the low down...soon, i will get better at posting these tid bits as i am doing them, leading up to the holidays and parties i throw them on, so you too can share in the culinary crafting adventure i set sail upon.  hop aboard matey!  squack...hop aboard matey (totally done in a parrot accent, much like the one from Aladin).  for now, here this is for next year's reference for you to go ahead and take magic back along side us! 

little recap on St. Patrick's Day....we decided to take magic back!!!  the actual story of st. patrick and his day is totally lame and sad... but, like many "holidays" it has come to the americas through hemispheres and time, passed like a silly secret through ears and culture until it has become completely unrecognizable to it's origin. YAY! so good, in this case. this is the day my family celebrates magic! rainbows, leprechauns, and pots of gold. adventure seeking, charms, spells, and going green. crafting, food and friends.   long live the druids, the shamrockers and magic homies like yourselves!

rainbow ice cubes....umm, yeah. took me days to finish these icy gems...freezing each layer separately and such.  found natural food colouring that was extremely spendy and not as poppin as i'd hoped, at whole foods.  but deeeam! i had fun drinking my irish whiskey with one of these babies floating in it.  the kids were suuuper excited about them.  i found enormous silicon ice cube moulds somewhere... forget where, but am in love with them. i have seen them on amazon if you wanna go that route. 

menu:  

• cheese plate:  all kinds of cheeses that had green touches, bartlet pears, green apple chips, pistachio this, basil that, sage something or other...you get my drift. yu-um.
• caprese stacks:  beefsteak tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, mint leaves, and homemade basil pistachio pesto on a bed of arugula.
• mini cabbage:  okay, so obvz these are brussel sprouts with applewood smoked bacon from our friends farm in Powel River, but...you know...irish theme...cabbage. nuf said.
• potatoes:  obvz had to have a potato dish.  these are fennel chicken broth baked mandolin potatoes.  3 ingredients (besides salt and pepper) and are sooo good. i will post the recipe ...calm down.
• venison rack:  marinated in a lemon parsley caper chimichurri and lightly seared on the bbq and baked off to perfection.  salivating just thinking about it.  served with chimi on the side.  
• dessert: mini pavlovas with kiwi and blueberries tossed in a mint, lime simple syrup and topped with matcha whip cream and lime zest.  holy f*$k it was good.  plus, i totally cheated on the sugar in the simple syrup and used half sugar and half Zero, a natural sweetener with a super low glycemic index. yup, getting nerdy over here.  it was magnificent and fresh with now sugar crash afterwards.  recipe to follow.

i really wish i had amazing pictures of the table pre-aftermath...but...nope.  was totally in the zone. the magic zone.  fueled by magic, guiness and irish whiskey and solid gold friends and family. loved this evening.  only 3 couples and a houseful of kids.  that's how we do.  

i was so excited about my morning off of work and kidlets to have a lil bit'a blog time that i almost forgot to eat breky.  so, whipped up a "quickie" and thought i'd share it.  you should try this delish and nutrish version of "the sexy mason jar breakfast"…derived from memory, like all really good recipes are, from a recipe on sexyfoodtherapy.com.  Melissa Ramos.  love her.  seriously love her. check her website...it is so awesome.  anyway, i think the only difference is that i omit the ground flax seed.  i like the texture  better without it, myself.  hers also calls for ground chia, which i always just use the whole seeds and love.  try both.  

ingredients:

2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tbsp nuts and or seeds (i like a mix of chopped almond, sunflower and pumpkin…or pecan, hemp seeds and walnut…just use what you have)
1/2 a chopped apple
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dashes of fresh nutmeg, and cardamom, a couple grated clove buds in there are very good too.
1 scoop of your fave protein powder (i love the vanilla Sun Warrior)
if you have a sweet tooth, add a packet or a few drops of stevia (sub any sweetner you'd like-doesn't really need it though, in my opinion)

and then just fill with boiling water when you are ready to eat.  give it a good slow stir...needs to be mixed up or the chia will clump up a bit.  yu-um.

soooo goood! you can make a few ahead of time to have on hand to take with you to school or work. just mix the dry ingredients in mason jars and chop 1/2 and apple to toss in before you head out the door.  you just need boiling water to mix in when you are ready to eat.   bon appetite!

