable juice
* this works out to about 3 small cans of beans. I like to soak, and cook my own beans, then freeze them.

Cornbread topping:
2/3 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 red chilli peppers, finely chopped
1/2 cup cheddar or parmesan cheese, finely grated

To make the bean filling: Preheat oven to 350f/180c. In a large pot, saute onion, garlic and pepper with a little olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, cilantro, cumin, chilli powder, and vegetable juice. Cook for another 10 minutes. Pour bean mixture into one large casserole dish, or your small oven proof dishes (this is how I like to do it).

To make cornbread topping: In one medium bowl, combine all ingredients, and mix well. Like I said, it's super easy! Spoon mixture on top of each casserole dish. Pop into oven and bake for about 30 minutes for small casseroles, or about 40 minutes for the large, or until tops are golden brown.

That's it! Easy. If you try it out, I'd love to know!

Back soon.
Janis

Sunday Observations

2011-11-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

Actually, it's more of a weekend observations kind of thing. I've been working but did manage to fit in a fun letterpress work shop, and a quick bit of shopping. What did you get up to this weekend?

I took part in a letterpress workshop with Kristin Lui of National Press, along with 6 others including my pal Jan, of Poppytalk. Heaps of fun. I hope they offer up another workshop soon (there is so much to learn!).

We had to choose between 3 typefaces, then decide if we wanted to print in gold or black. Luckily, everyone went with gold (or no colour at all) to keep the cleaning to a minimum.

It took awhile for everyone to work out what they wanted to do, for their cards, and the set up took a bit longer. Once the type was all set up and locked in, it took no time at all to print 20 cards. So much fun.

Voila. I had a card at the end of it all. Thanks Kristin!

I picked up this cute sheep here. The proceeds go to back to Tibetan refugees. I love that.

That was my weekend, along with some work. I hope you all had a great weekend!

Back soon.

Janis

Rainy Fridays are Fine

2011-11-11T17:23:00.000-08:00

It's a windy, rainy Remembrance Day, here in Vancouver, and I'm looking forward to the long weekend. If it's Remembrance Day where you are (or something similar), did you remember to remember?

What have you got planned for your weekend?

Back soon!
janis

There's a new shop in town

2011-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

I checked out a new shop near my home, called Much and Little. Sarah, the owner, has put together a fantastic collection of handmade items, household goods, and fashion, sourced locally and beyond. Here's a peek...

If you're in the Vancouver area, you should pop in and say hi. You won't be disappointed.

Back soon!

Janis

Baked

2011-11-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hope your Monday has been a good one! It's a very dreary, rainy, day here in Vancouver, which is fine with me. Lots of photo editing to do, so it keeps me inside glued to my computer.

I baked a really easy almond cake over the weekend. So flipping good. It's great on it's own, but adding baked orange slices makes it even better. Next time, I might make the oranges boozy. ;)

Almond Cake with Baked Oranges - makes one round 8 inch cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

To make cake: Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly butter and flour cake tin, and knock remaining flour.
With a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the almond meal, almond extract, eggs and flour and beat until well combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin, place in oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until cake is just coming away from edge of pan. Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Baked Oranges

3 large oranges, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

remaining juice squeezed from peel

To make baked oranges: Peel and slice oranges, then arrange in an oven proof pan or baking dish.

Squeeze remaining juice from peel, and drizzle over top of sliced oranges. Sprinkle brown sugar over top. Place pan under the broiler and cook until they start to bubble and colour, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Place a couple of slices, along with a little juice, on top of each slice of cake. Enjoy!!

That's it for today! Back soon.
Janis

Sunday Observatons

2011-11-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. Sunday does seem to come around rather quickly, doesn't it?

This is what I've been up to today...

Pouring through all the shots of this beautiful jewelry, designed by the talented Shereen De Rousseau. I shot her new line of necklaces, bracelets and earrings, recently. Check out her entire line here.

