A Cake for a Birthday Boy

It was Emmett's birthday last week and we celebrated this weekend. He's a lover of all things chocolate, so I decided to do a chocolate cake. Eleanor told me that he'd want sprinkles (either that or a blue cake), so here we are. It was totally delish.

I used my Sheet Cake recipe in 2 layer pans, reducing the oven temp to 350F and increasing the cooking time to 30 mins.

For the frosting, I did a classic ganache:

• 1.5c heavy/whipping cream
• 16oz bittersweet chocolate, grated

We're pretty limited with our choc choices due to Emmett's peanut allergy, so I used choc chips, whizzing them in the food processor to break them up a bit.

Bring the cream to a boil and take off the heat. Dump your grated chocolate in there, stir until mostly dissolved and cover for 10 mins. Stir well until smooth. Now you can choose how to use it. You can pour it as a thin glaze at this point, or let it cool to the desired consistency to either do a thick, poured glaze or a spreadable frosting. Mine was somewhere in the middle. This made a LOT of ganache. Enough to fill and frost this cake with a fair bit leftover for eating with spoons. What's nice is that it's not very sweet so it is a good foil to a typical choc cake.

Horizontal

I'm feeling the need lately to enclose my wee backyard space, and create a tiny sanctuary back there to have coffee or a glass of wine on a summer eve (sounds divine since all late nights lately have been watching re-runs on my couch with a big ol' bowl of popcorn, I won't lie). I know this may be a little boring to some, but I love a good fence. It's amazing how many fence options there are out there that look so cool compared to those pre-fab panels we all have:

Dwell

House and Home

Style at Home

Apartment Therapy

Desire to Inspire

Landscaping Network

You can see I have a strong preference for a tall, horizontal fence. It just looks so much cleaner and "wall-like" to me. What do you think?

Trashy.

Simple Human

I'm on the hunt for a new kitchen trashcan/garbage bin. The lid of my current one broke several months ago, so it's either on the floor (ugh) or needs to be lifted off with grimy fingers. Of course, I'd LOVE the one above - it butterflies open using a sensor. Unfortunately it's a bit out of my price range (over $300) and I think it might be a bit too fun for the kids.

Here is my list of wants for a bin:

• Must be big - I hate changing the bin!
• Must take standard size bags - no specialty/branded bags, please!
• Pedal or other touchless method of opening is a must
• No flip tops (gungy-grossness)
• Built in recycling or compost storage is a bonus
• Fingerprint-proof
• Hot-looking, of course

So here we are.

Simple Human

Less expensive, but still over $100. Still, it is nice.....

Simple Human

The pedal version of the top one. I like how it will fit in tight spaces

Brabantia

The original! I've owned a few of these Brabantia ones and they are nice, though I think now there are lower priced option which are just as good. Plus most use a special size of bin liner.

Umbra

I'm kinda torn on this one. I saw it in person today and it was...ok. Functional, ok looking, good price. But I don't know about the brushed plastic pretending to be copper.

Or do I just bit the bullet and get a new Canadian Tire one to tide me over until I can get a new kitchen (with a built in pull-out waste system)?

Mama Needs Some New Shoes

I have to admit, my fashion sense has gone downhill since I've had kids. Not saying I don't pine after the occasional dress online, but I'm a pretty frugal person and usually end up buying the clothes on the under 20 dollar rack. A quick glance at my feet yesterday confirmed that I am in a dire need of a shoe makeover, before someone nominates me for one of those Oprah "mom stuck in a rut" shows (although a makeover would be gratefully received!). I have an eye on a few beauties this season, so at least my feet will be in style:

 

Ruche

 Nine West

Topshop

Free People

Anthropologie

I could go on and on. Are there any other Mamas out there thrilled that "flatforms" are in?

Another way to do mussels

I wrote about mussels a while ago and the other night we decided that shellfish gluttony was what we wanted.

Check out the other post for info about cleaning them and the basic preparation. This follows the same principles, but with a different flavour profile. It was lovely. Try it.

• Vermouth or Pernod (better!)
• Garlic
• Onion
• Heavy Cream (a glug)
• Lime juice
• Salt and Pepper

Saute the onion and garlic and have the pan on high. Dump in the mussels and about 1/4 cup of booze. Stick on the lid and after about 3 mins pour in a good glug of cream and the juice of a lime.

Don't overcook, but don't undercook either. Perfect is when the shells are open, and each mussel comes out of the shell easily without falling apart (but they aren't bullets). 

To Dos

Spring is here, and we've become aware of our neglected exterior. There is lots to do in the backyard, but I plan to make a few simple changes to the front which will have pretty big impact (I think). Here is my list:

• Remove "frilly bit" from awning and paint (yes paint!) it matte black. 
• Paint the shutters and door deep gray
• Replace numbers with those ones Leila and I found at Re-store last year
• Replace "country kitsch" mailbox (what, you thought that was my style?)
• Plant some low maintenance flowers (I'm no gardener)  

I've already decided to go with this mailbox from Morba :

 And I think I may go with Farrow and Ball downpipe:

It looks a lot darker off of the computer, I swear. What do you think? Any more suggestions? I've got to get working!

Curried Fish Soup

Apologies for the late post today.

The other night I made a curried fish soup that went down a treat with my wild darling kids.

