Joy to the Weekend

I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday weekend.  Cheers to a relaxing time with friends and family! 

janis

x

A Little Melbourne for Monday

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I've been on vacation for the last few weeks, and slowly getting back into the swing of things. How did Christmas creep up so quickly? Yikes.

We were in Tahiti, then headed to Australia to visit family. I posted a number of pics on instagram, but thought I'd share a few more bits of Melbourne. I love it there....

Checked out the restaurant at Prahran Hotel. Incredible design. 

Stumbled upon Von Haus in Melbourne, early one morning. Tiny space inside, with room for up to 6 outside. Loved it. Wish we could have gone back for wine time ;) 

The National Gallery of Victoria had a fantastic exhibit on called Melbourne Now, showcasing design of all kinds. Pretty amazing. If you visit Melbourne, you have to visit the NGV. Such a stunning place.

Above is a designer from Spacecraft making screenprints in the "Community Hall".  

 I had the opportunity to check out the Big Design Market and did a post for Poppytalk. Over 200 incredible designers set up shop in the beautiful Royal Exhibition Building (a world heritage site).  Click here for the whole story.

If you'd like to see more of Melbourne, my home away from home, click here and here. 

Have a great day!

janis

x

Hello Friday

I hope you've all had a great week. We just returned from an unexpected trip to Australia, so it's been awhile since my last post. It was fantastic being with my husband's family, even for just a short 9 days.

I'm wrapping up this week with a paint-by-numbers of cockatoos, we had to have, painted by "Ted Porter" in 1968. Well done Ted, and thank you! This is a happy reminder of all the family we have in Kyneton. I love that.

Thanks for all your lovely comments and emails about Butter Baked Goods. I haven't had time to reply to everyone, but I plan to this weekend. Looking forward to also seeing what you've all been up to in the blog world!

Have a great weekend!

janis

x

Jet Lagging, Gently

Slowly getting into the swing of things in Kyneton (Australia). I love it here so much. Such a fantastic country town. Great to just slowing unwind from the frenzy of life back in Vancouver. 

A few quiet images from my first couple of days...

My niece's chicken. I still can't really warm up to chickens. I like taking pics of them, but couldn't quite get into cuddle mode ;) 

Have no idea what kind of bird this is (it's tiny), but it was a pretty cute moment as she nestled back on top of her eggs. 

Curb-side daisies against a corrugated tin fence. Very Australian. 

Heading into Melbourne tomorrow.  Can't wait to check out the alleys!

Hope all is well and festive out there! 

janis

TGIF

Happy Friday! This week has been over-the-top busy. I've shot everything from a banana bread queen, to a festive cocktail party story, to pretty bed linens and a lovely home - an interesting variety. One thing I've realized....I need a helper/assistant to help with coordinating things. Yikes. More on that in the new year!

We're heading back to Australia for Christmas with my husband's family. Can't wait. To wrap up the week is a sample of some the festive decor I look forward to seeing on cute shops all over Melbourne and Sydney....

janis
x

Hello Weekend

After noticing that gas, here in Vancouver, bolted up to $1.50 per litre, I thought I'd end the week with this image of a ghost gas station. All the more reason to park my car more often ;)

Back soon!
Janis

Joyful Friday

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

x

Holiday Inspiration for Charities

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

The Weekend Has Arrived

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

Baked

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

I've only made Pavlova a couple of times, and I don't know why I haven't made it more. It's the national dessert of Australia, and my sister-in-law (Australian) makes a fabulous one, so I think maybe I'm nervous! It's fairly easy, but if you try to rush things, it will only end in disappointment and, possibly, tears. ;)
It should end up with a crunchy "crust" and a marshallowy (new word?) centre. Mmmm.

Pavlova with Lemon Custard and Berries - makes 6

Meringue:
3/4 cup berry/caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 large egg whites, room temperature
3 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Lemon Custard:
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
small pinch of salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup whipping cream
4 cups of berries (I used blackberries and blueberries)

To make meringue:
Preheat oven to 300f with rack in middle. If you like, you can trace six 3" circles, with a biscuit cutter, on a piece of parchment paper, and place on baking sheet. You can be more loose with your meringue and omit the traced circles if that's your style. ;)
Whisk the berry/caster sugar and cornstarch together, in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites, at medium speed, until soft peaks form. Add water and beat again until soft peaks form.
Beat in sugar mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, at medium high speed. After all sugar has been incorporated, beat for another 2 minutes.
Add vinegar and beat at high speed for about 6 minutes, until meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form.
Carefully spread meringue inside circles, or go freeform, making edges slightly higher so it can hold the custard and berries. Bake until the meringue is a light golden colour, and a crust has formed, about 45 minutes. Turn oven off, prop door open a little, and let meringue sit in oven for one hour.

