.12 acres: a restaurant review.

a few weeks back, meg and i had the pleasure of visiting the new pasture-to-plate concept restaurant, 12 Acres, in st.albert days before they opened to the public. and let me tell you, we were absolutley blown away!

having this intimate setting for media, family and friends allowed each of us to experience the real concept and feel of 12 Acres. it allowed us to hear the passion of the owners chef nathan and courtney henry and staff, taste the delicious food prepared from scratch, and experience an atmosphere that was like having dinner around my grandmothers farm table back on range road 262 [only more modern and without the napping uncles on the couch]. 

the concept is relatively simple. meat, poultry and vegetables fresh from a local farm straight to your table. that's it. but in a competitive market where food is frozen and bought at the cheapest dollar, this concept if both refreshing, needed, and worth every penny. it's truly a far cry from the frozen stuff and you can really taste the difference. 12 Acres farms, located just outside of st. albert breeds hormone and antibiotic free animals who are all free range, pasture raised. Their laying hens and chickens are not kept locked up only to mass produce eggs, but are allowed to roam freely and are fed top quality all vegetable feed. i simply cannot tell you the quality and love that is poured into this beautiful farm run by the lovely Mendieta family, Jen and Brian. 

aside from the freshest ingredients available, the restaurant itself is comfortable, inviting, far from stuffy, and even kid-friendly. they want to serve you and your family. which is an idea, with my own three kids in mind, very welcoming! we were served a 6 course drool-worthy meal over the course of the night, all of which was made from scratch. things such as homemade pasta, mustard, pickles and even meat smoked that very week. 12 Acres farms will only be producing enough meat to serve the restaurants needs, meaning if they run out of a certain cut, they'll be cooking up something different for that night! even the menus are sustainable by using iPads rather than forgoing the printing costs required to update the menus with this ever changing lifestyle of cooking.

having a sustainable restaurant with this concept in a city growing with chain restaurants is absolutely refreshing. needless to say, i am smitten. i have boughten the juice [freshly squeezed of course!] and want to help spread the word of this amazing new spot in my hometown. you seriously need to check this place out.

|| Thank you to my old friend Brian and his beautiful wife Jen for the invite. We had a blast and will be back to 12 Acres very shortly! cheers to many years of success!

|| all photos via meg / els photography , with hair and makeup [we just came from a shoot for the shop!] by senstudios. 

.gift guide, 2015: mother's day picks.

mother's day this year is kind of a big deal. it's my first as a mother of three; a mother of a toddler and a mother of twins. three! 

and i'll be working. 

but that's okay. i know my thoughtful husband [he really is!] and those sweet little boys of mine will brew up something to make me feel special and loved. i personally hope it's some sort of creative craft which i can just envision them all making together or even a simple dinner that they made, i just want a little effort. it's the one day a year that i truly let it be all about me, and i really do think that's okay. being a mom, while it's the best job around, is also the hardest. we tend to give all of ourselves to our children on a daily basis, without a second thought. so an entire day dedicated to 'the mom' is high ranking in my books. and i'm not afraid to admit that. i embrace it. 

so while it's not my intention to 'casually' hint for my husband to buy me any of these treats, i certainly wouldn't be upset! haha! 

1] may lindstorm skin the honey mud cleansing silk || this is probably the highest on my 'want' list! with it's numerous rave reviews i feel it's truly the perfect rejuvenating treat for my tired skin. i also love the idea that actually taking the time to do this face mask may also truly make me slow down and allow a few minutes of 'me' pampering too! heck, i may even be able to enjoy a warm bath during the 15 minutes of drying time - alone!

[and it's sold from one of my absolute fave online beauty shops Eco Diva Beauty! if you haven't shopped there yet - you must! the ladies who run it are just as sweet as all the products i've ever ordered from them. and this highlighter tops my charts as my most loved beauty products! worth every penny!]

2] gardening gloves || little tomatoes! hello cuteness! i need a new pair of gardening gloves and these would be okay to look at while digging in the dirt. thanks, ikea!

3] mid-century watering can || for those who know me personally, know i very much enjoy gardening.  something about nurturing a living thing seems to ooze from me. its so gratifying to see each plant grow and blossom and i find it so relaxing. out in the fresh air and sun just rejuvenates my soul. and this watering can needs to come home to its new momma!

