Harvest 2012

Harvest 2012

Oxbow, Sask

Taylor Family Farms

                                                   

                                                                 

                                                                      

                               

Garage Sale Standards

OY! I need to have a little seminar on how to prepare, present and succeed at a garage sale up here in Cold Lake! I was all gung-ho on garage saling here... until I actually went out this past weekend and was VERY disappointed. At a number of garage sales it was literally a free-for-all and people just tossed their junk on their front lawn and expected everyone to wade through and find something we wanted. Coming from Calgary where garage saling is a part of life in the summer I was very diappointed with the lack of 'saling' I got to do in Cold Lake this past wknd. : (
I may need to print up a 'How to Succeed at Garage Saling' brochure and pass them around this town! Sheesh! It's gonna be a long boring summer if i can't go garage saling!

Exploring My New Home

It has been a very long spring, but we are finally moved... and settled! Cold Lake is a beautiful lake town with a great summer feel to it and it smells of the beach everyday. We are 5 minutes from the beach, so Colton and I have become daily fixtures at the beach. Cold Lake has alot to offer and is full of beautiful scenery and beautiful things. I could stand on the Marina for hours just watching sailboats float past, clouds roll by and people saunter down the pier with all the time in the word. I just wanted to share a few pictures that I have snapped while out-and-about in Cold Lake.
If you ever get a chance to come up this way, I would suggest you do b/c everyone would enjoy all that this area has to offer.

 These first 2 pictures are taken from the pier on July 18 as a thunderstorm was rolling in.

This is the ceiling of one of the little Eateries on the lake. The resturant is called Clark's Eatery and it has some of the best home-cooked meals I have ever tasted. Absolutely finger-lickin-good seafood and a really cool atmosphere. It is very rustic and full of antiques... a definate 'must stop' when in Cold Lake.

 North Sask. River - just north of Lloydminster on your way up to Cold Lake. Very impressive bridge surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery. There is also a great little campground right by this bridge.

So far, I am a fan of this move and all that it has proven to offer.. but winter could change my mind! Stand by for my update in 6 months...: ) Now all I need to do is find some friends up here! Missing my gals from Calgary... BIG TIME!

The Sailing of Garages

Well, the time has come for garage sales! You have no idea how happy this makes me! I am usually looking for old, vintage, tried and true recipe books. I stumbled upon some really great cookbooks this weekend. When I got home and went through them, they were full of hand-written and paper-clipping recipes... JACKPOT!
Here are some pictures of a few of my finds...

I picked up a Blue Ribbon Cook book and inside were newspaper clippings that dated back as far as the 1930's. Reading some of the articles sure makes you realize how much things have changed over the years. There were so many cool articles on what to feed your children, child-rearing, eating off the farm and preserving anything and everything. I sat at the kitchen table for 2 hours lastnight just reading and looking through the two cookbooks I had picked up.

Just a sample of some of the clippings that were in each cookbook.

Material I managed to find at one elderly ladies house. They still had the price tag on them... I think I see some throw pillows in my future!

Portable pant hanger that is on wheels to slide in and out of the closet... It was $1, how could I not grab it?!

This is the china I stumbled upon a couple wknds ago. There were 10 or 12 place settings with serving bowls, creamer and sugar bowl... and all for $10! I thought this was really pretty but not too girly for me. : )

Pray for Daisy

I been following this blog for the last year. The amount of surgeries and procedures this poor little girl has had to go thru in her short little life is heart breaking.
http://prayfordaisy.com/post/21327431167#disqus_thread

My sick wee lad

 After being up all night coughing, gagging and blowing his nose, he finally fell asleep(out of absolute exhaustion, i'm sure). Poor thing has been sick all week and neither one of us has been getting much sleep and we are going through boxes of kleenex's at an alarming rate!

                                            This is what i woke up to this morning. : (

Watching cartoons with his box of kleenex and water bottle. I think we will be having a cartoon kinda day.

Comfort Food

When you think of a comfort dessert, what comes to mind? For me, it's a lemon meringue pie..

I remember as a kid, mom always making lemon meringue pie for Sunday supper dessert. She would get up before the rest of us Sunday morning, make the pie and then set it on the counter to cool. Throughout the day my brothers and I would sneak into the kitchen and steal the meringue peaks off the pie (but no one would admit to taking the peaks off if mom confronted us :). So, by the time supper rolled around mom had a peakless pie, but no one at the table knew what had happened to them..hmmm.  I always remember the pies having perfect meringue with sky-high peaks...I have still to learn her 'perfect meringue' secret!

Growing up!

                        This little nugget will be 5 years old in 2 months. Where has the time gone?!

Homemade Crayons

1. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
2. Place all your crayons in the sink with enough water to cover the crayons. Let sit for 4-5 minutes. The wrappers will come right off if soaked. Before I decided to soak my crayons it took 5 pain-staking minutes to peel one crayon and I bent a nail back in the process!: S (So, lessoned learned..soak crayons)
3. Break crayons into pieces and then place into desired mold.
4. Place mold in the oven for 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it. I did mine until they were JUST melted and then swirled around the wax with a toothpick.
5. Remove from oven and cool for 2 minutes and then place in the fridge to set.
6. Once wax has hardened, pop the crayons out of the mold and...TA DA!

