Five Years

The children have been asleep for a few hours, all the house lights are dark save for a lamp by my bed. My body has turned in for the night (this happens a lot earlier since I'm pregnant again), but I couldn't go to sleep without giving this date a nod.

Five years ago, with absolutely no idea what I was getting into, I started this blog. With a batch of (horribly photographed) mini lemon tarts, I began this journey as a food blogger.

Ironically, today Simple Bites subscribers topped 10,000 and monthly pageviews tipped 300,000. I don't often share hard and fast numbers, but both of those milestones - on today of all days - are rather pretty.

This won't be a long trip down memory lane recounting all the places food blogging has brought me and wonderful people I have met, because, well, although they are many, it really would take me all night.

Instead, I'd love to look ahead. What will the next five years hold? Well, we know there's a baby in there, right around March. A third child to toss my cooking under the high chair. Ah well, it was getting a little too clean under there.

There are also things that I'm not at liberty do discuss - don't you just hate that? I do. That small TV thing, which I've signed all sorts of NDA's for and we won't hear about until spring...There's also that somewhat larger print project-thing, which is still in progress and more or less 'hush-hush'... An upcoming, but-not-yet-announced speaking engagement at a pretty legit blogging conference...

Gee, what can we talk about? Bloggers without Borders. Now there's a blogging related project I'm proud about. My fantastic contributors on Simple Bites; love those ladies (and one man, obvi, as I'm married to him).

Well, public knowledge or not, there's plenty of exciting things happening, and they all stem from this little space that I started five years ago. I couldn't be happier.

Thank you to each and every one for reading, for following on Twitter, for joining me over at Simple Bites...FOR YOUR SUPPORT. A blog is nothing without readers, so the full credit, the true acknowledgment, goes out to you.

Merci.

A Birthday and My Favorite Things

It's a cozy, sleepy Saturday afternoon. There's a massive pear crisp bubbling away in the oven and perfuming the house with smells of cinnamon and cardamom.

I've got a few minutes to myself before birthday party prep gets underway and I wanted to point you in the direction of my birthday festivities over on Simple Bites.

What started out as a list of current favorite things, scratched onto a notebook on my bedside table, turned into a full-fledged mega-giveaway.

Yes, in celebration of my birthday, I've listed my absolute favorite things (products, mind you, not like, people or places) and then proceed to give most of them away in what has quickly become my most popular giveaway, ever.

So if you like Le Creuset, stylish knives, fine chocolate, world class spices, natural beauty products or loose-leaf tea, head over to My Favorite Things giveaway on Simple Bites and leave a comment.

That's it!

Giveaway ends Monday at midnight. Good luck to all!

Goodbye July

It's August, which means were eating corn for dinner 5 nights a week, I'm making birthday plans, and Christmas merchandise has showed up at Costco.

July sped by in a blur of pool parties, potlucks, weddings, and long afternoons spent keeping cool. I dedicated a series to frozen treats over on Simple Bites and, for the most part we survived the heat wave.

We started the month with a perfect three-day camping trip, followed by a most memorable U2 concert under warm Montreal skies. Best. Show. Ever.

The month was punctuated by our baby news! It was a thrilling discovery, but one that plunged me into exhaustion so deep I felt --and still do-- that every day was Moving Day. ‘Moving day fatigue’ is the best way I can describe to Danny how my body feels in the morning as I lie pinned to the mattress.

Fortunately, he's been off work for the last 2 weeks and has gallantly risen every morning to prepare breakfast and coffee for us, and keep the kids quiet until I can rouse myself.

I think my strength is slowly returning; hopefully my appetite is not far behind.

So yes we are expecting again, anticipating the new arrival in early March. Danny is hoping for a leap year baby again, which could easily happen. I for one, won't truly relax until the first ultrasound and they tell me there's just one baby.

As twins run in my family, the chances of doubling the number of our children with this pregnancy is definitely a possibility. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that kind of an adventure!

