photo a day album 2010

This project of capturing a photo a day has been so good for my photography and the memory keeping of our family.  I finished up my album from 2010 a couple of weeks ago.  I purchased the entire album and contents from Becky Higgins' website.  This year I am going strong with the project but have decided to go digital.  Although I much prefer working with paper, the digital version is saving me so much time.  I can definitely see more digital projects in my future. 

I have shared many, many images on this blog already, but here are just a few of my weekly spreads from the album.

chocolate peanut butter cupcakes

My boys did not inherit my love of peanut butter.  My daughter on the other hand did.  It is not something that I completely understand, especially when you marry peanut butter with chocolate.  But Nathaniel did enjoy these cupcakes despite the peanut butter.  Must have been all the butter and sugar mixed in.  I'm afraid Jesse was still a lost cause.

I was a bit skeptical about this cupcake recipe.  No eggs?!  But they were delicious and light.  It was a brilliant move when I held a few back from our potluck and stashed them in the freezer.  Definitely making these again.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes - adapted from Joy the Baker
makes 24

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 cups cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.  

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla extract and vinegar.  

Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients being careful not to overmix.  The mixture will be quite wet, but that’s ok.  

Pour the batter until the cups are two thirds full and place in the oven for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cup comes out clean.  

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack until completely cool before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

enough to frost 24 cupcakes

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on your desired consistency)

1 tablespoon milk (I added more)

peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy and virtually no butter lumps remain.  Scrape down the bowl.  Add three cups of powdered sugar and beat on low for 1 minute.  Add milk and beat on medium high for 1 minute.  Add the remaining cup of powdered sugar if you’d like your frosting a bit thicker.  You may need to add more milk to make a spreadable frosting.

Slather frosting onto cooled cupcakes and top with peanut butter cups.

family day 2011

Having a winter fire in the backyard was the perfect way to spend part of the afternoon on family day.

24 hours

This is what I collected under the kitchen table.  I had swept just 24 hours before.

melting

We're enjoying a few days of above freezing temperatures.  The snow is melting.  There are huge puddles on the sidewalks and roads.  The sun is beautiful!  These were all the right elements for taking out my camera yesterday afternoon.  They were also perfect for getting Nathaniel onto his bike.  Even with some ice and snow, he still insisted on riding to school.

The bad news with the warm temperatures is that our ice rink is starting to melt.  But Nathaniel was still able to play, minus the skates.

I could have stayed out another hour taking pictures of this beautiful light.

fusilli with teriyaki salmon and vegetables

It's been a little while since I posted a recipe.  I'm still plugging away in the kitchen but having less time to try new things or get to baking.  Jesse and I picked up some salmon yesterday to make this yummy supper.  It really does come together quickly.  So glad I made it again.  I'm even more excited that our days are getting longer so I can actually take a half decent picture with natural light.  If it doesn't look good, who's gonna try it?

Fusilli with Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetables - adapted from Cookin' Canuck
serves 4

Sauce:
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water

1/4 cup soya sauce

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional; I didn't add this)

12 oz. salmon, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup sugarsnap or snow peas, trimmed

12 oz. whole wheat pasta, such rotini or fusilli

In a small saucepan, whisk together rice vinegar, brown sugar, water, soya sauce, 1/4 cup canola oil, ginger, garlic, flour, and sesame seeds.  Place this mixture over medium heat.  Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Keep warm.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the salmon pieces and cook, turning once, until the salmon is just cooked through. Set aside in a bowl.  

Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in the same large skillet over medium-high heat. Add red bell pepper and sugarsnap or snow peas. Cook until the vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente.  Drain.  Add the drained pasta to the large saucepan with the vegetables, salmon, and teriyaki sauce.  Toss well and serve.

our weekend getaway

We treated ourselves this weekend with a getaway to Toronto.  We stayed at a hotel, ate out at restaurants and swam in the hotel pool every moment we could.  We were spoiled.

She couldn't stay off the slide.  I think she probably went down 50 times during the 2 days we stayed here.

I think I would have gone a bit crazy if we stayed in the hotel the entire weekend.  We decided on an excursion to Yorkdale mall via the subway.  This was a first for all 3 kids.

We needed an end destination, so our subway ride was to take us to the Rainforest Cafe.  Totally overpriced, so so food but great kid atmosphere.

It was the family time we all needed.

one of each

This morning wasn't completely rushed so I was actually able to get out my camera for a few shots.  With 2 kids in school full time, I need to make sure I get enough pictures of them.  Abigail was awoken by her baby brother.  Instead of going back to sleep, she read.  Man, this girl reads!

And our hockey fan is to the couch at 7 am to watch the sports highlights.  (Nope, couldn't get out of bed that early so had to settle with a shot at 7:20.)  Is this a normal thing for a 6 year old?

And this one was helping me this afternoon with hanging laundry.  He had just finished playing with his hot wheels.  Apparently his cars were helping to get food for Jesus.  And as he hung laundry he started talking.  "Mommy, when I die, I'm going to really miss watching tv."  Pause.  "We won't know what the weather will be."  (Having a hard time connecting those two comments?  Hint - his mother loves checking The Weather Network to see the day's weather.)

farmer boy

In an attempt to get something up on this blog this week (a nasty cold has it's hold on me), I wanted to write down a few thoughts that came to me this morning.  And because I didn't have a picture to go along with these thoughts, I pulled up these pictures from New Year's Day.  Our boulevard and streets are MUCH different these days.  Envision tall mounds of snow.  This was also my first attempt at panning (a technique where you pan your camera along in time with your moving subject and end up with a focused subject but a blurred background).  I tried.

But my thoughts today are about him.  And how well suited he would be for growing up on a farm.  This boy thrives on activity.  And I don't mean just running around or riding on his scooter.  I'm talking about activities with a purpose.  If there is a chore or task to do, he is at your side.  Give him some ownership in the activity and he thrives.  He is focused and has a work ethic that will serve him well as an adult.  He doesn't mind getting dirty and has an appetite like any growing farm boy.  I have wished on many occasions for a barn where I could send him when his energy is too great for our house (or my ears).  This could be at 7am or 7pm.  Perfect for morning and evening chores don't you think?