For a Pa-Zazy Friend..

Project #2...but it didn't end up being for me afterall (I'll do one for me later on). I told a friend of mine about this little craft and she said she wanted one too. I asked what color she would like and she said pink! So, as I wandered through Walmart lastnight looking for supplies I came across a basket of spray paint on clearance...and it was full of bright pink. So, i figured that was my sign that I needed to make this little craft for my friend.
When I do one for me it will be to house my multiplying collection of glasses and a few accessories.

This project cost me:
Frame: $2.99 (Value Village)
Wire: $3.49 (Walmart)
Spray paint: $3.00 (Walmart)

Project Colton

Project #1 Complete!
I found a simple solution to hanging Colton's art work..something I can add to as he brings home all his pictures from Preschool. Made some cute push-pins to spruce it up a little and add a little touch of 'boy'.

                                         Before - Caos and sticky-tac all over the wall.

                                         We have enough cars kickin' around here I didn't figure Colton would even notice or even care...which he didn't. Crazy-glued 2 plastic cars to thumbtacs which hold up the art clothesline.                                       

 The finished product! I left enough room to add another line underneath once the art starts piling up again.

                              The dollar store has lots of fun clips to hold the art.

Heading out to shop for Project # 2 tonight! Value Village beware...I'm on a mission!

Baby, it's cold outside!

Only in Calgary can you go from -38 with the windchill to a chinook blowing in the next day and bumping the temperature into the + temperatures! My head is already hurting in anticipation of the chinook that is about to blow in. I dread winters here in Calgary. I can feel a chinook before it even gets here b/c of the migraine that sets in for a good 24 hours. So I need to keep my brain functioning while this weather wreeks havic on my head!
This weather has inspired me to get some crafting done. My list is long and I am determined to get it all done by spring. I have been reading some great blogs and I have some great ideas for things to do to keep me busy and to spruce up my house a bit.
If anyone out there has any other cute or cool crafts that you think I should try, let me know. : )

Here are a few things off my list of  'to-do's'..
- I am on a mission to find some funky material to cover my kitchen chairs in
- make or refurbish a headboard. Ikea has random wood pieces from cabinets that can be made into super    cool head/footboards.
- strip and repaint 3 nightstands to match a non-existant headboard : )
- picture frame accessorie/earring holder (thanks to Catie Brown and her fabulous blog!)
- whip up some curtians/valence for my very bare kitchen window (pictures will be posted to show all the bare-ness i got goin' on in my kitchen)
- I hate seeing shoes sitting at the front door and my closet will not house all the shoes we have. I need a cool/neat-and-tidy solution for my shoe problems.
- I need to find a way to display all of Colton's art work without taping it to his bedroom wall. Any ideas on how to display art work in a neat way?

So this is a sample of my winter to-do list. I would love some new craft/DIY blogs to check out if any of you have a favorite that you would like to share.
I will begin to post pictures of my crafting endeavors as soon as this chinook blows through! : S

Stay warm my friends!

And the winners are.......

Well ladies, here is what you have been waiting 15 days for....Colton and I drew names this morning and here are the results..
The winners of my baking are:
Anna Doerksen ( Wpg)
Georgia Ronald ( Brandon)

Congratulations ladies! I'll be getting in touch with you both some time today!

Day #15

Gluten Free Chex-Mix Brittle
I figured I could end off my little baking journey with a treat for me. : )
Well ladies, here we are, day 15. I feel like this year went so fast, unlike last year where I thought I would never reach day 15! I hope I have inspried all of you to dig out those dusty recipes and get bakin'. Thank you once again for all your lovely and funny comments. It meant alot that you wanted to check to see what I was doing everyday...kept me motivated that's for sure!: )
Barb, if you are ever in doubt about anything..just freeze it! lol : )

This stuff is stinkin' delicious!

8 cups Chex cereal (GF Chex cereal is now on the market in most places-plain or honey)
1 cup peanuts
300 ml sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla.
I made mine in a large roaster but you can use a deep 9x13 pan too and do it in two batches.
Grease your pan and mix all of the ingredients together until everything is evenly coated in pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 12 minutes. Once cooked, place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet to cool for 1 hour. Once cooled, break into bits or chunks and store in air-tight container in fridge for up to 7 days...but i guarantee that it won't last that long! : 0

Day #14

Colton's Sugar Cookies
Tomorrow is Colton's snack/show-and-tell day at Preschool, so he is taking cookies that he decorated, for his class. You can never go wrong with sugar cookies.
I am hoping that my last day of baking will turn out..fingers crossed.
I am not giving the recipe for this cookie b/c it is a family recipe that has been passed down a few generations..sorry, but i know everyone has a good sugar cookie recipe crammed in their recipe box. Right? : )

Day #14 - Part 1

Well ladies...here we are at the end of 'our' baking journey. Tomorrow is ' draw for the baking day'...so if you feel the need to take the day off of work and sit by your computer all day, waiting in anticipation to see your name pop-up on my blog..just send me your boss' number and I can call him/her and explain why you are not at work. I'm sure they would understand...
Thank you so much for all your feed-back and comments ladies, it has been a fun 15 days. I will announce the winner tomorrow with my last baking post (sniff sniff)....i was thinking of maybe not posting tomorrow until 10:00 pm to keep you all in suspense. Then I remembered that alot of you know where i live, so I figured for my own safety I will announce as soon as humanly possible tomorrow. Good luck ladies! I am quite excited to see who wins. Shall I post a video of me doing the draw so you know it's legit? : )
I will be posting todays baking in a bit..just need to put icing on them once the kids are all napping.

