Gingerbread Village Spice Cake
When I was little, a crisp, spicy gingerbread cookie adorned with crunchy icing was the tantalizing reward to encourage exemplary behaviour while Christmas shopping with my Mum. Trailing around after her, scarf dragging and winter boots clumping, my thoughts would run...
Free Author-Signed Bookplate for Entertablement – The Four Seasons
Three weeks to Christmas and Santa’s elves are busy, including the ever-creative Mary Plumstead, my partner-in-crime at Entertablement. Mary has been whipping up a bookplate for the hardcover version of Entertablement – The Four Seasons. Doesn’t it...
The Answer is Tea
Have a cuppa? It’s the British cure for whatever ails you and seems particularly apropos in this hustle-bustle week. Whether navigating Thanksgiving preparations, Christmas arrangements, Zooming or Google meeting, it seems everyone is a bit … ahem, testy....
A Carpe Diem Festive Outdoor Tablesetting
We’ve had a spell of glorious weather here in Canada, and last weekend the Japanese Maple in our back yard had reached the peak of perfection. The light filtering through its brilliant red leaves caught my attention, and bang went my plans for the morning....
Chocolate Cupcakes with Silky Peanut Butter Frosting
I had completely forgotten about the package of Halloween cupcake liners and toppers that had followed me home last year. Well, we couldn’t let another year go by with them languishing in the drawer, now could we? Hmmm – orange and black – not my...
Bronzey Pee Gees on a Paisley Backdrop
As long-time readers of the Entertablement Blog know, I’m a big hydrangea fan. While I favour the big, floppy mopheads in all of their glorious colours, I also have a soft spot for the cone-shaped Pee Gee variety. The prolific paniculata really comes into its...
Fall Brodo
A short list of ingredients and a whole lot of flavour. What’s not to love? This delectable soup hits all the right notes for early autumn. But then, I love all the recipes in Betty Rosbottom’s Sunday Soup. They’re divinely delicious. The...
Roasted Beet and Squash Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese
Squash and pumpkins abound. They’re piled up everywhere in farmer’s markets, a sure sign of fall. Technically, they are fruits, not vegetables, because the seeds are inside, I was solemnly informed by Maddie and Juliana this week. However they’re...
Very Versatile Harvest Grains Blend
Like many people, I’ve been making bread these past few months. Not so much sourdough; tending a sourdough starter is like raising another child, and I feel like I have enough humans and livestock to care for as it is. As well, sourdough is a bit too...
A Giveaway for Entertablement – The Four Seasons
Finally. the hardcover version of Entertablement – The Four Seasons is on Amazon’s shelves. Some miracle of efficiency seems to have overtaken the shipping department in the last week and the boxes which had been languishing in parts unknown have been located,...
A Bit of a Wild Week – Happy Thanksgiving!
I can’t decide if the last week has been more Greek tragedy or French farce – Monty Python meets Italian Opera? You decide. We’ve had a sick cat, a flurry of cooking, a kitchen catastrophe and a lovely Thanksgiving/Birthday dinner with family. From the...
Dahlias Delight
I’ve never been a big dahlia fan. They’re a pain in the butt to grow. The magnificent flowers come from quite unprepossessing tubers that need to be hauled in and out of the ground each year. Tulips and daffodil bulbs survive (and even...
Let’s Have a Group Chat
Ducks, ducks, ducks. As long-term readers may recall, one of our granddaughters, Juliana, is crazy about ducks. Her “first day of school” board when entering Junior Kindergarten listed “a duck” as her desired adult occupation, somewhat to our...
Home Again
We are back in Canada, safe and sound. Three cats, three dogs and a carload of baking/cooking equipment accompanied us on our nine-hour journey. Much to our relief, Clementine seems to have outgrown her car-sickness. We used to begin the journey with her on my lap,...Follow Us
