by Helen Kain | Sep 17, 2026 | Fall Recipes, Holiday, Salads
Delicata squash is one of my favourite early fall arrivals. Its thin, edible skin makes it blissfully easy to prepare, and roasting concentrates its naturally sweet, slightly nutty flavour while caramelizing the edges. Here, warm crescents of squash are scattered over...
by Helen Kain | Sep 17, 2026 | Cakes, Desserts, Fall Recipes, Holiday
This is an old-fashioned, generously filled cake in the best sense: moist with apple, fragrant with warm spice, and studded with walnuts, cranberries, and little flashes of crystallized ginger. It has the sturdy, deeply satisfying character of a proper autumn...
by Helen Kain | Sep 17, 2026 | Fall Tablescapes, Green, Home, Pink and Red, Recent
Around this point in September, the garden is still very much green, but the light has changed. The shadows are longer, the evenings arrive a little earlier, and suddenly the russets, coppers and deep leafy greens that seemed far too autumnal only a few weeks ago feel...
by Helen Kain | Sep 10, 2026 | Fall Recipes, Holiday, Mains, Pasta & Rice
When autumn squash begins appearing at the market, delicata is always a welcome sight. Its tender, edible skin means there’s no peeling required, and roasting brings out its naturally sweet, almost nutty flavour. Here, golden cubes of delicata squash are tossed with...
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...
