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Monthly Archives: June 2015

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 183: Parisian Patisserie… Sweet Celebrations

29 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Baking, Food, Paris, Stoney Creek, Weddings

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bakery, Baking, Dessert, Foid, paris

image

Three years ago, my good friend and coworker Mitch invited me to visit his new favorite bakery, Sweet Celebrations Patisserie located very close to where I work in Hamilton. He told me that it was owned by a Canadian woman who trained in Paris France.

Well, it didn’t take much arm-twisting to get me to agree to go.

About a month earlier he had brought in a copious assortment of macarons into work to share with his friends.

(Not to be confused with coconut macaroons.)

For those of you unfortunate souls who have never had the pleasure to try these tasty tidbits yet, WIKI describes macarons like this:

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A macaron (/ˌmɑːkəˈroʊn/ mah-kə-rohn; French pronunciation: ​[makaʁɔ̃] is a French sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food colouring. The macaron is commonly filled with ganache, buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two biscuits (cookies). The name is derived from the Italian word macarone, maccarone or maccherone, the Italianmeringue.

The intricate confection is characterised by smooth, squared top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the “foot” or “pied”), and a flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth. Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the new (foie gras, matcha).

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Personally, I found that not only were they delicious but they came in an eclectic array of flavors. Mitch told me that the store owner, Charlene, challenges customers to bring in their ideas for new flavors to add to her macaron repertoire.

There were champagne macarons, basil macarons, beer and pistachio macarons. All were delicately flavored and incredibly delicious.

A few days later after we finished our work shift, Mitch and I made the journey several blocks down the road from work to visit Sweet Celebrations Patisserie in Stoney Creek Ontario.

The store owner Charlene, is a lovely young woman, bright and friendly. Her beautiful little goodie shop is a testament to her love for fine baking.

I found the store shelves filled with an incredible array of macarons as well as wedding cakes, muffins, cookies and many other treats.

After purchasing two cakes, half a dozen muffins, and a dozen macarons later, (all for less than forty dollars) I walked out of the store with my arms full.

My family was going to love me. I had just supplied them with desserts that would last them a week.

Indeed, it did not take long until the little bakery boxes were empty save for a few crumbs.

Now, fast forward if you will three years…

Two months ago when it came time to decide which bakery I would choose to make my daughter’s wedding cake, the answer was as obvious as the Eiffel Tower in Paris on a sparkling spring day.

This decision would prove to be no doubt, the easiest decision I would have to make for this particular wedding.

Only another two hundred or so more decisions left to go.

Like…

What flavour of wedding cake we would choose.

That in itself, is whole different story which I will leave for another day.

❤

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 182: Spin

22 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Arts, Crafts, DIY, Knitting, Spinnung, Wool

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

crafts, DIY, Family, Knitting, Spinning, spinning wheel, Wool, Yarn

image

There is a photograph that I grew very fond of as a child.

This photograph was a framed picture that hung in my Aunt’s dining room in Cleveland, Ohio.

It was a very old picture picture of my elderly Great-Grandmother sitting beside what appeared to be a lake.

She was sitting in front of a spinning wheel as she spun yarn. Her eyes are fixed to her task at hand. She looks neither happy or sad. She does however, appear very content.

It is over thirty years since I last saw that picture. Nevertheless, I still remember it well.

I have no doubt that what made the photograph so memorable was the fact that my Great-Grandmother could actually spin wool.

This made me proud.

About fifteen years ago, my eldest daughter and I began to knit. To this day we continue to happily share this pastime. It did not take long for us to accumulate an impressive collection of a variety of yarns in just about every colour, both thick and thin.

About 10 years back, my Daughter shared with me her plans to learn how to one day, spin yarn.

I’m afraid that I did not share her enthusiasm.

Where, oh where, would we store the fleece, the spinning wheel, and all the other accoutrements needed for this wool gathering?

Just about every drawer and storage bin in my house contains yarn, yarn, and yet… even more yarn.

In spite of my misgivings, my Daughter made it clear to me that she was not going to give up.

My pertinent Daughter began to read all the magazine articles she could find on how to spin wool. She then watched spinning demonstrations on YouTube. Before I knew it, she was visiting local fibre stores and talking to people who knew how to spin. This was all in preparation for the time when she would be able to pursue her new undertaking.

And I am so very glad she did.

Two years ago, she was finally able to purchase her spinning wheel.

That was when she began creating some of the loveliest yarns that I have ever seen.

I am proud of her spinning achievements, and I’d like to think that her Great-Great Grandmother, the same one pictured spinning in that beloved photograph would be proud too.

Now, I have an incredible array of eclectic yarns, while local wool fibre artisans are being supported. Further, my Daughters dreams of spinning have come to fruition.

Everybody wins.