4] plenty more cookbook by yotam ottolenghi || i have the original plenty, as well as ottolenghi and i love them both. dying for this cookbook to add to my collection [cookbooks are a guilty pleasure of mine! i want them all!]

5] silk dress || since having three kids i find it disheartening to find clothes that make me feel like a lady. i'm usually drenched in spit-up or worse, wearing three day old leggings and an old sweatshirt. this dress would be the perfect outfit for a night out on the town with my main squeeze. sometimes you just want to put on a silky dress and some heels, am i right?!

6] earphones and earbuds set || i'm needing a set of new earphone's and i love the style and small frame of these. might even get a moment of quiet with these bad boys on....maybe....

7] pia wallen cross blanket || my obsession continues, as does everyone else's! i truly thought this was a passing trend, but it seems to be sticking and since I've had my eye on this blanket forever, this might be the time to bite the bullet.

8] black short romper || i thought these were a great one-stop shop for a busy working mom. you could dress them up or down and it's out the door looking done-up in no time flat. my kinda dressing.

.mushroom, spinach, herb, + cheese crepe filling.

in addition to the previous post for your basic simple crepe, here's an amazing filling to complete your meal! this is an old recipe borrowed from my mother-in-law's previous restaurant, 'flavours modern bistro' and is also an old favourite of mine!

mushroom + spinach + herb + cheese 

crepe filling with tomato topping

ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

250 grams of mushrooms, chopped [a mixture of oyster, shiitake, and cremini is her fav!]

250 grams of your favourite ready greens salad mix [small tub of salad mixture - we did a mix of spinach and baby kale]

200 grams of favourite melting cheese [raclette is recommended, but any available mixture - even mozzarella! can be used]

salt and pepper

1 can tomato sauce

fresh tomatoes, chopped into thick chunks

fresh herbs

directions:

1] in a large pan heat the oil and onions. cook on medium heat till translucent.

2] add chopped mushrooms and cook till caramelized-stirring as needed and increasing heat if needed. add salt and pepper.

3] take pan off heat and add your greens, roughly torn. the warmed mushroom mixture will wilt the greens for you, no need for extra heat.

4] add the cheese and mix gently till melted. divide the mixture into four and fill the crepes
[recipe here].

5] make warm tomato sauce by adding a can of tomato sauce, chopped fresh tomatoes, and chopped fresh herbs all together in a pan. warm and pour sauce over each assembled crepe.

**you can also add grilled chicken to this recipe too!

.crepes, three ways.

following my previous post, this is my first monthly tables recipe for january. being the month for france, we obvi had to post a few crepe recipes!! below you'll find three recipes for the crepe, all coming from my mother-in-law zosia, and i'll follow through with a great filling recipe next...again created by my mother-in-law ;)

here you'll find a basic crepe recipe [which makes a herbed crepe recipe and a sweet crepe recipe], and a socca crepe recipe [a fancy word for chickpea crepe!]. enjoy!

basic crepe

ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 cup mineral water [using this instead of milk makes the crepe delicate and super thin!]

pinch of salt

2 tbsp melted butter

directions:

1] first mix the eggs with the salt, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. *when you lift a wooden spoon from the batter, it should run down but still cover the spoon.

2] separate the batter into two bowls to make the two types of crepes.

HERBED Crepe

1] add finely chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, etc. to one batter.

SWEET Crepe

1] add 1 tbsp sugar and a dash of vanilla to the other batter.

3] heat crepe pan or teflon pan, pour oil or butter and spread around with paper towel - this should be needed only for the first crepe. cook till small bubbles form in the batter.

4] fill with your favourite filling [we recommend this mushroom, cheese and tomato filling!].

socca crepe [aka. checkpea crepe!]

ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup chickpea flour

2 tbsp olive oil

fresh herbs, chopped

dash of salt

1/2 tsp cumin

directions:

1] mix together the water and chickpea flour and leave overnight. 

2] when ready to cook, add the olive oil, chopped fresh herbs, dash of salt and the cumin. cook on preheated iron cast skillet or teflon pan and fill with your favourite filling.