Central Park

At the end of July, I hopped on a plane to Jersey for Big Summer Potluck. I cemented some online friendships, made new ones, laughed myself silly, and spent a day eating New York City. It was the best of times.

In an update on our urban homestead, our backyard project of the month was finally completed and I now have 4 raised garden beds. They terrace down the hill toward the forest, framed by a massive weeping willow. I love them.

I planted a little fall garden -- lettuce, spinach, watercress and arugula-- and little sprouts are already peeking up from the earth. My herb garden is thriving, thanks to bedding plants I was able to find at a local nursery.

Next year I will plant a complete garden; it's reassuring to know that as soon as the snow melts the spring I'll have a garden space ready to plant.

August holds some canning projects, a visit from long-time friends, my birthday, back to school for Noah, and at the end of the month, a trip out to Vancouver to film a little project for TV...

But that story is for a another post.

Goodbye July.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Today was spent playing 'Memory', assembling puzzles, eating Christmas cookies and leftover Black Forest Trifle, tromping through the snow and sledding down hills, coming home for hot cocoa, and eating turkey leftovers for dinner.

We're really, really enjoying the holidays.

I've been taking a much-needed blogging break....but did manage to throw together a little video to wish readers happy holidays. Please stop by Simple Bites to receive holiday greetings from the whole family...

There's also been Classic Tourtière, a pretty Citrus Salad (which got picked up by both Glamour and Gourmet. !), and a lengthy, personal and much-loved recap of my holiday cookie swap.

Here's hoping your holiday was a special one.

Holiday Giveaway Week on Simple Bites

Its finally the week we've been waiting for: when we the editors of Simple Living Media get to give away thousands of dollars worth of prizes for our Home for the Holiday's giveaway event!

I hope you'll join in the fun. With 25 giveaways over the week, there's a good chance you'll win something!

I'm kicking things off with a giveaway from Scanpan - the top-of-the-line in non-stick cookware. Head on over to enter to win this cookware set, valued at over $700!
The giveaway is TODAY ONLY, so make haste. And good luck.

Stay tuned to Simple Bites all week as I'll be handing out some of my favorite things - for the home, for kids, for mom and, of course, the kitchen.

Cookbooks & Kitchen Items: My Top Picks for Gifting

The past three Fridays I have shared gift guides with my readers on Simple Bites. I wanted to showcase which tools help make my kitchen run smoothly, as well as provide inspiration for gift giving this holiday season.

From the first post:

"I’ve rummaged through the tool kit of many a professional chef. I’ve taken detailed inventory of a restaurant kitchen’s supplies. I’d rather shop for spatulas than shoes and I’ve probably cooked every day for the last twenty years. I’ve seen what lasts (my mother’s Le Creuset she received as a wedding present 35 years ago), I’ve seen what breaks (cheap blenders and espresso makers) and I’m ready to share my recommendations."

So whether you are writing your own holiday wish list, or are looking for the perfect gift for the cook in the family, let these lists of cookbooks, tools and gadgets inspired from my personal kitchen be your guide.


Holiday 2010 Gift Guides on Simple Bites:

My Top Ten ‘Big Ticket’ Kitchen Items.

My Top Ten Stocking Stuffers for the Kitchen.

My Top 10 Cookbook Picks.

Don't skip the comments on these posts, either. Savvy readers offer which tools and cookbooks they love the most and why.

Preserving Autumn: A Canning Series

It's back! Our Canning 101 series on Simple Bites returns to feature the gorgeous produce of autumn.

With posts every day and a star-studded line-up of contributors, this series is sure to inspire you to put up some of the seasons flavors for year-round enjoyment.

Jennifer kicks things off today with not one, not two, but three amazing recipes for homemade pizza sauce. Her method for pizza sauce with oven-roasted tomatoes is my new favorite recipe - smokey, sultry and oh-so-simple.

Curious as to why we're spotlighting canning so often around here? Here are 9 Good Reasons to Can Your Own Food, an article I posted earlier this month highlighting the various motivations home canners have for what they do. It's a list nearly anyone can relate to - including Time.com, who quoted from the post in a recent article on simple advice for saving money.