The Jar - I will be reaching my skinny little fingers into here tomorrow and picking out a winner....No, wait, I will draw 2 names tomorrow! WHAT?! 2 NAMES?! I know, I know...it is unthinkable that I would be able to do draw 2 names, but you all have been so great this time around and left so many good comments that i figured I would make 2 lucky winners! Good luck!

Day #13

Toffee Tarts
Ok, yes, I admit to going on a bit of a caramel/toffee rampage this year..but i am not going to apologize for it!
These are one of my favorite Christmas treats. One of my aunts used to make these every Christmas and that is the first thing my little fingers would reach for on the 'treat table'. These are delicious..the tart is a shortbread and then the inside is MacIntosh toffee and cream. MacIntosh Toffee bars are hard to find, but they now have a bag of individually wrapped ones. One bag is equal to one bar. Superstore and Co-op carries the bag of candy toffee.

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plus 1 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

Mix like shortbread. Form into balls. Press into small tart tins. Bake at 300 degrees for 18 to 25 minutes or less.
Filling: Melt 3 toffee bars (or 3 bags of indiv. wrapped) and 1/2 cup cream in microwave. Pour into cooked tarts shells once cooled. Top with pecans.
Yes Barb, these freeze well. : )

Day # 12

Salted Chocolate-Covered Caramels

Have you ever tasted Purdy's Chocolates? ....the Himalayan Pink Salt ones? If not, you are missing out on one of the tastiest things..EVER! When I go to the mall, that is usually my reward at the end of my shopping excursion. I march on into Purdy's, pay $1.00 for a little chocolate and then i go on my merry way with a chocolate smile on my face.
Welllllll... these little chocolato's are the closest thing to Purdy's and I can eat as many as I want! They are delicious! I used melted milk choc. chips and individually wrapped MacIntosh toffee for mine. (b/c I ate all the left over caramels the other night while making the upside-down muffins. shhhhhh!
You can't get any easier than this and they look great place on a tray full of dainties.

1 pkg of Kraft Caramels
5 squares of Baker's Premium 70 % Cocao Dark Chocolate, melted
1 Tbsp sea salt

Inser toothpick into 1 caramel; dip in chocolate. Shake gently to remove excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining caramels.
Sprinkle immediately with salt. Let stand until firm.

* I let mine set in the fridge...and i may have over done it on the salt...on purpose. Nothing goes together better than salt and caramel!

Day # 11

Surprise Cookies
Super easy to whip up and a cute little cookie. Colton was so excited to find a marshmellow in the middle of his cookie!

Cookies
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk ( I used buttermilk)
1 tsp vanilla
15 large marshmellows, halved crosswise
Frosting
3 cups icing sugar
6 tbsp butter, room temp
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp whole ( I used buttermilk)
3/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cookies: sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into bowl.
Put butter and sugar into medium bowl and mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix egg, milk and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.
Using cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2-inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately press a marshmellow half on top of each cookie. Bake until marshmellows begin to melt, 2 minutes or more. Let cool completely on wire rack.
Make frosting: Put icing sugar in medium bowl. Melt butter with cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add butter mixture to icing sugar. Whick in milk and vanilla.
Spread about 1 tbsp of frosting on top of each cooled cookie, enough to cover marshmellow. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight container at room temp for 2 days. Freezes well.

Day #10

Mini Upside-Down Turtle Muffins
I really don't know where to start with these little gems...besides the fact that I ate 1/2 bag of caramels while making these..they are decadent! This picture doesn't do them justice! You rip one open and caramel oozes out of them....I am weak in the knees.

*This recipe calls for you to use a regular size muffin trays but I used my mini muffin tray and just cut the caramels in half. *

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 chopped pecans
24 individually wrapped Kraft caramels, unwrapped
pecan halves

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bottom, sides and tops of 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.
In heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat, stirring frequently; cool slightly. Stir in buttermilk, brown sugar, vanilla and egg.
In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and chopped pecans. Stir in choc. mixture, just until combined. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Push 1 caramel into center of batter in each muffin cup.
Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted along the edge of the muffin, comes out clean. Cool 1 minute. Turn muffin pan upside-down on cookie sheet to remove muffins. Immediately place another caramel (or 1/2 of one) on bottom of each muffin. Leaving muffins upside-down on cookie sheet, return to oven about 1 minute or until caramel is soft enough to add pecan halves.
Place 3 pecans on caramel on each muffin. Cool until caramel is slightly firm before serving, about 10 minutes. Serve warm if desired.
*If these don't have you smacking your lips..there's something wrong with you! * : )