Jingle Bells! It's Christmas at The Cross, and I shot it all the other day. Today is post production, and there are heaps of pics to go through. They have a huge selection this year. FYI, their customer appreciation night is coming up on November 16th.

One last thing...I changed up my banner. I'm quite loving deep plum and orangey colours these days!

That was my Sunday. What did you get up to? If you "fell back" this weekend, did you enjoy your extra hour of sleep?

Back soon!

Janis

Welcome to the weekend

2011-11-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

I shot these horses for a story about Eco farming for Sunset magazine (it's in the November issue). To be honest horses terrify me (thank you grade nine P.E. teacher for making me ride a horse named "Streak"), but I love shooting them. They're beautiful creatures.

Have a great weekend! Back on Sunday.
Janis

Colourful City Living

2011-11-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

Happy hump day! How's your week going? Hope it's been stress-free. Any of you still stealing candy from your kid's or niece's/nephew's candy bags? I am. ;)

Issue #5 of Anthology is out - yeah! I shot a very cute apartment for it, designed by Peter Wilds (formerly of The Cross). The homeowner, Carol Dey, is a world traveller and has some great little collections from her travels. Here's a snippet.....

I love her collections from her travels, and the woman isn't afraid of colour. Love her. You can see more pics, and read Carol's story in the new issue of Anthology. I had a sneak peek - looks like another fantastic issue.

Back soon!
Janis

Baked

2011-10-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you're having a good Monday.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was inspired by all things Mexican on our recent little trip to California, so I've baked some Mexican brownies. They have a hit of cayenne, and are moist and delicious.

Mexican Brownies - makes one 8" square pan (about 9 slices)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup almond meal

2 large eggs, each egg beaten separately

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Butter and flour an 8 inch square pan, knocking out excess flour.

In a saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Remove pan from heat, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Once cooled, pour melted chocolate into a medium size bowl, add sugar and almond meal and combine. Add beaten eggs, one at a time, and beat well with a wooden spoon until batter is smooth and glossy. Stir in flour, cayenne, cinnamon and salt until just combined. Do not over mix. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake for 23-25 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out with crumbs attached. Cool brownies completely in pan before cutting.

Chocolate glaze:

1 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 1/2 tablespoons milk

To make glaze:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk until smooth and glossy. Spoon onto brownies, and enjoy!

Bye for now! Have a spooky night.

Janis

Sunday Observatons

2011-10-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope you've had a good weekend. What did you get up to? I worked a little, cleaned a little, and crafted a little....

Inspired by all the lovely Mexican decoration and celebrations going on while in California and at Disnelyland. Day of the Dead takes place on November 1st and 2nd. Learn about it here.

Check out Gallant & Jones here.

Well, that's been my Sunday. Now to watch a couple of horror flicks and get mentally prepared for Halloween. Have a good night!

Back soon.

Janis

Cushions for Friday

2011-10-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Hope you've had a great week.

I had the pleasure of shooting these beautiful cushions designed David Keeler and Robert Quinell of Provide, a fantastic shop here in Vancouver. They've recently added a collection of their own products, called Provide Made. They're made by highly skilled artisans in India, from hand-woven silk dyed in stunning colours from fuschia to eggplant. Love these cushions.

Aren't they beautiful? If you're in the Vancouver area, check out Provide and say hi to Robert and David!

Have a great weekend. Back soon!

Janis

Baked

2011-10-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

That's exactly how I feel today after 4 days at Disneyland! It was heaps of fun, but wow I can't believe how exhausting it was at the same time ;) How's everything going for all of you? Hope your week's off to a good start.

With Reese's peanut butter cups on my mind (I pinch them from my nephew's Halloween candy bags), I baked some chocolatey, peanut buttery cookies.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies - makes about 30 cookies (15 sandwiches)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour for this batch)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
8oz/250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (I used unsweetened)
4 tablespoons whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350f/180c.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder, add chopped chocolate then set aside. In another bowl, beat the sugar and butter until creamy. Mix the yogurt and egg yolk together, then add to the butter mixture along with the vanilla. Beat until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.

