Police Badge Cake

I did this chocolate cake to feed 25 at a celebratory dinner for a fellow who joined the Cornwall Police Force.

Black Kitties

Richard's Percy has turned into a lovely cat. He's energetic and can't wait to get out and run around but he's also up for a snuggle once and a while. (So is Richard!)

My friend Deb over at her blog Just Cats often posts photos of cats in windows. I just loved the juxtaposition of this black cat and his white china counterpart.

Atchoum the Clown Cake

I was introduced to Atchoum the clown a few weeks ago when a gal asked me to make a cake for her five-year-old daughter. The clown is really colourful and was fun to make out of fondant.

Atchoum herself was at the birthday party and got to see her likeness out of sugar. What fun!

Trees and Earth Day

Earth Day. We decided it was the perfect weekend to plant trees. On a recommendation, we drove to Chesterville and find a guy who had trees.

 And boy did he have trees...

 ...Trees that were still waiting to be born. Baby trees?

 Trees waiting to be transplanted.

 He liked trees so much, he built his house out of trees!

We went home and planted two dozen trees that afternoon in the pouring rain. Happy Earth Day! Bonus points. A little calico cat who had a quick visit and disappeared off into the barn to go mousing.

Sign O' the Times?

I saw this at work last Friday and thought it was a sign of spring. Guess what? We needed it again yesterday!

Striped Marble Cake

Last week I posted this zebra cake I was experimenting with...

And this is what it looked like all baked up and sliced. I was pretty happy with the results and it was yummy too!

Chocolate Mint Cake

The Annual General Meeting of the Glengarry Pioneer Museum is tonight and it's preceded by a potluck supper. I always bring a cake, usually something kind of experimental in design. Tonight it'll be a chocolate mint cake with a zebra interior. Stay tuned for photos of what it looks like cut up.

Calico Push-me-pull-u

Cookie and Nutmeg aren't the best of friends, except when it's time to curl up. Cookie decides she's going to find something warm. Nutmeg is the obvious choice if I'm not around.

Nutmeg is pretty easy going. It's kind of like she opened her eyes and said, "Hey, is there something on my back or what?"

Big Apple Bakery

 In Colborne, Ontario, an hour or so east of Toronto is the Big Apple Bakery. They make lots of pies.

 So many pies in fact, look at the flour they wheel in on a dolly.

 Their mix master is massive!

I sure could use some of that space to work on my cakes. Check out the size of their prep tables.

The pies are stacked on rolling shelves. The place sure smelled terrific but we only bought a coffee and hit the road again. My late mother loved one of their apple pies that had streusel on top of it but I didn't grab one this time. Next time!

Of Pansies and Poutine

The first flowers I plant are pansies. These are called "Flamenco" because the petals are ruffled and supposedly dance in the wind. These are icicle pansies and can withstand cool/cold temperatures.

Ahh, poutine in the great outdoors. Nothing says spring more than enjoying a poutine in a take-out container, sitting at a picnic table outside. Bring. It. On.

Cute as a Button Cake

I was thrilled when my friend Julia asked if I could do a cake for her daughter Olivia who loves the colour purple, buttons and fondant. The perfect trio. Thanks to Jennifer, who gave me some vintage buttons and I was able to use them to cast the fondant and create fun, old-fashioned buttons for the cake.

Experimenting in the Kitchen

Guess what this is going to be when it grows up? Yup. Zebra cake. Stay tuned.

The Old Neighbourhood

Last weekend I was back in the old neighbourhood I lived in for 13 years, the Annex in Toronto. I always loved the name and look of this old diner and it was still there. I have never gone in but maybe one day...

Happy 14th Greenfield Services!

Greenfield Services is a consulting company whose workers spend much of their time on computers with headsets. Characters made out of fondant -- using chocolate keyboards and computer screens -- seemed to be perfect on top of their celebratory cake! Happy 14th birthday Greenfield! Click on photo to see it close up!

Out of Order

Seen in Toronto at the Tarragon Theatre, near the box office. A poetry vending machine. Sadly, it was out of order. Maybe next time...

Undone Omelette

A clever and delicious way to serve fried eggs? Call it an "undone omelette" and cover the fried eggs with fried mushrooms, shaved Machego cheese, arugula and cherry tomatoes and deliver it in a little, piping hot cast iron pan. On the side, serve the best and crispiest homefries and onions in the world. 

Where did I have this? Chez Piggy in Kingston on! I've been there at least a half a dozen times and have always had fabulous meals there. The Easter eggs were a bonus.

Seder Plate Cake

Flourless chocolate nut torte, using a recipe from Ron Ben-Israel, with icing decorations representing the seder plate which is on the table during the Passover meal.

Elegant Breakfast

I usually have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, so it's a real treat when we go out. I chose the eggs Benedict.

Richard had the eggs with salmon and dill sauce; somehow nicer than a bowl of Corn Flakes, eh?

Cleo Mahoney

Richard's mum, Cleo Mahoney passed away at the age of 94, in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

A few years back she gave us a walking tour of the graveyards in Low and Fieldville, Quebec...

...pointing out various relatives to Richard and me.

But what I'll remember most about Cleo was the way she loved to reminisce and make everyone laugh with her tales of family escapades. We'll miss you Cleo!

One Party, Two Cakes

It was a busy weekend cake-wise. At a party in Vankleek Hill, two birthdays were being celebrated. One for my friend Susan who is an avid fly fisher.

The other birthday celebrant was the terrific musician Terry Gillespie. An electric guitar with turquoise blue leopard print seemed in order.

 Terry's shirt matched the leopard print on the cake.

Susan seemed please with her fishy cake.

And everyone got a piece of cake. Happy birthday Susan and Terry!