dessert quick fixes

Running short on time and need to whip up a delicious dessert? These little chocolate cups are the perfect solution.

Whip up some hazelnut mousse (you can even cheat and use the box mix!)

Add Frangelico liqueur for an extra zing  

Melt caramel squares in 2 tablespoons of whip cream to adorn plates 

and use as extra topping

Frangelico: good baked into a dessert or to sip on the side

Fruit toppings

The end product!

The short list of ingredients and small amount of time needed

means you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time

with friends.

obsessions this week

(Wish I Was) Watching: Like Crazy



 Listening: to 8tracks.com which streams thousands upon thousands of playlists. My favourites are the French music mixes, such as this one. Perfect for setting a relaxing atmosphere in my office.

Reading:The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Browsing: Anthropologie's October Catalog -
full of lovely finds & begins with the following poem:

Go he said,
Until rock gives way to sea, gives way to
Salt and air and the elements all - 
Until feet touch land that creaks, melts and sighs.
Rippling, crashing, splitting beneath you.
It's tired arms open to the cold of night - 
Everything frozen, everything hushed.
And then, with eyes at rest, look closely.
Closer.
Closer still.
And in that moment, you will find me - 
Indeed you will see.

the little things

Soap from "Naked North"

Infused with northern ingredients

sweet keychain from Aerie ($10)

A beautiful braided beaded (how's that for an alliteration?) 

I found this image online and must try it myself!

the land before time

One of the things I love about my job are all of the chances to travel. While exploring different terrains - like the East Arm of Great Slave Lake, Enodah, Prelude and Blachford Lake, I've realized that I always discover more when looking at the ground. Here are a couple shots from around the north. More to come!

                 

                                              fish teeth discovered amongst the pebbles

    

Juniper

"Indian Paintbrush"

lavender icing

Anyone who knows me most likely knows about my obsession with lavender. I used to hate it as a child but last year I came home to find a beautiful bundle of it hanging over my kitchen sink and I've loved it ever since. I make lavender syrup lattes, have lavender infused baths, put dried lavender on my night stand... it's getting quite out of control. Anyway, when I found a recipe for lavender icing in a Martha Stewart cookbook I whipped it up right away (even though dear ol' Martha's recipes never work out for me). Here is the recipe and results:

Boil 1/3 tsp of dried lavender in 1/3 cup of milk. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl (pillow cases are also a handy replacement). Discard lavender. Whisk in 3 cups of confectioners sugar until smooth. Add a dash of violet food colouring.

romantic sundays

Today I'm flying to Blachford Lake Lodge for work - the same lodge that Will and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited during their stay in the Northwest Territories. With an outdoor hottub for watching the aurora borealis and a boat ride to Honeymoon Island on the schedule I can't help but think about romantic weekends. I know that with my hectic schedule I typically use weekends for catching up on sleep, laundry and getting my life back in order. Sundays should be reserved for late brunches, black and white movies and afternoon yoga classes. With this in mind, I decided to rejig my weekend plans, and here is some of what I included:

Soak up the spread of Kate Moss' gorgeous wedding 

in the September issue of Vogue.

Indulge. 

Lemon filled pastries from Lulu's Market in Yellowknife.

Similar to these treats I made.

Get comfy...

In beautiful pyjamas.

(Urban Outfitters $52)

More ideas here.

backyard baking 3

Rose Hip Syrup
Picked from: Prelude Lake
Recipe from: Wild Roots Herbal Learning Centre
Thoughts: make any meal romantic with this blush-hued syrup

Ingredients:
4 cups rose hips
2 cups water
1 cup sugar

Rose hips are best picked mid to late August when their colour is rich and full.

Wash rose hips thoroughly. Remove stems and flower remnants.

Boil hips and water for 20 minutes in a covered saucepan. Strain through a jelly bag.

Return clear juice to kettle. Add sugar. Stir well and boil five minutes.