Roll into balls, and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, and flatten a little. Bake for about 17-20 minutes, or until a golden colour around edges. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make filling: In a small bowl, beat together all ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread icing on the bottom half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies. Voila!

Enjoy!

Have a great day. Back soon.
Janis

A Varied Week

2011-10-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! How's your week been? Hope it's been a stress-free one. I can't believe it's Thursday....and I'm leaving for Disneyland with my husband, sister, and our nephew Jake. He's so excited (and the adults are too, we just don't admit it ;) )

Thought I'd share some images of my week with you. I've had a real variety of shoots over the last few days. Here's a snippet of them.

I shot some pretty products for Principessa Beauty...

a fun story for Anthology magazine....

and a bunch of different locations for a travel story for Sunset magazine....

Also, if you feel like being creeped out, check out a Halloween post I did for Poppytalk. Spooky dolls, anyone? While you're at Poppytalk, you should take a look at all the submissions for her Autumn Colours Week. So many pretty pics from so many camera happy people!

That's it until next Tuesday. What are your plans for the weekend? Where ever you are, and whatever you do, have fun!

Take care,
janis

Baked

2011-10-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hello to a brand new week. Hope your Monday has been a good one!

Pomegranates are plentiful these days, so I thought I'm make one of my favourite snacks - Pomegranate Apple & Pistachio Bread. The recipe is a pretty big one, so I made one large loaf, and 4 mini loaves. Love a mini bread ;)

3 cups spelt flour (definitely feel free to swap the spelt for all purpose flour!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup apples, finely chopped
1 cup pomegranate arils
3/4 cup chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 350f/180c.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, sugar, and brown sugar. Set aside. Melt butter, then mix in a small bowl, with the applesauce. Beat eggs and milk together, add to the applesauce/butter mixture and mix together then add to the dry ingredients. Add the chopped apples, pomegranate arils and pistachios then stir together until just blended. Don't over mix the batter, or your bread could end up on the tough side ;)

Pour mixture into two 8 inch by 4 inch loaf tins, that have been lightly greased (I made one large loaf, and 4 mini loaves instead). Bake for about 45-50 minutes (large loaf pan) and about 25 minutes for the mini loaves, or until a skewer inserted in centre, comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes before removing from tins. Enjoy!

Have a great day!
Back soon,
Janis

Sunday Observatons

2011-10-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great weekend! I've been indoors most the day, working on an upcoming post for one of my fave blogs, Poppytalk, and cleaning our house. Took a quick break to enjoy the sunshine, so I just have a couple of observations to share. Thought I'd spare you shots of scrubbing bathrooms ;)

Hello Sunshiny Friday

2011-10-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

A sunshiny Autumn day picture to start the weekend. Thanks for stopping by this week!

Have a fun weekend!

Back soon,
Janis

PS
For those of you that requested the recipe for the rosemary spiced nuts, (from last Sunday) here it is:

1 lb of unsalted mixed nuts, toasted (I used cashews, almonds and pecans)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375f. Spread out the nuts on a baking sheet and toast until they are a light golden colour, about 10 minutes. Watch that you don't burn them (easy to do ;))
In a large saucepan, mix together the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt, pepper and melted butter, and cook and stir over medium heat for a minute. Add the nuts and continue to stir and cook for another couple of minutes to coat the nuts. Serve warm(ish) and enjoy! they are addictive.

A little wood, concrete and metal

2011-10-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Happy hump day! Wednesdays are turning out to be my fun days. I had another great morning with Stephanie and Joanna, from The Cross, shooting a bunch of their projects. I just wanted to share a snippet of Joanna's apartment with you....

Joanna, shot at the Cross.

Love her mix of concrete, wood, and metal. Her condo is pretty tiny (600 sf ft), but she manages to make it feel roomy. A great space to hang out in. She's working on a few bits, so I'm looking forward to sharing more with you soon. If you need design services, you can check out some of Joanna's work here.

