Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Gardening Chic

If there is one thing I absolutely love about my little house on the praire, it is my garden. There is something so gratifying about planting the seeds, watering them, nurturing them, and finally harvesting the produce.

There are so many advantages to growing your own garden. First, you have the choice to decide whether you would like to use organic seeds and also the ability to not apply chemicals, the combination of which will result in produce that is way more organic than the produce you can buy in the store and for a fraction of the price. Second, you will know exactly how your food was grown and where it came from. Third, since most of the food in Canadian grocery stores comes from the sourthern states, Mexico or even South America, you will save our environment by not buying foods that have been trucked in from far away and emit tons of pollutants along the way. Fourth, many of the people producing our foods in Mexico, Canada and the Unites States are not paid fair wages and work in unsafe conditions. By growing your own food you can protest their inhumane working conditions. And finally, it is fun!!! The benefits are endless so if you have the space and have never tried it, I suggest you do!!!

Even though I know that nobody is watching, I love wearing pretty sundresses while I work in my garden. This would be my ultimate gardening outfit this summer!!! Lots of bright colors, lots of flowers and of course the Alex Monroe Bird pendent for that little bit of nature's inspiration!

Garden Chic


Dress: Topshop
Clogs: Swedish Hasbeens
Flower Hair Accessory: Kate Spade
Floral Earrings: Tillys.com
Necklace: Alex Monroe
Sunhat: Melissa Odobash
watering can: Crate and Barrel

Love,
Karen

Friday, May 27, 2011

Guest Post by Dominic - Newfoundland Cod Cakes


One of the most interesting aspects of Newfoundland compared to the rest of Canada – with the exception of the Aboriginal peoples and, perhaps, Quebec – is the unique, time-honoured cuisine routed in the history and tradition of this Island. Clearly, many of the dishes date back to a time before shipping fresh fruit and vegetables from Florida, Mexico, and South America was a viable option, as the great majority of customary Newfoundland food consists of locally grown root vegetables, the various and abundant wild berries, salt-preserved beef or pork, and, of course, the mighty codfish.

The traditional cuisine of the Republic, as the patriotic residents refer to their beloved Rock, is the epitome of the ultra-trendy, (apparently) environmentally conscious “100-mile diet”, accomplished by a few simple, delicious recipes.  Cod tongues are great. Fish and Brewis is fantastic, especially after a night out on the infamous George Street. And Jig’s Dinner rivals any Sunday Roast from across the pond (Great Britain, that is). But, my favorite, and one that I made myself before trying the local fare, funny as that may be, are Newfoundland Cod Cakes.  These little devils are healthy, delicious, and can be made in large batches, frozen, and pulled out to accompany a salad for a quick meal, or served as an appetizer if you’re expecting company.

This is what they will look like when they are cooked and served with a simple greek salad. 


I like to buy my cod at The Fish Depot. The owner of the little place sources fish directly from fisherman and claims he is the only vendor in town with access to such a variety of fresh seafood straight from the docks where he once moored his own skiff. If you are ever in St. John’s, make sure you stop by for some cod and follow this recipe. It’s the best!!

If you make extra cakes you can freeze them on a cookie sheet and later place them in a container for later use!

Newfoundland Cod Cakes

Ingredients:
  • 1 kg of fresh cod
  •  6 small potatoes
  •  2 celery sticks
  •  1 onion
  •  1 handful of spinach
  •  1 cup of bread crumbs
  •  1 egg
  •  salt and pepper

Directions:
  1. Start by boiling the potatoes until thoroughly cooked. In the mean time, poach the cod in a 1 cup of water. When the cod is nicely cooked, strain well until very dry and let cool. Do the same thing for the potatoes.
  2. Cook the finely minced, onions, celery and spinach in a table spoon of butter. Cook well and then cool. 
  3. When cool combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with hands, crushing the potatoes but still leaving some chunks of fish and potato – you do not want a mush.
  4. Add 1 cup of bread crumbs and 1 egg. Mix thoroughly.
  5. Form into hockey puck sized cakes.
  6. At this time you can either freeze the cakes or cook them for immediate consumption. Freeze on baking sheet covered in wax paper and later transfer into storage container.
  7. Fry on medium heat in a little bit of olive oil until browned on the outside and hot throughout.