In our canning series on Simple Bites, we'll be featuring apples and tomatoes, two favorites of the season, preserved in simple ways. The series will run all week, so be sure to stop by every day and be inspired!

Getting organized, seriously organized.

It's something I've wanted to do for ages.

I love lists, after all. I make them every day. And I love baking, especially holiday baking

So I finally swapped precious sleep for a few extra hours* on my laptop and am absolutely tickled to bring you...

The Ultimate Holiday Baking Pantry Checklist!

It's an A-Z shopping checklist of everything you need to stock your pantry for holiday baking. The PDF can be downloaded and printed to help you organize your baking ingredients - and be sure nothing is forgotten.

From my post on Simple Bites:

"I designed this list with efficiency and thoroughness in mind. Here's how I'm going to keep track of ingredients I need for my holiday baking this fall:

• Print the free checklist.
• Sit down with cookbooks, magazines and bookmarked online recipes AND the list.
• Go through recipes that I know I will be making and check the boxes on the printable.
• Keep the checklist on the fridge or somewhere visible for a few days, and add items as they come to mind (or remove items as ideas change)
• Go through my pantry and take note of anything that is running low or has gone stale. Check those ingredients off on the list.
• Head out shopping WITH the Ultimate Holiday Baking Pantry Checklist in hand.
• Highlight any items I am unable to locate or are temporarily out of stock, so I know I need to keep looking for them."

Trust me, you'll want to print this up. With Canadian Thanksgiving less than three weeks away, it is not to early to start planning for holiday baking.

Head to Simple Bites and download the tidy Holiday Baking Pantry Checklist pdf today. You're welcome!

*I have to say, Danny gave up sleep as well, as he made the pdf pretty for me. Thanks honey!

Preserving. What are you waiting for?

If you've been wondering where I've been lately, the answer is easy: either at the market, staggering under laden produce bags and trying to corral two little monkeys, or in my kitchen, up to my armpits in fresh produce.

This month there's been pounds and pounds of fruit and vegetables coming through the front door, languishing briefly on the counter top, and passing through various preserving methods before making their way to their final resting place, i.e, the pantry or the freezer.

If you don't believe me, here's proof aplenty:


Sweet Summertime Blueberry Syrup

How to Freeze Sweet Corn

Garlic-Dill Pickles (This one is still on the 'to-do' list)

Freezing Broccoli 101

Canning Cherries (happening today)

How to Preserve Summer's Herbs

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam (I added orange zest this time. Yowzas!)


My canning and preserving streak has even roused the interest of a certain local TV station...and they're coming over to crash the party next week. Double Yowzas.

Now if you'll excuse me, please, I've got a brand new cherry pitter to inaugurate.

Are you preserving anything this August? What are you waiting for?!

Canning & Cleaning

I'm back--but not for long.

Believe it or not, we're still getting back on our feet after the whirlwind that was my family reunion. The main floor of the house is back to order, but do not, do NOT open any of the bedroom doors upstairs.

Well, at least I thought the main floor was back to order, until I went hunting for a cooler on Sunday morning to pack a picnic for us...

To my shock and chagrin, when I slid our our ancient blue cooler from the crawlspace under the stairs and popped open the lid I was greeted with a horrible smell of rotting food and an assortment of fuzz-covered leftover containers.

It didn't take but a second to realize that this was the odds and ends from our family picnic nearly three weeks ago...!

How it never got attended to is beyond me, but somehow it got emptied out of the car, ignored, and eventually shuffled under the stairs by someone who was probably just trying to be helpful.

Ick.

I refrained from photos. You're welcome.

Really I'm just popping in to let you know about a Canning 101 series that is happening all this week over at Simple Bites...