Here's how I did it:

• an onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
• cumin
• garam masala
• black mustard seeds
• tumeric
• chilli flakes
• chicken stock
• coconut milk or cream
• 2 fillets of white fish
• 2 potatoes
• veg - whatever you have on hand

 start by sauteeing your onion and garlic until softened. Add a good teaspoon of all the spices (I added less chilli for the kiddoes) and fry until fragrant. Cube the potato and put that in then add enough stock to just cover the potatoes. Simmer until they are tender and add your veg (I used sugar snaps which only take a minute or so). If, like me you're using a fast cooking veg (if you use carrots or similar, add with teh potato), add your fish (chunked up) and coconut milk at this point. If there's not enough liquid, top it up with more stock. Simmer gently until the fish is flaking, then adjust the seasoning and eat!

These Kids Have Cooler Digs Than Me...

Couldn't you just move in?

Apartment Therapy

Marion House Book

Dwell

Inhabitots

From Scandinavia With Love

Desire to Inspire

Apartment Therapy

Dornob

It's officially become an obsession, I know. Still not sure who would have more fun decorating it!

Spring Scarves

Etsy

Ever since I saw this video, I've been a little obsessed with scarves:

You see, I'm a bit stupid when it comes to accessorizing. It didn't ever really occur to me to really arrange my scarf. I just thought that people's scarves naturally fell better than mine. Now I fiddle for ages with them and I'm always jonesing for more.

I'm hot for a cotton voile scarf this spring. Here are my etsy picks:

Etsy

Etsy

Etsy

I'm planning a trip into our coolest new fabric shop - Hyggeligt Fabrics to choose some funky scarf fabric for myself!

Before and After: Holly's Colorblocked Curio Cabinet

Holly is a huge fan of ponies, so this year at Christmas my parents bought her the fuzzy pony set by Melissa and Doug. It came in this barn shaped wooden packaging that was kind of neat, but Holly in her panic to get the ponies out, ripped out some of the paper scenery.

I thought the shape of the packaging was pretty cool, and the fact that it was wood made it hard to throw out, it seemed like such a waste! So yesterday afternoon I got out some old paint colors from previous projects and worked away at it. What resulted was a cute little display case to place some of those funny little trinkets toddlers like to collect...

My intention is to hang it on the wall for her to rearrange her trinkets herself but I haven't quite figured out where. It was looking great against the walls of my dining room and is making me wish I could re-paint Holly's room! What do you think?

Don't matter if you're black or white?

Apartment Therapy

I'm so excited! We are getting some new windows in our sunroom! The current ones look good, but they are very drafty and a squirrel has nibbled a huge hole in one of them. Plus they are just not practical.

The thing is that our exterior trim on our house in painted black. I LOVE black trim on a house, but I was concerned that new vinyl windows would be white against the black wood work and it would look horrific. Luckily the company we are going with is able to do black windows.

But now my dilemma is the interior. Should I paint the sunroom trim black? We intend to paint the panelling white. Here's some black trim inspiration:

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

Plush Palate

What do you think I should do?

Small Bathroom Inspiration

A friend of ours is taking on the task of renovating a small basement bathroom and she has asked for our advice! Although the space is small, she is lucky enough to incorporate a shower, sink and toilet and hopes to have storage as well to accommodate her extra linens and bath things. Although it is tempting to start picking tiles, vanities, etc. (I admit because of the time/price constraint of my bathroom reno this is what I did) it is always a good idea to sit back and gather inspiration as a guideline for the look you are trying to achieve, which makes piecing together the elements easier. To help her out, here are a few small, but beautiful bathrooms...

Style at Home

House and Home

Rue

Lonny

JLSprinklebug

Desire to Inspire

I hope that whatever she chooses is white, bright and pretty (you can't go wrong with subway tiles, hex tiles, penny tiles, pedestal sinks, etc.). The last picture seems a little dark for a basement bath but was just to demonstrate how a small space can accommodate a stylish shower. What do you think? any ideas/inspiration you would like to add to the pile? 

Super-Fast Coffee Cake!

The other day I was hungry for cake. Coffee cake to be precise. I didn't want to play around with complicated yeast doughs - I wanted fast (if not instant) gratification.

So I tweaked this Joy of Cooking recipe and it turned out to fit the bill perfectly. I love the easy mix - no butter required (in the cake, but you'll need it for the topping!).

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9"x9" pyrex dish. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and powder together. Dump in the eggs and sour cream and mix well. Scrape into your prepared pan and top with the streusel:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs flour
• 2-3 Tbs butter

Cut this together with a pastry blender or your hands until blended well and parts are sticking together like pastry. I highly recommend doubling this recipe as I like a lot of topping. That's what I did for mine. Sprinkle the topping on the cake batter and bake for 30-40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Mine too a bit longer, so keep on checking after 30mins.

Craigslist Hunt

It's official. My obsession with storage has become a problem. If this doesn't quit, my storage is going to need storage! I have always loved schoolhouse lockers in every application. Recently I have found several online, and I'm wondering if I have a place for them in my home...here are some possibilities:

Me and Alice

Rue

Design Sponge

Houzz

The Design Files

Desire to inspire

Apartment Therapy

I love all of these, especially the last one. How I would kill to have a place to land when the kids pile into the kitchen from outside (these are actually used as a pantry, also genius!). I think I can spare some space in my front hall if I get rid of some junk. Should I take the leap??