Ten Years Married

Ten years ago Danny and I tied the knot in an apple orchard with about 120 friends and family looking on. We were young, just 23, full of hopes and plans for the future.

The years since have blessed us with far more that we could have ever dreamed -three healthy children, a little urban farm, careers that we enjoy, and most of all, a love for each other that grows stronger by the day.


On Saturday (our actual anniversary) we returned to the very same orchard with our three little ones in tow. We picnicked on the grass, played tag among the trees, and reminisced over our wedding day.

Later that evening, Danny and I slipped away without the kids for a dinner on the town where we sipped champagne, slurped a dozen oysters, and speculated on what the next ten years might possibly hold. Good things, we are sure of that.

Here are a few iPhone photos from the day.











Clara gave us the very best anniversary present ever - she slept through the whole night in her own bed. This was the morning after, when she was all smiles.
We all were.

PSST! In honour of my 10th wedding anniversary, I'm giving away a KitchenAid 7 Qt Bowl Lift Commercial Stand Mixer valued at $900. Head on over to Simple Bites to enter and good luck!

(Giveaway is sponsored by KitchenAid USA and only open to US residents.)

Happy Mother's Day (and BellaBlu giveaway winner)

Happy Mother's Day to my readers who are mamas (and I suspect quite a few of you are, considering the subject matter of this space!)

Here's hoping today is special for you all, filled with love, peace, and sunshine. I was blessed with strawberry shortcake, bacon & eggs, and coffee in bed this morning. Apparently, Noah whipped the cream by hand, which I thought was cute - and valiant.

I'm sharing my thoughts on this particularly poignant Mother's Day over at Simple Bites, plus a bunch more cute photos of Baby Clara. I'll see you over there!

Psst! We have a winner for our BellaBlu Birthing & Nursing Gown giveaway...

Congratulations to Staci A. who said:

"I would love this for our next little one. I hated everyone seeing me in the ugly hospital gown, and it seemed like people were constantly coming in my room!"

Happy Mother's Day, Staci! Enjoy the gown and best wishes for the duration of your pregnancy and the birth.

Also, a big congratulations to all the pregnant mothers who entered the giveaway. Is it just me, or is this a record spring for babies?! Here's wishing you all a beautiful birth.

The Early Days

Adoration. Elation. Admiration.

Each time Motherhood encircles me and I find myself once again caring for a precious newborn, I am tenderly reminded at how deep my love of babies runs and how much I adore this stage.

It is everything about them. The folds of their soft neck, the downy tufts of hair, every little sigh and squeak they emit while asleep.

It is being surrounded by handmade blankets and tiny knit sweaters as soft as a bunny's belly.

As much as the laundry piles up, there's a thrill in folding perfectly white onsies, matching darling little socks, and hanging a row of frilly dresses in the closet.

It's knowing that nothing else matters outside of the family cocoon, and nothing is worth more than falling asleep with your baby asleep on your chest.

The nourishing and bonding that happens now is far more important that anything that could possibly be going on outside the home - or in the virtual world.


I love every stage of childhood, but I think the most beautiful, most cherished, are the fleeting days and weeks of a newborn. Clara is one month old today, and I fully intend to enjoy every moment I can with her.

You won't find me posting much in this space (I'm even taking a blogging break from Simple Bites) because, as I'm sure you'll understand, I'm making the most of the early days...


** All images courtesy of Angela Chin of Tim Chin Photography**

Blog Lovin', Press Mentions, and a TV Appearance

This post has been in the wings for nearly a month now, but a certain cute little distraction has kept me from wrapping it up and hitting publish. Finally, here's the recap.

This year is just three months old, yet it's already been an exciting one! I'll try to keep this really short, but I wanted to throw out a few links to the kind folks who have noticed my blogs and given me a little exposure in 2012.

Here they are!

UtHC a Canadian Weblog Awards Winner.

Huge thanks to the good folks behind the 2011 Canadian Weblog Awards. Somehow the jurors saw it fit to award this space with third prize in Best Weblog About Family & Parenting.

I'm so appreciative of the nod and honored to have Under the High Chair in the company of the 1st and 2nd place winners, Home to Heather and Coffee With Julie.

Congratulations to all the CWA winners!

FBC Featured Member

The awesome people over at Food Bloggers of Canada made me their Featured Blogger not long ago, causing me much embarrassment over their glowing recap of my place in the Canadian food bloggers scene.

Thanks, Mardi, Ethan and Melissa!

Best Health Magazine

An interview I had late last fall with Best Health Magazine appeared in their March 2012 print issue on newsstands now. Titled 'How four female bloggers turned their passion into cash', it features Canadian bloggers Schmutzie, Andrea, Heather and myself.

I really appreciated how the article's writer, Camilla Cornell, closely listened to my story and wrote a very accurate recap of my blogging history. If you're curious at all as to how I got started, definitely grab the magazine or read the article online.



