i do love weather. i think i get it from my aunt heather.
remember when i shared with you the fog over the ozarks and the rooftop before and after the storm.
don’t expect this to be the last city and cloud shot you see. this new apartment is top notch in terms of the view and mother nature sure likes to put on a good show.
my camera and i are not complaining.
Becky Gean and littlesiddallstudios – September 4th, 2014.
basil
rosemary
chives
green onions
romaine, boston and red leaf lettuce.
it’s a start for my little balcony garden. now here’s hoping i don’t kill them. eek!
Becky Gean and littlesiddallstudios – May 28th, 2014.
hey everyone! it’s friday! of a looooonng weekend! at least here in ontario it is. why not get in that kitchen of yours and cook up a feast! just because! maybe my latest travelling crockpot dinner will inspire to cook up a meal you haven’t before, or perfect a tried and true recipe. enjoy your weekend regardless of – wherever you are.
for some stupid reason i decided to do my dinner only 3 days before josh and i moved to our new apartment. talk about hectic! the real reason though, adrienne left toronto for the summer so it was imperative we get in one more dinner before she departed.
i’d never made gnocchi before. or biscotti’s. or browned butter. or poached a pear before. or made chocolate mousse.
so why not try all of it out at once right!!??!
only recently have i realized that i love mushrooms. i had a craving, and so, mushrooms on toast. i toasted rye bread with olive oil and salt and pepper. cremini, oyster, and hedgehog mushrooms were chopped up and fried with one shallot and a liquid mix of apple juice, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, and a splash of amber maple syrup. cooked down for a solid 25 minutes until the liquid is no longer or has become a delicious glaze. topped on the toasted rye bread and topped with chives.
the pears were poached in sugar water with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, lemon… i really can’t remember what else. my reason for poaching them? they weren’t ripe yet! pop them in simmering hot liquid for a bit and soft as can be. arugula was tossed with a dressing of olive oil, balsamic, hot mustard, maple syrup and salt and pepper. my favourite additions were the blue silton cheese and roasted pecans which had been baked in maple syrup, rosemary, thyme and cayenne. hmmm… i just might be addicted to maple syrup.
sweet potato gnocchi in a sage browned butter sauce. delicious. i wish i had some right now in fact. the crispy sage was really tasty too. it’s this light, but decadent earthy taste. hand making gnocchi wasn’t as bad as i thought. although, i didn’t make them look super pretty by adding ridges and such. maybe next time.
and finally, chocolate mouse with an almond biscotti. oh, and two squares of cadbury coconut cashew chocolate because why not right!? the biscotti’s, i should have shaped flatter and pancake like rather than a nice hilly bump. they were super fat and didn’t cook as evenly as i would have liked. one side was darker than the other too. and so – because panic set in about the mediocre biscotti’s i quickly decided chocolate mousse would redeem me. having never made it before either, i could use the practice, but all in all i’d say it all worked out.
first let me start by saying, hi, hey there! it’s been awhile! my life lately has been a sea of boxes. josh and i moved to a new neighbourhood in toronto and are just getting settled in. i hope to be less silent on here as soon as the last box is unpacked. but until then, i think it’s time to share another crockpot dinner, so here she is! the beauty that was nikki’s dinner.
it started off with vermouth soaked blackberries topped off with prosecco. i lost count after 3 top ups of this delicious bubbly drink.
next came a unique fruit salad. grapefruit, avocado, coconut, mint, blackberries and a sprinkling of salt. super refreshing!
a single radicchio leaf was topped with a tempura’d egg yolk that oozed when you bit into it, on diced smoked salmon dressed in capers & white wine vinegar. the flavour combination had me wanting more.
meet logan.
at 10 months old he’s a ridiculously cute little guy and i had the pleasure of photographing him and his parents. as i do not have a child of my own yet, i can only imagine the emotions (and lack of sleep) they are going through. take one look at this face though and it’s all worth it. thank you to jordana, kevin and of course, logan. the three of you were a delight to photograph.
photographing people is my absolute favourite thing to do!
get in touch if you want to have a little shoot of your own.
we’ll have some fun – wherever you are.
my brain – heavy
my knees – weak
you came without warning
left me barely able to speak
my vocab – little
yours – textbook endless
look into my soul
where there’s more
tell me.
can you see through the darkness?
yes.
we’ll still be friends
smile and wave
though my insides be aching
i’ll brave.
cause i’m a leo
through and through.
an arrogant
stubborn
pushy
jealous
lofty
brash
vain
smug
cunning
proud
over-ambitious
patronizing
temperamental
bossy
pompous
controlling
lustful – person.
you know it’s true.
so
party on
you’re a rockstar
wherever you are.
