Ssssweet Things

What a day I've had! I won't go into details because it's stressed me out enough, but suffice to say I am very unhappy with the Government of Canada, how they run this country, and how they treat their citizens. So on a lighter note... feast your eyes on some of the tasty sweet things I've been baking up in class this past week, and shots of my gorgeous Jewel the female albino checkered garter snake.



The above are a Pithivers and six overstuffed Chaussons aux Pommes (apple turnovers) made with puff pastry dough. The top pastry is filled with an almond cream and I'm really quite pleased with how it turned out. The only hitch was the little "petals" should be round rather than pointy.



I can't believe what a big girl my sweet Jewel is turning into! I remember when she was barely as big 'round as a pencil and now she's such a chunky spunky thing. She just gets prettier the more she grows, with those gorgeous yellows and lavenders in her scales.



Lastly, here's one you all probably recognize. I baked this Black Forest cake on Friday. I even made the chocolate shavings! It was a really fun practical that day and I'm happy with how it came out, even if I wound up not using nearly enough simple syrup to soak the cake layers and it turned out a tad too dry. Live and learn! I won't be making that mistake again. Anyhow, that's that for now. I hope you've had a good Monday and your week goes well. Cheers!

Ottawa Zombie Walk 2012

And what a great Zombie Walk it was! I had an absolute blast, as per usual. Even with the misty rain and chilliness.My friend Ed the Head and I really enjoyed ourselves. This is the third time my friend Tina joins in on the walk too, she's always a great zombie.

Admittedly I spent a lot of time being a smiling zombie, because I was having such a good time. There were so many fantastic costumes and it was just great. Great I say! I love me a good zombie walk!

There wasn't as big a turnout as I was hoping, but that's probably due to the weather. Only really die-hard zombies (no pun intended heehee) show up when it's like this! As you can see below though, there were still more than enough of us to completely cover the lawn in front of Parliament on the hill. Can you spot me in the crowd on the steps? :)

The annual Zombie Walk is my absolute most favourite way of celebrating any season or holiday. As soon as it's over I'm already wishing for the next. I hope you're all having a really groovy Halloween season too! Cheers!

Soggy Saturday

It's raining today, which is a shame, because today is the day of the Zombie Walk! I posted a little about it previous years I attended, and this is my fifth year going now. I'm zombing it up with my friend Tina again this time. I guess we're just going to be a bunch of soggy zombies!

I went out dancing for Ritual Nights last night which was great fun. I was too tired to go the last time around but this made up for missing it. Since money is tight I didn't want to spend any cash on costumes (my zombie outfit is made from clothes I was going throw out/send to the thrift store) I just dressed myself up as a spider lady with a spiderweb shirt and spider ornament.

Yesterday we made brioche and croissants with the dough we'd prepared the previous class. My pastries came out well, but there was a near disaster when someone didn't properly shut the communal oven door, causing the oven temperature to crash by nearly 100'C. Thankfully my baked goods were nearly done so it just took them a little longer to be properly golden brown, but others fared worse. One tray of croissants wound up melting into mushy little piles of gooey dough rather than crisping and rising like they should. Pastry kitchen drama!



The funniest thing was probably just the fact that braiding the brioche was a huge deal for all the men because most of them don't know how to braid anything, much less dough haha. Thank goodness for feminine skills! Anyway, I aught to eat some late breakfast and start getting ready for this Zombie Walk. I hope you're having a good weekend. Cheers!

Love All The Trees

Earlier this month I went for a walk through the Arboretum by Dow's Lake to take some photos of the changing trees. I was still a bit early in the season to really catch the trees in their full splendor, but it was a lovely sight nonetheless. And as much as I dislike winter, there's nothing like a crisp fall afternoon with the sun shining down!

Neck warmer - Gift from Anne

Jacket - Thrifted from Value Village

Jeggings - Fancy Sox

Moccassins - Sears, Hush Puppies

I didn't feel like carting my tripod with me all the way there so that explains why my outfit photos are still being taken on my boring old terrace. At least the maple tree behind me is sort of starting to change over! I've had this jacket a little over a year now, and I'm still so happy to have thrifted it. It's perfect for the nippier days and the cooler nights.

