My Secret Friend

For the past week the staff at work have been doing a "Secret Friend" (like secret Santa, but at Valentine's Day instead of Christmas). And all I have to say is...what fun!

It's nice because when you take part you both are a secret friend and you have a secret friend. Every day you give your secret friend a little something and then on the last day you get them something a little bigger.

I started off giving some yummy chocolate and sea salt covered caramels...while I received a scratch'n'win ticket and a great little plant...green with pink on the leaves...LOL perfect for me.

Day two I made mini-chocolate chip cookies which I put in a little heart tin, with some measuring spoons. I got an adorable frame surrounded in pearls...which I promptly printed one of my wedding photos and filled.

Day three, I made muffins...and gave them in a heart shaped basket, with some measuring cups (baking was a bit of a theme) and I received two champagne flutes, beautifully wrapped and filled with candy.

Day 4 I gave a little treasure box filled with silky cocoa covered truffles and I received a couple of chocolates and fizzy bath bomb.

Today was the last day and I gave a bottle of wine, and received one in turn.

All in all it was a wonderful week of fun gifts and gift giving. I LOVE baking, but hate having it in the house making me eat it all, so this was a great way to get some baking done with no eating problems.

I also baked a large batch of valentines smartie cookies for the office. :). They love my cookies.

To top off the perfect secret friend week, my husband surprised me with flowers and lunch and lovely new thermoses.

I love happiness :)

With Love
~sarah~

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Jackson Ct,Ottawa,Canada

The Kitchen

What an absolutely fantastic day. I spent most of my day doing something I love, working in the kitchen.

A couple of months ago I was visiting my girls and we were enjoying the soup I made. One of the girls was "shocked" that I didn't make my own stock. This became an inside joke.

So today when I started to make soup, I realized I didn't have any vegetable stock...so I went into my green bin in the kitchen and made my own vegetable stock. And of COURSE I emailed the girls and let them know! Bwahaha :)

But I digress :) yup, I spent all afternoon in the kitchen...making stock, then soup, crostini and bruschetta mix and a casserole for tonight's dinner. Tomorrow my lineup is hummus and valentine smartie cookies, while Ian makes Beef Wellington. It's my Mum's birthday tomorrow and we're making her a wonderful feast :) and I'm having a fabulous time doing it.

I love creating delicious food in the kitchen. I like inventing, testing, baking, cooking, stirring...I just love the kitchen :)

Yay to weekends in the kitchen!

With Love
~sarah~

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Jackson Ct,Ottawa,Canada

The Kitchen

I love working by myself in the kitchen. Whether I'm whipping up a batch of Ian's favourite chocolate chip cookies, or making dinner or just tidying up, the kitchen is one of my favourite places to be.

I find the kithen to be a peaceful place. Many of the activities are almost meditative in nature. Repeated chopping, stirring, sifting.

On Sunday afternoon we bought two beautiful fillets of Rainbow Trout, and tonight I set out to make a fabulous meal. I found a recipe I had never tried before, and although it had mushrooms I figured I could sneak them by Ian. :)

I oiled the pan, salt and peppered the fish, chopped the veggies, dressed the fish, drizzled it with sauce and oil, snapped the beans, boiled the water, strained the pasta, and whipped up some quick sauces for the beans and pasta.

It's all about timing and flavours, mixing and matching. All the while tidying as I go, so that I don't have to worry about a mess later.

Then it all gets plated just as the timer goes. It's like a little kitchen dance with pace and movement.

And then the best part, not only does it look perfect but it tastes fantastic (if I do say so myself). :)



(Grilled Asian Rainbow Trout, with garlic green beans and gnocci in a pesto sauce). Yummy!

With Love
~sarah~

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Kanata,Canada