1 | i survived the weeklong work conference – it was a blast. i’m not joking when i say i slept for 15 hours straight upon arriving home. i’ve ate so much food since arriving home – the most RANDOM cravings too. i’ve ate A&W, eggs benedict, custard and fruit, mr. noodles, smart food popcorn… random i tell you. and now i’m thinking i need to make this – there’s something about a perfectly poached egg that makes my insides go weak, they’re just SO FREAKING GOOD!
2 | did any of you watch the superbowl? even though i’m a fan of watching football, i still find the commercials to be the best part. this article gives you the 10 best. it makes me happy that the muppets are a thing again. just saying.
3 | this is a fabulous talk with charles morrison. i fall in and out of love with writing pretty frequently and it’s people like this who re-inspire that love – he also has a fabulous voice if i do say so myself. have you written a letter to anyone this year? if not – well then, get on it!!! they’ll love it!
1 | i’ll be attending a work conference this week. one that i helped organize – so here’s hoping all that planning pans out. i know i’ll be drinking many cups of coffee to get me through until friday. how do you take your coffee? i like mine strong! the conference is to start at 7am each day – ugh – but after i read this article on what successful people do in the morning, i’m thinking i should start changing my sleeping habits.
2 | love this article by vicki hogarth – well… what do you think? is montreal style sexier than toronto style?
3 | i know, i know – so many questions! alright, fine. here’s something to drool over. ya! i know, right!?!!
happy sunday – wherever you are!
Becky Gean and littlesiddallstudios February 2nd, 2014.
for my third dinner, as it was around the holiday season, i wanted to do something that felt a little more special, and when i say that, i really just mean, i spent a stupid amount of $$ on a gorgeous piece of beef. once it was all cooked up, sliced and in our mouths though, there was no complaining coming from me! i’d buy it again and again and again. as gordon ramsey described it – it’s something he’d be happy to eat as his last supper. i’d have to agree.
i’d say my biggest problem with these dinners is wanting to dig in right away – who needs pictures when it’s staring you right in the face saying EAT ME!!! but then i think about you, my wonderful readers, and i hurriedly snap away.
menu
becky-made amaretto sours
butternut squash soup topped with maple cinnamon roasted squash seeds
beef wellington served with celeriac puree & sautéed kale, apples and onions
gingerbread cookies with royal icing
i really enjoyed making this dinner! i planned the majority of it ahead of time so that i wasn’t scrambling last minute – which around the holidays is KEY to being stress free. you can find the wellington recipe here – i found the video incredibly helpful. it was nikki who gave me the inspiration to roast my squash seeds – never am i ever going to throw out squash seeds again – soooo good! the soup was made with butternut squash and SO MUCH GINGER, which i then drowned out with apples and carrots. the amaretto sours were my favourite though, and the most time consuming out of the entire meal when i think about it. don’t worry, i’ll share that recipe with you soon. it is my favourite drink after all – it deserves a post all to it’s own.
even though the holidays are over and we’re well into january, this meal would be great to serve your special someone on valentine’s day. instead of soup and gingerbread cookies, i’d probably do something light, like starting with a green salad and finishing with homemade raspberry sherbet. mmm.
until the next crockpot – happy eating!
1 | i made cinnamon buns from scratch for the first time ever! it was also the first time using my christmas present from mohawk – a gorgeous kitchenaid stand mixer. i’m a lucky gal! although i must say, when a former coworker asked me how it went, i promptly told her how my arms didn’t hurt because there was no kneading involved – on my part anyways, and my hands weren’t dirty and covered in floury goop – i feel like a fraud!!! but you can’t really beat the efficiency it provides. it’s really a magical piece of equipment. i adapted smitten kitchen‘s breakfast bun recipe to make the batch pictured above. classic cinnamon and sugar.
2 | who doesn’t love thinking in a hot shower?
happy sunday – wherever you are!