*you can also cut this crepe up into bite size pieces and serve with little bits of the filling!

.monthly tables.

i was browsing around anthropologie a month ago when i came across this amazing calendar of illustrated tables of food from around the world and i immediately thought of my mother-in-law and all the amazing dishes she could teach us to make! and hence monthly tables was born!

each month she and i will get together and spend the day cooking unique foods featured from that region. for example, january's table features the country france! yum!

i plan on adding all the recipes here in detailed form, but also adding a few on my instagram account and then getting those printed off with a chatbooks or something and making a mini cookbook! if you follow me there you may have already seen a few recipes pop up in my feed last month, as i'm a little late posting this here, but i'll spend the week playing catch up to february and all it's deliciousness ;)

so to start things off, here we go! January = France.

#theskinnygetsdressed, part 2

part two of #theskinnygetsdressed series.

some of my absolute faves are pictured here and if they came in adult sizes, i would be wearing each and every piece. but, if i can't at least my sons can!! ha!
also! that hockey stick!! seriously, i've ordered them in every colour for each of my boys. hello, mini-stick indoor hockey tournament!

cowl scarf

mustard yellow sweater

hockey stick

aim for the moon t-shirt

stripe harem pants

memory face game

high top leather shoes

toucan

stripe skirt

boot

jean shirt

mustard scarf

wood bead necklace

wood family doll set 

bow hair clip

picture

panda romper

red long essential cardigan

cowl scarf

teething toy

hat

stripe swaddle blanket

mocs

#theskinnygetsdressed

since opening The Skinny, meg and i have been busy trying to get our name out there and share our shop and its products. it's easy, albeit time consuming, doing the usual sort of things like facebook posts, instagram, giveaways, etc. but we really wanted to get a few unique ideas out that will not only showcase our awesome products, but also be helpful to those that may want a little extra out of a site. this is where #theskinnygetsdressed comes into play. i've dedicated this to a new series on fancy napkin, as well as on instagram and our Facebook account showcasing both small shops, unique items, and ways to style certain pieces from our various collections. 

i sincerely hope you enjoy, and that you get a little use out of this concept too! also! if you have any cool shops or items that you think would be great for this series, please reach out and send them my way! i'm always on the hunt for the newest and coolest ;)

#theskinnygetsdressed [1]
pants
sweater
cowl
moccs
panda mask

#theskinnygetsdressed [2]
buffalo check dress - poppy
black shoes
grey sweater jacket
black felt floppy hat
grey tights
wood tea set
tassel scarf

#theskinnygetsdressed [3]
plaid trouser - grey
high 5 sweater
black hi-top sneakers
red scarf
little monster pendant
wood play golf set
adventure print
dude hat

.holiday cards.

with the cold weather taking over our city last weekend, my husband's skiing plans got cancelled as well as my overnight stay at my parents lake house, i found myself with an abundance of extra time on my hands. at first we were super bummed about it, but honestly, it may have been a blessing in disguise as we seemed to finally check off a few items on the ol' to-do list! cup half full, right?! 

i spent the weekend shipping out an insane amount of packages after our black friday sale with The Skinny, then we cleaned and organized our basement, and finally spent the evening doing a little online shopping, including checking out what was the latest in christmas card selections. and i was so stocked when i came across minted! their selection of holiday cards and gifts are by far the best i've seen for personalization and i am seriously having a hard time deciding on which style i want to order for my own this year! here's a few of my fave cards and a few fave gift ideas too!

minted is having a sale now till monday with 15% off all holiday card orders over $150 with code: JOY15 

dots frame || while i don't normally enjoy a frame with any sort of writing or design on it, these gold embossed dots are just too cute to pass up!
happy holidays foil pressed card || nothing like a classic happy holidays in a pretty rose gold embossed colour to brighten your holidays
recipe notebook || i adore this idea of creating a personalized recipe notebook to fill with all of baba's old recipes to be handed down year after year
card & games notebook || last year i gifted each of my family members a personalized notebook with their names on it. inside i explained that each book was to record our family card game nights. see, growing up my grandma had this old tattered notebook filled with the date, who was playing, the score, who won + who lost, and all these great funny notes about that night. it become a journal of sorts and a cherished keepsake. give this with a deck of cards to complete the idea!
more the merrier foil pressed card || obviously this applies to me personally and is a big contender for our x-mas card this year :)
luggage tag card || just adorable! and super unique!!
personalized stationary || what person wouldn't love their own personalized stationary set?! a classic gift perfect for teachers, friends, your momma or even yourself!
personalized 2015 calendar || again, a fave gift of mine to give...especially to the grandparents! minted makes just the best calendars with the highest quality!

from having nothing to do to having gotten so much done it turned out to be a most excellent weekend!

