by Helen Kain | Sep 6, 2026 | Fall Tablescapes, Home, Pink and Red
September is an accommodating month. Summer hasn’t quite packed its bags, but autumn has begun moving its things in. The dahlias are still going strong, the hydrangeas are beginning to turn, and suddenly the deeper colours tucked away in the linen cupboard start...
by Helen Kain | Sep 2, 2026 | Cakes, Fall Recipes, Holiday, Recent, Winter Recipes
The Sales Pitch: Tart cranberries and toasted walnuts nestle beneath a tender, buttery cake, forming wonderfully crisp, chewy, almost cookie-like edges as they bake. Cape Cod Cranberry Walnut Butter Cake can be baked in a springform pan for neat wedges on a cake stand...
by Helen Kain | Aug 31, 2026 | Entertablement Pantry
This savoury pastry has become one of my favourites. Mature Cheddar gives it a rich, nutty flavour that pairs beautifully with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, asparagus, spinach, ham, smoked salmon and countless other savoury fillings. The dough is wonderfully...
by Helen Kain | Aug 30, 2026 | Brown, Home, Purple, Recent, Summer Tablescapes, Yellow
It’s the end of summer, though Labour Day weekend is still a week off. Sunflowers are everywhere, corn is piled high, tomatoes are finally tasting as tomatoes should, and suddenly the colours have shifted almost imperceptibly from high summer into something...
by Helen Kain | Aug 30, 2026 | Fall Recipes, Summer Recipes
There is a brief, glorious stretch of late summer when tomatoes are properly tomatoey, corn is sweet enough to eat almost straight from the cob, and basil threatens to take over the garden. These little savoury tarts make very good use of all three. The filling is...
by Helen Kain | Aug 30, 2026 | Holiday, Pasta & Rice, Summer Recipes
Fresh summer corn and juicy tomatoes join crisp bacon and tender rigatoni in this colourful late-summer pasta. A handful of fresh basil adds a fragrant finish, while the tomatoes soften just enough to create a light sauce with the rendered bacon fat and a splash of...
by Helen Kain | Aug 20, 2026 | Afternoon Tea, Cookies & Bars, Desserts, Fall Recipes, Holiday, Recent
These Maple Bourbon Pecan Squares combine a tender buttery shortbread crust with a gooey maple filling and plenty of toasted pecans. An easy fall baking recipe for afternoon tea, Thanksgiving or whenever maple and pecan season arrives.
by Helen Kain | Aug 20, 2026 | Amber, Brown, Fall Tablescapes, Green, Home, Pink and Red, Recent
There comes a point in late summer when the garden hasn’t quite given up on the season, but autumn has begun making suggestions. The dahlias are still going magnificently, producing armfuls of flowers in coral, raspberry and deep red. But acorns are appearing...
by Helen Kain | Aug 14, 2026 | Cakes, Desserts, Summer Recipes
Bright raspberry and fresh lime turn a classic vanilla cupcake into something rather special. A spoonful of tart raspberry filling is tucked inside each tender buttermilk cupcake, then topped with silky Swiss meringue buttercream flavoured with lime zest and juice....
by Helen Kain | Aug 14, 2026 | Desserts, Entertablement Pantry, Sides
Intensely fruity raspberry filling earns its keep well beyond cakes and cupcakes. Spoon it over vanilla ice cream, panna cotta or cheesecake, swirl it through plain yogurt, or layer it with yogurt and granola for breakfast. It’s lovely with scones, crêpes, pancakes or...
by Helen Kain | Aug 14, 2026 | Amber, Fall Tablescapes, Green, Home, Recent, Summer Tablescapes, Terracotta, White
Several years ago, when Pier 1 was still among retail stores present and accounted for, I came across these wonderfully cheerful llama plates and was instantly smitten. There is absolutely nothing restrained about them. Each llama has its own expression and...
by Helen Kain | Aug 11, 2026 | Salads, Summer Recipes
Buttery, golden pears meet juicy blueberries, salty feta and crisp frisée in this colourful autumn salad. A drizzle of fig vinaigrette pulls everything together—sweet, sharp, creamy and savoury in every forkful.
by Helen Kain | Aug 9, 2026 | Afternoon Tea, Bread & Scones
There are scones… and then there are proper English tea scones. Light, flaky and delicately buttery, these classic scones are the sort you’ll find served warm in village tearooms and country houses across Britain, ready to be split by hand and generously...
by Helen Kain | Aug 9, 2026 | Afternoon Tea, Fall Tablescapes, Home, Recent, Summer Tablescapes
Late Summer Inspiration Summer is truly at its zenith when my neighbour’s glorious purple hydrangeas reach peak perfection. Very generously, they allow me to raid the bushes, and I take full advantage. We pass their dozen or so hydrangea bushes every morning when we...
by Helen Kain | Aug 8, 2026 | Fall Recipes, Soup, Spring Recipes, Winter Recipes
As the days begin to cool, few things are more welcoming than a steaming bowl of potato leek soup. Velvety smooth, richly flavoured and wonderfully satisfying, it relies on just a handful of humble ingredients—leeks, potatoes, butter and good chicken stock—to create...
