Rustic Chic: Decor

When I came up with the idea for the Sunday Night Dinner series, I knew that I wanted it to look delicious, but also have a designer’s touch. So, that’s when I got in touch with my friend and interior designer Gillian (Gillian Segal Design) and we came up with the rustic chic look. Below, she tells you how to recreate it.

As soon as Sophie told me that for our first Sunday Dinner shoot she wanted to prepare a rustic roast chicken, antlers immediately popped into my head for a starting place for décor!  Because a casual or rustic Sunday meal is supposed to be effortless, we wanted to use items that are easy to find, assemble and of course clean up.  Now, while we may not all have a spare pair of antlers lying around the house…I think they are actually a great piece to invest in.  I found ours at an amazing local store http://www.heatherrossinhouse.com , but can easily be found at many vintage stores or on etsy.

The first thing I did (and always do for any design or décor project) was to create a moodboard.  While it isn’t always necessary for small projects, I find it really helpful to help stay focused on the exact look you want to achieve.  I like to use Photoshop, but sometimes its easiest to create a Pinterest board, or simply tear out a few magazine pictures and leave them in a pile to help drive inspiration.

For this project, we chose simple linens, recycled mason jars from home, rosemary from Sophie’s garden and paper napkins and place mats (no one wants to launder napkins for a simple family dinner, right?) and some twine to tie things all together.  This may seem pretty straightforward, but by bringing in different textures of browns (from the linen, paper mats, twine) and using candles and rosemary to invigorate senses of sight and smell we were able to create a layered look that felt complete and most importantly thoughtfully designed.

One more thing that I think made this Sunday Dinner feel special was the printed menus.  I created a custom menu with an antler monogram for Sophie, but who are we kidding would we really have time to do this every Sunday? Probably not.  However, just quickly typing out a menu on word (obviously in a cute font!) can really help to elevate any dinner or party up to the next level, and takes almost no time. *or use the one we attached for you yesterday!

Some motivation for investing in a piece of antlers (top left photo by Christie Graham Photography)…

Thanks, Gillian!

Make sure you check back tomorrow for some recipes from Sunday Night Dinner!

Grilled Korean-Inspired Corn

Ever since my friend gave me the new Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook (Thanks, Laura!) I have been obsessed with reading and re-creating the recipes. One of the things that I love about new cookbooks is the inspiration they provide to take into our daily meals. While we may not have GP’s budget, we can take her inspiration and transform it into meals that are practical, and healthy for everyday cooking for your friends, loved ones, and family.   

 

Here is my, more accessible, version of Gwyneth’s Korean Corn. I made with all of the ingredients I have in my pantry already, which is the way I love to cook on a weeknight. I served this with a great rosé and some grilled prawns.

Grilled Korean Corn
Serves 4 as a side dish

4 ears of corn, husked
olive oil
sriracha (to taste)
half of a lemon, juiced
4 tbsp of butter, melted
2 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Turn grill onto medium-high.
2. Brush corn with a little bit of olive oil.
3. Melt butter, let cool.
4. Whisk in sriracha and lemon.
5. When corn is somewhat charred and cooked through (10 minutes), brush on sriracha mixture.
6. Top with chopped parsley.

Incendio Pizzeria

On Tuesday night, a good friend and I went out to support a local non-profit and women’s networking event, YES! which supports Dress For Success. It was a great night of mingling, catching up, and eating some delicious pizza paired with craft beer. I had never been to Incendio before, but we all know my love for pizza, so I was definitely ready to try it out! It is a warm little nook in Gastown that provides a wonderful respite from this awful weather we’ve been having. The women that ran the event were so nice, and we learned lots about beer and its pizza pairings from local Cicerone, Adam Henderson (of Copper and Theory). If you don’t know what a Cicerone is, you are not alone. It is a sommelier, in a sense, for beer! How cool is that!

I would definitely recommend checking out Incendio when you have a chance.