.sweet potato gratin.

not much to say about this recipe other than it is out of this world! no joking around with this one. so easy, so tasty, and makes enough for a big family or some delicious leftovers. pairs well with a roast, but chicken would be great too. i seriously can't say enough good things about this dish. try it.

.danielle's sweet potato gratin.

[recipe from the ottolenghi cookbook]

ingredients:

6 medium sweet potatoes [about 3 1/4lb in total]

5 tbsp coarsely chopped sage, plus extra for garnish

6 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped

2 tsp coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

directions:

1] preheat the oven to 400F. wash the sweet potatoes [do not peel them] and cut them into 1/4-inch thick disks. a mandolin is best for this job but you could use a sharp knife too.

2] in a bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sage, garlic, salt and pepper. arrange the slices of sweet potatoes in a deep, medium-size ovenproof casserole dish by taking tight packs of them and standing them up next to one another. they should fit together quite tightly so you get parallel lines of sweet potato slices [skins showing] along the length or width of the dish. throw any remaining bits of garlic or sage from the bowl over the potatoes. cover the dish with aluminum foil, place in the oven, and roast for 45 minutes. 

3] remove the aluminum foil and pour the cream evenly over the potatoes. roast, uncovered, for a further 25 minutes. the cream should have thickened by now. stick a sharp knife in different places in the dish to make sure the potatoes are cooked. they should be totally soft.

4] serve immediately, garnished with sage, or leave to cool down. so so so good. 

.grilled asparagus, zucchini, and haloumi.

one of the things i miss most about my old life now that i'm in this new busy time with the twins and my toddler is the ease of being able to whip up some new recipes for dinner. lately i'm lucky if i can throw in one of the previously cooked meals i made before the babes arrived, so getting a meal actually cooked from scratch is a rarity. however! on one of those rare perfect days where all kids are sleeping, i attempted a couple new recipes and both were absolutely amazing! so much so, that i am going to post them both on here back to back so you can try them at home too.

first one up took a little prep time but was super easy to make. just give yourself some time to get each step done and you won't feel stressed at all. trust me - it is worth the wait and such a crowd pleaser. also! those tomatoes are flipping' to die for!

grilled asparagus, zucchini, and haloumi

[adapted from the ottolenghi cookbook]

ingredients:

12 oz/350g cheery tomatoes, halved

9 tbsp olive oil

24 asparagus spears

2 zucchini

7 oz/200g haloumi cheese, sliced 3/4-inch or 2 cm thick [original recipe called for manouri cheese, but any grilling cheese would work well. i personally love haloumi cheese]

1 1/4 cups arugula

coarse sea salt + freshly ground black pepper

**basil oil [see recipe below]

directions:

1] preheat the oven to 325F. mix the tomatoes with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and season with some salt + pepper. spread them out on a baking sheet lined with tin foil or parchment paper, skin side down. roast in the oven for 50 minutes, until semi-dried. remove from the oven and leave to cool.

2] trim the woody bases of the asparagus and blanch in plenty of boiling water for 4 minutes. drain and refresh under cold water, making sure the spears are completely cold. drain well again, then transfer to a mixing bowl and toss with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and some salt + pepper.

3] slice the zucchini very thinly lengthwise, using a mandolin or a vegetable peeler. mix with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and some salt + pepper.

4] place a ridged grill pan over high heat and leave there for a few minutes. it should be very hot. grill the zucchini and asparagus, turning them over after about a minute. you want to get nice char-marks on all side. remove and leave to cool.

5] heat the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan. fry the haloumi cheese for 3 minutes on each side, until it is golden. place on paper towels to soak up the excess oil. alternatively, grill the cheese on the hot grill pan for about 2 minutes on each side. 

