Rhubarb

Rhubarb is one of my most favourite things! My Grandma makes the most amazing rhubarb pies (no strawberries needed here!) and they have ALWAYS been my most requested, sought after and dreamed about dessert. A real sign of the beautiful season, as my Grandma will be the first to tell you that you can NOT freeze these pies- they get to soggy if they sit for too long, so they must be made, baked and consumed on the same day- making them an even bigger and more dreamed about treat due to their limited availability! Every Wednesday after I get off work, I walk over to the Sunnyside farmers market and meet Jeff and Finn at the play ground across the street. Sunnyside is the BEST market in town and we absolutely love checking out the vendors, sharing a lemonade and picking up a few of our favourite things. Yesterday they had a new vendor, a tiny local produce stand with a small selection of various greens and herbs (we bought some amazing looking chard!) and of course, rhubarb! I snatched up a big bundle and was so excited to get home and plan all the wonderful things to make (including an amazing berry rhubarb crisp that Jeff's mom made earlier in the month when they were visiting!) I will admit, I felt a little weird paying for rhubarb- on our walk around the neighborhood later that night we found it growing everywhere! In allies, side streets, front gardens... we easily could have found some, I'm sure, but for the $3.00 they charged, it was well worth being able to make my favourite dessert! By the time we got home from the market and made dinner, it was a little to late to tackle pie making, so instead I had some puff pastry in the freezer and was excited to make the next best thing to my Grammy's rhubarb pie. So simple, delicious and totally filled the void I had for rhubarb!


Puff Pastry Rhubarb Turnovers
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 1/2 cups of rhubarb, chopped into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg yolk
2 tsp water 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (Parchment paper isn’t required, but helps the pastry not to stick to the pan and requires less cleanup!).
2. Roll out puff pastry and cut into 4 squares, placing onto parchment paper covered baking sheet.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Then, add the rhubarb and stir until combined.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tsp water.
5. Scoop the filling onto the squares, leaving room to fold over into a triangle. Brush the borders with the egg wash, and then fold into triangle. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal, and then brush the tops of the turnovers with more egg wash.
6. Bake until golden brown, about 25-35 minutes.

A few delicious recipes I'm looking forward to trying later this week...

Rhubarb Curd & Rhubarb Puree

Rhubarb Cheesecake!!! EEEEK!

Rhubarb Spritzer

Rhubarb Applesauce

Rhubarb Muffins

Rhubarb Souffle

Summer!

Perfect Day- chilled apple juice, sunny stroll with the pup and no shoes. So stoked summer is finally here!!

Splash!

I love not working on Monday's. Having a three day weekend to spend entirely with my sweet Finn is ALMOST enough to make the four days I'm away somewhat bearable. Jeff works at the office on Monday's so it is usually just me and my little man doing our thing. This week (like many other weeks) we met up with my friend Stacey, and Finn's best buddy, Theo! The weather was finally nice enough to hit up the wading pool and splash around for the afternoon. The water was chilly, but the boys didn't mind a bit. They were also pretty excited to steal sips of our milkshakes and chow down on graham crackers after working up an appetite in the pool together. I'm feeling a little blue today- I spent most the afternoon counting down the minutes until I got to come home- after a wonderful day like yesterday, it really makes being away from Finn a lot more difficult. Just a bad day I suppose, and to be expected. Most days are good days, and coming home is always going to be the best part of it. I just look forward to having more time to spend watching Finn turn in to a little boy- he is just growing much to fast.

Finn in the Garden

Finn loves being outside! And we are so fortunate to have a yard (and outdoor play space) in our otherwise too small condo- invaluable square footage and the perfect place for Finn to explore the sunny days of summer.

Sleepy, but still wanting to go for a trike ride. 

Keeping a close eye on his carrots

Trains

Since spending his days with his Papa, Finn has developed a real love for trains. Jeff and Finn often head out on walks or bike rides around the city and seem to always be in the right place at the right time to see locomotives crossing their path.

This Moment - 2011-06-24

{this moment} - a friday ritual. a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Little Boy

Family Portrait

We tried to get a picture of the three of us the other night, but the light was fading quickly, and Finn just didnt feel like getting his picture taken. For some reason though, I really like how it turned out- such a perfect reflection of the moment.

Fish Creek Park

We took a walk through Fish Creek Park today. It's been raining a lot the last couple of weeks, but today the weather was just perfect! Sunny and warm with just a touch of a breeze to keep things cooled down. I have been hunting for a few good spots to take some family pictures of several of my girlfriends, so I was excited to check out a the old buildings in the area (and of course, get a few photographs of the boy child!)

Happy Fathers Day

Today seems like such a big deal. I feel like I have so many Fathers in my life to be grateful for... my Dad, my Step-Dad Scott, Jeff's Dad and of course, my dearest heart, Jeff. So much love, so many examples of incredible fatherhood, such a wonderful little family we have supporting us. Of course I cherish these men everyday, but especially today, it's so wonderful to reflect on all the sweet memories we have had and get excited about all the sweet memories we have to look forward to!

