oatmeal toffee cookies

This fall is a bit crazy around our home.  Andrew is studying for a huge exam in November and I am a busy little photographer.  When my energy starts lagging by mid afternoon, I find myself making a few trips to our freezer for one of these cookies.  If my math is correct, I have about a week left until I need to start searching for another cookie recipe.

I found this recipe years ago in a Martha Stewart magazine.  I remember making them when Andrew and I were first married and living in our small apartment at Yonge and Bloor in Toronto.  It was almost impossible to find dried cherries, but I remember getting them at Noah's Natural Food Store.  And I also remember thinking that those cherries put me over my weekly food budget.  Of course we certainly didn't have the money to use butter for these cookies.  Thankfully money isn't quite as tight as that first year of us both being students.  Butter just tastes so much better.  

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies - adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes 6 dozen

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup chocolate chips
1 package Skor toffee pieces

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together the flour and baking soda.  Cream the butter and sugars in a mixer on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice during mixing.  Add egg and mix on high speed.  Add vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated.  Scrape down sides.  Add the  flour mixture a bit at a time on low speed until well combined.  On low speed, add the oats, cherries, chocolate chips and toffee pieces.  Mix to combine.

Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and roll into logs using plastic wrap, approximately 5 cm in diameter.  Chill in fridge until firm.  To bake, cut logs into 1 cm pieces.  Bake on parchment lined baking sheets, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a baking rack to cool.

indigo, jack and ava

I don't think I could have asked for a better way to spend time with three awesome kids (not including mine of course!).  I was so excited for this session for many reasons.  I knew they would come dressed ultra hip (they are the coolest dressed kids I know), they'd be totally game to try out 2 new locations I've been eyeing and I had a feeling all 3 of them would be up for a little adventure.  Man, did they deliver. 

They did what kids do best - play and have fun.  They crawled around the train, found endless treasures, picked flowers and were so eager to include me in all their adventures.

You'd never know from these pictures that it was around 12 degrees.  They didn't complain once.

Ava was up for giving me a bit of a challenge.  I had a tough time getting her to stay in one place long enough to focus.  Finally got one.

And a big thanks to their mom Sarah for letting them crawl all over the place, lay anywhere I asked and have the freedom to be themselves.

After the train station, we hung out in some cool grasses.

The girls immediately started picking.  Indigo made an umbrella of her bouquet.

Jack was my go to guy for cool locations and photography ideas.  No joke.  He'd call me over and suggest they stand in a certain spot or incorporate some neat looking grass.  I think I need to hire him for my next shoot.

How cute are these kids?

Just before the rain started up again, we had to finish things off with some jumping shots.  These three were magic!

cheddar corn chowder

Maybe I should be calling this week 'the week of the happy dance recipes'.  I adore this soup.  I don't make it often but need to seriously think about freezing fresh corn this year so I can.  I've simplified the recipe so everything goes in one pot.  I've doubled the recipe a few times and passed on a few jars to friends.  Just make sure to borrow a dutch oven from a friend.  A double batch will not fit in one pot.  (Psst.  Take my word for it!)

Cheddar Corn Chowder - adapted generously from The Barefoot Contessa

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 cups stock  (I used water and added one bouillon cube)
4 cups medium-diced yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled
6 ears corn, kernels cut from the cob
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the stock and potatoes, bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  When the potatoes are tender, add the fresh corn.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in the milk and cheddar cheese.  Continue to stir until the cheese has melted.  Season to taste.

black bean salsa

I can get a bit funny about food.  I have been known to get gitty and excited when anticipating certain meals.  And I'm sure I've done my share of happy dances when I anticipate a good meal coming.  (Especially the ones that I don't have to prepare myself!)  Andrew tries to understand this side of me, but as a non-foodie I think he struggles.  This recipe would fall under this particular category.  As I chop and mix this salsa, I anticipate the wonderful burst of flavours, the crunch of the tortilla chips and melted cheese, the combination of lime, cilantro and garden fresh vegetables.  I might even say this is one of my favorite recipes.  You can certainly use this as a dip for chips, but I love a plate of tortilla chips with melted marble cheese and this salsa heaped on top.  Some days there is nothing better.

I don't remember where I got this recipe from anymore.  I think this would make a great salad with some more corn and rice.  You could also serve this with rice and pan fried tofu.

Black Bean Salsa

1 ear sweet corn

3-4 fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed

2 limes, freshly squeezed

1 avocado, diced

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1 scallion, finely sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Boil the corn for about 5 minutes.  Rinse under cold running water to cool.  Slice off the kernels.