Family Cook Off on Food Network Canada

The much anticipated Family Cook Off series finally premiered in early March and we threw a little viewing party, despite the fact that I was hugely pregnant. Friends and family converged on my sofas to watch my mother, sisters and I battle it out in a friendly cooking competition.

Labeled as "wild women who can get a little saucy..." the show definitely played up our rural upbringing and had fun framing me as the Kitchen Nazi. Okay, I admit it, I'm the boss in the kitchen, there's just no way around that once one has had years of experience in a fine-dining kitchen.

So IF you are in Canada, you can watch our episode online right HERE! It's only 22 minutes, so not much of a time suck.

The editing left out a few interesting parts; for example, at 15:29 minutes in, Haidi cut herself badly while trying to peel the (horrifically rock hard, unripe) peaches provided. She essentially signaled to Miranda to take over, and was out of commission for the rest of the countdown.

Alas, such excitement was not included.

We were super proud of our dishes and had a blast filming! My dad and brother were in the audience (front row) and it was just an unforgettable experience to have together.

Wimbush clan L-R: Haidi, Zoe, John, Josh, Miranda, Aimee

I can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds!

What I Did Last Weekend

Clara Aimée Zoë
Born Saturday, March 10, 2012
8 lbs, 12 oz.

Welcome, Baby Clara!

Chocolate-Dipped Vanilla Marshmallows for the Birthday Boy

Versions of chocolate-dipped marshmallows have been popping up all over the place, peaking around Valentine's Day. I don't know why I waited for so long to try my own version, but Mateo's fourth birthday was the perfect excuse to give them a go.

We used square-cut homemade marshmallows from this basic recipe, although you can make the pops with store-bought 'mallows as Amy has done. You could also cut them into shapes, like these beautiful hearts from Brenda.


So the method is simple: melt chocolate ( I used 85% cacao for a bitter contrast to the sweet marshmallow) and dip skewered marshmallows about halfway into the chocolate.

Stand skewers upright in water glasses to dry, or jab them into a cardboard box as I did in the photo above.

Once the chocolate has partially set (it will lose its glossy sheen), but before it is dry, add the sprinkles. This is a fun job for kids! Mateo decorated all his own marshmallow pops.


And that's it! I made these the day before the party and didn't bother to store them in an airtight container. They were fine left at room temperature until the party...and after? Well there wasn't even one remaining, so I can't tell you how long they keep.

Enjoy! For more party-planning tips and Mateo's 'Doodle Cake' check out my recap of the party on Simple Bites.

Family Cook Off on Food Network Canada

I really should have mentioned this upcoming event earlier, but my head hasn't exactly been in the game lately. Unless the game is B-A-B-Y. We're anticipating her arrival literally any day.

But let's backtrack in the pregnancy a bit, say, all the way to last August, where I was just two months along and exhausted as heck.

My sister, Miranda and I were flown out to Vancouver to meet up with my mother and older sister Haidi at the very posh Hotel Fairmount Vancouver.


We were there to film an episode for an fun new show called Family Cook Off for Food Network Canada.

Just being together was a incredibly special. We laughed, we cried, we goofed, we ATE fabulously around town, and oh yeah, we filmed a reality cooking show. It was a gas.



So this is a head's up to tune in! Family Cook Off airs this Thursday, March 1st at both 4PM and 9PM on Food Network Canada. It is also supposed to be available online a day or two after it airs.

Watch the promo! And yes, that is my huge mouth at a mere 33 seconds in...




Hope you tune in and in the meantime, go like Family Cook Off on Facebook for all the updates.

Craving Chocolate Cream Pie

Fruit pies hold my heart, there's no question about it. I'll choose apple, pumpkin, or rhubarb over cream pies any day of the week, and when the summer fruit runs out, I pair cranberries and citrus in one of my favorite pies ever.

So it was odd that the desire for a chocolate cream pie struck the other day. Chalk it up to pregnancy cravings or something of the sort.

There was a recipe for milk chocolate pudding that I had bookmarked to try from In My Mother's Kitchen by Canadian cookbook author Trish Magwood. (I had the opportunity to meet Trish last August and have since been enjoying her beautiful, family-centered cookbook.)

I thought surely her pudding would be the perfect base for my pie - and it was. It thickened up perfectly and wasn't too cloying or sweet. I used dark chocolate instead of her suggested milk, and whisked in a few teaspoons of butter at the end, just to help the pudding thicken better when chilled.

It was perfect, nearly good enough to sway me from a lifelong love of fruit pies. And definitely good enough for you to try, so here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cream Pie

ingredients:

1 cookie crumb crust - graham or chocolate - in a 9-inch pie pan

for the filling:

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
4 oz (125 g) good-quality chocolate, chopped (milk or dark)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

for the topping:

1 cup 35% whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
chocolate shavings (optional)

Method:

In a 2-quart sauce pot over medium heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, salt and milk.
Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then boil for 2 minutes. Mixture will be thick.
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until chocolate melts and pudding is smooth. Whisk in butter.
Pour pudding into the 9-inch cookie crumb crust and smooth top with a spatula. Place a square of cling wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and place in the refrigerator. Chill for about 4 hours or overnight.