Yields: 12 – 15 cakes

Enjoy!!
Dominic

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Nautical inspired etsy finds

Although I have been enjoying my time in Saskatchewan, I have been missing the beautiful Newfoundland coastline.  As such, I thought I would share these sailor inspired etsy finds that I have been swooning over!!


Anchor Beach Tote

Amore Pillow - Italian Love

Run away to sea charm necklace

Sailor Sailor - 3 nautical hairslides

The Weekender Tote in Blue and White Striped Ticking

Anchor Nautical Navy Blue and White Large Mug

Nina mid-century danish teak chair


Source 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

P.S - Don't forget about the give-away below!!

Love,
Karen

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Its Time to Decorate Give-away!!

It's time for another give-away and I am so so happy to announce that Eeebee and Jack has generously offered to give away two of their amazing inspirational photographic prints. And since I am currently renovating/decorating my house, I thought this would be the perfect give-away to share with those of you that have been following Ruby Tuesday for a while and any new followers wanting to join in on the Ruby Tuesday escapades!


These vintage inspired inspirational quotes from Eeebee and Jack will not only add a touch of personality to your home but they will also make you feel fabulous every time you look at them. I am absolutely smitten with all of the prints but I think that, "this is our happily ever after" is by far my favorite (Brooke from Eebee and Jack has also generously given me this one so I will be sure to post pictures of how I frame it and where I hang it). Not only will the print add a stylish edge to my modern country style decor but it will be a constant reminder of all of the great things in my life!! And even though I may not have the fair tale castle, horse and chariot, which every little girl dreams of, I feel like I am living my own fairy tale. I love my home as much as I would a castle (well maybe not) and I feel like I did marry a prince (at least he is the man of my dreams). Are you living your happily ever after??


Eeebee and Jack are generously giving away two prints: one for my current followers and one for any new followers who enter the give-away, so that everybody will have a great chance of winning!!

This is Our Happily Ever After. 8x10 Inspiring Photographic Print.


There are also some other amazing prints to check out:

I Just Want to Make Beautiful Things Even If Nobody Cares. 8x10 Inspiring Photographic Print.


Alphabet (hello) Entryway Print.  8x10 Inspiring Photographic Print.


All you have to do to enter the contest is:


1. Check out Eeebee and Jack's etsy shop and let me know which print you like best and why it inspires   you!
2. Tell me if you are currently a follower or,
3. If you are not a follower ...start following and let me know you are a new follower
4. Finally, leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win!!


Good Luck!!


Love,
Karen

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Layers and Layers

I hope that all of my Canadian readers had a wonderful long weekend. While it typically snows in Saskatchewan on May Long Weekend (Victoria Day), we were lucky enough to have hot sunny weather. But despite the hot weather, I had to farm the entire weekend until yesterday when it started to rain, the temperature dropped by 20 degrees and it clouded over. So, while I have been wearing summer clothes all week, it just so happened that it was freezing cold when I took these photos - hence all of the layers.

I don't usually like to feature all of my new clothes at once but I was enjoying all of the different lengths of layers that I just couldn't resist. I ordered this sweater from Topshop and it arrived a few weeks ago and since then I have been wearing it non-stop. It is such a great layer peice and looks good with so many different outfits from floral dresses to the current casual look. My mother-in-law bought me this motorcycle style suede leather jacket when I arrived home from Newfoundland and it turned out to be the perfect addition to my wardrobe. So thanks again Vivienne, I absolutely love it!!

Since my resident photographer and my wonderful husband will not be joining me in Saskatchewan until mid summer, I have had to recruit somebody else in his absence. So I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to my guest photographer, and sister-in-law, Lacy. Lacy is super creative girl and has tons of photography experience so you can expect some great shots from her. 









Photos y Lacy S.

Jacket: Vera Moda
Sweater: Topshop
Jeans:J Brand 
Clogs: Sanita

Love,
Karen

Friday, May 20, 2011

Pretty Prairie Pixs

Since I am thoroughly enjoying my time in the warmth and picturesque prairies, I thought that I would leave you with some inspirational prairie pictures! I think it would be a fantastic weekend to throw on a great floral print dress, a gorgeous leather belt, some pretty prairie flats and of course a wild flower in your hair (this is what I am going to be wearing)!!


Source 1, 2, 3, 

 Have a wonderful long weekend (Monday is Victoria Day in Canada which makes this a long weekend?) and enjoy the heat, the sun or simply the days off to relax or enjoy the outdoors!! 

