C'est tellement beau..

 

Not peak yet..But oh so pretty.

Saturday found areas without power and windy..(the cause) but sunny with gorgeous white puffy clouds..I went out looking for beauty.I don't have far to go..

I met a past client with his dog:) Years ago..years..he was nice enough to let me take pics of him.He was nice that many yrs ago..still nice.

People are always surprised when I say..from the back:) I love them:)

My husband said something so wise..he often does..he rarely comments on things but when I mentioned again I love taking photos from the back he said it's because nothing is forced..(fake) So true.

One of our daughters hosted Thanksgiving.. on her own..her husband is a hunter and he usually is away this weekend..it was delicious..the whole family..I adore when we are all together.

I come home late..WIRED and I don't sleep a wink lol..

We eat early..by 5.30-45.And we don't eat a lot..nor after that until the next AM..At family gatherings..I star when I get there..5..and stop eating at 11..No wonder I don't sleep;)

Wired.. We are quiet..these evenings are full of conversation and laughter.The big boys still come..I just love that.LOVE that.

So I brought desserts.. my cupcakes were not great.my icing broke..:(

My cookies were just ok..I tried a new recipe..but these were a hit.Pecan Pie bars.

I was glad to be able to pick a bouquet for her.

Gosh those dahlias..I remember when zinnias thrilled me:)  I still like them ..but..:)

Enjoying Disclaimer on Apple TV

No frost yet..  so dahlias will remain..underground.

Have a great week:)

...Lucky to be cozy.

  

I have been going overboard in the gardens..my immediate neighbours to the left and right have gardeners now to put the beds  to sleep (and RIGHTLY SO)..But I confess to not loving it as much as I used to..If I could annihilate the invasives..I might be more encouraged..But everything I chop.. Beside..Invasives that only get worse...I have very few left to put to sleep.One I have actually abandoned and I let it look after itself..Far right way back..;)

In between I do gentler hobbies;) Painting and baking..

Butternut sqash soups..Jacques make my favorite BS risotto...

I made a salted caramel sauce..(next time) To flavor my buttercream for the cupcakes Sunday..

I fell IN LOVE with this Van Gogh palette..ever since we went to St-Rémy I love him even more..

The above is a Chris Petri you tube tutorial.Google him and You tube and you are set!!

I watched this on my own.. and enjoyed it.

Charming.IMHO.

I'm all about scents and colors and comfort food..and football once fall hits QC..

I need comfort..:)

As I type I am so very concerned re Fl..and Milton.The worse is hitting where we used to stay.Seeing people evacuate..seeing the mess Helene left and now they start over..

I have neighbours who own there..

It's tragic.

:(:(:(

October 1rst.

Still... Still:)

Be still my heart.:)

I made our favorite red pepper jelly..The recipe can be found on a way back post. Here

Made our favorite apple crisp..You can find the recipe here..I doubled the topping and added more apples..I have tried at least 20.This is the all time winner.It's from Cuistot..and the reviews are stellar...

 

I have started putting some gardens to bed..albeit so much is still popping..The geraniums..zinnias(I am letting those go to seed)dahlias,nasturtiums..French marigolds..They are en masse..I am not a yellow orange person but that bed with the nasturtiums and F marigolds w/ dill and sorrel and chives and parsley ..Thyme..garlic chives.. is outstanding:)

Cute bumblebee moth:)

I'll be planting my tulips soon:) 

And it's October..Just like that..

...Fall on my footsteps.

 

It is soup season again..I make stock when I have chicken and soups..some stock I reserve for J's risottos..s good.

So this carrot soup is a staple here..

La Recette

I small onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped

4 large carrots cut in equal slices and peeled

Sauté all this in one TBSP butter and one TBSP olive oli

At this point you can add  some grated ginger 

Cover your sautéed veggies with stock..just above that level.

Simmer until everything is soft.

I use an immersion blender and blend and blend.

Smooth smooth smooth

Season with salt and pepper

A dash of hot sauce

About one tbsp maple syrup.

Taste Taste taste. If it's bland..enhance:)Never eat something that is not very good.

unless you have to lol

You can add some cream or milk .