I'm going to head out for a little evening stroll with my good friend Tina soon - it's great now that she's living nearby again - to enjoy another lovely clear night. There's barely a breeze and the sky is void of clouds so the moon - even less than full - is shining its light down on everything. The yellow and orange leaves look so otherworldly in their moon-glow. I hope you're all having a lovely week so far! Cheers!

Off to the Circus

The owner of Pet Circus on Bank street here in Ottawa bought up my last baby crested gecko - other than Toffee, my very first hatchling.  Until the last two eggs hatch out anyway. I took a few photos before I sent the little critter off.



I really adore these little lizards, and it was harder sending this one off to a pet store than it was to give them away to friends and family. I won't get to know how this one grows up or know if whoever purchases it will be a responsible owner. I can't imagine how it feels to be a dog breeder and trying to find puppies a good home! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this gecko interlude. Cheers!

Lemon Tart

Yay, it's Saturday! Time for rest. I've only been attending the Cordon Bleu for two weeks now but I've already baked up a génoise cake, lady fingers, custard sauce, pastry creams, and yesterday an entire lemon tart. From scratch. By hand. Intense! But so much fun! I really get into the zone and do my thing, but we all work really well together too. If one person is done before another, they usually wind up helping someone else etc. and giving each other tips and pointers or steering the other in the right direction if they appear to be doing something not quite right. I've never really been part of a real team before, one that actually works together and enjoys it and does it well.

Top - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from Value Village

Mocassins - Sears, Hush Puppies

Sunglasses - A shop in Cape Breton, NS

It's still very intimidating and a little scary every time I go into a practical class to make something for the first time, but the Chefs are all fantastic teachers and great people. Some of us are having a better time than others - an unfortunate classmate of mine has failed to finish the required recipes during two of our three practicals - but I guess it has to be this intense to weed out the ones who won't make it in the real world.

So far my forty-five minute walks to class have been enjoyable, but I haven't been caught in any heavy rain or blowing snow yet. I have a feeling in a few weeks once the weather gets cooler I won't enjoy it so much. October is usually a nice month though, and if you're lucky you can run around without a jacket like I did the day I took these photos. Thankfully I managed to thrift myself an amazing down winter jacket a short while ago (80% down and 20% duck feathers) and that will keep me toasty come time.



This is the lemon tart I made yesterday! It's a base of sweet dough, with a layer of almond cream, a layer of lemon curd, and is then topped with Italian meringue and sliced almonds. I made this whole thing by hand and didn't use a single appliance except the electric stove in which it was baked. When I finally ate a piece, I was almost surprised at how good it tasted. I don't give myself and my abilities enough credit sometimes, I think.

Some of you have commented that ya miss having me around on your blogs... and I'm so sorry for disappearing like that. I really haven't been reading any blogs at all the last few months - not even my most favourite - so it's not that I dislike you now or anything. I became a bit disillusioned with all the shopping and spending and constant 'need' for new things and distanced myself from the whole fashion blogosphere. I recently read Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline, and it really was the clincher in the whole thing. I read the book in one day, in one sitting, it's fantastic and I recommend it. But anyway, I should probably get around to attacking the giant mound of dishes that's accumulated in my sink before it starts to come to life. I hope you have a great Saturday! Cheers!

Encore Montreal

Way back in July, I went to visit my friend Nicole in Montreal. I never finished posting all the photos from that trip, so here's the last batch. I figure I aught to at least finish doing that before I start getting into my festival photos from Pandemonium. Not to mention in less than a week I start my pastry classes and I'll probably have tasty things to share with you all too. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Montréal!



We went to a record and book shop, and got a bit lost in the Old Port area trying to find an art supply store. Chinatown was also quite amusing for me, and I probably enjoyed all the cute happy things a little too much hah. But hey, check out this happy little ravioli?!



On my last day we went to the Tam-Tams with some of Nicole's awesome friends. It was a gorgeous day and it was really nice just chilling in the shade and listening to the music and watching all the happy people doing much the same.



I had such a great weekend with Nicole. I just wish I'd been organized enough to go visit more than once this summer! I did so much with my summer though, I can't really complain. If you ever find yourself in Montreal on the right day for the Tam-Tams, I totally recommend going. Cheers!