Friday, June 26, 2015

Strawberry Fields~










When our girls were small we always took them strawberry picking..
Mylène does the same with Noah..Wednesday was a national holiday here..St-Jean Baptiste day..she called around noon and asked if I wanted to go strawberry picking w/ them?
Yes~♥
Gave me the chance to see Grizzly:)The Chickens and Alain's gardens..
I came home w/ not only about 4 liters of fresh picked warm berries,but lettuce..beets..and eggs:)
Instead of going to a very commercial place..you may remember..we went blueberry picking there..  this time she chose a very quaint ,no frills farm..we will go back at the end of July for vegetables..
Noah was so good..he's going to be 7 after all July 4th:)
He picked a full 4 liter basket on his own..his mom picked another..they are 5 there..we are 2..
However when we got to the weigh out..I had picked the most;)
Noah looked at me with a mischievious grin and went to ..take some of mine:)
Sweet sweet with his nana banana.He really is.
And his freckles are multiplying!
He has the littlest baby teeth of all 4..  Oli is a close second..but Noah's?  So teeny!

It's so different when you are one on one w/ your grandchildren compared to all together..
Love both..but the selfish person in me ..loves this one on one..

I made more of David Lebovitz's jam..call it a 2015 crush..

I had bought QC strawberries the week before..not local..but from QC..to make the other Father's Day dessert..Cathy's AMAZING Hazelnut chocolate cake..
It won rave reviews.
You can find her delicious make again recipe at the link to her blog..




Cathy..thanks for all the great recipes you share all the time..

Bon Weekend~

56 comments:

  1. Making memories with Noah. So sweet. He'll always remember it. Those berries look perfect too. I too make strawberry jam, but I make the freezer kind. It tastes so fresh. Love the little labels and jar toppers too. Have a wonderful weekend, Monique.

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    1. I hope he never forgets:)
      The problem with having family close..is that no one's company comes close..;)
      We love freezer jam too:) This is a crush..a 2015 crush.
      I can't believe how many things I make once.. and not again.. looking through our blogs shows us this..

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  2. What fun to go picking strawberries and with your little cutie, Noah! ! I so love the one on one time with our grandkids, such a special time. Your photographs are just wonderful, love each of the collages!
    Have a great weekend!
    Nancy

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    1. It was so beautiful..and calm and the perfect breeze.
      This is my kind of entertainment...and company.:)
      I know you know.:)

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  3. i've always wanted to go strawberry picking, warm fresh berries sounds so wonderful and a fun way to spend the day with your grandson. oh and that chocolate cake, wow

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    1. I think it is something you would realy enjoy..I hope one day you get to do it Jenni..♥

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  4. What lovely cake Monique!
    And what sweet is Noah:)3

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    1. He gets sweeter and sweeter;)
      He reads so well Gloria! He reads me stories..not there..;)

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  5. The only thing better than picking strawberries is picking them with such a delightful "assistant"!!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  6. Chocolate and strawberries is my favorite combination. Dear Monique, have a great and delicious summer!
    Hugs,

    Yelena

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    1. I wish the same for you Yelena.Must be busy w/ kids etc..:)

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  7. One of life's great joys, goin' berry pickin'! And with dear family! And also a joy, your color schemes, I love how you see the ativities in your life with color harmonies!

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    1. It is a great joy!
      I tend to say yes now when my daughters ask me to go along.
      :)
      My best outings.. with Jacques too:)

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  8. I love fresh strawberries from the garden! Sounds like a delightful day.

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    1. It was:)I love fresh berries too..and in the sun..the berries were so warm..to eat on the spot..we did not eat many..:)even Noah..respectful..but he did have a telltale smudge..the lady said I should have weighed YOU before you entered;)

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  9. That is so sweet that you got to go strawberry picking with just Noah and his mom. What a cutie! I love one on one too but we usually have both boys together at this point. They love to help me pick cherry tomatoes when they start to ripen. I think kids love helping with things like that. Little harvesters :) What a gorgeous cake! I sounds absolutely delicious with the hazelnuts. Happy weekend :)

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    1. :)

      My fave harvesters..
      Like yours..all our 4 boys are so different one from the other;)
      I think some kids really like to help..especially their grandparents;)

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  10. What a beautiful shot. it is gorgeous and exploding with color. I can just imagine the flavor!! I just got my 3rd pack of local berries and love them so much... at one box all on my own driving back home! Nice to be back in the real world and visiting my favorite blogs!

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  11. What fun! I've never been strawberry picking. Peaches are in season here. A friend gave me a sack full from her ranch, and another friend is delivering half a bushel on Sunday, straight from the orchard in Fredricksburg. Peach cobbler and fresh peaches are on the menu. '-) I agree, one on one time is very special. I see that with tutoring.
    Happy Weekend!

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    1. You will be a busy cook /baker with your dear husband after all those deliveries..