That's it for today. Back soon!
Janis

Baked

2011-10-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving Canada! Hope you've all had a great weekend.

We're in the middle setting up for our huge family dinner (19 people), and these tasty crackers are part of the cocktail snacks. Dead simple to make...perfect for a large dinner party. This was one quick recipe today! Love that.

Thyme Parmesan Crackers - makes about 4 dozen

2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375f. Place the flour, thyme, salt, parmesan cheese and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor running, add milk and mix until a dough form. Knead dough a few times, on a lightly floured surface, then break into 4 pieces, flatten and wrap separately. Chill for about 30 minutes, or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough into a very thin rectangle, then transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Lightly score into strips or diamond shapes, then brush with egg white. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack then snap off individual crackers. Enjoy with with a cocktail!

Sunday Observations

2011-10-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

Having a nice Sunday? What did you get up to today? If you're in Canada, you just may be eating turkey and stuffing ;)

I just got back from a meeting of fellow business owners on Union Street, in Chinatown/Strathcona. If you haven't been to the area in awhile, you have to visit soon. We're so excited to be part of this strip of Union Street (located on the same strip as the Jimi Hendrix shrine! Did you know he had a "shrine" here?)

Click here, to check out their online shop!

For more, click here.

Website is up and at 'em. More info to come!

My giant family Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow, but we are heading to a friend's for their Thanksgiving tonight so I made this....

(if you'd like the recipe, just ask me!)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Back soon.

Janis

Long Weekends are lovely

2011-10-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

Have a lovely weekend, and a long one if you're in Canada! It's our Thanksgiving on Monday. Can't wait.
(By the way, I love my friend's purple shoes.)

Back soon!
Janis

City Living

2011-10-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

Have you had a good week so far? Hope so!

I shot a another city condo today, this time for Mark Pritchard - a very talented interior designer. I always marvel at the clever ways he works in storage space into condos. He's a magic man. Here are a few pics from the shoot. Wish I could show them all, but I can't...just yet. ;) Love the black side table, above. You can find it at Provide.

Loved the cushions, from Provide. A fantastic shop here in Vancouver.

My dream dining table. Love the pops of colour in the trio of paintings.

Perfectly organized kitchen, with pull out "counters" hidden amongst the cupboards.

The bedroom was so calming. Loved the dark wood panelled "wall" with the glow of light framing it.

I actually shot Mark's home, that he shares with his husband Daryl, a few years ago for Style At Home. You can check it out here.

Have a good day! Back soon.

Janis

Baked

2011-10-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

I'm having the laziest of lazy days. My first full day off in quite some time, so I'm catching up on emails, and doing a little baking. How's your Monday going (or gone!)?

This cake is so good, and perfect for the rainy day we're having here in Vancouver. The combo of the spice cake, pears and walnuts is perfect. I'm thinking of making this for Thanksgiving next week. Hmmm.

Pear Upside Down Spice Cake - serves about 8

For topping (or bottom, depending on how you look at it):

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, sliced in thin pieces

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 pears, cored and cut into thin slices

a handful of walnut halves

For spice cake:

2 3/4 cup whole spelt flour (you can use all purpose flour if you like!)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

To make the topping: Lightly spray a 9" cake pan with cooking spray. Layer bottom of pan with the 1/4 cup cold butter slices, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over top. Add the layer of pear slices and walnuts.

To make the spice cake: Preheat oven to 350f. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In another bowl, beat the 1/2 cup softened butter, brown sugar, eggs, molasses, applesauce, and milk until well blended. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, into liquid mixture until well blended. Pour cake mixture over layered pears and walnuts, spreading out batter evenly. Bake for 20 minutes at 350f, then lower oven to 325f and bake for another 25 minutes, or until a skewer, inserted in centre of cake, comes out clean. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, before turning out onto a cake plate. Enjoy!!

That's it for today! Back soon.