This was their pulled-pork pizza, which was amazing. I don’t believe it’s on the menu, but if it does get on there, try it stat! It was paired with a dark beer (below) which was very mellow, but brought out the chocolate notes of the pizza (yes, there was chocolate in the BBQ sauce – incredible!)

The decor is equal parts cozy and pub-like. Perfect for a night out with a group of friends!

The best part of the night: the open concept (copper!) kitchen and watching the pizza being made in front of you! And, if you’re wondering, I did a massive workout at the gym the next day!

Lemony Arugula Pasta

I’m always looking for ways to make my favourite food just a little bit healthier. This pasta combines all of my favourite things: lemon, arugula, chili flakes, garlic and makes a great weeknight dish, or a great side dish for a big dinner party. Trying to skip pasta these days? You could also do this with quinoa and toss it up the same way. It’s a dish of endless possibilities!

Arugula is an absolute staple in this household. I use it on so many things, sometimes as an accompaniment, and sometimes as a main course tossed with fried chick peas. Either way, it adds the most incredible texture, peppery taste and is fabulous with lemon.

So easy to throw together – this is hardly even a recipe! That’s what I find the best recipes are: mixing a bunch of ingredients you already have on hand and creating something delicious, nutritious, and beautiful!

Lemony Arugula Pasta
Serves 2 as a main dish

2 cups arugula
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp chili flakes
150g spaghetti
grated parmesan
salt and pepper

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta while preparing the rest of the meal.
2. Reserve some pasta water in case you need to add it to the final dish.
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
4. Cook garlic and chili flakes until you can smell the garlic (about 1.5 mins)
5. When pasta is done cooking, add it to the pan with garlic and chili flakes.
6. Add arugula and lemon to dish.
7. Toss, adding parmesan, salt and pepper as desired. If needed, add some pasta water.

Best wine pairing: a light sauvignon blanc

Buon Appetito!

Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies

Don’t get me wrong. I love some classic chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes, though, I like to do something a little different. A lot of incredible cookie recipes have been popping up lately, and I wanted to try to take a fun spin on the classic cookie. I am always looking for the absolute best cookie recipes, and I have to admit, this one might be perfect!

Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies
makes 12

240g flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
130g brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp molasses
100g sugar
100g chocolate chips
50g caramel squares, chopped
1 egg
165g butter at room temp

1) Preheat oven to 330F.
2) Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3) Mix chocolate chips and caramel.
4) Mix molasses and sugars.
5) Cream butter for 3 minutes in stand mixer.
6) Add in molasses and sugar for 4 mins. Scrape down bowl.
7) Add egg and mix for 1/2 minute.
8) Add half of the flour mixture. Mix for 15s. Add the other half. Mix for 15s.
9) Add chocolate and caramel. Mix and make sure all flour is gathered from bottom.
10) Roll dough into 75g each (12 equal portions).
11) Bake for 14 mins (turn after 7 mins).
12) Cool cookies on rack.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

 

Blueberry Banana Muffins

This recipe is one of those ones that you can whip up at a moment’s notice on the weekend, and make a little extra for the week (unless you’re going on a juice cleanse, which by the way is ending at noon!) These muffins are moist, somewhat nutritious, and absolutely delicious. They’re perfect for a Sunday morning with some tea and a little butter, or to throw in your briefcase or backpack for a mid-morning snack at work/school.

The last pic is of the beautiful bouquet I got for Valentine’s Day. Aren’t the colours gorgeous??

Banana Blueberry Muffins
makes 12

Ingredients
4 ripe bananas
1.5 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 C brown sugar
1 egg
75g butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions
1) Melt and cool butter.
2) Mash bananas in small bowl with sugar, egg, butter (cooled), vanilla.
3) Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices to a larger bowl.
4) Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture.
5) Add blueberries.
6) Add 1/4 C of mixture to each muffin cup.
7) Bake at 350F for about 30 mins.

Enjoy!