Step-by-step: Madeleines

 I found this Madeleine mould at a thrift shop the other day and figured I'd have to give it a try. It cost me all of fifty cents and I was pretty curious to give it a go.
I found this recipe in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. Great book!

Melt one stick of unsalted butter and set aside to cool.

Grate enough lemon and orange peel to make about 2 tablespoons. Add this and a 1/4 teaspoon orange or lemon extract to the cooled butter. (If you want to omit this, just add vanilla extract.)

Stir together 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup ground almonds and 1/2 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons. Set aside.

Whip 3 whole eggs plus 1/2 teaspoon salt till frothy.

Whisk dry ingredients into egg mixture, then add the cooled butter and extract. Stir until combined and cover with plastic and put in fridge for at least two hours.

 Grease and flour Madeleine pans and fill moulds about half full. Bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes. Should make 24 Madeleines.

Done! Now, to get to the rest of my Baking Bucket List. What's on yours?

Fire truck Cake

My friend's son is a volunteer fireman and she wanted a cake for his birthday. She found a fun little toy fire truck that when you press one of its buttons, it lights up and an alarm goes off. Even the ladder on the roof was extendable. So I created a cake as its perfect backdrop compete with an edible asphalt road and an out of control bonfire.

Garden, ducks and dogs cake

Regan has a wonderful organic garden, guarded by his two dark huskies Bear and Loki and a small flock of ducks. I had a blast trying to get them all on a chocolate cake for his birthday.

Wiener Dog Cake

 My cousin Saul celebrated his birthday last weekend and I thought I'd make him a special cake to look like his wiener dog Hershey.

I think I was pretty successful. In this photo, it almost looks like the cake daschund is trying to make friends with the real one!

I LOVE Valentine's Day

 I've had this Robert Indiana LOVE poster on my wall since university. It's a silkscreen copy of the original from his show at the Stable Gallery, 1966. But it's signed! In college Mr. Indiana and I exchanged letters for about a year when he helped me with a design project. So I mailed him this poster and asked him to sign it...and he did.

About five years ago on a family girls weekend in New York City, we came upon his famous sculpture. That's my sis-in-law, two nieces and my sis with me in the middle.

 Two years ago, Richard and I went to the Farnsworth Museum in Maine. I think that the artist still lives on a small island in Maine, not far from where we were.

 Also at the Farnsworth, Richard posed with a different version of the LOVE sculpture.

So for Valentine's Day this year, I thought it would be a good idea to make a LOVE cake. Dense chocolate cake with a ganache filling for two. Happy Valentine's Day!

Blue Skies, Sunshine

 The day after a snowstorm brought gorgeous sunny days and blue skies. I love how the snow clung to the hemlock boughs here.

 I looked up and noticed a large nest in a pine tree. Squirrel? Raccoon? Not sure.

 The drifts around the house were almost magical.

 The shadows, too, were magical and playful.

 I've drawn this view of light and shadow, looking up the hill many times.

 The garden gate is a good measure of how much snow has fallen.

Richard got busy with his chainsaw. Only a few more months to go till bug season!

A Visit from Marlow

 Remember baby Marlow from a few months ago? Scott brought him into the office and he's growing up into a beautiful little kitty cat.

I'm so lucky I get to see him grow up. He's a little doll!

Sunflower Cupcakes

I made these mini-cupcakes shaped like sunflowers for a potluck supper I'm heading off to tonight. These cupcakes make me think of spring and even though it was -22C this a.m. when I awoke, I was bound and determined to thing spring! These cupcakes helped.

Sock Monkey Cake

Friends Gordon and Natalie celebrate birthdays a few weeks apart and I figured a pair of sock monkeys sitting on a sofa would be a perfect cake for them. Gordon is the sock money with the beard. Nat is the one with the crossed ankles. And the afghan over the back of the sofa is a nod to Nat's dab hand at knitting. Happy birthday to them both!

Winter Walk

 Richard and I went for a snowshoe adventure on the weekend.

 There were tracks everywhere! The woods are a busy place when you're not looking.

 There was a beautiful bright blue sky and lots of sun.

 We saw a pileated woodpecker busy at this tree just moments before I took this.

 Great light. Great shadows. Great lines! Get out your pencils, Ronna!

 I love this two intertwined vines.

 Richard way ahead, making a trail.

 It got pretty warm out there in the sunshine.

 Richard balanced a stick on his head!

 Summer residence might need a bit sprucing up.

 Love the light coming from between the cedar woods.

 Gotta draw this.

The old butternut is still standing! I had a butternut expert out to see it a while ago and she said it was about 100 years old and not dying of canker but just old age.

Winter Visitors

 Bright sun and cold days bring many visitors to my bird feeders, including this red squirrel...

...and this hairy woodpecker, checking out the suet.

Winter Cat

With the weather going into its second day of close to -30C, this cat has got it right.
I'm so ready for spring!

National Pie Day

Happy National Pie Day everyone.

Sushi 101

 My friend Claire invited me over for a sushi lesson.

 She had cooked some sticky rice and placed it on a piece of dry seaweed.

 Then she placed some fake crab sliced in lengths...

 She added some sliced cucumbers and peppers too.

 Then she squished it all down and started to roll it up.

 She kept squishing and kept rolling it all together so it would stick. And it did!

We tried it with sliced mango and smoked salmon and other variations and after topping it all with some fish roe and a few glasses of wine, the sushi looked pretty good.

It tasted great too!