okay...calm down...take a few breaths and repeat after me, " you can do this"!  say it a few times and pour a glass of wine or whiskey and really get cozy to the idea of making brittle.  i finally did it. so can you.  if you have a candy thermometer, it's go time.  guess what, i thrifted mine, brand new for 25 cents.  let's do this!

brittle is so good on it's own or crushed up on ice cream.  hello!  delish.  this recipe makes 2 pounds, so there is enough to go around. yu-umm.

i adapted this recipe from Ted Allen's cook book, In My Kitchen, which is one of my faves.  for reals... i have a huuuge crush on him and want to invite him over to my crib for a dinner party. making his brittle was kind of a way to...uh... ehem...err... have a reason to send him fan mail.  just kidding. but kind of not.   think i will.  

anyway, Ted's recipe calls for corn syrup, which i am totes not down with (the #1 reason i haven't made fancy cute time marshmallows yet, which are, in fact, why i purchased a candy thermometer in the first place) so i decided to go a bit cray cray and use brown rice syrup.  i was thinking i could try agave syrup and it might be a closer fit, as far as a substitute, but didn't have enough...you may try to sub agave...tell me how it goes.  i am going to try marshmallows with it. i will share.  obvz.   however, the brown rice syrup made such yummers brittle, i dunno if i would switch it up again.  

ingredients:

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (plus more for baking sheets)
3 cups pecans (i did 2 cups pecans and 1 cup pumpkin seeds)
2 cups sugar (yup, i went white sugar on this one)
1 cup brown rice syrup (or agave syrup)
3 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (i used our homemade rum vanilla extract)
3/4 tsp  flaky salt (cyprus or maldon sea salt is the best here)

3.   measure out and have ready your butter, baking soda, and vanilla.

4.   butter 3 baking sheets and set aside. 

5.   combine brown rice syrup, sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear'ish.  use a pastry brush dipped in water or silicon spatula to brush/wash any remaining sugar crystals down the sides of the sauce pan.  stick a candy thermometer into the pot, increase the heat to medium high and cook without stirring until mixture thickens and the thermometer reads 230F. 

6.   add the pecans, pumpkin seeds and butter, and stirring constantly, cook until the temp reaches 305F.  remove from heat, and quickly stir in baking soda and vanilla.  be super careful, as the mixture might sputter and foam.

7.   pour the mixture in 3 equal portions onto the buttered baking sheets.   butter the back of a wooden spoon or the spatula you are using, and use it to spread mixture out as thinly as possible. sprinkle the sea salt over the brittle.  allow to cool and then break into pieces.  store it in an air tight container for up to a month.  ha.  as if you will have it for that long.

play dough is so super easy to make you won't even believe it.  i'll give you the recipe i use here today, but this post is about how to jazzy your kids imagination right up by switching up what you give them to play with alongside the dough.  these pics were taken on st. patty's day a couple years ago.  note the shamrocking that is happening. 

i love thrifting old school kitchen doomahickies for this.  things like egg slicers (did a major big time dorky happy dance when i thought of that one), cookie cutters, honey stirrers, rolling pins and potato mashers/ricers are so awesome.  anything that creates texture or different shapes, really.  forego buying toys and play dough kits and just open your kitchen drawers or hit up the thrift store.

the most patting on the back i ever did to myself as far as play dough is concerned...  (that might just be the most random sentence i have ever typed)... is when i thought to place a square of canvas material under the happy play dough fun times and realized it doesn't stick to it and keeps it off my table.  clean up is sooo much easier if you do this!

cooking time: about 10 minz a batch
ingredients:

1 cup water

2 Tbsp. oil

Food coloring

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar


i know what you are thinking cause i thought it and did it the first time i saw this playdough recipe! "i'll just quadroople the recipe because i want a zillion different colours..."  well, don't.  if you do, you will have to divide the dough you make and add the colour to the dough with your hands and a now rainbow cutting board.  oof.  just make a separate batch for each colour. it's fast.  and fun.