Nathan, my Dad and me - 1985

Scott and I, 2001

Jeff, his Dad, and brother Kyle- 1989

Finn and Jeff- 2010

Brunch for my sweetest heart!

For Fathers day, i wanted to make something extra special for Jeff for brunch. He has a few favourite dishes that no matter what the occasion, he is beyond excited to eat them- one of them being Hashbrown casserole, (or as the actual recipe my Grandma gave me calls them, 'Mormon Funeral Potatoes'.) These are by no means in any way nutritious, but man are they ever delicious!


Hashbrown Casserole (Mormon Funneral Potatoes)
From Grandma Sherwood

Ingredients
1 1kg bag of frozen hashbrown potatoes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, gratted
1 500mL carton sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp melted butter

A generous sprinkling of bread crumbs

...


Directions
Mix all ingredients together (except the butter and breadcrumbs)
Smooth into a greased 3 quart casserole
* I use 2 pie dishes- I cook one and then wrap and freeze one for another day
Cover the top with melted butter and sprinkle generously with breadcrumbs
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes
Enjoy!

As I have mentioned before, Jeff also has a very big sweet tooth! I recently found a recipe for Dutch Baby Pancakes and just had to give it a try. I would describe them as a cross between sweet giant Yorkshire pudding and a Pannekoek (one of our favourite breakfast foods!) - this recipe definitely did NOT dissapoint! Super simple, quick, minimal, basic ingredients, and very very yummy!

Dutch Baby Pancakes or Puff Pancake
Every so slightly adapted from Jessicalettucetomato

Ingredients
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter
1/8 cup icing sugar (just to add a hint of sweetness)
Top with icing sugar and serve with berries and maple syrup

...

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place the rack in the middle. Put a 10″ cast iron skillet or other heavy, shallow ovenproof pan in the oven to get hot and sizzling. Meanwhile, beat eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Add milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon and icing sugar. Beat a few minutes until the batter is creamy. Working quickly, remove the skillet from the oven and add butter, tilting to melt and coat pan. Pour batter into skillet all at once and return immediately to oven. Bake about 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven, dust with more icing sugar and serve immediately. Slice into wedges and top syrup or other desired toppings.

The Best Thing EVER!

Finn has recently discovered the amusement in pulling things out of whatever they are kept in - laundry out of laundry baskets (clean is much more fun than dirty), toys out of toy bins, clothes out of cupboards, cd's off of shelves, pots out of drawers, books out of baskets....

Like Father Like Son

Since very early on, it was simply 'known' that Finn would like skateboarding. It's Jeff's favourite hobby, his work, and the one thing in life that seems to trump most others. The thing that did surprise me a little though, was how much Finn would actually love it. If there is a board in the house, he will seek it out, pull it down and spin the wheels while squealing with delight. If there are new decks brought home, Finn wants nothing more than to slide them around, lay on them on his belly like hes surfing, and entertain himself for long periods of time swinging them all around the house. I have found him in the laundry room trying to get at boards still strapped to Jeff's backpack, followed him into the bedroom to find him digging in the closet to get at packages of wheels, and on more than several occasions, come out to see him pulling down his 'skateboarding shoes' from the shoe rack and trying his hardest to get them on his chubby little feet. I hope this is something that he continues to love, something him and his papa can share for many years to come- the thought of them cruising around the neighbourhood together makes me smile. I guess that as with all things, only time will tell.

Thirsty Little Cowboy!

I found these pictures from Theo's Birthday Party on Jeff's phone the other night. I thought the series of them was so cute. Finn does this thing with water were he takes big sips and then quickly spits it right back out. It kind of makes me CRAZY as he is always soaking wet, but its also pretty funny. He is turning into such a little man. sigh.

bike ride love

While Jeff's parents were here, we were so lucky to be able to sneak off and have a few dates- just the two of us enjoying a few uninterrupted moments of meaningful conversation and enjoying each others company. Of course we love spending endless days with our darling Finn, but those few moments away were the perfect thing to rejuvenate and make the time spent with a third little munchkin added to our twosome that much more extraordinary.

my sweetest heart

friday afternoon bike rides to our favourite bakery for sourdough sticky buns.

This moment - 2011-06-17

{this moment} - a friday ritual. a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

2011-06-15

We took a little road trip down to Lethbridge to visit some wonderful family there and en route, stopped in Nanton for lunch and to peek in a few of my favourite antique shops there. Finn hasn't been feeling great these last couple of days, but had a fun time wandering around town and getting his picture taken with Papa and puppies. A perfect day had by all!

Airplane rides through the shop

good looking van

windy!

Finn in Rudy's kennel

Can you see those little feet back there?