i got a dream it don't ever come true

living room is where i want to be. fur face agrees.



progress on the recipe project.



beauty of a box. saw it ages ago and never stopped thinking about it. finally went back to get it.



progress on the curtain project too. much softer than the venetian blinds. i need a cozy space, there are no two ways about it.



small-faced bear also likes my new kitchen rug. she's finally hanging out in the kitchen, which i love because i spend  a lot of time in there.



drinking a glass of water.



had some very special ladies over for some baking. made a huge batch of granola.



there were about two more of these. it's expensive to make but so worth it cause you know exactly what's in it.



something else you should eat: black bean/sweet potato thingies.



can of black beans, diced onion and garlic, fresh thyme, one egg, some cooked sweet potato. mash it up, make it into burger shaped thingies, bake em.



wake up it's monday, you can do it.



cozy couch time, you can do that too.



dinner with this guy and his lovely mama. "FOLLOW ME!!!"



how can i even? you're so fast!



here's how. this is the only way to keep up with him, and luckily my favourite way to travel.

nuts

eat more nuts. toast them in a cast iron and put em on your pancakes (over vanilla yogurt with maple syrup and blueberries and dried cranberries).





or, if you have a lot of them make some granola, you dirty hippy. i use something close to this recipe, but i simplify it and usually kind of wing it because i don't like measuring out lots of things. having to measure lots of things means i will never make it.

here's how:
5 cups oats
3 cups of various nuts of your choice, chopped if you so desire
2 cups dried fruit (raisins/cranberries/blueberries/cherries/whatever)
1/2 C applesauce
1/2-3/4 C syrupy stuff (honey/maple syrup/corn syrup/agave) depending on how sweet and chunky you want it
1/4 C oil of any kind (except maybe olive)




mix everything except dried fruit in a large bowl, spread it all on a baking sheet (it will be thick), bake it at 300 for at least 45 minutes, stirring and flipping every now and then to see how it's going. i usually leave it in for close to an hour because i like my nuts to be toasty. heh heh heh.



see? delicious. easy. it's a bit expensive to make because you have to buy all the nuts up front but you want to have those anyway, so you might as well put them in something you can eat every day.



having stuff like this around makes you feel like you are getting somewhere in life even if you aren't. they should call it "procrastination self-soothing distraction medley" or "i have accomplished this minor thing today so now i can S a J and watch parks and rec without feeling too guilty" instead of Granola.

weekend of caturdays

so, the cats have a new box. they are really excited about it and want to be in it all the time. i get it, it's just the right size, and who doesn't want to crawl into a small space and never come out sometimes?





look at all that perfect fuzz.

i did a lot of reading this weekend. i guess it's that time of year. company always finds me when i'm engrossed in a book.



hey what's going on over here? what is this thing you look at and can i stand on it while i sniff your face?



stop looking at that, look at me look at me look at meeee i am sniffing your nose



enough of that. saturday night involved a very lovely visit to 416 snackbar. we were treated really well, including dessert to-go so we could eat it during the movie we were running late for. i tried oysters for the first time ever, and i have to say i loved them. i had one and then another right after. the shaved horseradish is perfect. i'm not going to make a frequent habit of it but it's nice to know they're an option. my only qualms with eating them would be environmentally-based and seriously if you can find a food that doesn't leave a footprint i'll be really impressed. also, file under: delicious.



we went to see Looper, and i highly recommend it. it has everything. joseph gordon-levitt should wear bruce willis make up all the time. you'll see what i mean.

sunday morning i got up and went for a run to burn off my late night Ghazales veggie sandwich (they are back to the quality levels of the good old days (dance cave memories), you heard it here first). it was beautiful out. mild and humid. sweaty.





and then out to the east end for a ben dussault-run vintage pop-up shop at desmond & beatrice. ben loves searching for vintage gems - he usually just gives them away to friends that would give them a good home - but finally put together a little sale and i'm glad he did.

love exploring different neighbourhoods. nice, right?




oh, so you think you won't eat a cupcake while you're there? you are wrong. i had the apple/caramel and it was INSANELY DELICIOUS. i think i ate it in 5 seconds flat. heavenly.



