Leeks Vinaigrette

I made this dish to accompany the filet mignon for Richard's birthday meal. The leeks are smaller than you'd find in the store...Richard and I had just picked them from the almost frozen garden. Delicious.
8 medium leeks
2 teaspoons salt
2 oz. pancetta (I used bacon instead)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Halve each leek lengthwise to within 2" of root end. Rinse well under cold running water to wash away sand. Cover leeks with cold water in a heavy skillet. Add salt and simmer leeks, uncovered, until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Transfer leeks to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
In the meantime, while leeks are simmering, finely chop bacon and cook until brown, about 5 minutes.
Whisk together vinegar, mustard and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste until emulsified. Add leeks and gently toss to coat. Serve topped with bacon and parsley.
Recipe from Gourmet magazine, January 2004 found on epicurious.com

Sailor Girl ATCs

When I was on a cruise this past summer to Saint John, NB and Halifax, NS, I noticed that each section of the boat was given a different luggage tag. At the end of the journey, they announced that if you needed more tags, they were available at the so-called "front desk." I went down and took 2 of each colour, knowing they'd be perfect for ATCs. They were even the right size.

Stephen King's Cat

The idea came from my (unpublished) Famous People's Cats Too! book but I couldn't find the original manuscript so I redrew this for Richard's birthday gift. (Stephen King is one of his favourite authors.)

Kitty Litter Cake

Okay, so I thought I'd do a sort of "gag" cake for Richard's 50th. Something like "Getting older is crappy, but fifty is nifty" type of thing. I think Richard thought it was kind of cute.
On top of a 9" x 13" chocolate cake, the litter is vanilla wafer crumbs and the poops are tootsie rolls.

Richard's New Book

Richard's new book Absurdités Canadiennes launches on Thursday in Hawkesbury, Ontario. I saw a copy of it last night and it looks terrific. Check out the website: www.absurditescanadiennes.com

Art Show Dec. 1

Here's the invitation for a little show I've done for the past few years with two friends. It's always a lot of fun. Last year there was a power failure caused by a mini-ice storm the day before, so we ran the show with no heat or lights. We're keeping our fingers crossed for better weather this year.

Happy Birthday Richard!

I baked Richard's cake last night (and froze it) and out of the batter, made him a cupcake so I could leave it for him at his house this afternoon while he's at work. Today is his birthday but we've decided to celebrate it on the weekend. I figured it might be fun for him to come home to a surprise supper, so I made him his favourite Creamed Pickled Herring, which I'll leave in his fridge and a cupcake with a candle, so he can have a wee celebration this evening.

Version #2 of the House on the Hill

Here's another drawing of the same house. I've actually sketched it numerous times. This version is one of my favourites.

The House on the Hill

My neighbour's house sits on a hill just west of my place. Once part of a 100 acres, it got split up in the 1970s creating 2 farms. We got the low ground and he got the higher part. His spot also has a wonderful 100+ year old house on it, which has no electricity or plumbing and is only used as a summer and hunting cabin.

Birthday Cakes

Richard's 50th birthday is coming up on Thursday but since it's a weekday, we will be celebrating on Saturday. I've made cakes for almost everyone I know except for Richard! Here's one I made a few years back for my friend David's birthday which was celebrated at a Robbie Burns Day party (note the tartan ribbon). I'm wracking my brain to figure out what kind of cake to make for Richard. Any ideas?

Wild Mushroom Chicken

I found this recipe in The New Chicken Breast Cookbook. As it happens, I did the spot illustrations of little veggies interspersed in the book. I also drew the little chickens on the cover.
BTW, the recipe came out great. I used dried Hen of the Woods wild mushrooms and substituted the chicken stock that was called for and used the mushroom rehydrating liquid instead. Great flavour!

What's in your Fridge?

Some years back I read an interview and the last question was: "Name three things in your refrigerator." Apparently these three things are quite revealing about one's personality.
My fridge? Many revealing things to be sure. For purposes of illustration, I picked these three things just because they looks good together: My friend Carol's pickled cherry tomatoes, pickled mini-eggs I made for Richard, and pickled purple carrots from my garden.
What's in your fridge?

Good Morning November!

The sun's shining. It's a cool, bright November day. I saw a huge "V" of Snow Geese overhead yesterday. And on my way into town, I saw a Great Blue Heron fishing in a stream. Nice time of year.

Big Things

Another in my collection of "Big Things." This one was seen in northern Ontario, in a town called Earlton, while on our way up to Cochrane a few years ago.