Happy (belated) Holidays!

Oh my, where have the days gone!? I just returned today from a week in Thunder Bay with my family for Christmas. It was lovely. I hope you all has a wonderful time with family and loved ones, or just taking a little time for yourself to rest and enjoy the season. xoxo

an orange canary and a vampire squid

This is the first time I've posted a video. I hope it works.

I just looove this video.

adam and the amethysts

I'm working on a very exciting project right now: cover art for my brother Adam's new album. You will have to wait until it is released to see the full artwork, but for now here is a sneak peak of some unfinished details. I am so happy to be doing this for him. He is the best brother ever, and I really love his music SO MUCH. His last album, Amethyst Amulet received some great critical praise:

The pop hit of the summer!
-TORONTO STAR

While evincing the intimacy of an apartment recording, it is also brimming with overlapping instruments, tempo changes and ambitious arrangements. The result resembles the precarious balance between innocence and sophistication that Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks have been known to strike.
-TORONTO STAR

I’ve fallen in love.
-NATIONAL POST

Montreal’s newest shimmering gem.
-SAID THE GRAMOPHONE

They meander quietly through ethereal psychedelic moments and a Neil Youngish understanding of the lyrical details that fill a songs with endearing personality. At 13 songs, Amulet could go on a while longer and still remain a beautiful piece of contemporary Canadiana.
-NOW MAGAZINE

The project has the pedigree, the creativity, and most importantly, the songs to make Amethyst Amulet the must have record for the summer. The songs are drenched in reverb, and sparkle like sun kissed water. Truthfully, I am not sure I’ve been as excited about a Canadian artist since I first heard Miracle Fortress. His understanding of what makes a pop song challenging and still enjoyable is incredible.
-HEROHILL

I'm so proud of him! You all have to check out his new album when it is ready. I'll be sure to let you know when it is available.

no knead bread

Here's my first attempt at no knead bread in my new dutch oven. I'm probably the last person in the world to try this fantastic recipe. It seems to have exploded through popular culinary consciousness since appearing in the NY Times a few years ago. There are a few things I'll try differently next time, like add a little more salt and bake it at a slightly lower temperature because the bottom burned slightly, but overall it was a pretty successful first try. It sure looks good! And it tastes great too. I can't believe how crunchy the crust is! And the inside is very soft, moist and, as you can see, bubbly. I can't wait to get creative with this recipe! This dutch oven is making me more excited about cooking/baking than I have been in a long time.

early xmas present to myself

I've been dreaming about getting a Le Creuset dutch oven forever, and a sale on cookware at Williams Sonoma on the same day that I was out doing my Christmas shopping was irresistible. The thing is, I ended up buying a Staub dutch oven instead of Le Creuset. I just fell in love with this grey one. And none of the three colours they carry of the Le Creuset felt right for me, plus the Staub was $50 cheaper. So, Staub it is. As soon as I brought it home, I christened it with a big batch of roasted butternut squash soup. I love this little sticker it had inside saying "This product was inspected by Cristophe Remi for your satisfaction." Merci Cristophe! I love your name and I am very satisfied. I can't wait to try using it for this bread. Do any of you have any dutch oven recipes to recommend?

Swedish Wildflowers

I sure wish I could have bought this when it was up on Etsy. Isn't it wonderful!? 

I found it through Google Image Search about 10 months after it had already been sold. Bummer.

fierce bunnies

Sonja and I did our 2nd Annual Fierce Bunny Photo Shoot at my place this weekend. It was really fun. Sonja is back from the Yukon to present her bunnies at the One of a Kind Show here in Toronto from Nov. 25 - Dec. 5. She will have an astounding array of heartbreakingly sweet bunnies, some of the favourite prints from last year, and of course prints of the photos we took this weekend. This is one of my favourites

sphalerite finished

I finished this guy a couple weeks ago. It was a fun one. Lots of colours! Look at my rainbow palette:

ROCKS and MINERALS OF NEW YORK STATE

from here

The European Roe Deer, 1854

from here

tomatillos

Even with our hot summer this year, I didn't have much success with my purple tomatillos. If they had full sun all day they would have done better, I'm sure. I got plenty of little fruits, but only a few fully matured. They really are beautiful regardless, which I suppose was the main reason I wanted to grow them. So maybe they were a success after all.

autumn garden

aka gnarly mess of mostly dead weeds