P.S - I have a super exciting give-away for next week so make sure to stop by!!

Love,
Karen

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Q with Jian Ghomeshi

It is always a big transition moving from the city in the winter to the farm in the summer. And as I get older, it seems that this transition seems to get a bit harder every year. Although I love the prairie living in the summer, I often miss the conveniences of the city, like being able to run to the corner store at any time of the day or night or frequenting our favorite pubs, and of course shopping. 

But one thing I do look forward to in the summer is being able to listen to my favorite radio program Q hosted by Jian Ghomeshi (which I like to call my radio boyfriend). As one of Canada's flirtiest radio hosts, Jian describes his program Q as,"an energetic daily arts, culture and entertainment magazine that takes you on a smart and surprising ride, interviewing personalities and tackling the cultural issues that matter." The program has hosted numerous music icons from Van Morrison to Neil Young and continues to have the most amazing and current line up!! So, if you haven't yet checked out the show - be sure to download a podcast at CBC.ca. 


Happy Thursday,
Karen

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Tocino 18D by Electra

It is about that time of year when I start to get the urge to buy a new bike. For the past few years I have been riding a vintage bike that I fixed up and painted my self (I will post pics soon). However, the breaks are starting to get old and squeek and I am scared to go down any big hills in case the breaks decide to quite all together. Luckily I am currently living in Saskatchewan, which is pretty much flat prairie!!


If I were to buy a bike, it would be the Tocino 18D by Electra. I am pretty much in love with this bike and I am starting to save my money to buy it. The $1500 price tag is a little more than I would like to spend but the bike has such a classic style that I could have it forever and it would therefore be more like an investment than a frivolous purchase. Plus, I would feel like a stylish Parisian every time I rode the bike!! Do you bike and if so what do you ride??

  electra ticino




Love, 
Karen

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Camping Chic

My brother and sister-in-law invited me along on their camping trip this weekend. I still haven't decided if I am going to go yet, but I have already been thinking about what I would like to wear if I do decide to go. It may be because most of my camping experiences have been in Mexico, but I feel that the baja hoodie is a definite must!! It is great for all kinds of summer weather as during the day it keeps the hot sun off your skin but also keeps you cool and at night it keeps the chill at bay. And since Saskatchewan can get a bit cool at night, wool socks, a toque and an anorak or parka (which I have been wanting for some time) are also necessities. Are you planning any camping trips this summer??

Untitled

Love,
Karen

Monday, May 16, 2011

Monday Monday...........

It's Monday again, which means it is time for me to start beekeeping in Saskatchewan. After a long winter of sitting in front of my computer and working on my thesis, it feels so nice to be outside, being active for the entire day. The combination of some of the most fresh air in the world and exercise you get from the actual bee keeping make you absolutely amazing. I always say that beekeeping is one of the best workout/weight loss programs out there. 

Even though I am now in Saskatchewan, my wonderful photographer took these photos in Newfoundland before I left. And I although I already posted pics of this sweater (here), I have been enjoying it so much that I thought I would share it with you again. This time I layered it over a Joe Fresh maxi dress which was a super easy look and perfect for those cool and windy Newfoundland days. 






Sweater: Topshop
Maxi Dress: Joe Fresh
Boots: Madewell

Love, 

Karen

Friday, May 13, 2011

Une Salade Niçoise

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you know that Dominic (my husband) doesn't like to be featured or talked about on the blog (although I often do against his wishes). That is why I was so surprised when he asked me if he could do a series of guest posts about cooking. Of course I said, "yes" as I think it will be an amazing new feature to my blog. As I have mentioned before, I married the most amazing cook ever. Not only does he make me every meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner), but they are always absolutely delicious and I am so happy that I am able to share a little bit of that with you!! With that, I will leave you with Dominic and his very first guest post!! Enjoy and have a splendid weekend!! 

Une Salade Niçoise



There are many renditions of Niçoise salad, or Salade Niçoise as it is known in the city of its origins of Nice, in Provence, France. While the original recipe consists of raw – not cooked – vegetables evocating the harvest d’un jardin Provençal, such as young artichokes and fresh green or fava beans, ripe tomatoes, sweet shallots, and buttery lettuce, topped with boiled eggs, tuna canned in olive oil, anchovies and niçoise olives, I prefer Julia Child’s version, one that is common to bistros and garden parties alike here in North America, altered to my preferences, of course.

