Monthly Photo - March 2011

A saturated winter sunset.

Yew Street

I'm fortunate to have a husband who indulges my frequent bouts of nostalgia. I can always go for a good reminisce, and he's always right there with me. He's recently been working on a project for our patio: Building a wooden planter from scratch. He finished it this weekend. And he named it "Yew Street" after our old apartment's address. Coincidentally (or not), the bushes that he planted are yews. A nostalgic pun—this man truly holds the key to my heart.

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

I haven't had many baking exploits in my life—mostly just seasonal impulses to make cookies shaped like things. But last night I wanted to bring a snack to a gathering of friends, so I whipped out the apron and got domestic. Not wanting to alienate the sweet-lovers or the savoury peeps, I found a diplomatic solution: salted chocolate chip cookies. You can believe me when I say the cookies are good, because technically this a third-generation recipe, pinched from two bloggers before me (Kyla Roma and the originator, Sweet Savory Life). It's like survival of the fittest; the shitty recipes fall to the wayside and the good ones get passed on and morph into even better versions of themselves. Speaking of better versions, I might try this next time with peanut butter chocolate chips.

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
12 oz all-purpose flour (if you don't have a scale, it's roughly 2 and 3/4 cups)
1 tsp. smallish-medium coarse sea salt (table salt is a no-go, the sea salt is what gives the cookies their unique flavour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
16 oz (2 1/4 cups) of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Parchment paper for the pan (only use wax paper if you want your cookies to suck and the paper to burn)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until creamy, light, and fluffy – approximately 3 to 5 minutes on medium speed. Check out the pictures on Sweet Savory Life.

3. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

4. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated.

5. Finally, add chocolate chips until well distributed. The cookie batter should be somewhat thick.

6. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough or use a medium cookie scoop and plop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown.

7. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes. Pick up the parchment paper with the cookies still on top and transfer to a cool non-porous surface. Allow the cookies to cool on the paper for at least 3 minutes before serving.

Don't waste your time putting them on a platter like I did, you're going to eat them really quickly!

Duck Tolling Retriever Vs. Bernese Mountain Dog

We really want to get a puppy, but we can't decide which kind. We've come to terms with the idea of our furniture and belongings being permanently covered in a thick, impenetrable layer of fur, and narrowed it down to two very hairy breeds. Both are active without being hyperactive—they definitely need their exercise but wouldn't be upset with condo living for the first few years of their life. They're both mid-sized—neither large nor small. The only kind of petite dog Luc likes is a puppy, and a big dog is just too much to handle.

Bernese Mountain Dog

Rumour has it these little buggers are pretty big shedders. Moreso than most. We've fallen in love with fluffy dogs, but we're concerned that this guy might be pushing it? The other concern: a shorter lifespan of about 6-8 years and more health problems than the average dog.

Duck Tolling Retriever

Every puppy has his quirks, but apparently duck tollers do this strange thing where they scream when they're excited. A dog screaming. We might actually get one of these just to hear what that sounds like. Our secondary concern is the duck toller's energy levels and general inquisitive nature. He might get a little bored without a backyard and start destroying our furniture.

What say you, Internet friends? Should we get a bernese mountain dog or a duck tolling retriever? Any dog recommendations or advice?

Monthly Photo - February 2011

The view from atop Cypress Mountain.

Monthly Photo - January 2011

Christmas Eve walk in Wolseley, SK.

Moving In Before and Afters

Now that we're mostly settled in, I've got a few photos to share. There wasn't much to do prior to moving in—we had crown mouldings and new baseboards installed, painted a couple walls in the living room, and repainted the two bedrooms.

The kitchen doesn't look too different in the before and after, but I love the finished look of the mouldings and bigger baseboards.

We're planning to put a sectional in the living room in place of the brown couch. Other than that, we're done. Next up, furniture and a BBQ for the patio.

Monthly Photo - December 2010

Could be mistaken for a reindeer: a friendly bull elk.

A [watermarked] sneak peek

Hunter Welly Socks

I got some little cable knit sweaters for my rubber boots. Boot liners are, without a doubt, the kind of thing that once you have them, you can't fathom living without them.

Katherine Heigl?

Getting friendly with the animals

While in the Okanagan on my work trip, I fed some BC wildlife and wrote about it for BCLiving online magazine.

Shardik the grizzly bear

Dharma the moose

Big-ass camel

Big-ass bull elk

Before they were trendy

Princess Diana in Hunter wellies.

Monthly Photo - November 2010

Lumpy and bumpy gourds at the market.

Who invited the creepy dude?

Winner for best Halloween costume of the night....our friend Tom the sexual predator.

Okanagan: Day one in photos

My digs at the Eldorado Hotel in Kelowna, a cosy, boutique-style inn.

It was a late harvest for wineries in the Okanagan this year, and many vines are still heavy with bunches of grapes.

Lunch at Quails' Gate Winery was decadent and memorable.

A behind-the-scenes look at the beer making process and bottling at Tree Brewery.

Tasting a little bit of everything.

Strolling through the vineyard overlooking Lake Okanagan at Tantalus.

Sampling juice from the vats before it becomes wine.

Lining up some light, young reds at Tantalus Vineyards.

Checking out the drying process at the Okanagan Lavender Farm.

Capping off the day with a delicious meal at the Eldorado on the waterfront.

The Okanagan: Day one

Day one of my trip in the Okanagan was fantastic - we visited 2 wineries, one brewery, and dined at the Eldorado Hotel where the Chef made up a custom menu for us. I posted a photo from Quails' Gate Winery on the BCBusiness Daily Photo blog, and you can check it out HERE.

Monthly Photo - October 2010

This is a Post-Wedding Chop

Long hair before the wedding

Visit your friendly neighbourhood salon for a good old post-wedding chop and....

Short hair after the wedding