• On Friday I asked the question "Why Do You Can?" and received some highly poetic answers. I loved reading every one.
• Saturday brought Canning 101: The Basics. All canning novices, start here.
• We jumped in with both feet on Monday to talk about Home Canned Tomatoes, and today's post is all about Fruit Butters.
• Still to come...pickles, peaches, cherries, jam, and an introduction to lacto-fermenting! I know, I'm excited, too!

See you there.

PS. Many of you have been asking if there is going to be another UtHC Virtual Jam Swap this fall...Although last year's event was a wonderful success, I've made the very difficult decision to not host a virtual swap this year.

There are many reasons. Thanks for understanding.

Summer Block Party on Simple Bites

Crazy things are happening over at Simple Bites starting June 30 and continuing for the entire holiday weekend. In fact, all across the Simple Living Media Network, things are going to sizzle and pop in honor of Canada Day and the Fourth of July.

Now, I'm not going to give too much away, but I will leave you with one hint:



You won't want to miss out on the fun, so be sure to stop by--and often.

Meatless Monday: Asparagus & Tomato Pizza with Pesto

I feel oh-so-lame telling you to go elsewhere after you've been so kind to drop by Under the High Chair, but the staples of today's Meatless Monday recipe are a still a click away.

Last week was hot, dang hot. Fortunately, I was prepared, thanks to my post on Warm Weather Batch Cooking over at Simple Bites. Both pesto and pizza dough were stashed in the freezer, making Monday's meatless option pretty obvious.


Roll dough, slather with pesto, top with mozzarella, snap a few asparagus spears on top and finish with diced fresh tomato. Cook pizza on the barbecue to help keep the house cool, plus get that charred, crusty bottom on the pizza that is so, so good.

Serve on the shady back deck, with strawberry limeade made from the first local berries and the not-very-local limes. Toss your crusts to Mr & Mrs. Mallard who flew in half-way through dinner and stayed for dessert.


Head here for the pizza dough and pesto recipes. You probably won't want to miss the Strawberry-Limeade either.

Friends, I do believe summer has arrived.

Freezing Strawberries: The Basics

Quebec strawberries are here! I picked up my first flat at my local market early this week and after we ate our fill, I turned them into all sorts of delightful things.

Find out some of my preserving methods over at Simple Bites today, where I share Four Simple Ways to Freeze Strawberries.

From the post:

"While you feast on a bowl of strawberries and cream, consider your options for freezing the berries. Why yes, there are options!

Please don’t lump the ruby jewels together in the bottom of a plastic bag, so that they freeze into an indistinguishable lump that is destined to become freezer burnt.

Your berries deserve more than that."

Head here to read the rest and get the recipes for a vibrant strawberry coulis and the refreshing strawberry-limeade concentrate.

Enjoy your weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Cooking with Kids

Get the full scoop here: Encourage Kids to Cook by Hosting a Cooking-Themed Birthday Party.

Tips for a Peaceful Mother's Day (via Simple Bites)

It's Mother's Day this Sunday!

Don't worry, I've got you covered with my latest post over at Simple Bites:

How to Have Peace, Serenity AND Breakfast in Bed on Mother’s Day.

From the post...

By simply planning ahead and offering a few instructions/suggestions for the well-wishers, I increase my chances of getting a speedy and tasty breakfast in bed, minimize kitchen disasters, and ensure a relaxed start to the day for all.

Click through for a full confessional, helpful to-do lists for the whole family and a basic scone recipe to bookmark.

Happy Mother's Day!

For Your Weekend Reading Pleasure (and 'Thanks')

My laptop has been getting plenty of use lately. A series of rainy days made it easier to crank out a few guest posts, as well as the usual content for my two food blogs.

Can I just say? Thanks for reading. I don't usually talk numbers much around here but I see that well over 13,000 of you are popping by on a monthly basis and that makes me very happy. Really.

It's still a pleasant surprise to find that my sporadic recipes and copious photos of my (ridiculously cute) kids holds your interest. Hey, it even lands me on lists like this, which brings even more readers (and a whole heck of a lot of email spam, apparently. Ick.).

Another list I was super tickled to make was the popular Bullet List from The Mother Huddle.

