Sugar Bush Maple Syrup Festival

Maple Butter

Maple Butter on banana cake

Daughter L was at a Sugar Bush on the weekend and brought back some Maple Butter. It is creamed maple syrup.  The sweet goodness was delicious on this banana cake that L made.

It is the time of year when the maple trees are tapped for their syrup.  Families will go to the Sugar Bush festivities held at various conservation areas and farms to enjoy pancake breakfasts, tours and wagon rides.  The maple butter is also great on pancakes by the way.

Apple Crisp

Daughter L made this apple crisp the other day.  She says she used about 4 apples, an instant oatmeal packet, coconut oil, 2 tbs maple syrup and cinnamon. 

Creative Tuesdays - Easter Egg

Welcome to Michael's Creative Tuesdays!  For the 'Easter Egg' theme,  I made a greeting card collage (5 1/2" x 4 1/4"). I used a black patterned washi tape as a background.  Then I cut the eggs from pink patterned duct tape.  I happened to have these tape supplies on hand.

If you look closely, you might see 'shadows' beneath the eggs.  In my initial version, I had drawn my egg design onto the plain cardstock and coloured it with watercolour pencils, including the shadows of the eggs.  It didn't seem to work, so I decided to cover the page with the washi tape background and start anew.  Then I noticed the original design still showed through, including the egg 'shadows'. It seems washi tape is somewhat transparent.  So I traced parchment paper stencils from the original egg design and used them to make my pink patterned eggs which I then stuck on top of the original egg sketches.  And now it all works, I think.

So I ended up stepping out of my comfort zone with this piece, who knew that would happen?  I don't normally do collages but I hate giving up on a piece.  And stepping out of one's comfort zone can be a part of what Creative Tuesdays is all about, right Michael?

Easter Monday 2016

Lindt dark salted caramel chocolate

Hope your weekend was a good one.  Sharing a favourite chocolate bar with you on the long Easter weekend. 

Sunday Sketches - Luscious Locks

Welcome to Alexandra's Sunday Sketches!  This piece is done in watercolour pencil and crayon on good quality textured cardstock (6" x 6"). 

Sriracha hot sauce

I was eating this boxed fish, Jane's lemon pepper cod. It's quite good, so I baked some up and decided to give it an extra kick with some sriracha hot chili sauce as pictured.

I just forgot how hot this sauce is, in fact about half a teaspoon is enough for me. My mouth was afire!

Paint Party Friday - Gannets

It is Good Friday, a public holiday here.  Catholics are to avoid eating red meat today, so fish is a good choice.  It is the start of the Easter long weekend.

Welcome to Kristin and Eva's Paint Party Friday.  I did a pair of Gannets based on a photo I saw in a Wildlife Magazine.  It's done in my sketchbook (9" x 12") in watercolour pencil and crayon.  They are large birds that eat a lot of fish.  If someone says you eat like a gannet it means you are a glutton!  I just learned they can be found in Canada.