our week.

this week seemed to have flown by but yet it was jam packed with goodness.

i'm going to start talking about a week ago friday cause that's just how it is.
around these parts that day is known as Terry Fox day. We all help in finishing his dream and running to find a cure for cancer. and run these kids did! they had to go around and around the field collecting stamps along the way to track their progress. it was supposed to be a stamp a lap but then it became about how many stamps you could get in a lap and then it was just fun. they got sweaty and exhausted and had a grasp on the cause and that's all that matters! what a fun day and it was the first day that i have EVER been able to volunteer at my kids school and they were so excited about that.

last weekend tony had to work all weekend so the kids and me decided it was high time to go apple picking. after that day i will only ever go on week days thank you very much!

holy smokes there were a lot of people there!!! wowzers! we were planning to meet friends rom the city there but that never happened. they got caught in the traffic coming out and decided to head deeper into the country than where we were and since i don't have a cell phone...yes i know, just call me mrs. brady!...we missed hooking up with them there. the place was a zoo! since i don't get the montreal paper i was not privy to the fact that this was the big weekend for that particular ochard and they had been advertizing like gangbusters. after the THIRD tour bus showed up i started to clue in.
and then the sun came out - boy did it come out! it was unbelievably hot! like july hot.
after finally giving up waiting - and after the kids exhausted the fun the playground could offer -  we went and picked our apples.

it took all of 15 minutes. really?
thursday's after school now sound like a good idea to me......we left a little grumpy and miserable but we had our 20lbs of apples that no one is going to eat and we did get to stop by a favorite veggie stand on the way home so not all was lost...just look at those pumpkins!

then we had picture day on monday - which of course i forgot to take a picture of - and we were late so i drove them to school and took them in for some strange reason...which i never do....and was accosted by the other mother volunteers to help out. so i did. so fun!

i took time this week to work on our week in the life album as well which i will be sharing shortly. i am so excited that i got right down to it and completed the picture part all thanks to our new printer and the fact that i was trying out a new photo filter program that i have heard great things about, Rad Lab - free 14 day trial - and am hooked and hopefully i can get it.
loved how it lightened and sharpened the photo's with just a click.

also i am trying to make more of an effort for play dates. i remember going over to friends houses during the week and loving it. since i am home for right now {not for long i hope!} i have decided to embrace that. they both had a friend over last week and loved it...again void of any photo!! aarrgghh.

but...

i did download my camera and find these gems in there. these, my friends, are hidden treasures.

aydan took these and her explanation for it was - well this is an outside set so i had to take her pictures outside.
of course.

friday afternoon we went to target to go birthday party shopping and treat ourselves to a starbucks - that will put a smile on anyones face!

this weekend was full of swimming lessons {they are doing so well.}, running into friends at the pool, walks, bike rides, yard work, another birthday party {number 3 in our 6 rotation. two more this coming weekend and one more the following week....then who knows!}, groceries, friday night home movie - Castle in the Sky, so good!, new fish for the tank, a water hose fight between tony and me {yes we are twelve - i walked outside and all i heard was "WET T-SHIRT CONTEST!! and the next thing i knew i was soaked. then i got him good.}, he tried to instigate a tomato fight - a couple went whizzing by my head - but i didn't bite on that one. finally getting to painting the upstairs two-story stairwell - it's a two man job and we have to make one more pass at it but what an unbelievable difference! plus one of the best chicken chili's i have ever made...well the ONLY chicken chili i have ever made!
all in all a great week and an even better weekend to get me out of my friday morning funk.

oh and we are ready for halloween.....

and i am so glad my mom convinced me to plant dahlia's - we have vases of these all over the house!

favorite quotes of the week:

"what are little boys made of? trash packs, skylanders and video games. that's what little boys are made of." ~aydan

"me and my kids, we are going to chase rainbows when we see them." ~cooper after seeing a rainbow in the sky last night on the way to aydan's irish dance.