This is an easy, delicious, healthy, full-meal recipe dying to be served in the late sun of a warm summer evening. With convenient and affordable access to the abundant North Atlantic here in St. John’s, in this case, I have chosen to serve la salade with fresh, locally caught, pan-seared swordfish steaks that I have been very much looking forward to trying since their appearance at our local grocers a few weeks back. As I mentioned above, traditional Salade Niçoise is served with canned tuna. Many chic restaurants and self-assured chefs, however, now serve it with fresh tuna steaks, but there are a few ethical matters concerning the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna that provide the succulent, deep red steaks that have become a common replacement for the simpler canned variety. Check out The Pew Charitable Trusts for the status and conservation efforts to save these Atlantic Giants, as well as other important, over-fished, at-risk marine species. Pew provides information on selecting ethical, sustainable seafood choices. If this site sparks your interest, Tuna: A Love Story by Richard Ellis is a great non-fiction read by this eco-commodity author encompassing the unique biology, life history, culture, economics, and research efforts surrounding this much sought after fish.     

Sorry, I guess I got a little side tracked with all of my sustainable, eco-friendly jargon, but this stuff is important! Especially if you truly want to “eat well”.

Now back to the recipe. . .


Serves 4

Ingredients

New red potatoes, 500g (1 lb)
Green beans, 250 g (1/2 lb)
Red onion, 1 small, halved and sliced very thin
Cherry tomatoes
Niçoise olives, or, if not available, Kalamata  (Greek) olives will do (but never use those awful sliced, canned things for this, or any other recipe, for that matter!)
Endive, 1 large bunch
4 eggs, boiled and quartered into segments

Dressing

Olive oil, 60 ml (4 Tbsp.)                 
White wine vinegar, 30 ml (2 Tbsp.)
Yellow mustard powder, 15 ml (1 Tbsp.)
Sweet paprika 5 ml (1 tsp.)
Garlic, 1 clove finely minced/crushed
Lemon, 1 squeeze of fresh juice
Honey
Sea salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
  
On a plate, cover the steaks generously in olive oil, a little fresh ground pepper, and a tiny little pinch of salt. Careful with the salt – too much will dry the fish out. Let this sit while preparing the rest. Halve the potatoes and boil them until tender, but not too soft. When they are done, immediately submerge them in running, cold water until they are cool throughout. Blanche or steam the green beans, again, until cooked but maintain some crunch, and, like the potatoes, immediately place in cold water. Slice the onion and halve the tomatoes, and, ensuring everything has cooled, put the potatoes, beans, onion, tomatoes and olives in a large salad or mixing bowl.  

Dressing

Place all ingredients in a small jar and shake until thoroughly mixed. The dressing should have a yellow, creamy appearance. Add honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Now pour the dressing over the potato-bean mixture and toss lightly so that all of the ingredients are covered. Save a little of the dressing in the jar for later.

In pan, put  approximately 2 cm of olive oil and turn on med-high. Allow oil to get hot, but be careful not to allow it to smoke or even slightly burn. Put the steaks in and sear them. Depending on how thick they are and how rare you like it (rare is the best way to go), this will only take a minute on each side (or two at the most). Now, cut the steaks in half on an angle against the grain.

Place a handful of coarsely chopped endive in the middle of a plate, and, on top, a generous serving of the potato-bean-tomato-onion-olive mixture. Place the egg around and steaks on top, and drizzle the remaining dressing over fish. Viola!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Valerie Dumaine

Living in rural Saskatchewan sometimes makes it hard to access well designed clothing. However, there are a few fantastic lines that we have access to such as the self titled, Valerie Dumaine Collection. Based in Montreal, Valerie Dumaine offers chic and sophisticated clothing with clean and elegant lines. Having spent much of the decade in Europe the line has a clear European influence. I am especially enjoying the somewhat nautical feel to her spring/summer collection and I can't wait to try some of the items on. If you live in and around Saskatchewan and you want to support a lovely Canadian Designer, you check out the collection at Stella and Sway Boutique  in Regina. 






Love,
Karen

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Tree Hotel

I would love to take a weekend shopping/party trip to Sweden and if I did I would love to stay at the Tree Hotel in Harads. Located just south of the arctic circle and deep in the forest, this luxury hotel is comprised of four fantasy tree houses suspended from 6 to 40 feet in the air. The eco-friendly rooms are each designed by a different Swedish architect and of course, are decorated with a modern Swedish style. Promoted as more of an upscale camping trip, there are numerous outdoor activities to do near by such as dogsledding, snowshoeing, kayaking, mountain biking and fishing. I think this would be an amazing summer adventure!!


