I'm Loving: Black, White & Barn All Over

I think there is a barn in my future. Ahem. A barn that I will convert, to a warm, homey abode, in my future. I was having a look at my pinterest boards (follow me here), and there is a definite trend amongst my pins. Rustic, reclaimed wood, clean, white surfaces with hits of black and bright light. Let's have a gander at some of my favorites, shall we?

 

 

 

 

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Happy Wednesday Friends!
xo
C

Vanilla Bean Strawberry Jam

I was at a friends last week and she had a bunch of strawberry jam out on the counter. I was totally impressed when she told me she had just whipped it up with her 5 year old son. Wha? Yah. Totally impressive for a Tuesday morning. I have always wanted to try my hand at homemade jam, but envisioned my self spending hours in a stinking hot field picking berries and then all of them going moldy and messing up the boiling water, canning process extravaganza. So needless to say, the jam dream stayed in my head. Kirsten (said friend), explained it was no-bake jam that took no time at all and you could even use frozen berries- say what!?

Enter liquid CERTO. Hello new friend. A pectin product in liquid form that allows you to set jams and jellies at room temperature without cooking! I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe on the back of the box, and it still set with no issues, so feel free to go with their version, or my jazzed (reduced sugar) version.

 

[Ingredients: Strawberries, Sugar, Lemon, Liquid Certo, Vanilla Bean Paste]

 

 

Vanilla Bean Strawberry Jam

*Adapted from Certo No-Bake Strawberry Jam

 

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups crushed strawberries
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 pouch liquid certo pectin
• 2 tbsp's lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or the beans from 1 whole vanilla bean)

Method:

1. Mix together your crushed strawberries, sugar and vanilla bean paste, and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, get your jars ready- just rinse in soap and water- no need to do the whole boiling, sterilizing thing. I used WECK jars because they are pretty, and have a strawberry on them.
3. Now stir in the pectin and lemon juice for 3 minutes or until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
4. Pour the jam into your clean jars and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow the jam to sit at room temperature for 24 hours, until set.
5. Eat it.
6. Seriously. That's it.
7. Go and eat it. YUM.



 

 

 

The Jam is good in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or frozen for 1 year.

Get Jamming.

 

Happy Tues.

C

4 Favorites

I am happy the weekend is here- its been a busy, weird week for me. I've been in a bit of a funk and I am excited to reset in Collingwood this weekend! There was a little of the cold, white, fluffy stuff here in Toronto last night and I am looking forward to some serious skiing tomorrow. Here are a few of my favorites form this week...

 



[I made homemade Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam which is A-mazing]

 

[The sun creating snow sparkles on my front porch this morning]

 

 

[An inspirational poster I put up in my office this week]

 

[This one visiting me at my desk... we were sad to return her on Tuesday]

 

Happy Weekend All.

C

Thursday Morning Inspiration

Hi Team!
I am off to meet a client this morning, but this movie caught my eye and I had to share it. It's the perfect inspiration for a Thursday morning. (Thanks Matty Mo)
Totally love it.
Okay... I just inserted it, and unfortunately its a chick in a bikini to start... I swear its not a movie about my new years resolutions...Just watch!

XO
C

I'm Loving: Geometric Rugs

I'm loving geometric rugs right now. Probably because I'm in the market for one and have been doing some serious searching lately. Geometric rugs aren't exactly new on the scene, but in the last year or so they have become much more available and affordable! You can get gorgeous options at any price point. If you haven't gone down the road of patterned rugs, I would highly suggest giving it a shot. A rug can really inject some life into a room and help pull everything together. Here are a few I am currently loving...

/// High \\\

1. Modern Kilim, Weavers Art, $5000+
2. Navy Talitha Rug, Jonathan Adler, 8x10, $2300
3. Black Bridget Kilim Rug, Johathan Adler, 8x10, $995

// Medium \\

1. Jasper Aqua Rug, Crate and Barrel, 8x10, $742
2. Flakes Bokrum, Zinc Door, 7x9, $1010
3. Jaipur Maroc, Zinc Door 8'x10', $644.00

/ Low \

1. Modern Art Area Rug, Target, 8x10, $585
2. LAPPLJUNG, Ikea, 6'7x6'7, $89.99
3. STOCKHOLM RAND, Ikea, 5'6x7'8, $249 

Happy Tuesday!
xo
C

Mascarpone Spaghetti Carbonara

Mmmhmm. I did that. Made one of the richest pasta dishes richer. Although, I did remove all of the egg yolks that traditionally make the sauce (except for one), so that balances it out. For all of you that may be Spaghetti Carbonara virgins, this is basically bacon pasta- and it is AMAZING. My mom used to whip this up for my sister and I in a flash when we had nothing else in the fridge. To this day, it might still be one of my favorite pasta dishes. I made some garlic and herb bread to go on the side, because who doesn't want carbs with a side of more carbs on a Saturday night? Not me, obv.

 

Mascarpone Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a yellow onion, diced
• 6 strips of bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces
• spaghetti for 2-3 (when held in your hand, about the diameter of a toonie) or half a box.
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped  flat leaf parsley
• salt and pepper

  Method:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your spaghetti as per the directions on the package.
2. In a large saute pan, add the bacon pieces and cook for approx 1-2 minutes on med-high heat.
3. Add the onion, and saute until the onion and bacon are golden brown Turn the heat to low and using paper towel, sop up the excess grease in the pan and discard. You may have to do this a couple of times- until there is no "puddle" of grease left in the pan, but the ingredients are still glistening in bacon-y goodness.
• You could attempt to drain off the fat, but I find the paper towel method easier. BE CAREFUL though, that grease is hot, hot hot!
4. While your bacon and onion are getting to know each other, combine the cheeses, egg yolk and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
5. When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, set it aside and drain the pasta.
6. Pour the drained pasta right into the large saute pan with the bacon and onion. Turn the heat off and pour in the cheese mixture- stir until everything is combined.
• If you find the sauce is a bit thick, you can add a bit of pasta water to thin it out until you find your desired consistency. (I didn't end up needing any)
7. Gather the spaghetti with tongs and heap it into pasta bowls, top with the chopped parsley and enjoy.

 

Have an awesome Monday all!

xo

C

4 Favorites

Friday already- and a gross one at that. Its raining in Toronto and all I feel like doing is cuddling up on the couch and watching a movie... a really bad chick flick, like The First Wives Club or A League of Their Own. Actually, lets be honest, both of those movies are amazing and I love them.
Anyways... What are you up to this weekend? Dave and I are passing on Collingwood- its gross out and the skiing will be terrible. Instead I will be working Saturday and Sunday to catch up on a few projects I have on the go- fingers crossed I get some cooking in! Here are 4 Favorites from this week:

[A few pictures from a shoot that I styled yesterday for a friend.]

 

[Playing around with images and layouts for my new venture- Ten and Co.] 

 

 

[A behind the scenes shot of this post... these cookies weren't exactly photogenic...]

[I'm dog sitting this pooch for the week, she has already found her favorite spot.]

 

Happy Weekend!

xo

C