Janis

Sunday Observations (and a couple from Saturday!)

2011-10-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

How was your weekend? Hope you had a fun one! I spent a lot of time at the idsWest show, so thought I'd share some of it with you. It's a pretty long list of "observations", but it was a pretty great show, so it was hard to narrow down!

Must have a fatboy, one of these days. So comfortable!

The fantastic team, Artsy!Dartsy! put together an amazing group of young designers. Pictured top left is ceramic art by Sarah Peloquin-Ladany, bottom left is nuum planter by Lavinia Chu.

Inform Interiors is a beautiful modern furniture store located in the Gastown area of Vancouver. Loved those chairs (top left).

The Tom Dixon Pub. I think I need those copper pendant lights. They give off the most flattering light ;)

A very cute scene at the Montauk display.

Rubbish Rehab, from Seattle. This husband and wife team are pretty fantastic upholsterers. Wish I met them before a certain chair re-do. If you have a minute, check out their shop! I have my eye on a few of the mid-century style chairs. Love.

This is Barbara Hulanicki, of Biba fame. I've had a bit of an obsession with her for years, so there was no way I was going to miss her at the idsWest show. If you need a refresher on this incredibly talented and creative woman, click here. You will love her too ;)

Last but not least, a Saturday observation...

It was so nice to be asked to shoot the Design Sponge event last night. Great to meet Grace Bonney and Amy Azzarito. Always fun to hang out with Jan of Poppytalk and Denise Lui of Artsy!Dartsy! too.

That's it for Sunday! Back soon.

Janis

Happy Friday!

2011-09-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

I hope you've all had a great week! Any big plans for the weekend? I'll be shooting Grace Bonney's, queen of Design Sponge, book signing, at Anthropologie in Vancouver tomorrow night. If you're attending, please say hi. I'll be hanging out with Jan, of Poppytalk, as well!

I leave you with a couple of images from a shoot for House and Home, the other day. Can't wait to show you the entire, amazing, home!

Have a lovely weekend!

Back on Sunday!
Janis

Baked

2011-09-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hello new week! My last super busy week for a bit and, I have to admit, I'm looking forward to a wee break. How's your week shaping up?

These cookies help me when I'm glued to my computer. So good. I make them with spelt and whole wheat flour, and they taste just as good as using all purpose flour. My wheat experiment continues ;)

Double Chocolate Macadamia Cookies - makes about 24

1/2 cup whole wheat flour*

1/2 cup spelt flour*

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup golden brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup mixed white and dark chocolate, chopped into pieces

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

* you can substitute the whole wheat and spelt flours for one cup all purpose.

Preheat oven to 350f/180c.

Whisk together the flours and baking soda in a medium bowl. In another bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla, mixing well. Add the flour mixture and mix together well. Add the chocolate pieces and nuts and blend well. Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown around edges. Cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!

Sunday Observations

2011-09-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I was very happy to wake up to side-ways rain, as I had heaps of editing to do from the past week. It's amazing how fast things can snowball. Ouch.

Other than editing hundreds of images, this is what I observed today......

I sewed up a set of coasters, with vintage fabric, and baked some house shaped cookies, to add to a house warming gift. I love the abstract floral pattern.

That was my Sunday. What did you get up to? Hope you had a lovely day!

Back soon.

Janis

Hello Autumn, See You Summer

2011-09-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Happy first day of autumn! Are you an autumn person? I think it just may be my favourite season...well, at least the first month of it. ;)

If you find yourself in Abbotsford tomorrow, be sure to check out the Fieldstone Vintage Market. I had a sneak peek at some of the vendors, and it's looking pretty fantastic. Maybe see you there?

Back soon!

Janis

A Morning at the Cross

2011-09-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Happy mid-week! How's your week going so far? Mine's another busy one, but fun. Thought I'd share some images from a shoot I did at the Cross - a lovely shop here in Vancouver. They have a great mix of product that will suit the girly girl (or boy), to the not-so girly girl (that would be me!).

