Staying In

Somehow I managed to catch a cold in the summertime! Over the long weekend no less. It's hitting me hard too.

The Quatchis and I stayed in tonight to watch The Artist. They were big fans of the music. I liked the whole concept of it all.

The weekend is just around the corner! Aren't short weeks the best?

Decisions, decisions...

I'm thinking of painting my bedroom. The walls are currently white so luckily I don't have to prime them. I bought new bedding recently (to be revealed once I get some euro shams). It's grey and white. I'm leaning toward a greyish blue, but a light green would be quite nice too. Q has a critical eye and is trying to help me make a decision. From left to right, the colours are:

Harbour Mist

Wharf Fog

Chalky Grey

Glacier Bay

Jojoba Cream

Sweet Turquoise

Please weigh in by writing a comment! Merci beaucoup in advance!

Father's Day Dim Sum

The Mins circling my dad's favourite dish off of the dim sum menu.

Siu mai! Nom nom nom!

We're taking a breather before firing up the BBQ this evening.

Happy Father's Day to all the pops out there!

Let them eat cake!

I like how this cake is infinitely adaptable. You can basically use any type of berry - strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, etc. We baked this for my godparents, who came over for coffee on Sunday. They really enjoyed it. As you can see, only one slice left for the Quatchis!



Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar plus extra to sprinkle
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries


Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare 9-inch round cake pan with butter and flour.


Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.


At low speed, mix in flour mixture in batches with buttermilk. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries over top and sprinkle with sugar.


Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into centre comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more.


Source: Smitten Kitchen

Summer Reading

I wrote a big exam earlier on this month. It was a doozy so I'm happy to read something that's not a textbook! Q thought I should start off with Bossypants. I hear it's hilarious so bring on the hearty laughs!

On an aside, what do you think of the new blog layout? It's definitely an upgrade from before. We hope you like it!

Baking Lemon Sugar Cookies

I'm going through a lemon phase. Everything I want to bake incorporates lemons. Maybe because it's spring? If you're not a lemon fan, this recipe might convert you. It's that good!

Lemon Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 2 large lemons
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add lemon zest, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Mix until combined. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown around the edges and set. Let cookies sit on the baking sheets for two minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Yields 3 dozen.

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

These cookies were super easy to make and look perfect when they come out of the oven. Also, they are very, very addicting! So considered yourself forewarned! Without thinking, I ate four one right after the other. Good thing I only made a half batch...

Mail from Montreal

The Quatchis and I have made great friends through Quatch Watch. They hail from all over the world, and we're very lucky and thankful to receive mail from them.

The Mins discovered this envelope under the door. He brought it to Q to open.

It was a letter from Laura, Q, and Qk! Our pals used to live in Vancouver but now call Montreal their home base. Laura also included a homemade gift for me.

Hair elastics! Aren't the Quatchis great models? Q really likes the light blue ones because they match his earmuffs. I have long hair and used a dark blue one over the weekend.

Thanks Laura, Q, and Qk for thinking of us!

Qs and Za

Homemade pizza topped with tomato sauce, Italian sausage, onions, and fresh mozzarella. Great work, Quatchis!

Blueberry Lemon Bread

The Quatchis and I received another wonderful housewarming present! We've always wanted a KitchenAid stand mixer. And one in a slick colour too. We were eager to try out our new toy today. Plus, it's been a while since we've tried a new recipe.

Blueberry Lemon Bread

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

1 lemon, juiced

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour an 8 x 4 inch pan. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Mix in the juice of 1 lemon. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. Fold in the lemon zest and blueberries. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. For the glaze, combine 1/4 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Drizzle over cake while still warm.

Source: Allrecipies.com

The bread smells delicious. We're waiting for it to cool before we slice it. Be patient, Quatchis!

Why hello again!

The Quatchis and I are now proud residents of Toronto! I made an offer on a condo in late January, which I thought would get flat out rejected (or at least countered), but it was accepted, and we moved in four weeks later.

Here's what my place looked like in mid-clean on moving day. Pretty messy, eh? Don't worry, it looks a lot better now!

While I was unpacking into the wee hours of the morning, the Quatchis were nicely tucked, away from the condo chaos, in a housewarming gift from my mum.

The condo is still a little bare (I still have a few big item purchases to make, and decorate), but it's slowly coming together. I look forward to sharing more photos with you!