To make lemon custard:
While meringue is baking, make the custard. Mix together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium size saucepan, then add lemon and butter. Bring mixture to a low simmer, over medium high heat, whisking, then continue to simmer whisking constantly for one minute. Lightly beat egg yolks in a small bowl then mix in 1/4 cup of the lemon mixture, then add to the saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until custard has thickened. This should take about 2 minutes. Do not let mixture boil. Transfer custard to a small bowl and stir in lemon zest. Cover surface with parchment paper, and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

To assemble:
Beat whipping cream until still peaks form. Fold in about 1/4 cup to lemon custard. Spoon custard into the "crater" of the meringue and top with berries. Voila. Eat and enjoy!

This dessert is certainly not "heart healthy", but it's sooo good.

Back on Wednesday!
Janis
x

Baked

How's your week so far? I'm doing fun things like my tax and H.S.T. returns. Heaps of fun! Of course, one shouldn't leave one's tax return for the last minute. I've also joined Poppytalk Handmade, and I'm really excited about that. I'm working on a new series of images and note cards to add to my "table" soon.

I made lamingtons over the weekend. They're an Australian tradition and delicious. I drizzle chocolate over each piece of cake, rather than dipping it in chocolate, as I'm not too keen on a whole coating. Everyone seems to have a different spin on these!

Lamingtons - makes one cake cut into 15 pieces.

125g softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup berry/caster sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded coconut (to sprinkle over chocolate coated cake)

Chocolate Icing:
10g unsalted butter
250g icing sugar
100g dark chocolate broken in pieces
60ml milk

Preheat oven to 320f/160c. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until well combined. Fold in the milk. Pour batter into lightly greased  7"x11"x2" pan, lined (on bottom) with parchment paper. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then cut into 15-18 pieces.

To make the icing, put the icing sugar, chocolate, butter and milk in a heat proof bowl and place over a simmering pot of water. Stir constantly until melted and combined. Drizzle chocolate over each piece of cake (keep chocolate over pan of hot water, but turn off heat, so it doesn't harden), then sprinkle coconut over top. Stand iced cake on a wire rack until completely set.

Have a great day! Back soon.
janis

Beautiful Colours of Australia

First let me say "Happy Australia Day"! I know it's over now, in Australia, but we're celebrating here today.

The scent of eucalyptus, and the soft pretty colours are two of my favourite things about Victoria.   Pale greens, grays, blues, gold and pink with a little rusty tin thrown in. Absolutely beautiful and calming. 

I'm feeling a little homesick for my adopted country, so I created some soft, pale floral arrangements using vases in blues and grays. Just wanted to share them with you!

 

I've been adding images to my Flickr page, so for some more Australia click here!

That's that for today. Have a lovely day all! Back soon.

janis

Shopping in Kyneton

I've been going through my pics of our trip, and thought I'd share some great new shops and cafes in Kyneton, Victoria. Such a pretty place. Nothing but rainbows! Really. I still can't believe how many great shops and restaurants are packed into this very small town. I could live in any of these shops.

Prunella is a beautiful flower and gift shop. We bought a piece of the lovely pottery and an olive tree for my in-laws. Caris and Vanessa, the owners, make a talented duo!

The Vintage Yard Sale is a brand new shop on Piper Street. Lots of collectibles, and some fantastic re-worked furniture. Their mid-century pieces are almost free compared to the cost of that particular style here in Vancouver. What's up Vancouver?

We went to Steam Mill Cafe pretty much every day. I loved their avocado and dukkah (an Egyptian spice) and their scones and Devonshire cream.

While away, I did a post for Poppytalk about another amazing shop in Kyneton called StockRoom. Click here for the story. You'll want to move right on in!

Have a lovely day! Back soon.

janis
x

Back Home and Baking

Hello everyone. Hope you're all well! To those of you in Queensland, Australia,  my heart goes out to you. We just returned from Australia, and just missed the flooding that is now occurring in Victoria. Such a disaster. Damage is massive, so if you are interested in donating, click here.

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things, now that we're back, but it didn't help that we had Christmas decorations to dismantle upon our return.  I baked some cookies this weekend as I needed something to clean the house by. The best part was that I had all the ingredients in the cupboard. They're pretty flipping good - hope you like them.

Double Chocolate and Sour Cherry Cookies - makes about 30

8oz/250g unsalted butter, softened
12oz/350g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped white chocolate
3/4 cup dried sour cherries

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir well. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt, and mix to just combined. Fold in the cherries and chocolate.

Place large spoonfuls of dough on parchment paper lined baking sheet, and flatten the dough slightly. Make sure to leave room, between each spoonful, for spreading. Top with an extra piece of white chocolate.  Bake for about 15 minutes, until the bottoms are cooked. Cool on wire rack.

I will definitely be back soon! Now to catch up on your lovely blogs.

I leave you with a picture of my new Australian friend. He walked right up to us. Love him.