On Pause

I will be on a bit of a pause until I wrap up a very busy shoot schedule. As a freelancer, I'm uber happy for the work, but doesn't leave time for much else. I know I'm not alone, out there, in the world of freelancing ;)

Hope you're all doing well! Looking forward to catching up.
janis
x

Baked

It's been so hot the last few days, so it seems strange to post this particular recipe. I made some chili and creamy cornbread for our camping trip last week. Froze both, so they kept everything else cool as well. Tastes even better when eaten outdoors!

Vegetarian Chili - serves about 10

1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 large yam, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup cooked quinoa (follow package instructions)
2 cups black beans, cooked (fresh or canned)
1 cup red kidney beans, cooked (fresh or canned)
1 796ml/28oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook until just tender. Stir in the garlic, jalapeno pepper, yam, carrot, red pepper and zucchini. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cooked quinoa, chili powder, and cumin. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low, for about 30 minutes. Serve with creamy cornbread.

Creamy Cornbread - makes one 8x8 pan or 24 mini muffins (I ended up doing both)

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 284ml/10oz can of creamed corn (old school!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili flakes (I made a batch without, so kids would eat)

Preheat oven to 400f. Grease and line a square pan or muffin tin with parchment paper or paper cups.
In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and chili flakes. Combine well, then add sour cream, egg, creamed corn and oil and stir until just blended. Pour into an 8x8 pan or spoon into mini muffin tin. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until just a little golden in colour or a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean.

Weekend Observations

That weekend was a bit of a blur. How was yours? Hope it was a fun one!

Along with spotting this sweet flower stand, here's a few more observations and a little project from the weekend....

Sewed up some cardboard pouches to ship my prints to some lovely etsy shoppers.  

A fun guest bedroom designed by Angela Robinson. 

I set aside some time to check out some blogs as well. Here are some lovely links...

Colour coded work spaces at Creative Living.

A fun and tiny space over at Emma's Design Blogg. 

A little paint-by-number action at Poppytalk.

Have a great day! 

janis

Baked

Happy Friday! Did you have a good week?

I'm just back from my annual family camping trip, and have these "camp bars" on my mind. Wish I had one, as I'm currently on a BC ferry heading back to Vancouver, from a shoot, and all I can smell is hotdogs, or something like that (not what the doctor ordered). These are so simple to make and are easy to pack for a little camping get-away.

Camp Bars - makes about 12 bars in an 8x12 pan

5 cups puffed cereal (rice, millet, kamut, or wheat. I used millet)
1 cup brown rice flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup finely chopped dried fruit (I used apples, peaches, and apricot)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup almond chocolate spread (or peanut butter or almond butter)
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional, but you should do it:) )

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray an 8x12 pan with oil and line with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, flour, millet, cinnamon, walnuts and salt. Add the honey, almond chocolate spread and applesauce. Stir to combine. The mixture should be sticky and clump together nicely. If it's too crumbly, add a bit more applesauce. Spread out the mixture, evenly, in the pan, then sprinkle with chocolate chips (if using). Bake for about 20-25 or until they just come away from sides of pan. Watch that they don't burn. While warm, cut into bars and leave in pan to cool. That's it!

Have a good weekend!
janis

Weekend Observations

I hope you had a great weekend. If you're in Canada, you're probably still in weekend mode due to "civic" holidays. I'm heading out for a mini camping trip but, before I hit the road, here's a little of what my weekend looked like....

Checked out Duchesse, a lovely new "vintage and such" shop located in Chinatown. If you're in the Vancouver area, it's definitely a must see. Owners Anna McLean and Anna Maclellan, have put together a fantastic collection of vintage clothing, accessories, home wares, and furniture. The shop was designed by their friend, Ricky Alvarez. The shop itself has so many inspiring design ideas.

I love the chevron wall, made with various tones of plywood. 

A great shelving unit made of old school chairs, showcases vintage office accessories, shoes and lamps. 

Played around with a sunography kit. Have you every tried sunography? I did a little of this kind of printing as a kid. I still think it's magical. You just lay an object on top of the paper and allow to sit in full sun for about 10 minutes. Rinse with cold water and, voila, you have a print. 

Made a few origami boxes for tea lights in the back yard. I love the glow of colour. 

What did you get up to this weekend? If you're in Vancouver, did you manage to check out the Pride parade? Heard it was a good one! 

I'll be back next Friday. Until then, have a good week!

janis  

Hello BC Day Long Weekend!

How have you been? Hope you had a good week.  I've been shooting all kinds of stories recently - everything from Thanksgiving to Christmas to a winter d.i.y. Sometimes you just have to shoot wintery stories in the summer. Lots of fun, but left no time to blog. Thanks for all your lovely comments and emails...always perks me up after a long day!

janis
x

Baked

I feel like I haven't baked for ages. Still thinking about Maui and, in particular, a little road side stop along the road to Hana that sold coconut pineapple bread. Thought I'd make some, but added mashed bananas to the combo (I had some really dodgy bananas kicking around). Very simple recipe, especially since I didn't hassle with a fresh pineapple, just opened a can instead ;) Wrapped them up for a picnic and that was that!

Coconut Pineapple Banana Bread - makes 6 mini loaves or one large loaf.

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup coconut flakes, and a little extra for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Spray a little vegetable oil into each pan, line with parchment paper, and set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, coconut milk and mashed banana in a medium size bowl. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly add to the banana mixture. Fold in the coconut and pineapple. Spoon into pans and top with coconut. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean. Allow to cool a little on a wire rack, then enjoy!

Have a good day!
janis