Mother Nature

Today I am thinking of everyone on the East Coast.

Praying for the safety and well-being of all....

 

We had a taste of winter this past week...

Can you see the little white snowflakes in the photo?

The flakes were actually quite large, and the strong northern wind was relentless...

 A little taste of winter in October.

 

That unexpected snowfall made me stop....listen to the wind...

watch the magical flakes perform their silent acrobatics...

I was overcome with reverence and gratitude....

 Leah Flores

Take care and be safe, dear friends....

From Russia With (Paper) Love

I hope everyone is having a great start to the week...
As you can see, Autumn is in her full glory here...
I am constantly in awe of this colorful miracle of nature.
With a chill in the air, I am thinking of the upcoming holidays...the entertaining, the gifts, the snow! :)  
Are some of you in full-blown planning mode? 
When it comes to giving presents, I have become more aware of my desire to gift handmade treasures. 
Thanks to brilliant artists like Anita at Castles Crowns and Cottages, I have an increased appreciation for paper artistry. I try to create my own cards, but anything beyond this is still mysterious and challenging for me! 
Enter my kind and talented niece-in-law, Maya....

Maya lives in Moscow, and to my delight and surprise, she has been busy creating these paper confections! I had no idea that she had this gift until I was introduced to her blog here. It is in Russian, but a translate tab should open up at the top, if you would like to visit.

They are all so beautiful! As I was admiring from afar, and wondering "How does she do that?", she surprised me with these treasures delivered to my doorstep....

An ornate, gorgeous little box....

A lovely holiday card....

A precious Birthday card...look at the sweet crochet work...

Stamped on the back in Russian
"Made With Love"
Indeed it was.


Thank you lovely Maya!

Have a beautiful day, dear friends!
xoxo

Cooking with Donna and Dzintra

A couple of months ago, the talented and lovely Dzintra  invited me to participate in her Donna Hay magazine cook ups! 

Dzintra is such a creative talent, and one of the kindest souls I know. 

I was so thankful and excited, and am pleased to present my first attempt....

Now if you are not familiar with chef Donna Hay, I must tell you that I have been admiring her exquisite magazine for a few years. 

Lovely, yes?

 Thanks to Dzintra's kind invitation, I finally decided to begin purchasing this gorgeous and artful magazine. Since Dzintra and Donna reside in Australia, the current issue out is Spring...and my local book store lags a bit, so I cooked from the splendid Winter Issue 63...

And that's perfect for our entrance into Fall...

There were so many delightful recipes from which to choose....the photography and styling are outstanding.....

Naturally, I decided to choose my main dish from the Winter in Paris feature...yes, please!

 

"French Onion Soup with Gruyere Croutons"

page 85

onions caramelizing nicely

 Voila!

Since this was my first attempt at cooking French Onion Soup, I must admit, I was a bit nervous...especially because I was posting my results for all to see.. 

But it came out really delicious...

I did substitute chicken stock for beef since I don't eat red meat...and the next time I make this soup I will omit the flour, for it thickens up a bit too much for me...but overall...magnifique! :)

For dessert...

"Banana Bread with Maple Cream Cheese Icing"

p. 60 and 64

 of course I had to add some white and dark chocolate chips

 a bit of shaved chocolate on top

now to taste...

 anz

Mmmmmm!

Add a bit of this...

  

 Some lovely company....

And it makes for a special evening indeed!

 Merci my dear friend...looking forward to the next issue.

Do visit Dzintra's lovely world here.

Bon Appetit!