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

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

Welcome to the weekend

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

A Varied Week

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

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 ;)

Hello Sunshiny Friday

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.

Hello Autumn, See You Summer

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

Baked

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

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

Baked on Monday - Sage-Pepper Butter Crisps

Happy Monday! Thanksgiving (in Canada) is just one week away, so I thought these sagey crisps would be perfect to take to dinner. I found this recipe in Edible Vancouver - a free magazine full of local goodness. I copied the recipe down, and here it is!

Sage-Pepper Butter Crisps - makes about 15-18, depending on how much dough you eat while making them ;)

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup ground blanched almonds
1 tablespoon butter (to cook sage)
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325f. In a shallow baking tin, toast almonds for 10 minutes, just to bring out the flavour. Once toasted, grind the almonds in a food processor.

In a small bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter until creamy. In another bowl, mix together flour, salt and ground almonds. Gradually add this mixture to the butter, mixing on a low setting until it starts to form a ball.

Melt the additional tablespoon of butter in a skillet until it starts to bubble. Add the sage a cook for a few minutes, or until leaves start to turn brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel. When cool, chop into small pieces.

Add pepper and sage to dough and mix together with your hands. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass in a bit of flour and flatten dough balls into discs, about 2 inches across. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until sides start to turn gold in colour. Place crisps on a wire rack to cool. Best served warm. Enjoy.

Back on Wednesday!

Baked on Monday - Olive and Rosemary mini breads

Ahh, Mondays. They do show up rather magically, don't they? Hope you all had a fabulous weekend.

It's really feeling like Autumn these days, so I thought this bread would be perfect for the rapidly fading summer, and fast approaching Autumn (fave season!).

Olive and Rosemary Mini Breads - makes 8 loaves.

2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup kalamata olives broken up into pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary sprigs
olive oil for brushing

Place the yeast, sugar and lukewarm milk in a bowl and mix to combine. Make sure the milk is no warmer than lukewarm. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until bubbles form on surface.
Place flour, salt, yeast mixture and oil in a bowl and mix until a nice smooth dough forms. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Next, knead in the olives and rosemary until blended in. You may need to add a bit more flour as the olives will add some wetness to the dough.

Divide dough into 8 even pieces and place in greased 1/2 loaf tins. Cover with a tea towel and set in a warm spot for about 45 minutes, or until dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350f/180c. Brush tops with olive oil and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden in colour. Delicious.

That's it for today. Have a good Monday everyone!