Weekend Observations

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend.

It was the perfect weekend (nothing but rain), to stay in a finally get some things done. This is some of what went on around here...

I think our outdoor furniture should come inside now. Summer is over. 

Finally painted out the dark brown (why did that happen?) wall, and made a blind for my office. Makes 

working a whole lot more pleasant now. I've had this Hawaiian bark cloth languishing in my closet for a years, so thought I'd do something with it. I can only sew uber basic things, so when I say this blind was easy...take my word for it ;) For the how-to, click here.

That was my weekend, along with a project for Poppytalk to be posted this week. What did you get up to this weekend? 

Have a great day! 

janis

Baked

How's your week going so far? Hope it's been smooth sailing!

I had heaps of plums, that were on their way out, so I made a tart. Inspired by a recipe from Ina Garten, I just added a basic custard to the mix.

Plum & Custard Tart - makes one 9" tart

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cups pecans
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg
1 lb plums, pitted and cut into quarters

Custard:
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1  large egg
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly grease a 9" springform pan and set aside.
In a food processor, pulse together the whole wheat flour, pecans, and sugar. Add the butter and egg and pulse until a crumbly mixture forms. Scoop about half the mixture into the pan and press down making an even layer. Layer the plums on top of crumb crust.

To make the custard, place all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together until it thickens a little.
Pour the custard over top of the plums, then sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture, evenly, on top. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the sides are slightly golden. Allow to cool before cutting. Enjoy!

This is so easy to make. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!

If you didn't see Monday's post, I'm giving away one of my 2013 calendars. Click here to check it out. 

Back soon!

janis

Hello weekend, and welcome Fall!

I can't believe fall kicks in tomorrow morning. Love this time of year. Do you? 

Back next week!
janis

Sunday Observatons

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 ;)

Baked

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

Almost Fall

It's been pretty busy since I returned from my shoot in the Kootneys, now it's the weekend. Looking forward to sleeping in.

The other night, I checked out the Comrags trunk show in Gastown.  Comrags is a Canadian fashion label - beautiful clothes.  I went with my friend Nikki, and we actually behaved ourselves. I've been to these kinds of shows before. On one occasion, I woke up the next morning to find a cute little shopping bag containing a very tiny dress, a few plastic wine glasses, and a pencil with the name of the new shop on it, beside my bed.  My memory was a bit hazy, so I gave the dress a go but I couldn't get it past my shoulders.  Let's just say the refund policy wasn't good.  This episode was the on set of my post purchase doubt syndrome (P.P.D.S.). I never drink at these things now.   I would love the following two frocks though.

Well, as we head into a beautiful weekend, I leave you with a shot of a rusty, vintage bicycle I saw while having a day in the country with my friends Heather and Midge (a.k.a. Lily).

Have a lovely weekend!