*********

Also i came across this post by one of my favorite bloggers, Ashley Ann, and i think i am going to play along. It's called Embrace the Camera and it's to get you, whether you are a mom or not, out from behind the camera. monday's prompt was Smiles and tuesday's was Making Memories and today's is Everyday Moment.
i will post mine here throughout this week.
{i will be using my big camera and not the iphone as i don't have my own and will want weekday shots.}

are you going to play along?
are you guilty of being behind the camera too much?

a crowd pleaser. {apple + pork sausage rolls.}

yesterday i let you all in on our apple orchard adventure.

today i am going to let you in on one of our apple cooking adventures.
so of course i made this...so good with roast pork and chicken!
but this year i also wanted to make something else.
something savory as well.
plus i wanted it to be something achievable.
easy yet complex enough that you will get a couple stunned "you made this?!".
i'm looking out for you and want YOU to be the star of your kitchen - not Schneider's.

i love sausage rolls.
yeah i know - moments on the lips, lifetime on the hips.
but....nothing beats a good sausage roll!
i used to make these at the bakery and they were sold even before they cooled down and were put out.
people would come to wait for them. no joke.
it was to the point we were going to close the bakery and just sell sausage rolls!! ha! not because my bakery items were the pits - no no - these were just less time consuming and you can freeze them baked or un-baked! strictly sausage rolls we were calling it.

but i never made them like this..till now.
and now i don't know if i can make them any other way! {the fun part will be finding out though! love food testing...and my husband does too!}

the combination of the fresh herbs with the sauteed apples and barely heated shredded onions is such a mouth explosion that i cannot do it justice here - you have to try it to believe it.
combined with cold beer shots and a vinegary apple slaw, this is fall heaven.
and experiment with mustards...do you know how many different kinds there are out there?! buy a couple and try them out and find your favorite - what a perfect excuse to eat sausage rolls!!

are you going to make these tonight? can i come over?

apple & pork sausage rolls.
yes my recipe here calls for bought puff pastry. it's a pain to make and i am helping you be a kitchen star & enjoy your life + cooking, not stress you out. also don't let puff pastry scare you off - it's easy to use and does impress! simple elegance!

1 sheet {roll} puff pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge {this is found in the freezer aisle by the pie shells and usually comes in a package of two rolls. i will show you what to do with the second roll tomorrow!}
3/4 pound of pork sausage meat, casings removed - i used a garlic honey sausage available here but something also like sweet italian {which is never available in my neck of the woods} would work as well. you could use chicken sausage too if you have it.
1 tbsp canola oil
1 crisp apple, peeled, cored and diced - i used a lobo cooking apple.
1/2 medium onion, shredded
1 tsp diced fresh rosemary
1 tsp diced fresh thyme
kosher salt and pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten {for the egg wash}

preheat oven to 425F degrees.
pull out a cookie sheet and place a piece of parchment on top.
remove your sausage from their casings and place in a large bowl.

peel, core and dice your apple. shred your onion.
heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and add oil. add your apples to the pan and sautee till soft and a little caramel coloured. add onions and sautee for about one minute. remove from heat and let cool slightly - you don't want to cook your pork.
chop your herbs and add to sausage. sprinkle a little salt and about 5 to 10 grind of pepper over your mix {if you know your sausage and you find it salty enough already do not add anymore - remember this is your dish. i love pepper so i will always add more.}
once your apple mix has cooled down a bit {but can still be warm} add to the sausage mix and mix it up together - forks or fingers are the best for this!
get your pastry out of the fridge {this has to stay cold till the last possible moment!} unwrap and layout flat. slice the pastry in two lengthwise . divide the sausage mix in two and place each on one half of your pastry - running the length of it shaped like a sausage, placed slightly off center. wrap your shorter side over the sausage mix, then roll it over till the mix if full in cased in the pastry {still with me here?}. if the other side does not come over pull the edges to create the seal - you do not want any sausage falling out the bottom.
once you have closed up your rolls stand back and take a look at it - does it look too full at one end? lumpy? gently squeeze the roll to sort this out - make it more uniform. repeat with second piece of pastry and rest of mix. 
with a sharpe {!} knife cut the long roll into 3's, place on your prepared cookie sheet seam side down and paint with your egg wash {crack an egg in a bowl and beat slightly. taking a pastry brush "paint" your sausage roll. this is how you get the beautiful golden crust.}
place in a pre heated oven for 25 minutes or until your pastry is golden on top.
cool slightly and serve!
* you can freeze these un-baked - just do not egg wash them and when you want to use them allow them to thaw slightly on the pan, egg wash and bake! but if you have thawed out your sausage to make these do not re-freeze!! did i have to tell you that?
you can freeze them cooked as well. just thaw and re-heat in a 350F degree oven for about 20 minutes - or use your judgement.