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  12. Mhhh, la cueillette des fraises ! Que de doux souvenirs ~

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  13. You seem to post what's on my mind. I was just saying that we must go pick strawberries. We go every year and they taste like strawberries should taste. So different from the ones shipped to the grocery store. What a pretty cake! I still remember one on one time spent with my dad. There were four of us so it was very special.

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    1. :)
      I know you like outings like this too;)
      I must admit strawberries..picked this way ARE different and more delicious..
      However we ind strawberries year long here..from elsewhere..that do the trick in a pinch:)

      I remember one on one w/ my mom...always..not my dad...

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  14. It amazes me that you have fields of strawberries ready for picking since you are so much farther north. Our fields just opened this week. Your cake is lovely and I'm sure just lasted mere minutes.

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    1. Uncanny!
      I wonder why?

      And yes fields and fields..and they have been picking for a while..

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  15. We love strawberries, so I am excited about this post. I grew up picking strawberries in a field across from our house. What a dream and so much fun as a child. The cake looks so decadent and pretty. Thanks for sharing and have a happy weekend.

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    1. :)
      I didn't pick when I was little.. we lived in the city until I was 10..but we did bring our girls:)
      This cake is scrumptious~
      You too Linda:)

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  16. Sounds (and looks) like a perfect day.

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  17. Those strawberries are so RED all the way through like they're supposed to be! YUM.. on the chocolate cake! I used to go strawberry picking to make the money for me to attend Girl Scout camp.. mom said I didn't make enough money to even pay for the lunch I took with me. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  18. How fun! Your little Noah is precious and yes definitely, the one on one time is worth it's weight in gold. The cake looks like it comes from a fancy pastry shop!

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  19. Your photos are always stunning and your cake is gorgeous! However, Noah is stealing the show - what a doll!

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  20. grandma-grandchild time is so very special. I treasure those moments. You frosted your cake so beautifully, Monique. I'm going to do it just that way when I make it again. I'm so happy you and your family enjoyed it.

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    1. Cathy I can take no credit for this delicious dessert of yours..nor for the decorating..I Googled strawberry cake recipes and gleaned ideas on 3;)
      Thank you again!

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  21. Oh I love spending time with my grandbabies, especially one on one, they are so much fun and have wonderful personalities, but I guess we all believe that. Will have to try that strawberry jam, sounds delicious!

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    1. We do:) All 4 different personalities..all 4 endearing..you are so right we all think that.
      His jam is so ggod..liquidy..just like in Provence..not overcooked..not thick..

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  22. How wonderful to be able to spend one on one moments with your precious grandson! What a cutie pie. All of your grandsons are just gorgeous! Lady killers. The berries look so good. Ours are ripening now in the garden and we are really enjoying. We pick and eat each day. So tasty! I don't know if there are any UPick places near where we live, or indeed if there are any over here at all. I shall have to do a search! Your jam sounds gorgeous! xoxo

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    1. I wish you could spend one on one time too Marie..when I make wishes for friends..that is one of them.

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  23. What an enchanting post Monique...
    And a special day with your grandson...
    Perhaps next Strawberry season, I could go picking with Miss V♥️
    And then make jam...or just slice up with yogurt....or make a delicious cake like yours!
    Hope you are drier than we are....yikes! So much rain!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. POuring!

      Went to see Max..with 3 of their boys and their mom..pouring here..
      Oh Miss V would be so adorbz in a strawberry field!

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  24. We normally end up making pies after a morning fruit picking and then I make some jam to keep us happy during the winter months. I think this year I'm going to surprise them and get us making the chocolate cake too. They will be happy, busy bees all day - thanks for the idea Monique.

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  25. I used to work on a strawberry farm when I was young. It was a lot of work to pick strawberries from morning to night. But they were so delicious.

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    1. Oh it IS a lot of work to do that all day!
      But they are bigger than blueberries;)

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  26. Just exquisite!
    You are so creative with yr cake creations. You take it to another realm altogether.

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  27. Pinterest combo..and Cathy's recipe;)

    I copy..:(

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  28. J'ai beaucoup laissé mes enfants, surtout Clément, le premier, avec ma maman ... Et ils se sont assurément fait de merveilleux souvenirs ensemble ... Une belle réussite ! Je vois que tu fais pareil avec tes petits-fils et c'est chouette ... Bon, j'irais bien ramasser des paniers de fraises, moi aussi ... en attendant, je vais aller jeter un oeil à cette recette ... Le chocolat et la noisette, ça me parle bien ... ;o)

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    1. Quand je vois tes beaux jeunes hommes.. je tente de visualiser mes "LIttles" à leurs àges..et j'espère qu'ils seront heureux ,intéressés, en santé..et gentils comme les tiens;)

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  29. Your Noah is such a dear. We've had an extraordinarily long strawberry season. The jam looks like a yum idea.

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