I didn't have to think twice when founder Destri invited me to participate and I dedicated my list to Jamie's Food Revolution in support of his efforts to teach children how to cook.

• How To Help Your Child Embrace Real Food :: The Mother Huddle

Kids and cooking was the topic of choice this week. I also guest posted for Kim Vallee, Montreal's lifestyle and entertaining expert, while she jaunted around Japan with her husband.

• 5 Simple Ways to Get Kids Involved in the Kitchen :: At Home with Kim Vallee

Oh, and Ready Made decided they loved Simple Bites:

• Food Blog of the Week: Simple Bites :: Ready Made

I've been spicing up Simple Bites with my Spices 101 series. In case you've missed it here where we're at:

• Common Spice Myths Debunked (and a killer Spiced-Chai Granola Recipe)
• What you NEED to Know About Buying Spices
  
• How I Became a Spice Enthusiast (and link love spice edition)
• Storing Spices (and a killer Black Pepper Shrimp recipe)
  

OK! That's probably more than enough weekend reading for you! Now get outdoors and enjoy Mother Earth. It is Earth Week after all.

Yeast 101 Tutorial and Easter Egg Bread

Photo and bread by Lynn Craig

We've got a fabulous Yeast 101 tutorial today on Simple Bites for those of you may feel slightly skiddish about working with yeast.

Our post Taming the Yeast: Easter Egg Bread not only gives tips on how to feel confident when working with yeast, but shows, step-by-step, how to execute a lovely festive loaf.

Create this easy, yet impressive Easter Egg Braided Bread and show your friends this Easter

"Look, it has risen indeed!"

Head here for the tutorial and recipe...

Happy Easter, everyone!

Pancakes, Grilled Cheese & More: Three Recipes for a Snow Day

I'm writing about my favorite eats today on Simple Bites: comfort food.

I'm sharing Three Easy Recipes For a Snow Day, or any stormy weather day, for that matter!

From my post:

"What is the best way to spend a snow day? Around here we head straight to the kitchen, P.J.’s and all.

A snow day calls for comfort food, with recipes simple enough that the children can get involved.

It is an ideal opportunity to teach your little ones that cooking can be more than a chore, it can be fun. There is no rush, no place to go, and anyway–the car is snowed in!..."

Head HERE to read the rest of the post and print up three of my favorite recipes.

Simple Bites Goes Live!

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....Blast Off!

That's what the boys are hollering from the playroom and it perfectly sums up my feelings from the past 24 hours.

Simple Bites has officially launched!!

(For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, read this post)

I'll admit it, I got mighty jittery in the last few hours leading up to the launch. Minutes before I was to hit 'Publish" on this post, I started questioning everything about what I was about to dive into.

All the 'what ifs.. (they don't like me)?' and 'how will I... (maintain the pace)?' crowded my mind.
It was 1 in the morning, hardly time for intelligent conversations with myself, so I published the post and hit the hay.


Today has been a 'blast'!

It's been easily five years since my last job interview and over ten years since the first day of culinary school, so today was significant for this SAHM.

My first day on the job. I even put my favorite pair of dress pants on, like a big dork, to outwardly show my professionalism.

In the end, my girlfriend canceled our lunch and so I dressed up for nothing. The UPS guy didn't even show. (That's OK, it's going to be one of the best things about working from home: I only have to dress up--or get dressed-- if I feel like it!)

I brewed many cups of coffee, took one of my pre-made meals out of a well-stocked freezer for dinner( gotta love batch cooking), and chained myself to my laptop for the better part of the day.

The response to Simple Bites blew me away. I've never had so many emails, DM's, and encouraging comments in such a few hours. It was encouraging to see the traffic pour in--even if it made the site slightly sluggish.

A very bit thanks to all of you who left comments and sent Tweets. I'm very encouraged and the jitters are (almost) all gone.


If you haven't stopped by Simple Bites yet, be sure to visit tomorrow, as we celebrate our launch with a super-duper giveaway!