If you live the in the Vancouver area, I'm sure you're familiar with The Cross. If you don't live in the area, lucky for you they have an online shop. ;)

The winner of my calendar give away is......
Mise of Pretty Far West! Whoohoo!

Back soon!
janis

Baked

2011-09-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

How're you all doing? Hope your Monday has been a good one!

I baked some rice pudding for a little brunch this weekend, perfect for the sudden change in weather. I've never been a huge rice pudding fan, so for this recipe I used coconut milk instead of cream (I don't like a real creamy taste), and brown rice, because I seem to still be on this health kick, though I have to say, I think I like brown rice better ;) It turned out well, I'm happy to say.

Baked Rice Pudding with Cherries and Pears - serves about 6

2 cups cooked brown or white rice
1 400mg can coconut milk (I used a light version)
1 vanilla bean, split down centre, and seeds scraped out
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 cup chopped pears (any kind will do. I used bosc)
Juice and zest of one lemon
1/2 cup sliced roasted pecans (to top)

Lightly spray a 8 inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375f.
Chop up pears in small cubes and toss, in a small bowl, with the juice and zest of one lemon. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together, rice, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon, cherries and pears. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil, stir and continue baking for about another 20 minutes, uncovered, until the rice is really tender. Allow to cool a little before eating. Top with some chopped pecans. Voila. So good.

Do you like rice pudding? I think it's either a love or hate thing. Let me know if you give it a try!

One more little reminder - if you missed Friday's post, click here to enter the give away. I'll make the draw sometime on Wednesday the 21st. Bonne chance!

Back soon!
Janis

Sunday Observations

2011-09-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope you've had a lovely Sunday. Here's a little of my day...

Robert Edmond's show opening is September 21st at Walrus, in Vancouver. If you're in the Vancouver area, come on by! Hope to see you there.

I was included in Flea Market Style Magazine's favourite blogs (in various categories), along with 5 other blogs, including a friend of mine, Heather.

One more thing - I posted a give away on Friday. Click here to see what it is!

That was a bit of my day. What did you get up to?

Back soon!

janis

A Friday Thank You

2011-09-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

I've just wrapped up a really interesting work week. I've shot some beautiful homes, a fabulous blogger, and two talented designers, plus I added my 2012 calendar to my shop. I will post pics from the shoots after all the magazines, involved, publish first. Damn. I'm not overly patient. ;)

Since it has been a busy week, I missed my Wednesday post. To make up for it, I'm giving away one of my 2012 calendars, to thank all of my "followers" (I'm not really a fan of that word, are you?) for taking the time to read my posts, and sending lovely and encouraging emails. It's so appreciated. All you need to do is leave a comment so you're in the draw. I'll make the draw on Wednesday September 21st. I will ship anywhere, by the way!

Here are a few of the months...

One last thing. I did a guest post over at the beautiful Appleturnover all about one of my favourite shooting techniques - TTV. It was part of her "tried and true" series. Click here for more!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Back soon.
Janis

Baked

2011-09-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. We've been enjoying a very late summer, here in Vancouver, but I'm kind of looking forward to fall, I must admit. We saw heaps of B.C. apples at the market this weekend, which put baked apples in my mind. If you have any leftovers, they are perfect for breakfast too. ;)

Baked Stuffed Apples - makes about 6

6 medium gala apples, cored (not right through)

1/2 cup rolled quick oats

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1/3 cup chopped mixed nuts (I used pecans, cashews and almonds)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350f/180c.

Mix together all ingredients, in a medium size bowl. Core each apple (not right through to bottom!), then cut the hole just a little wider, to allow for more filling.

Spoon mixture into each apple, filling to the top. Place in a glass 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish, and cover with foil. I also always place a pan of water on bottom rack of oven to create a little steam to help bake apples. I was told this years ago, and I continue to obey.

Bake apples for about 60-75 minutes, depending on type and size of apple. Keep checking so they don't turn into apple sauce. Yikes. Allow to cool, then serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle a little maple syrup over top. Yum.