Toss the corn kernels in a bowl with the tomatoes, beans, lime juice, avocado, oil, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, scallion, garlic, cumin and salt.  Let the salsa marinate for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve at room temperature. 

chanda and ryan

These two made things very easy for me last Friday evening.  They came prepared with the props I asked them to bring, they were playful, talkative and allowed me just to hang back and capture their relationship.  We started out with images of their favorites books.  I had seen a similar idea on another photography blog (I think Tara Whitney) and I knew this fit Chanda and Ryan's personalities perfectly.  

When I met Chanda, I quickly learned that she is a person that needs to search for truth and justice, is willing to ask the hard questions and just happens to have finished a doctorate in astrophysics and is heading to NASA this fall.  Yes, books just naturally came to mind.   

Anticipating their long distance relationship, Chanda and Ryan asked me to take some pictures so they would have memories of their relationship together.

They love to play chess so they brought along their chess board.  As someone who does not play, this was very interesting to observe.  I was careful not to choose a picture that showed the entire board.  Someone was worried there would be some criticism  if friends saw the position of the chess pieces.  I just had to giggle.  

These images remind me why I love taking pictures of couples.  I love the intimacy between two people and strive to capture that in a picture.

I had a tough time choosing between these 3 shots, so I included them all.

As we returned to our soybean field, these two started playing.  I stepped back and got this great series of photos.

Love Chanda's expression!

And if you ever wondered why the time right before sunset is called "the golden hour", this is why.

My favorite.

And I know this style of picture is a bit of a fad...but I still love it! 

neighbourhood play

I've been sitting on these pictures and story for almost two weeks.  Time to travel back to the very end of summer and a very special event on our street.  Early this summer Abigail was asked to be part of a play being written and directed by a neighbour.  The play was titled Kitchener, Ich Liebe Dich.  The romantic comedy highlighted the oddities of our city.  You can read more about it here.  The event was a fundraiser for her son and his involvement with Canada World Youth.  After a number of practices, wardrobe consultations and much excitement, it was performance time.  The venue - our neighbour's backyard garage.  There were two performances with over 100 audience members each night.  It was extremely successful, well written and well acted.  But I think the most excited members of the cast and crew were these three.

Abigail and her two neighbours, Julia and Sarah, played Mennonite girls in the play.  They had no lines and were on stage for approximately five minutes, but they were beyond excited tobe a part of the play that featured many friends of the director/writer.  The other cast members were so sweet and encouraging to the girls.  

One of the highlights for the girls was the last night.  We allowed them to stay after the performance and play around the stage.  They had so much fun posing with the other "Mennonites", dressing up in the other costumes and generally getting so overexcited it was next to impossible to get them to sleep at a decent time.

Despite Abigail's apprehension of performing in front of people, she was not nervous and enjoyed the entire process.

Future actress?

preschool

Jesse was off to preschool this morning.  I was anticipating a lot of separation anxiety as he has been apprehensive about attending his two mornings a week.  As summer ended and we started talking about it more he would often say that he did not want to go to preschool.  Being able to visit last week definitely helped as he grew to enjoy the toys and particularly loved reading the books, painting and playing playdough.

Last night he was excited about going but I don't think he grasped that he would be actually going this morning.  Today he didn't want to get dressed and was a struggle to get out the door.  But he perked up when I said it was his turn to get his picture taken in the front yard.  He barely stood still long enough to actually get a photo, but it was no trouble getting him in the van to drop off his siblings.  

When he arrived at preschool, I had to pry him out of his car seat and carry him inside.  I stayed with him for the first 10 minutes until he was settled into playing.  There were no big outbursts.  He was sad and asked for me during a transition in the morning and ended up laying under the rocking chair during circle time, but he made it.  He observed during art time and quickly got a snack and some playdough time before it was time to move to the carpet for storytime.  And he had a huge grin when he said goodbye to his teacher and came out to greet me.  I'm so proud of you Jesse!

pita with chopped salad and chickpea puree

I'm having a hard time switching my supper mindset from easy summer meals to more planned back to school meals.  I can no longer get away with fresh corn, sliced cucumbers and cheese/rolled up ham (for the kids).  My family now needs leftovers for their thermos.  This recipe would fall under my easy summer meals but there is no reason you couldn't make it and assemble it at work or save it for a quick weekend lunch idea.  And with all the wonderful local tomatoes and cucumbers that are available, there is no reason to wait until next summer to make this.

Pita with Chopped Salad and Chickpea Puree -
adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

Chickpea Puree

1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 garlic clove
Salt
1 tin cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lemon

In a small skillet over medium heat, warm the cumin and coriander until fragrant.  Occasionally shake the pan so the spices do not burn.