**another version: cut your sheet of pastry in equal four squares. divide your mix in four, place some on each square, fold one corner to one corner - creating a triangle - "pinch" the sides together by pressing down with the tines of a fork, cut two small slits in the top of each {vents}, paint with egg wash and bake. sausage pockets!!

hello fall.

well there you go.
it's over. summer is over.
it's now all sweaters and pants and cozy cozy cozy.
and with all this comes something more - apples and pumpkins. soups and stews. baking and brasing.
this is exciting stuff.

in our neck of the woods this is the time of year that the apples get crisp and it's the time of year you are expected to go and pick your own from an actual tree - the thought! the notion!!
so we joined in with the cool kids {everyone from the city comes out here to do it} and we did it.

the pain. the agony. the moans. the groans.
you have never heard two bigger belly-acher's in your life!
that is until we get there of course.
until they see the petting zoo.
until they see the playground. {ugh - i hate the playground!}

it takes another 20 minutes of sweet talking and a few "oh isn't this going to be fun" to get them on the actual wagon hearing enough "why do we have to do this?" while making our way through the orchard to last me till next year.
then we are let off the wagon among the trees and they get it.
their eyes light up.

next all i hear is "over here - there are red ones over here!!" and "get me that ladder grandma, i can climb up and get them for you!" and "let's try over here mom!! look at these trees over here!" and a couple "a few more? can we pick just a few more??" and one "this is so much fun!!!".

........then i have to sweet talk them back on the wagon with promises of squash fries and les beignes de pommes {apple donuts...the best thing ever! and no i DID NOT tell aydan they were squash fries - do you think i just fell off the turnip truck? she gobbled them up by the way.}.
{i forgot to take photo's of these to show you - i guess i have to go back and have them again. bummer. see the lengths i will go for you people?}.

so there you have it.
we went. we picked. we enjoyed.
and now i have a ridiculous amount of apples....what am i going to do with them?
now that's the fun part.

this time of year it's what you do.

so as i had mentioned before we went apple picking. why? why do we do this? it's crowded. it's a lot of waiting. it's a lot of scavenging. it's a lot of are we done yet? it's  lot of lines. and then we end up with more apples then we know what to do with.

Ouiser - "Because I'm an old Southern woman and we're supposed to wear funny looking hats and ugly clothes and grow vegetables in the dirt. Don't ask me those questions. I don't know why, I don't make the rules!" ~steel magnolias.

we do it because it's what you do. it's especially what you do when you live in the suburban area that is surrounded by numerous orchards and farms. it's what you do when you get caught up in the moment of seeing the long lines weaving their way down the highway of other families who have made the pilgrimage out here from the big city for this very reason. it's what you do when you think of all the wonderful yummy things you can create with this. it's what you do as a family in the fall.

so we did it. and we found out that the eating apples we picked were not really for us {good to know} and out of that trip came this and other things. also out of that bounty was this little chutney-type savory meat accompaniment that anyone would be proud to display on their table amongst the dinner spread.

the inspiration focused itself out of the rosemary and thyme i have growing all around and the want to incorporate that. then the thought of applesauce for the meal entered my mind. then the thought of cranberry sauce sneaked in there as well to completely confuse the palette. as i shooed him out of there my eyes rested on the apples and a light-bulb went off. something sweet. something savory. something apples. something extraordinary.

as a lover of condiments and their effect to alter a meal from one step to the next - the husband mentioned the other day he has never seen a fridge so full of condiments ever - i gathered all my starting characters and was off to the races. what i turned out was so heavenly that i was actually eating it straight out of the pan and forgetting to slather it all over my pork {which was heavenly in it's own right}. the burst of all the fresh herbs against the sweet apples, savory onions added the right notes i was hoping the achieve and was absolutely brilliant. perfectly fall. perfectly perfect. take advantage of this time of year with a pork loin, some fresh rosemary & thyme, and the fresh harvest of apples - i'm sure glad i did.

savoury apple chunk

peel, core and chop 3 apples (you want to end up with 3/4 lb of apple). set aside. heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. dice half a medium onion and add to pan. season with salt and pepper. sautee a bit until translucent about 4 minutes. add 1 tsp of cinnamon and a generous pinch of nutmeg. cook for one minute. add apples and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. sautee for about 3 minutes. add 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary and the same of thyme {i added a bit more cause i really like that taste - adjust your quantities accordingly; also reserve some thyme leaves for garnish at the end, just makes it extra pretty}. sautee for about 2-3 minutes to release the flavours from the herbs. add 1/4 cup of apple juice and squeeze a half a lemon over the top, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, allow to bubble away and reduce for about 15 minutes - taste halfway through and adjust your seasoning. allow to cool slightly and serve along side any savoury meat. bon appetite!  

