A special gift for a special friend!

My very special friend Véro is expecting her first child. How exciting! The first baby amongst my friends and family! I wanted to give her (and her baby) something very special for the occasion. What’s more special (and more personal) than a hand-made gift? Nothing, so I decided that I would sew up a baby quilt for the two of them. Something they can use now but also keep for life!

Once again, picking out the fabric is my favourite part! It’s so exciting to chose the different motifs and try to imagine what they will look like once assembled. I just fell in love with the fabric that has the different animals, and what about the yellow fake wood! Love them all!

The longest part of the whole process is actually quilting together the different layers. It’s a tedious but well worth while because the effect is extra comfy and inviting!

A little hand stitched animal on the backside of the quilt really makes for a personalized gift!

Voila! Enjoy my friend (and new tiny friend to come)! A gift from me to you, made with love!

Weekend delights: Apples and Friends!

This weekend I headed back home with three of my friends for some outdoor fun and some indoor relaxation! On the menu….. apple picking and some good old pie baking!

Saturday was a bit of a grey, wet day but that didn’t stop us from doing the usual round about. First stop, a farmers kiosque that sells products from the garden and home-made baked goods. 

Second stop, the orchard. 

It’s a bit late in the season, but we were able to pick some delicious Macintosh apples and some juicy pears!

After our fun in the cool September drizzle, it’s straight home to bake up some delicious pies and some sweet apple sauce! Yum

What decorates my walls!

My home is an eclectic mix of different elements that I’ve collected over the years and through-out my different trips.  I thought that I could show you all a glimpse of some of my favourite things that hang on my walls. Here’s a little tour of my favourite pieces!

The living room

Here is a set of 3 water-colors that I bought on one of my trips to Morocco. These represent scenes from the Essaouira fishing port and were painted on site by a local artist. It’s hard to believe that these cost me only 20$ for the set of three!

This piece is very special to me because it was drawn by my husband. This intricate weave of swirls actually represents Arabic scripts… don’t ask me to translate!

The Hall

This is the very first piece of art that I hung in my very first apartment. A lithography of my home town. A little something my father gave my when I left home to come to university here in Montreal… 9 years ago already! 

This is the poster from my final design exhibition from the University of Montreal. I see it every day and it reminds me of  the four great years that I spent studying industrial design and all of the wonderful people I met during that period of my life.

The Kitchen

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this before, but my father owns some restaurants. This is actually an old breakfast menu that used to hang in one of the restaurants. I worked there many many summers (the morning shift actually) and this really reminds me of my childhood and all of my summers there!

The Bedroom

 This frame really means a lot to me. A few years back, my grandmother gave me the paper dolls that she played with as a child. These are literally about 80 years old. I really loved the faded colors and the detailing of the faces and clothing. I thought that they needed a special place, so I showcased them in this framed montage that hangs on my bedroom wall.

Last but not least, these neat little frames that mimic the old Polaroid pictures. I have a montage of different shots of my husband and I hanging just over our bed. 

Fall is back ... and so am I!

I’ve always loved autumn. Back to school time, the season’s changing, the crisp cool weather settling in again…. It’s such a great time for new beginnings. That’s exactly what I’m doing. Starting again! I know that I’ve been away for an exaggerated period, but now the cool crisp fall breeze makes me want to come home and start sharing with you all again. It’s with great pleasure that I am now back, full of pep and ready to go. I’m looking forward to sharing with you all again the things from my life that keep me inspired, as well as a few of the things that I’ve been up to while I was away for these long months.

Glad to be home, at the Cherry Pie Blog!

Catherine 

Day 29: Baby Spinach, Fresh Pea and Feta Cheese Salad

Ohhhh one month has already zipped by. 

Tonight was my very last food challenge recipe. I must say that this month was so enjoyable and it was so fun to eat new and varied food every day. I truly had a great time cooking and I hope that you all enjoyed following me on this adventure.

So for my last recipe I went for something simple yet fresh and delicious!

The recipe: Jamie Oliver, Naked Chef, p.41

Bon Appétit!

Day 28: Salmon Fillet Wrapped in Prosciutto with Herby Lentils, Spinach and Yogurt

Hmmmm, tonight’s recipe is truly delicious.

The crunchy herbs, the smooth lentils and the tangy yogurt are great! The ham really adds a nice crunch to the salmon.

The recipe: Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef Takes Off, p. 168

Bon Appétit!

Day 27: Balsamic-backed Onions and Potatoes with Roast Pork

Sorry for yesterday. I had such a crazy evening I didn’t have time to do my post…. But here it is, one day late.

These might look burnt but they aren’t. It’s the balsamic vinegar and it’s delicious!

The recipe: Jamie Oliver, Jamie at Home, p. 150

Bon Appétit!

Day 26: Macadamian, White Chocolate and Apricot Cookies

On this Sunday afternoon, I baked up some cookies with my sister Anne. We decided to jazz up the recipe a bit my substituting the almonds by macadamian nuts. Extra yummy!

Delicious!

The recipe:  Dede Wilson, A Bakers Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies, p. 26

Bon Appétit!

Day 25: Chocolate Meringue Cake

Here is my very favourite chocolate cake recipe. This cake is simply amazing! The smooth chocolate cake, the crunchy yet goowey meringue, it’s delicious!

Voila!

The recipe: Martha Stewart Website, Chocolate Meringue Cake



Bon Appétit!

Day 24: Spicy Fava Bean Fritters with Lemon Minted Yogourt

You know what they say: in life, you win some, you lose some. 

Tonight I definitely lost.

They recipe seemed pretty simple to me and I had no problem executing the first part, make the actual fritters. The scary part for me was the cooking. I’m not a fryer… To be quite honest, I’ve never fried anything in hot oil (in a pot) in my life and it made me quite nervous. I had visions on my cozy kitchen on fire.  You should have been here, I was prepared… fire extinguisher on my kitchen table, ready to put out a potential fire.

I guess my lack of experience with hot oil was a problem, I don’t know if the oil wasn’t hot enough… or too hot but my fritters weren’t cooking as planned. The fritters weren’t turning a golden brown and as a matter a fact, most of the disintegrated in the pot. Sniffff

Here are some of the sad looking non-golden fritters. 

I had kept a few aside so I decided to change strategies. I cooked up these few in a pan with a splash of oil. They weren’t as crispy as promised but… I had to eat something for supper!

The recipe: Jamie Oliver, Jamie at Home, p.162

Bon Appétit!