Whip cream to stiff peaks and add powdered sugar. Spoon evenly over chocolate pie and garnish with shaved chocolate. Serve chilled.

Yields: 1 -9 inch pie, about 8 servings.

Hello 2012

We're 23 days into the new year and I finally feel like I've found my footing after the holidays.

Our Christmas break was a bit brutal as our household got slammed with sickness that left us housebound for the first week of 2012. Ear aches, flu, strep throat, pink eye - you name it, someone had it. Even the cats were sick, each of them making a trip to the vet for mysterious ailments. Good grief.

We were in survival mode, but fortunately Danny was home to pick up the slack, make pharmacy runs, administer the pills to the cats, and the eye drops to the kids. The man is a keeper.


On top of everything, I turned the corner into my third trimester, and with that milestone came a bundle of classic side effects. I'll spare you those details, save to say they spurred me into action. We have reason to believe this little girl may come earlier than intended (I'm 33 weeks now), so over the last few weeks I've given full rein to my nesting compulsions and preparations for baby are well underway.

There's a handmade cradle by my bed now, looking so inviting that both boys insisted they could still fit in it and would have tried, had I let them. A dresser drawer holds a handful of white infant garments, a few unisex items I saved from the boys. There's now a shelf just for baby in the bathroom, with some of my favorite baby skin care products from Graham Gardens, and teeny newborn diapers.


Despite being housebound and hoarse, Danny and I teamed up in the kitchen to get some meals in the freezer. While the snow fell, we sliced and diced our way to build a little storehouse of lasagna, lamb & lentil stew, chicken soup, coconut chicken curry, chili and more meals for those early weeks with baby.

Just knowing little things like that are in place give me peace of mind. Let this tiny one come early; we can't wait to meet her.

Oh and 2012? I'm ready for you too.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

That's probably the most overused blog post title in December, but since this quick update is really just a handful of iPhone photos strung together, it IS all about the visuals of the season.

Above is our buffet, with a few Pinterest-inspired centerpieces that were easy and affordable. How awesome is Pinterest for party planning and inspiration?!

And I love our simple twig tree, bare except for a few felt ornaments courtesy of Ikea.


Tourtiere happened this week, many of them. I even turned some of the pie crust and filling into hand pies for party appetizers. They also work pretty great for Noah's school lunches.


I got my Christmas present early. Ahh. A fantastic new Le Creuset flagship store opened at my local shopping mall. It's the first of its kind in Quebec and I was fortunate enough to be invited to the press opening.

Thanks to a gift certificate, I choose a new kettle - the 1.7L Whistling Tea Kettle in Cherry red, to leave with me. It already looks right at home in my kitchen. Then again, most anything from that store would...


Homemade mincemeat also was chopped, simmered, and jarred this week. Tarts soon followed and it finally feels like Christmas.


This year my annual cookie swap may have topped all proceeding events, with sponsors, press, a successful fundraiser, and, of course, stacks of beautiful homemade cookies. Here's the recap on Simple Bites, and if you're in the Montreal area, watch CTV news at 6 on Sunday, December 11 for the story.


The first snow came and went, and hasn't been seen since. If feels a little odd as we're December already, but getting into the winter coat and boots isn't so easy with a six-month-pregnant belly, so I'm not wishing for snow just yet.


One of the most fun holiday treats this year has to be these Peppermint Marshmallow Kisses. We've been popping them into hot cocoa and our mouths! Come to think of it, there isn't a single one left.

To make them for yourself, take my basic marshmallow recipe and replace the vanilla with 1 teaspoon peppermint extract. Add a few drops of red food coloring but do not mix it in. Fill a pipping bag with a #12 tip (or your favorite) and pipe kisses onto a greased parchment paper. Sprinkle with crushed candy cane and allow to set for at least 6 hours. Dust with powdered sugar and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.


It just wouldn't be Christmas without gingerbread. We devoted a recent PED day of Noah's to making, rolling and baking nearly 10 dozen cookies. It was epic fun and they did a great job.


Noah (now 6) and Mateo (4 in Feb) are both such pros in the kitchen now. I actually really relied on them for cutting and rolling the dough while I took care of baking and cooling the cookies.


The next day we worked on frosting, that sweet, sticky task. My basic recipe for both dough and royal icing can be found here. Shaina's also just posed a fun tutorial on the many variations of the gingerbread cookie.


Snow falling on trees; these won't last long.


Stockings have been hung, and my current obsession with cardinals leaked onto our personalized felt Christmas stockings. Notice the pink one for Baby Girl?


Lastly, Pumpkin Challah has been made and frozen for toasting on Christmas morning or perhaps lending itself to French Toast.

What is Christmas looking like in your home?