Refrigerate until used. This syrup is my absolute favourite and makes for wonderful gifts.

keeping cozy

With the weather slowly slipping from summer to fall, I know I'll be spending more time indoors. Here are a few things that make my bedroom a bit more cozy.

Favourites: lavender for a calming scent and a tiny tray for favourite pieces of jewellery

A birchbark basket, made in the Northwest Territories, and decorated with dyed porcupine quills. Adding to my mirror by posting beautiful photos taken by my friend Aryn

With a bed this cozy I won't mind hiding out when the temperature plummets

Fresh flowers from the garden... sadly, they won't be there for long!

northern garden party

I know my blog has been a bit lacking in the last month but it's been an extremely busy couple of weeks - don't worry, there are lots of posts to come! One of the highlights of this month was hosting a garden party for two writers from Canadian Living magazine. The lovely ladies are working on a 5-6 page spread on cuisine in the Northwest Territories and I was lucky enough to do some baking for them. Here are a few snapshots I took before they arrived. I prepared rose petal shortbread, spruce tip shortbread, fireweed syrup, rose hip syrup, and bannock. Recipes to follow!

moccasin cake

I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately whipping up my favourite recipes, but when a coworker's retirement party came up I decided to try something new. I thought a moccasin shaped cake would be the perfect design for someone leaving the north behind. The piping (for an inexperienced piper like myself) was time consuming but the overall look is worth it. I can't wait to try this one again with more colours and a more intricate design.
Final touches: arrange a few spruce boughs around the cake once it is done to add to the northern look and feel!

almond biscotti

I used a great recipe from epicurious.com to make these chocolate-dunked almond biscotti. The recipe was actually called for hazelnuts but the switch still tasted great. I couldn't believe how well they turned out: delicious and chewy even after a few days. Now if only I had an espresso machine!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups hazelnuts (7 ounces)
3/4 Cup sugar
2 Cups self-rising cake flour
2 large eggs
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Pulse together sugar and 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to bowl of mixer along with flour and beat at medium speed until combined well. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until a dough forms. Reduce speed to low, then add remaining chopped hazelnuts and mix until incorporated. Turn off mixer and knead in any loose hazelnuts with your hands.
3. Halve dough and, with dampened hands, form each half into a roughly 10- by 2- by 1-inch log on lined baking sheet, arranging logs 3 inches apart.
4. Bake until golden and set but still soft to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Cool logs on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes.
5. Transfer logs to a cutting board, discarding parchment, and cut logs with a serrated knife on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
6. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on unlined baking sheet. Bake slices, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes more. Cool biscotti completely on sheet on rack, about 30 minutes.
Read More:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hazelnut-Biscotti-236948#ixzz1TMp70shX

Final touch: I opted to melt milk chocolate over the stove to dunk one side of the biscotti in. While the chocolate was still warm, I sprinkled about 1/2 a teaspoon of hazelnuts on top. Lean them over the edge of a dish to cool and harden then munch away! The chocolate is a tasty addition!

style envy: emma watson

backyard baking 2

Here's another wonderful recipe to try! I trekked along Ingraham Trail (near Yellowknife) to pick wild roses, plucked the petals and washed then dried them over two days. Once they were dry I ground them in a medicine bowl (a food processor works too) then combined with sugar. What was left was a delicious wild rose petal sugar that is a great addition to any dessert. I've added a cup to shortbread and topped french toast with it. It adds wonderful colour and flavour!

land of the midnight sun

Last December I posted some photos of a typical day at -47degrees Celsius in Yellowknife. (Click here to see the chilly pics!)

Well, here's the flip side! I took these photos during an impromptu fishing trip on Prelude Lake between midnight and 3am a few weeks ago. The photos really don't do the scenery justice. I've lived here for years and my jaw still drops on gorgeous nights like this. We didn't see a single boat or hear another person - though a couple curious beavers played alongside us.