Honestly it needs very little of either but I do soften with some 10% cream.Again,very little.

So easy.

If you want to jujje a carrot soup up a bit..this is my fancy fave.

Carrot Ginger soup with coconut shrimp.

A favored one by my family.

Don't underestimate flower frogs for whimsical cosmos bouquet

or any other:)

I saw a cute photo of Max with his girlfriend after a game taken by someone in her family..

Immortalized now with a little watercolor.

Young love:)

PS I made these banana choco chip muffins..so good..

I added a splash  of oil..and sugar in the raw crusted top.

Here you go...You can find the recipe here

Yummy.

Just read the comments:)

My dahlias are still so very very plentiful and beautiful.

Grateful.

My bok choy from Susan

Is beautiful.. Like dahlia blooms under organza hats I have finally been able to grow Bok Choy..under a tunnel.A mesh hooped tunnel my friend bought me at Dollarama (Nothing is 1 dollar).

I have started harvesting it for  inclusion in recipes.. and just sautéed with roasted sesame oil and garlic.

The leaves are starting to change.I did put the gardens that house the small mini pond to bed as our maples drop a boatload of leaves and I can't blow them out with all the ground cover.So..I nearly shaved that garden and even shaved all the ground cover..time will tell.

In doing that I see all the things that should not be there..too hard to shovel prune..A painted fern that grew to gargantuan size was murder to take out.

4 tarps full of cuttings and hydrangeas..

Spring and Fall..

All the work.

PS Anonymous  dug in deep again.I am leaving her comment here for all to see..subsequent ones will be removed. I can't keep up a ridiculous diatribe.

Still summer...

 

As you can see I love these little cakes..I found this one on IG Mine did not rise as much but I did not put the strip of butter on top..

You can find the recpe in English..HERE

I used coffee cream she used full fat 35%

I forgot to line a strip of butter on top..:)

Very vanilla very good.

I added a simple syrup on top with some rhum.Rhum and vanilla go hand in hand:)

I made cookies that I brought to my daughter's..look how cute to wrap individually.. here.

I was fascinated with these cookies.. On IG.. and I had fun making them,she used 00 flour..I had none left and used AP flour I feel it may have made my cookies crunchier I will try again with 00 next time I pick some up..

You can find the recipe here and it is translated..by ladfoodie:)

Summer is holding on so tightly.. the last 10 days really mucho caliente..no rain and none in the forecast.Beating records.. 

Some trees starting..but not fall yet.. Marigods zinnias and dahlias blooming their heads off.

We celebrated Oli's 15 th birthday ..

He's so easy..easy as a Sunday morning .:)A beautiful Sunday morning.

Still painting..and telling my little stories:)

Take care..

And PS to the anonymous person who insists on thinking he or she is so smart and funny with their critical comments.I will keep deleting you.

As Oli would say: What's the point?

My mother taught me if you have nothing nice to say..shut up..Lol she didn't put it that way but I am..and I can voice it even more disparagingly;)

So move on..throw your silly  you think they are funny darts elsewhere,as I check my blog and your sarcasm will not be found. 

You are my first derogatory person here..IN YEARS and years.

I knew bullies in my youth..and even at work..

So easy to delete you here;)

And not all anonymous people are cantakerous..just you.You know who you are.

Football,Dahlias and a great little cake.

 

I can honestly say there are bouquets to be picked every day.. A love affair..

I have said that should my tubers not survive.I can only hope Costco carries Tasc tubers next yr.I'll buy more.

We went to Max's first football game..where he is in residence.

Number 9 he is..

My husband had checked the weather and rain was in the forecast.We hopped in with our daughter..

She had not seen the forecast:(

She is so funny..always so cute so on point clothing etc.. she had brought a raincoat thank goodness..

But the rain..was TORRENTIAL.Rained all the time we were there but mostly TORRENTIAL.

Our clothes were sopping wet and weighed a ton.My husband's wallet..and money and cards even..:(

We had chills.. See my daughter's foot..that's the umbrella in front of her dripping on her foot.

I mean we laughed a lot.. but inclement weather ..wow.

Boys played well and won.

Our other grandson was playing that night ..but in Mtl..not anywhere near here nor our home..so we had to skip that one.

