I love Pinterest! (Let me know if you want an invite) It is an awesome site that you can lose yourself in for hours looking for new ideas, pinning your own ideas, and looking for new spins on traditional things. I've gotten some great photo ideas, entertaining and decorating ideas and, of course, holiday ideas! We had a holiday kickoff weekend (more on that to come) and Kelly hosted brunch. I wanted to do something a little different than a regular fruit tray and found a clever idea one night while on a "pinning spree". A holiday fruit tree. It was so easy! A little time consuming if you pick a big cone as the base but well worth it.

Holiday Fruit Tree

1 container of strawberries

1lb green grapes

4 kiwi sliced

1 mango

1 pineapple (skim removed, and sliced, keep one slice with the core intact)

1 Styrofoam cone

Chocolate (optional)

Melt chocolate and dip half the strawberries. Keep the leaves on the tops of the berries. I put a toothpick in each berry and then set them on a block to set so that the were upright.

Wrap the cone with wax or parchment paper. Don't use tissue paper because the moisture from the fruit will wet the tissue and just make a mess.

Begin the fill in the tree by inserting a toothpick into each piece of fruit and then inserting that into the cone. I started with the big pieces and then used the grapes to fill in the holes. I also cut the mango with a small gingerbread cookie cutter to create some visual interest. Use a star cookie cutter on the piece of pineapple with the core intact to create a top for your tree.

Next time I make this I will dip a few grapes in white chocolate and cover them with coloured sugar to look like lights on the tree. This was a huge crowd pleaser!

I think I'll make another one Christmas Eve to have for Christmas morning. Austin had a great time helping me and the bonus was that he ate fruit and had fun doing it!

Friends

You know who you are...

Baby Steeves

So I have this cousin who I am pretty close too. I'm blessed that Laura has become such a good friend over the past 10 years. We spent a lot of time together growing up and there was this crazy rumor that I pushed her out of a shopping cart when we were little..I want to clarify that we were BOTH looking at the birds and the cart tipped. I didn't push her!

It wasn't until we both found ourselves in Halifax going to school that we became more than cousins. Laura is a treasured friend and is also Amelia's Godmother. Pretty soon Laura and Dan are going to have their own little bundle of joy (as in the next few days). Back in August we had a baby shower for Laura. It took place on the same day as my Pop's funeral (it had been planned for awhile and we would have been very upset had they cancelled it). It was a true circle of life moment. Death and new life all in one day.

Here are a few shots that I took. Laura looked fabulous and a good time was had by all.

Mackenzie and cousin Amelia

Mama to be and Ricki - BFFs since WAY back in the day

Who has time to carve fruit like this?....I wonder if I could make Santa's sleigh...

Getting some much needed baby loot

Laura and Dan are going to be amazing parents. They are so wonderful to our kids and we're honoured that they agreed to be Amelia's Godparents. Baby Steeves is in for one wild and crazy adventure. And for that matter so are Laura and Dan.

Love you both and cannot wait to meet your little.

5 months

Amelia turned 5 months old a couple of weeks ago...can you believe it? Where is the time going? She is just cute as a button and has such a bright and happy smile. She laughs all the time and is always happy...except for the whole teething thing which is making her a tad cranky. We love our little peanut!

Holiday Recipe Exchange: Fresh Herbs

There is no doubt about it...I love some alone time in the kitchen. Back when G and I were D.I.N.K.S. (double income no kids) I found this incredible recipe one fall and Pumpkin Ravioli has become an annual tradition for dinner parties. This recipe is time consuming but worth every delicious minute! I have found that I can make them in advance and freeze them. Which is a good thing because with two kids I rarely have an hour to myself, let alone the 4 hours needed to put this ravioli and sauce together.

Friday was a very rainy day and Gordon had the day off. So in an effort to regain some sanity, I spent some time in the kitchen with my pumpkin. This dish can be made several ways (see variations), but I like the ravioli the best. A few things to note: DO NOT use canned pumpkin puree, it will not taste the same at all. Also fresh herbs work best, dried herbs do not give this dish the same taste. You need to make this at least once. It is absolutely amazing and will become your most requested dish!