In a food processor, puree the spices, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, chickpeas, oil, cilantro, lemon and 1/4 cup water.

Lemon Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
Salt and freshly milled pepper
1 shallot, finely diced
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine the lemon juice, zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and shallot in a small bowl.  Let stand for 15 minutes, then whisk in the oil and season with a little pepper to taste.  Taste and correct the balance, adding more oil if needed.

Line pita bread with Chickpea Puree, then add a little salad of chopped cucumbers and tomatoes and drizzle with Lemon Vinaigrette or lemon juice.

senior kindergarten

Nathaniel had his first day of senior kindergarten today.  Last year he attended school all day, every other day.  This year our school is a pilot school for the full time kindergarten program.  This means he should be attending every day.  (Notice I said should and not would.)  Let's just say I'm not a fan.  While we work out all of these details, he was happy to return to his old class with familiar teachers and friends.  

Besides attending every day, another big change is the fact that all of his close friends have moved onto grade one.  He is now one of the oldest students and will be welcoming many new Junior Kindergarten friends.    His particular class has many girls, twice as many as the boys.  I hope he finds some nice boys to befriend.  I could tell he was a bit lost this morning as he looked around and saw many familiar girl faces but not one boy.  When I picked him up he seemed to have a good day.  His first words were "I'm wiped out!"  He has since talked about the fire truck he made with two engines, the game he played with the class singing the ABC song, the other boy who played play dough for 2 hours and how he did not want to print his name for the new classroom ECE (Early Childhood Educator).  As usual, he came home with his lunch completely eaten and was famished when he walked through the door.  School has begun!

third grader

It was Abigail's first day of third grade today.  She was getting nervous on the weekend as she anticipated a new teacher and classmates.  Last evening she was full of nervous energy.  She coordinated her outfit and got her backpack ready for the morning.  I was thankful that she was able to fall asleep before 9:30.  This morning she was up early and had difficulty eating her breakfast.  This happens every year.

Of course we were all ready much earlier than we needed to be.  There was lots of time to take pictures and make our walk to school with some other neighbour girls.  She was still nervous when she left with her new teacher.

When I picked her up after school, one of the first things she said was "I'm so excited for tomorrow!"  It was a great first day of third grade.
(And the scratch above her lip is from Jesse scratching her on the weekend.)

peach shortbread squares

Remember these muffins from last September?  And how I posted a recipe when peaches were almost out of season.  Well, I've done it again.  I'm bringing you another peach recipe in September.  What is with me?  I won't mention how I am considering posting a blueberry yogurt popsicle recipe from last week.  I'll wait and see how the month turns out.  If we have another hot spell you might just see them appear here.

These squares are perfect for baking on a cool day.  And I think they'll make a great back to school treat.

The first step is making browned butter.  I've done this in a number of recipes and love the nutty smell.  It really is easy.  You just need to be watching your butter so it doesn't turn from nutty to burnt.  If you choose to skip this step to save time, make sure your butter is cold.

Yes, I suppose I like things in neat little rows.  What can I say?  Peaches look better this way.

Peach Shortbread Squares - adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups minus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 peaches, peeled and sliced

Brown your butter:  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty.  Stir the melted butter frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do.  Watch it carefully to make sure it does not burn.  Let cool slightly and place it in the freezer until solid, about 30 minutes.  I placed mine in a plastic container before cooling in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter or spray a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and spices with a fork.  Use your fingertips to blend the solidified brown butter and egg into the flour mixture.  It will be crumbly.  Pat 3/4 of the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Press firmly.  Arrange the peach slices over the base.  Scatter the remaining crumbs evenly over the peaches and bake for 30 minutes.  The top will be slightly brown and you will see a little colour around the edges.  Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

lemonade stand

By the end of summer I always go through my mental checklist of things I had planned on doing with the kids. This year swimming lessons took up most of the week so I had to be happy with finishing off the summer with those things that would fit into our already busy schedule.  Thankfully our annual lemonade stand could still happen.  The weather was super hot (like most of this summer) and the kids were super excited to get out there and make some money.

Like previous years, we share the excitement and selling with our neighbours, Julia and Sarah.

Things were slow at the beginning.  People weren't out walking because of the heat and the cars that did drive by had their windows closed and air conditioning on.  We started sending the kids out in pairs to knock on neighbour's doors.

The rest just waited, hoping it would soon be time to have their own rice crispy square and lemonade.

We ended up getting quite a few neighbours and sold out of the squares and had a bit of the lemonade left.

The kids would have stayed out longer, but after almost 2 hours, the adults were ready to head back inside where it was cool.  Watch for us next year!