Because the boys are older..all games start at 7.30 PM now..except a select few..Close to our home..we are ok..but that is Oli's team:( 

And as we know..he is out.

So first game ..lol..taught us..that torrential may not be for us;)

As initiation..  all the boys on Max's team had to shave their head.. and two strips of eyebrows..Oh lala his beautiful hair..

I for one miss it.

I made another little marbré cake.. I just have Marbré de Karine on the copy I have..

I just love my Pullman loaf pan..a gift from L-A and J..Paris.. E.Dehillerin. 3 1/2 x 3x 7 .

Every little loaf is perfection.

On this loaf though I added a simple syrup of water,sugar and rhum on top when I took it out of the oven..

I make a few of these cakes some simple some middle some more steps..for a simple one..this won is very very very good.

They are Provence to me.Back in our pied-à-terre there on all 3 occasions.. I would buy the bag of Bonne Maman petits marbrés to have ..So many things I love..because of Provence.

La recette

3 eggs

180 grams sugar

1 tbsp vanilla (I used vanilla sugar and vanilla paste)

100 grams of crème fraiche..I used sour cream CF is near impossible to find here

160 grams flour

1/2 packet of baking powder which is about 5 .5 grams

60 grams melted butter

14 grams unsweetened cocoa powder.

In a bowl mix all ings except cocoa..divide in two..to second one add coocoa powder and mix..I added some milk to moisten more slightly

I then put each batter in 2 sep piping bags and piped each alternatively in my pullman pan.

Swirled with a knife..

Baked at 340 F for 40 -45 mins.

Toothpick should come out clean.

I used the simple syrup.

One thing I learned from another of my recipes,if you wrap tightly with cling wrap..it will stay moist longer..

I'll post other marbrés in the future..

I bought  tulip bulbs.. exactly these 50..Tasc..I won't mind planting all those...Nor my garlic..

Just not Truly anticipating with glee fall garden clean up.

It's the neverending onslaught of leaves and tarps filled with 

everything we have grown that we chop off..

Gluttons for punishment.

Just ask The Goddess of Oy..

So Garlic is my fave withhhhhhhhhhh Dahlias now..and French marigolds:)

 

So listen.. if my tubers do not overwinter.I am buying more new tubers:) It seems I have a designated spot..Like I do for garlic..And I love picking bouquets every day.

100 yrs ago..when I was a realtor..I would hang a bouquet of flowers on my clients new door handle.. with ribbon.. and a note..To later return with a gift..But I wanted a bouquet to greet them.

Very much like this one I did here.

Depending on circumstances..weather..lol..timing..and taste.

My friend Joanne was a nanny and her little one's  milk came in these metal containers..poked holes on each side..and added the ribbon..in this case garden twine.I can't believe I still have 3 of these metal containers..

I may have gotten the idea from Martha back then.

Our porch is up a few steps.. like tall:) Look how Café au Lait is soaring.

Have a I mentioned I just love dahlias?

Would like to add a few more..Funnily enough only two varieties here ..But look how Labyrith has two very distinct colors!

Not far behind this summer..

My nasturtiums as always and my French marigolds

 Meanwhile the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees..are feeling fallish..nothing dramatic yet.. However..

The cosmos are starting..and again soo tall..and these are from seed I saved and not like any that grew here..I wonder how come?

Still into these.. I love them.Look that's a big parchment paper muffin cup..It still rises above and beautifully..

I have lots of blueberry muffin recipes here..not sure why this one is hitting the mark repeatedly..:)

Footnote..

So on a sad note for all of us..Oli our youngest..  is QB at his school..He was so looking forward to this season.

You may remember he won gold for Team Québec this summer..away in NS.

I have to say humbly..he is a stellar QB.

Games start this coming weekend. His arm..was bothering him..probably for a while..HE NEVER complains this child..

Many tests later..Growth spurts(he is so tall)... can cause fractures ..primarily in athletes with repetitive movements.

QB? Same arm..always repetitive

A cast was placed this morning..Aug 26th.:(

Out for the season.

My heart aches for him.

To know him is to know..football makes his heart beat.