i took a loin of pork and slathered it in a mixture of whole-grain mustard, some extra-virgin {always} olive oil, diced garlic, minced fresh rosemary & thyme and salt/pepper. baked it in the oven, let rest for 10 minutes, sliced up and served with chutney. yum!

blog-a-versary.

well here we are! happy first birthday to this blog.

over the weekend this little hideaway of mine turned one. i had decided to start blogging again after moving across the country and getting settled in. it has been the ultimate diary for milestones of the kids, recipes to cherish & share, memories to be etched in stone and for me to have a creative outlet of sorts.

i would like to thank all our friends and family & fellow bloggers out there for reading it first off {!}, for leaving kind comments of praise and encouragement, for inspiring me and, in some cases, lending me their stories. without you all i don't know where i would be. and of course to the husband for all his support on this and for his help with late night photo sessions. also i really had no idea how the comments section would affect me in this endevour. i thought of it first as a cheeky little function that i really didn't think would matter but it's amazing the weight they carry. the thoughts. the encouragement. the new friends that have been made from that little box. the actual joy i feel when i see that there is a comment under there for me. me! i would like to thank everyone who has left a comment for me {or has figured it out apparently - darn google!}. surprisingly they help me to carrying on in this and mean more than you would ever know.

as i am still trying to find my voice, my theme, my goal, i truly do love what has happened here. what this blog has evolved into and what it means to me. the path chosen has never really been defined and has no specific focus but if you know me personally you will realize i embody all those as well. one of my favorite quotes from a movie is "i want to be a novelist, a weekend, flautist, a potter, a painter, an architect...." it was a young girl wanting to be it all and herself at the same time. sometimes that's how i feel. i have wanted to focus this into a food blog and it seems right but then one of the kids steals my heart and i want to share that. i discover a new craft or way of doing something and want to let you all in the secret too. and then when i just want to get it all out and talk to y'all, there are those days as well. so i said forget it on the theme and it will just be a reflection of dear old un-focused, projects on the go everywhere, job title: mom, closet baker & foodie, me.

and in true experience the wonderful fashion we celebrated with a cake!! i made my caramel apple cake which i thought fitting to the time of year as well as the occasion. after we went apple picking and found that particular variety not quite to our liking the wheels have been turning. first out of the gates is this lovely cake that i have adapted from a rachael ray tear out. the thing i love about this cake is the sponge. it would work on it's own dusted with icing sugar and a hefty blob of vanilla whip cream, with this wonderful caramel icing i'm going to share or even with possibly a fresh raspberry filling and raspberry icing. and also if apple chunks are not your thing, leave them out and just fill the cake with icing or a drizzle of the dulce de leche. {i will wait a moment as you stop licking your lips!}

so here we are! we have been here for a year and i hope we can stick around for a little while longer - i kind of like this blog thing and i like hearing my words on the screen. i have put the GFC function back up in the side bar so please sign up and join us in experiencing the wonderful of our life and yours!

caramel apple layer cake

adapted from rachael ray.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar + 1/3 cup extra
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 pound unsalted butter + 3 tablespoons, softened
3 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons of heavy cream
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 crisp apples (about one pound), i used lobo but you can also use gala, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup dulce de leche (or 1 cup regular caramel sauce)

1) pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. generously butter and flour 2 9-inch cake pans. set aside.
2) using an electric mixer, combine the flour, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, the baking powder and salt. mix in 1/2 pound {one cup or 2 sticks} of softened butter at low speed until the mixture is crumbly.
3) in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, 1/2 cup of cream, applesauce and vanilla. in a slow stream add to the butter-flour mix at medium speed until smooth, about one minute.
4) divide batter amongst the prepared pans, weighing for accuracy and taping slightly on the counter to release air. place on middle rack of pre-heated oven and bake until springy to the tough and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. transfer to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. run a knife along the edge to release the layers from the pan, invert on to the rack and cool completely.
5) in a medium skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. add the apple slices and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and cook, stirring often until the apples are tender and the juice is syrupy, about 15 minutes. stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of cream and simmer for 3 minutes. remove from heat and let cool.
6) meanwhile, using an electric mixer, bet the remaining 1/2 pound {1 cup or 2 sticks} of butter and the icing sugar until light and creamy. with the mixer on low, slowly pour in the caramel sauce.
7) place one layer on the cake plate. spoon on the apple mixture; spread the apple filling evenly on top then cover with the second layer. using an offset spatula or butter knife, first make your crumb coat with the icing, allow the cake to set for 15 minutes in the fridge before eventually covering the entire cake with the remaining icing, swirling the top and sides to make a decorative pattern.