besides the cupcake, i also scored these super-cute shoe/boots (i refuse to say "booties" even though that's what they are). the details on these are so perfect. the cutouts. the bows. the stitching.



let's take a closer look, shall we?



sigh! they don't make em like they used to. i also got this super-sweet, super-soft girl-plaid. actually it might be a guy-plaid, but i can get down with that. i put it on before i left the store and only peeled it off for bed (i'll see you tonight).



yes, this is another instance of cat with book on couch. a completely different occurance. i told you. always.



fall. this stuff is so sweet until it goes on for several months and you've read every book in your house twice and you're staring out the window in 3 sweaters longing for a ray of sunshine to restore your vitamin d levels and company other than cats.

for now though, apples. lets bake them. core them, then mix some butter, brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon (and chopped pecans if you have them).



stuff it inside them apples like so:



bake em at 375-ish while you eat dinner. plop them on some ice cream and BAM it's fruit for dessert.

fall fettuccine

hey, want to make something delicious? of course you do.

you need: an acorn squash, kale, garlic, basil, olive oil, fettuccine and goat cheese. (butternut squash, spinach, linguine and feta could be substituted if you already have those.)



roast the squash and the seeds (cleaned, dried and tossed in a tiny bit of olive oil and sea salt). cook the pasta. sautee the kale and garlic until soft. add some of the pasta water and olive oil to the kale and cook it down a bit. when everything is ready, cube the roasted squash into the kale then throw in your pasta and chopped basil and toss. serve, topping with goat cheese and roasted squash seeds.

sweet, salty, and smoky. you could probably add some bacon to this if you are so inclined (and a terrible person)*

*just kidding**

**not kidding***

***KIDDING. jeez. you meat eaters are so sensitive.

extra peachy

a couple randoms from the ex. so much happening, all the time. i could never work there, it would be way too much stimulation and my head would explode.

i really liked this one. it's the anticipation. you have no idea when you're going to hear that click.



ah, my old friend the zipper. i should have known not to get on it. there are people in those things! let them out!



here is how you break rules:



it's the little things. moving along. lets make a peach cobbler. this is actually the exact same way you would make an apple brown betty. so, not so much a cobbler as a peach brown betty (but that doesn't really have the same ring to it). anyway, we've been making these in my family for...forever. pretty sure i've posted this before but whatevah.

take your fruit(s) of any kind(s), in this case half a basket of peaches on the brink of being overripe. slice as pictured:



i like to cut a few pieces into smaller bits to fill in the gaps. if you're using a smaller fruit as well (berries of some kind) don't bother doing this.



you can toss them in some cinnamon or lemon juice if you want but not necessary. stick em in a baking dish. i used a foil pan so that i wouldn't have to wash a dish then ended up washing it anyway. recycle, reduce, re-use and close the loop.

make a topping out of butter, oats, and brown sugar. just use enough oats that you think will make enough to cover it, then add soft butter until it's sticky enough to kind of clump together, the sugar is to taste. i stopped taking photos at this point because i use my hands to mix the topping.

stick it in the oven with foil on top for 25 minutes. when you take it out to check it, see if the juices are sizzling/bubbling, that's how you know it's cooked enough, also the smell should tell you. give her another 15-20 with the foil off, then if desired, you can blast it for a few minutes under the broiler to put the "brown" in the brown betty.

final product:



this was honestly so, so sososososooooooooooo good. the peaches are like candy right now. and this is so easy to make. you have no excuses not to trick your friends into thinking you're a really good cook!

food things

made a zucchini/quinoa version of these last week. they turned out awesome. this week i made a sweet potato/quinoa/cheddar/green onion batch which were also great. in general i've been eating really simply and my stomach and body have been thanking me (with the obvious exception of the ex).



some bulk barn booty. israeli couscous and sea salt. sea salt is great because a little sprinkle tastes way saltier than the same amount of regular salt. i'm not overly worried about sodium consumption given my insanely low blood pressure but it's still good to not eat "bad things" in high quantities.



pasta sauce from scratch:



chop



stew for as much time as you have. just let 'er simmer.

or just go to 416 Snack Bar and have some lobster rolls. whatever!