The UFO
Harads, Sweden
The Bird's Nest
Harads, Sweden\
The Blucone (like a big lego)
Harads, Sweden
The Microcube
Harads, Sweden


Love,
Karen

Monday, May 09, 2011

Fashion in the Forest

Since we have arrived in St. John's, the local people have been telling us that there is no Spring in Newfoundland. Instead, winter stays until summer arrives. However, last Thursday (Dominic's B-day), we were lucky enough to get a Spring day which we took advantage of by hanging out at the beach. I wore my new pleated midi skirt that I am absolultey smitten with.


When I ordered this skirt from Topshop, I had planned on wearing it with this Joe Fresh shirt. But when I threw the outfit on, just before I ran out the door, something just did not look right. In theory, this outfit should look great, I love both the shirt and the skirt but there is something, I am not sure what it is exactly, that just doesn't jive with me. But not to worry, I have lots of great plans for this skirt...... Does that ever happen to you??  




Dominic snapped a photo of me having a rock bath (the pebbles were so warm from the sun). 

This is me trying not to fall in the water. Such a great shot that I had to post it!




Love,
Karen


P.S - Just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my sister, who is also my most avid reader and supporter of the blog!! I hope you have the most wonderful day and I can't wait for you to open your birthday gift from me as I am sure you are going to love love love it!!

Friday, May 06, 2011

Birthday Extravaganza

As I am sure most of you know, it was Dominic's birthday yesterday. In his family, they have wonderful tradition of really making the birthday person, in this case the birthday boy, feel ultra special. They get gifts, a special meal of anything of their choice, and a party. Since, birthdays have never really been a super big deal in my family, I have really grown a liking to this tradition!! And since, his entire family always makes me feel extra special on my birthday, I try to reciprocate the favour by making Dominic's birthday extra special, which I think it was. 


So, although Dominic had to go to work, I picked him up a few hours early and we hung out and had a picnic at a near by beach called Middle Cove. We have been there before, but yesterday was particularly amazing because it was super warm out (in Newfoundland terms that is about 20 Celsius or 68 Fahrenheit). After our afternoon at the beach, we had a BBQ with some friends including his brother and one of his friends who flew in just for his birthday. After the bbq, I made Dominic his favorite chocolate mocha cake (I am sorry I never took any pictures because it looked and tasted amazing) and then he opened a few presents and of course we headed out on the town for a little dancing!!  I am pretty sure Dominic had a great 28th birthday. How do you celebrate birthdays at your house???




On Sunday, I am heading back to Saskatchewan for the summer, so I hope my entire weekend looks a lot like this .....lots of Dominic, lots of sun and lots of ocean!! I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!!


Love,
Karen

Thursday, May 05, 2011

fake vs. real leather

It is still super cold here in St. John's so we either have to wear a lot of layers or wear a warm jacket. As such, my leather jacket has become my go to jacket. However, I have been feeling a bit uninspired by the style of the coat and I feel like I need an updated version. 

As I normally do, when I decide that I want to buy something new,  I began to research leather jackets online. And to my surprise, my search pulled up a lot of PU leather aka fake leather (leather made from polyurethane or plastic). And although I am a vegetarian, I am not really one for fake leather. 

As long as people (meaning other people) are eating meat, I think that we should use as much of the animal as possible. I am not super keen on the idea of wearing the skin of an animal over my shoulders, however, I am a bit of a naturalist and would therefore prefer to wear something real, something from nature, rather than human-made plastic leather which can't breath and has a very short shelf life. I know there are environment issues to both leather (the tanning process) and PU leather (which needs to be manufactured and cannot bio-degrade), however I think that real leather is the way to go. What are your thoughts on the subject??


I absolutely love the looks of this leather jacket on this fashionista seen on stockholm street style. 


Foto:
Although the jackets below are all way out of my price range, I love the edgy biker style combined with their class cuts.  



leather jackets














Love,
Karen


P.S. I also wanted to say Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband. You mean the world to me!! (I would put a picture of him but he is not really into being featured on the blog and since it is his birthday I thought I better not!!)
 
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