Yule Stump cake

Instead of a buche noel or yule log cake, this Christmas I made a stump noel or yule stump. Three-tiered lemon cake with lemon curd filling covered in 

chocolate icing with meringue mushrooms. Merry Christmas!

Winter Solstice 2013

Our friends down the road hosted a winter solstice party to welcome back the sun. It had been rescheduled from Dec. 21 because we got a big snowstorm. Luckily for us, we didn't get very much freezing rain, like they did west and north of us, but instead over 2 days we got 40 cm of snow. Lucky? I guess...

 One of the traditions at Winter Solstice is to have a bonfire and, if you like, you can burn something you want to get rid of in your life. 

On our way to the fire there was a snow dog.

 I didn't really have anything to burn this year but it was fun to have a glass of wine in the great outdoors and keep warm by the fire. 

It was fairly "balmy" out with a temperature of -8C.

Looking back at the house, I love the way the light reflected on the trees in the backyard. Here's wishing all my bloggy friends and readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and hoping you don't have anything to burn at winter solstice 2014!

Gingerbread cookie time

 Love making gingerbread cookies when the snow's flying.

Classic gingerbread men and women are the best!

Hockey cake

 My friend Sean loves the Toronto Maple Leafs and since it was his birthday, what a perfect time for a hockey cake.

He's also the sports editor at The Glengarry News (I work there too) so the cake was perfect for him I think.

Cupcake Time!

 Chantal and her son Zavier came over to decorate cupcakes...

 Zavier drew his Minecraft characters with edible markers on fondant circles.

 They fit perfectly on top of buttercream-iced chocolate cupcakes.

 Here's the artiste putting on his finishing touches.

 And voila! Here's the outcome, half done by Zavier, the balance done by his mum.

Okay, let's try 'em out!

A Day in Lake Placid

 Last week Richard was on holiday so we took a day trip across the border to Lake Placid, NY.

 First stop was a sign with my sister's name. Actually Mt. Marcy is the highest peak in the area!

 Lake Placid was colder than I thought...I should have brought a hat! No snow at home but snow in the hills (duh, Ronna!)

 Lovely old theatre that the folks in Lake Placid are trying to save.

 Gorgeous blue skies. We walked back and forth through the town and checked out the architecture.

 Love this artful shot that Richard took.

 Walking by the lake...

 Whiteface Mountain I think. You can see the ski trails on it.

 Richard liked the signs.

Some of the lakes further along were frozen. Very pretty.

 Back in Lake Placid we stopped in a cool sandwich place, named after all the trails and peaks in the area.

 Huge sandwiches.

 Nom, nom, nom!

 Scenic as hell!

 There was real snow there! We're expecting a big storm tomorrow
but last week it was a novelty!

 At the Olympic Center...the one from the first Olympics in the 1930s.

 On the way home through in the Adirondacks, we pulled over to take our last photos
as the sun set.

We had a wonderful day...and intend to head back in the spring
when the days are longer and warmer.

The Quirky Carrot

 I'm so lucky that a fantastic restaurant opened up right beside my office.

 It's only open during the week, so with Richard being on vacation, we decided to head over.  He had a terrific soup with a roast beef and blue cheese panini.

He took an arty shot of his beet and carrot soup.

 Over on the other side of the table, I was pretty pleased too.

I enjoyed my (hot!) sweet potato chipotle soup and my soba noodle salad. Yum!

Here's their link! http://thequirkycarrot.ca/

Apple Tree cake

My friend Kathy called and told me about her granddaughter Eden turning 10 and how this was the first year she wasn't able to visit the farm and pick apples from her special tree. So, instead, her birthday cake would feature "her" apple tree along with her best bud, her doggie Fifi. Happy 10th birthday Eden.

Birthday Celebrations

 Last Friday was Richard's birthday so we celebrated with a few cupcakes.

 On Saturday night we had a small birthday celebration with a few friends and for that I made him a cake. This one was a cake with a typographical flair, the image from chocolate fondant pressed into antique wood type blocks I have ... perfect for a reporter, I thought. I highlighted the date of his birthday in edible gold paint.

 He loved it!

I especially loved what each individual piece looked like.

Pizza Party at Work + Cake

Yesterday we had a pizza party at work for two colleagues who have worked a combined 60 years for The Glengarry News.

 Here's our publisher, JT Grossmith, Gaston Trottier who's worked 25 years and Bonnie MacDonald who has worked 35 years, and Kevin Macdonald, owner of The Glengarry News.

 After pizza it was cake time!

 Everyone was pretty pleased with that cake!

I loved the fact that you could eat the newspaper!

I especially loved that the article we used to make into sugar happened to be one about diabetes...

The Times They Are A-Changing

 With the first light snowfall this morning, I figured I'd better put up the photos from our autumn walk two weeks ago.

 We drove  to Mt. Rigaud, just over the Ontario border into Quebec and came upon some sort of bike competition. I particularly liked them all lined up at the washing station. It was a muddy day!

 We climbed up the hill, to the top of the ski lift.

 You can see green fields way in the distance below.

 The leaves were amazing!

 Nice!

 And the bike riders were still going around in circles as we descended.

Hoorah for the full Hunter's Moon, rising over a field of soybeans!