Pumpkin Ravioli
(adapted from a recipe by Wolfgang Puck)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds fresh pumpkin, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage, plus 6 small leaves for garnish
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 eggs, beaten
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 package Won Ton wrappers
Water (to seal raviolis)

Sauce
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups chicken stock
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Directions
Heat a saute pan over low heat and add 5 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter is foamy, add the cubed pumpkin and cook, stirring often to stop it from sticking and burning, until it softens and falls into a puree. This will take awhile (about 30 minutes) so empty your dishwasher, read a magazine or, if you must tend to your kids.
Use a potato masher to help mash the pumpkin once it has softened. Add 1/2 of the cream and half the herbs and cook over a low heat for approximately 1 hour, or until the puree is thick and the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat and beat in an additional 1 tablespoon of butter. Whisk in the beaten eggs, season, to taste, with salt and pepper and set a side to cool. If you want a more velvety texture use a hand blender to puree the pumpkin.

Place one square won ton wrapper on a dry surface. Using your finger dipped in water, wet the four edges of the wrapper. Place a heaping tablespoon of the pumpkin mixture in the middle of the wrapper. Place another square on top and use your fingers to seal the edges. Make the seal as air tight as possible. Set aside on a cookie sheet  lined with parchment paper. Repeat. You'll get about 30 ravioli.

Prepare the sauce: In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the shallots. Caramelize the shallots and then add the chicken stock. Reduce the stock with the shallots by 1/2. Add the cream and reduce by half.  Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add the remaining sage and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the ravioli to the rapidly boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Divide the ravioli among  dishes and spoon the sauce over them. Garnish each serving with a fresh sage leaf and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Variations:
Place the pumpkin filling in cooked large shells or manicotti. Cover the pasta with the sauce and generously sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and starts to brown. Serve immediately. 


Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Shenandoah Growers Organic Fresh Herbs.

My Baking Addiction....

I have a problem...I found a website and have not been able to stay out of the kitchen. It doesn't help that I stress bake but this blog has brought my creations to a whole new level. My inability to stop baking from it has also led my weight loss to stall. After much reflection (and sheer determination to wear something from the back of my closet by Christmas) I've decided to only bake once every couple of weeks as a coffee day treat for the ladies. I mean, seriously, could you resist these treats if they were sitting on your kitchen counter???

Turtle Cookies

 These are chocolate chip cookies on crack. Here's the recipe. I thought that letting the dough sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours was crazy but I did it and OH SO GOOD! It hardens up the caramel so that it doesn't melt all over the place. I used chocolate covered caramels in these cookies. These are some serious cookies for serious cookie lovers. These would make a great Christmas gift put together with some Caramel Hot Chocolate mix and a nice mug. (Yes, I'm thinking Christmas gifts already!)

Mocha Scones

Coffee lovers? Pastry addicts? Try these. Use your favorite coffee to make these addictive (as if you would really need a reason). I did replace the chocolate chips with the same amount of mini chocolate chips. I found that added just the right amount of chocolate to the mix. I used dark chocolate in the glaze and added just a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness. These would be great for Christmas morning (just bake them the night before...super easy and quick to make). Enjoy with coffee when your kids get you up at some unmanly hour to open gifts.

Goody Bars

These are from Betty Crocker and I don't have a picture of the ones I made (the picture is from the Betty Crocker website. Mine looked exactly like that!). Try them and I bet you won't stop at one. Use holiday appropriate coated candies to make them year round. These are like taking the crisp parts off the apple crisp and sandwiching them with chocolate. You just can't go wrong!



Oh holiday baking season...how you will benefit from one of my favorite blogs!

The Pumpkin Patch

The weekend before Halloween we took the kids to Dill's farm. They had a blast and so did we. I love our fall traditions and going to Dill's is at the top of my list.



Mommy? Seriously? Could you find a more fabulous flower for my hair?

Austin loves loving on his lil' sis!





yes that pumpkin is 987lb!



We picked out a few pumpkins, apples and squash. Austin grabbed a Honeycrisp out of the basket at the checkout so he enjoyed a great snack on the drive home. The weather was fabulous and we had a great family morning. Too bad I nearly coughed up a lung on the way home and then had a two hour nap with Amelia...oh well! Can't have it all :)