I love it when that happens.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 181: Dysfunctional Shopping

20 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Entertainment, fashion, shopping, Weddings

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Angels, bobble head, Candy, daughters, Doctor Who, Dramamine, Entertainment, Family, fashion, Gravol, Matt Smith, Pizza, Quest, Shopping, St. Catharines, sushi, Wedding, Winnipeg

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And so, it came to pass that my daughter, the bride to be, flew home from where she and her partner live in Winnipeg. We had roughly a week to nail down her wedding plans for this September before she flew back.

Our check list included ordering the wedding cake, visiting the reception hall, seeing the officiant, the bachelorette party, consultation with the photographer, choosing centrepieces, and of course, the wedding shower.

Busy, busy, busy.

That is why after announcing a two week sabbatical at work from my job in order to attend to the wedding plans I told my coworkers that the next time they see me, I’ll be either very happy or very cranky.

There is no middle ground.

You can therefore understand when I tell you that I keep a bottle of ant-nausea pills within reach for those over-the-top moments when our nerves overrule “the better angels of our nature.”

This past Sunday my daughters and I went to a local shopping mall, the Pen Centre as we embarked on our first wedding shopping extravaganza.

We were on a quest for shower decorations and wedding attire.

However, we came home with shopping bags bursting with planting pots, candy, sushi, and a Doctor Who Bobble Head.

Some things never go according to plan.

Three days later, we tried again.

This time, we went to the Fairview Mall.

Again, we came home with full shopping bags and this time they were full of items appropriate for those who are about to throw a wedding shower extravaganza. However, our mood was somewhat disgruntled after an emotional discussion during lunch at a local pizzeria as we tried to reach some sort of agreement on bridesmaids dresses.

When I got home, I realized I was all out of anti-nausea pills…

…And the wedding is still over three months away.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 180: “White Barf”

11 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

celebrations, Dresses, Family, Nuptuals, Style, Weddings

image

I am happy to announce that my family is planning a wedding which God willing, will take place in September of this year.

The last wedding that I helped plan was my Sister’s way back in 1984, so it’s been a while.

Thankfully, the traditional rules don’t really change. Further, the modernity of our age adds a certain leeway which allows for a more personal touch to suit the bride and groom’s individuality.

I was eighteen when I married, and my husband was nineteen. We recently celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary.

As my daughters were growing up, I often told them that it is a good thing to be an independent woman.

For once, they listened to their mother, and they listened well. My youngest will be thirty when she walks down the aisle.

My eldest daughter is content to remain independent as she continues her career as a registered nurse.

Through the years, I have made it known that I do not subscribe to the madness of big weddings.

Tell any artisan, merchant or vendor that you are planning a wedding and they immediately increase their profit margins tenfold.

Further, the stress is enough to drive anyone to madness.

When I decided to marry in the spring of 1977 I was content to carry out a small wedding celebration for immediate family only.

It was my Mother-In-Law who took it upon herself to bear what I and my family could not. And for this, I will always be grateful to both her, and my Father-In-Law.

So earlier this year, when it became evident that a wedding was in our family’s immediate future, one of the first things I did was begin wedding board on Pinterest which I lovingly and euphemistically titled…

“White Barf.”

This Pinterest board has led to others which highlight bouquets, centrepieces, and all things white and frothy.

However, these boards lack any sense of reality and financial responsibility.

That’s where this blog will come in handy.

I find myself looking forward to sharing the next four months with any of you who wish to follow along on our family’s mad adventure into what television’s most recent incarnation of Sherlock Holmes referred to as:

“The death-watch beetle that is the doom of our society and, in time, one feels certain, our entire species.”

I encourage you to tag along with me if you will.

I have no doubt that tears will be involved.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 179: Canine Rhyme Time

04 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Dogs, Humour, Pets, Poetry

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

dogs, Friends, Humour, names, Pets, Poetry

I’d like to share a conversation I had with a friend a few years back.

This happened as I arrived to visit her just after she moved into a new home.

When she answered the door, she was accompanied by her dog.

“Hi Muffy,” I said, reaching down to scratch behind the dog’s ear.

That’s when another dog began to bark outside.

My friend must have seen the worried look on my face as I looked up and down the street to see if there was a loose dog headed our way….

“That’s our neighbour’s dog, Buffy.”

“Ha,” I replied, “Buffy and Muffy, …funny!”

She then pointed to the opposite neighbouring house.

“And my neighbours in that house over there have a dog called Scruffy.”

I was beginning to sense a theme.

“Buffy, Muffy and Scruffy,” I said… “That’s hilarious!”

I stepped forward to enter the house.

However, my friend wasn’t finished with me quite yet.

“And do you see that blue Victorian house over there?” she then asked me.

I feebly nodded my head yes.

“That’s where Duffy the dog lives with his owners.”

I winced.

“And last but not least,” my friend continued pointing at the bungalow across the street…

“There’s another dog who lives in that house, and would you like to guess the name of that dog?”

“No,” I said trying not to cringe. “Tell me…”

“Fluffy.”

Sigh…

In closing:

So there you have it in a short story

About dog owning neighbours whose names rhyme incorrigibly

Served with a helping of humour on the side

You know, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

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