k, now that we have that out of our systems, add the water, oil & about 4-8 drops food colouring to a saucepan (obvz the more you put in, the brighter the colour will be).  stir to mix that up super good and then add the rest of the ingredients. 

stir constantly over medium low heat so it doesn't lump up.  it will start to thicken and pull away from the sides.  once it starts to form a ball, remove it from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes so you don’t burn yourself.  plop it onto the counter and knead it gently.  once you start having way to much fun in the kneading department....it's ready for your kids to have a go!

since i post about the projects i make with or inspired by recycled or reused materials, i figured i'd give a shout out to my local recycling depot!!  they are so awesome.  they run a "zero waste reuse store" that i have scored some ridiculously amazing items at.  cookie cutters and rolling pins for a quarter, an antique underwood typewriter (!!!) for a buck, brand new camping gear, vintage plates and pudding cups to make cake stands out of, vinyl records, sheet music, etc.... most people walk up and think these shipping containers are filled with junk.  they are.  but if you know what to look for, you just might find a diamond in the rough.  if you don't think there is one near you, look harder.  

in the town next to us, there is one at the dump that i have seriously salvaged insane pieces of furniture at and even seen people walk away with le creuset pieces and brand new juicers before.  hello.  sounding like a hoarder here....i'm not.  just giving a shout out to treasure finding! carry on.

i love making cute shizzle out of recycled materials.  that is one reason that i love these so much.  also, they are extremely useful and have the secret power of making anything they touch look like pure magic.  i have made and used these in several different ways.  i've tucked one into the bow on a gift, i have made boutonnieres with them, used them in up do's in my hair, attached them onto twigs using floral tape and given a dozen flowers to a friend on special occasion...but my favourite, by far, was what i used these particular flowers for.  

i was doing all the decor for a fundraiser for my sons preschool.  the theme was Wonderland.  i made centerpieces for the tables filled with these white roses.  i dribbled red nail polish and "painted the roses red" on the tips of the petals, letting the red drip right off onto the roses underneath.  i thrifted a few decks of cards and took out all of the heart cards and tucked them in between the white roses.  they were the best.  i cannot even believe i don't have a picture to show you.  i need to recreate it.  i will.  i promise.  calm down!

i sometimes buy these brown rice tortillas.  in truth, i think they have a secret ingredient that causes you to forget that they are NOTHING like a tortilla so you will, in fact, buy them again.  they crack, break, and basically make a big mess out of whatever it is you are trying to wrap up inside of them.  exhale.  rant over.  

between each one, is a round sheet of parchment type paper.  it is so that they do not stick together. i get it...but sheesh...such a waste.  that is what fuelled these roses...wondering wtf to do with them besides throw them out.

start by cutting a spiral into them.  make it simple so that the width of the paper strip is nice and thick.

now, take a toothpick (or twig, wire, pencil....whatever you'd like to use) and put a bit of hot glue on the bottom 1/3rd of it.  starting with the outside corner of the paper spiral, start wrapping/twirling the paper around the toothpick.  the glue will dry fast and keep it in place.  do it pretty tight at the beginning, but as you add a bit of glue here and there, play with wrapping it a bit looser to make more of a rose shape.  you can even play with folding the paper as you go, personalizing each one.

when you get to the inner part of the spiral, there is a perfect shape to dab some glue and then seal it up.  with a bit of practice, you'll get the hang of it and they will look so clean and just perfect for whatever you are using them for.

tah-dahhhhhh!

i'm tempted just say this...."Put a bundle of fresh lavender on the dash in your car.  your life will change.  wait and see."

no but for real.  trust me.  wink. me smiling....you nodding...  then you smiling the next time i see you.

every time you turn on the heat....oh my josh!  every time you hop into your car on a sunny day...oh my josh!  every time your friends sit shotgun...josh curls his toes in splendiforous olfactory bliss.  mmm.  i am going to go sit in my car on the driveway now.  that is all.

yes, some of the little flower buds with fall into the vent.  yes, like i did, you will think, "oh no, what have i done?"  then, also like me, you will join josh in his toe curling and think...mmm..."totally meant to do that. so good.  smells so good."        enjoy.