It's like an apple crisp shoved into one little apple! I've also made these with cooked quinoa as well. So good, and even better for you...didn't want to get too carried away.

Have a great day!

Back soon.

Janis

Sunday Observations

2011-09-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

A fantastic mid-century shop called "Wow", here in Vancouver.

That was a little of my Sunday. Got up early to watch the 9•11anniversary event, hung out in the garden, looked for bedside tables, and played with my film cameras. What did you get up to? Hope you had a perfect weekend!

Back soon.

janis

2011-09-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

My week kind of felt like this. How was yours? Have a great weekend!

Back soon.
janis

Computer Crash and a Good Book

2011-09-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hope your week is going well so far!

I've had a day of my computer crashing before I've hit "save", while working in my boiling hot office (at home). I had to take a break, before I did something rash, so I poured my coffee into a jar, grabbed a blanket, my new book, and headed to the park. Best thing I've done all day ;)

I wanted to share this fantastic new book by Tereasa Surratt, with you. Tereasa is a creative director at ad agency Ogilvy, and owner, along with her husband, of Camp Wandawega located in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The entire book is shot at the camp. It's a place I definitely plan to check out very soon!

They purchased the old camp, renovated the crumbling and very old cabins, and filled them with "found, free and flea" objects, spending no more than $150 per room. Amazing. It's beautifully shot by a load of talented photographers. Here are a few snippets from the book...

This book is filled with inspiring images, tips and hints on navigating flea markets, collecting, and d.i.y's. For more on the multi-talented Ms. Surratt, check out her blog. Click here for a little more info on the book, and a very cute trailer.

Back soon!

Janis

Baked

2011-09-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well, that's a wrap for our labour day long weekend. Hope you all had a fun one! We've ended ours with a baby shower (for my new niece, Alice), and some really good cupcakes. I had to make sure the remaining cupcakes went with anyone but me. I cannot be trusted. The combo of almond and orange is just too much.

Almond Cupcakes with Orange Glaze - makes about 48 mini cakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal (finely ground almonds)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk

Orange Glaze

2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Food colouring

To make cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350f/180c.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add almond extract. In another bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt - stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of milk. Spoon batter into paper lined cupcake tin.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until skewer, inserted in centre of cupcake, comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

To make glaze:
In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. You want this to be quite runny, not a thick icing. Spread over tops of cupcakes, and eat immediately!

These are so easy to make, and a recipe I use often! Again, almond and orange. Mmmm.

It's so late in the day, so I hope your Monday was a good one!

Back soon.
janis

Sunday Observations

2011-09-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my pal NIkki for the fab train case!

What did you get up to today? Hope you had a lovely Sunday!

Back soon!
Janis

Floral Friday

2011-09-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hello long weekend! Hope you all had a great week.

I love this time of year, when the late summer/early autumn flowers are out and about. I shot a few floral "portraits" this week......

Have a lovely long weekend! Back soon.
janis

Baked

2011-08-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

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....

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

2011-08-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

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

Sunday Observations

2011-08-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a nice weekend. It was pretty quiet for us, just lots of clean-up from my camping trip.

Here's a little bit of my Sunday....

If you're in the Vancouver area, I hope you'll check out this shop. They are at the corner of East 10th Avenue and Kingsway, and they'll be there until the end of August. They carry handmade creations by Henderson Dry Goods, Herriott Grace, Megan Hubert, to name a few, and the owners themselves, Hanahlie and Caleb, are the talents behind the grizzly bears, sofa and calendars.

What did you do today? Hope it was a good one!

Back soon!

janis

Happy Camping

2011-08-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you had a great week. I just got back from my camping trip, and I'm finding it hard to get back into the swing of things. Do you ever feel like that after a relaxing get away?

I absolutely heart Nicola Lake, located near Merritt BC. It's hot, dry, smells of pine, and there are pinecones everywhere. This is why I named my blog Pinecone Camp. Conjures up the best memories, and I'm always completely relaxed there.

