Simple Scarf

A quick and simple garter stitch scarf for the man of the house to keep warm as the temperature drops.

Box of Chocolates

I'm currently experimenting with packing up my little treats I made yesterday. Here's a sample of what I've come up with so far. I can't seem to find the shape of box I'm really looking for. I would love to find some that are wider and shorter than this one. Anyone have an box shopping advice for me?

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples, Bacon and Onions

Today I made about 160 moulded chocolates. Just for fun.
I'm a little tired to say the least, especially after eating a very late dinner of this delightful roasted side dish, a pork chop, risotto and lots of red wine.
I think it's time for bed...

Brussels Sprouts Pizza

So last night I promised my husband some sort of romanesque pizza for dinner. Something with lots of artichokes and parmesan cheese. About 30 minutes away from dinner I realized we didn't have any artichokes and quickly started to panic.
Much like the time I made potato pizza, I began scrutinizing each and every vegetable in my house as a potential pizza topping. When I laid my eyes on a bag of brussels sprouts I immediately dismissed the idea as crazy, "There's no way brussels sprouts are going to work on a pizza, don't kid yourself."
But then oddly enough, something in my brain began rationalizing how this could indeed work. "Brussels sprouts taste good with cheese and bacon...maybe if they're sliced really thin...maybe if I just don't say anything about it my husband won't notice..."

Well the last part is definitely not true. He did notice. But like a polite husband who is grateful for a meal on the table when he arrives home from work, he didn't say a word.
And lucky for both of us, he didn't need to. This pizza was great.

Shift Dress

 

Using a pattern from "Built By Wendy Dresses" by Wendy Mullin, I made myself a super simple shift dress today.  I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in making your own clothes. You need to have a little bit of sewing experience (she pretty much just dives into construction), but she does offer lots of help to refresh your memory on certain steps in case you're a little rusty like myself.

High Waisted Gathered Mini Skirt

This skirt definitely looks homemade. It looks like it could have been my first Home Economics project in jr. high school.

But you know what? I still love it all the same. Because I made it! And it fits me (almost) perfectly. But I love it most of all because it makes me feel cheery and springy even though it's freezing outside.

Caramel Filled Chocolate

I know I've already mentioned my current chocolate infatuation, but I should explain that it's actually all in fact my husbands fault. For Christmas this year his gift to me was a beautiful marble slab, some good quality chocolate and of course lessons from our cafe's newest baker/resident chocolate expert, on how to create my own chocolates at home.

Potato Turnip Gratin

Now here's a dish I don't make nearly enough.
It's so rich and delicious, please do me a favour and make this tonight Ok?

Double Chocolate Cookies

I've been feeling like a bit of a chocoholic lately. 

I can say with certainty that it is completely the fault of a friend of mine who recently introduced me to the world of fine handmade chocolates. I won't go into much detail today, but I will tell you that there's a stack of polycarbonate moulds sitting on my kitchen counter, and there is some fancy schmancy single origin chocolate currently on a truck somewhere headed my way.

So why am I settling for cookies when I could have my own homemade caramel ganache filled chocolates? Well simply put those chocolates have all been eaten, and it'll be days before I have time to take another crack at pretending to be a chocolatier. 

But trust me these cookies have enough chocolate in them to keep me going until then.

Yoga Mat Bag

I think if I were to make a list of The Top 50 Things Wrong with the World AKA Things That Make Me Sad, Lululemon and its customers would be in there somewhere. 

Pillows

My favourite part of getting a new sofa is having an excuse to make new pillows to go along with it.
This was my first time making a round tufted pillow and it was fairly successful, but still a little wonky. Just enough wonkiness to make it charming I think.

Black Tuque

Here is a story I like to call "Goldizane and the 3 Tuques":

Goldizane had lost his winter tuque and was getting colder by the day. 
His wife earnestly took on the challenge of making him the tuque of his dreams (without a pattern might I add).
The first tuque she made was too big.
The second tuque she made was too small.
And of course the third tuque she made was just right. 

Kimono Robe

Thanks to Amy Butler and her book "In Stitches", I am now the proud owner of a handmade kimono style robe.
It's been quite a while since I've attempted constructing a garment myself and Butlers instructions were quite easy to follow and the whole project only took me a few hours.

Tomato Soup

My favourite kind of tomato soup (other than this one) is one that is chock full of veggies and herbs, especially basil. I puree it into the heartiest, faux creamy tomato soup ever, and could easily eat a whole pot of it myself. My husband on the other hand quietly complains that he doesn't want to eat "a bowl of pasta sauce" for dinner (clearly he's a bit crazy for not understanding my version of soup heaven).
So I guess you could say that this soup is my way of trying to call a truce on our tomato soup arguments.

Plain, simple and oh so classic.

Pillow Cases

Boy oh boy, do I ever have sewing fever! I actually woke up this morning at 5am with thoughts of making a high waisted full skirt.
I never did fall back asleep, but the sensible and rational side of myself said "Now, now as exciting as it would be to make a skirt, shouldn't you finish what you started?"

So being a good girl, I finished my pillow cases using the leftover scraps from my duvet cover.
And now that those are done there's nothing stopping me from moving onto much more exciting things, like skirts!

Duvet Cover

I can't think of a better way to spend a wintery day than sprucing up the ol' homestead.

Using old sheets, and my current duvet as a guide I made this cute reversible duvet cover. I had already made some pillow covers with the same fabric, and soon I'll bust out some simple pillow cases to match as well.

Cashew Sweet Potato Burgers

My favourite restaurant in Calgary, "The Coup" serves these delectable Cashew Yam Burgers. But they're not made with yams. Why everyone and their mothers calls sweet potatoes "yams", is beyond me. The two words are not interchangeable. It's not like calling a couch a sofa, or calling pants slacks. These are two very different vegetables! Stop calling sweet potatoes yams!

Ok...now that I've ranted about boring specific details...
These burgers are truly delicious and deserve to be made. So please don't make me beg, just make them.

Knitting Needle Organizer

I think its safe to say that I'm not the most organized person...however I would like to think that this little gem is a step in the right direction. If only everything in my life could be wrapped up in a bundle of pastel floral fabric and bound with buttons.

Pretzel Rolls

I made these the other night to accompany turkey soup, looking for a fun alternative to boring bread or rolls. Boy, did these little guys not disappoint! They were so good I made them again two nights later to round out another hot pot meal.

Tomato Risotto with Sausage and Spinach

Now this is my kind of comfort food.
During the cold winter months, after a long day, this is what I crave. And paired with a glass (or two) of white wine, this is my ticket to happiness.

The Communist

This Christmas my mother gave my husband a collection of cocktail books. The day the books arrived in our home my husband spent all night not only reading, but mixing up drinks for us to taste. The Communist, which we found in "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" by Ted Haigh, is so far our favourite, and believe me when I say it's an easy drinker. Maybe even a little too easy...don't say I didn't warn you.

Neon Circle Scarf

Knitting this scarf felt like a bit of a never ending task. Not only because I was so indecisive about how I wanted it to look that ripped it out and started over again about four times, but also because it is easily the  longest scarf I've ever made. But that aside I love how it turned out and can't wait to start my next scarf.

Risotto

2010 has been the year of pork in our household. Maybe it's because it's inexpensive, and is great for quick meals. Maybe it's because we can buy local pork any day of the week, only a few blocks from our home. Or maybe because it's just so delicious and adaptable.

Regardless of why we eat so much pork, our favourite accompaniment to a pork chop is risotto. So I guess 2010 has also been the year of risotto. Not a bad year, if you ask me.