Homemade from the Wild

When irises and daffodils  shoot from the ground, robins cheerfully return and you caught yourself smiling at the sun for no particular reason, it must be Spring giving us her first greeting. 

A pleasant Saturday afternoon spent at a farmer's market was not really on my agenda, but thanks to my two lovely lady friends, I was able to discover this bustling village and so close to home!

Everything, yes everything even raw carrots ( one of my least favourite food :P ) taste miraculously good. I am starting to doubt that perhaps I have never ate the "real" carrot. Organic is not a buzz word here, it lived up to its name. Potato that tasted like it is already buttered, , babies bundled up with woolen knits, passerby chatting cheerfully with vendors are things I treasured that afternoon. When I complimented a vendor on his beautiful pot of flower, he told me he picked them in a forest and they are all wild!  Saddly I forgot to ask him which forest :P   

One thing I highly recommend to try is the Maple Taffy.  I once read about them in a novel about the life of early Canadian settlers. They would poke a hole in the maple tree to drain out the sap. Later they would heat up the sap up to 112C ( just before they become syrup) and pour it on snow, finally rolling them up with a small wooden stick into a lollipop-like treat. Maple taffy is one of the very few food that originated in Canada.  It tasted better than it did in my imagination! 

Janine

Memory Lane

Forgotten Film

Above the Sky

Happily lost between columns of snow covered cedars, equipped with heavy duty garbage bags and rain boots, we raced and slid along Mt. Cypress, paving our own trails. I cherish hikes with friends, although breathless, the conversations exchanged were exceptionally deep. There is no awkward silence, as the song of nature is playing in the background. The hectic city became miniature toy houses, and the mess in our lives seems trivial and distant. The sea of clouds radiated brilliantly at our feet as we hurried down the hill before the last trace of light disappeared . It is the simple things in life that is marvellous. 

In Conclusion

My last food creation for 2012 is this petit dessert. It is one of my favourite because it has so fresh, light and shiny ..... putting on that layer of apricot jam makes the fruits look like jewels. This simple dessert just requires the art of assembling. 

My last get away for 2012 is to Harrison Hotspring resort, creating a warm kind of Winter ~ Harrison is becoming our Winter tradition. Even if it is just for a one night stay, we feel rejuvenated and rested, ready to tackle the year ahead.  The pork hock dinner, the fire place, the blueberry porte/ champagne after the soak, and of course good company is a must.

2012 flew past with biding farewell. In retrospective it is a rocky year for me.  I was glad I faced the challenges and that they eventually transformed into opportunities. However I could not have done it without the help and encouragements from family and friends. To that I am always grateful for. Now that I have my admission ticket, 2013 will be a year of growth, continuous learning ( plus lots of trials and errors), beauty and happiness along the way. My goal: to do my best and leave the rest for JH.