View from our campsite. So pretty.

A ranch on the way into town.

Hedley, BC is an old gold mining town. Tiny, friendly, and on this particular day, wildly hot.

Bromley Rock is just east of Princeton BC. Breathtakingly beautiful.

That's a small sample of this beautiful province. Have a lovely weekend!

Back soon.

janis

Baked

2011-08-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Monday! It's B.C. Day, so it's a holiday Monday. Sweet. How was your weekend?

I'm leaving for a camping trip, so I'll have zero access to internet. Feels strange, but it will be a nice break. Made heaps of food to take on the trip, and these biscuits are part of the hamper. They're really easy to make, and delicious. Love the kick of chili, but you could really put anything in these.

Cheddar Chili Spelt Biscuits - makes about 14

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole spelt flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried chili flakes
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, spelt flour, baking powder, sugar, chili flakes and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the milk over top of mixture, then sprinkle the cheddar cheese. Stir with a fork until a soft ragged dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently to come together. Pat out dough to about 1 cm (1/2 inch) thickness. With a floured 6 cm (2.5 inch) biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits, gathering and pressing dough together until finished. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining milk. Bake in a 400f/200c oven until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Happy BC Day to my fellow British Columbians! Have a great week everyone. Back later this week!

janis
x

Sunday Observations

2011-07-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hope you've had a lovely weekend! It continues for some of us, here in Canada...yeah!

This is what went on around here today. Once again, niece Annika was in our care. Poor child. I had to get heaps ready to go on a little camping trip, hence all the taffy (coming up). Anything to keep her entertained.

That's about that. Have to get back to making camp food. What did you get up to today?

Back soon!
janis

Croquet on a Friday

2011-07-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

This is what we did while waiting for the sun to get a little lower, for our shoot today. Ah, fun.

Have a great weekend, and a long one if you're here in BC! Back soon.
janis

Concrete and Orange

2011-07-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ah, mid-week and a long weekend ahead. Hope your week is going smoothly so far!

Just wanted to share a few pics of a house I shot for Evoke International Design (my husband and brother's company). My love of concrete continues...

The landscaping was designed by the talented duo at Considered Design.

That's it for today! I've got to head out to shoot a garden, for Style At Home, while we have some perky light. Tried this morning, but had to abort the mission. Please don't rain, please don't rain.

Back soon.

janis

Baked

2011-07-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

Hope you're all having a lovely Monday! Did you have a nice weekend? For all my fellow Vancouverites, wasn't that sun, well, summery? So nice.

I tried out a recipe that is based on one that I saw in Alive magazine, this weekend. The recipe called for pineapple, but I thought I'd try cherries and pecans. The cake itself is really moist, and I love the cherries!

Upside Down Cherry & Pecan Quinoa Cake - makes one 8x8 inch cake

Topping: (I just made this up, not the original recipe)
1 lb of cherries, pitted and halved
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cake:
1 cup cooked white quinoa
2 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup plain, low fat yogurt
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

To make topping: Place pitted and halved cherries in a baking dish, with pecans, maple syrup and lemon. Mix together and roast for about 15 minutes in a 375F oven. Watch that the mixture doesn't burn. Place cherry mixture in an 8x8 inch pan (spray pan with a little oil), and set aside.

To make cake: In a food processor, process cooked quinoa, egg yolks, sugar, yogurt, apple sauce, and vanilla until very smooth. About 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Add quinoa mixture to flour mixture and stir until no flour streaks remain. With a spatula, gently fold egg whites into quinoa batter until just incorporated. Gently spoon batter over cherries.

Bake in centre of oven for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan, for about 10 minutes, before running a thin knife around edges and inverting cake onto a plate. Top with a little maple syrup whipped cream if you like.

This cake is actually pretty good for you (minus the whipped cream that I added!), so I hope you give it a whirl. There are so many options with this one!

Back soon!
janis