6] make the basil oil [recipe below].

7] to assemble, arrange the arugula, vegetables, and cheese in layers on a flat serving plate. try to build the salad up while showing all the individual components. drizzle with a much basil oil as you like and serve.

basil oil: 

ingredients:

5 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 cup basil leaves

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

directions:

1] mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. keep any leftover oil in the fridge for future salads.

.they're here.

my boys. 

my sweet twin boys. 

my middle and my youngest children. 

they have arrived and we are enjoying them so damn much.

please let me introduce you to our theodore edward + axel arthur. born on october 5th, 2014, they are truly amazing.

photography || pinksugarphotography

.teaching a toddler.

one of my initial greatest fears while we spoke of adding to our family was making sure jack understood that he was always going to be as loved as he is now [if not more!] and just how special he was always going to be to us. that adding more kids to our family was not going to change our feelings for him in the slightest, but in fact add to our happiness. but how do you teach and explain that to a toddler just learning to talk himself?!

i have no direct answers to this question, but with jack's ever increasing interest in some of my friends newborn babies during playdates, i can't help but feel as though we must be doing something right for our family and in raising him. 

he is loving. he softly strokes their hair and chubby soft cheeks without being prompted. 

he is thoughtful. he brings books to the babies to read and tries to share his cheerios by putting them directly in their mouths [we obviously watch him closely, not too worry!]. 

he is kind. and sits by the babies as though he doesn't want them to be alone.

he is helpful. he brings blankets to cover them and tries to rock them in their bassinets.

and he is playful. sharing his toys and playing peek-a-boo constantly with them.

[note: all of these things above are true. i've witnessed them personally and it amazes me how a 23 month old child can be so loving and so perceptive to a smaller 'mini'. it just blows my mind]

so while it's an ongoing process with a toddler, explaining that very shortly we'll have two babies of our own to love and play with, we're actually having quite a fun time with it. so in case anyone is going through this situation as well, here are some books and activities we play on a regular basis in preparation for our little twins arrival this coming week.

books:
-following in the beautiful andrea's footsteps, i jumped on her weekly book club train and decided to share a few of our favourites to read recently....no surprise that with all the baby talk going on in this house, his fav's have all been these 'baby's' books.

rocker babies wear jeans by michelle sinclair colman
the boss baby by marla frazee
everywhere babies by susan meyers
snuggle the baby by sara gillingham [jack's fav!]
babies, babies, babies! by catherine and laurence anholt

games / activities:
-we took jack to ikea one weekend and discovered a large bin of babies for $9! we allowed him to pick out any two babies he wanted to love and take home. he of course choose, two identical boys that look exactly like himself which i found quite amusing and perhaps a sign for what's to come?! jack has loved those two babies immensely the past few weeks and it's been fun watching him put them to bed [in his crib], share his soothers and juice with them, and kiss them 'night night'.
-playdates with other babies! and lots of them! totally helps.
-where's momma's babies? jack loves to peek up my shirt at my ever growing belly and we alway make a fun game of it. it usually ends in plenty of belly kisses for his babies.
-before bed each night, pete and i will throw out a bunch of names and ask jack if he can repeat them and if he likes them. it's always cute hearing him muster through the different names in his little voice and then tell us he likes every single name we say!

and please share! what are you doing with your oldest in preparation for another?

.so incredibly loved.

dear my two youngest,

yes, it's true. i already love you both more than i knew i could. more than i knew was possible.

and i didn't want you to potentially look back and figure that the lack of posts about you both has anything to do with loving you less than the first time i went through this with your precious big brother.

yes, the majority of my time is spent playing and chasing after jack, and boy does he keep me busy, but i want you both to know that you two are always on my mind as well. it has truly surprised me in so many ways to discover how the same feelings i had the first time around have circled back completely.  and they have felt just as precious and just as special as they did then. all the little kicks and twirls and love jabs you both give me daily is a constant reminder that i have been given this amazing gift...the two of you.

to be honest, at first i was so worried that i couldn't love anyone as much as the love i have for your brother, but boy was i wrong. i feel inertly protective already. i feel that momma bear fierceness for you both. i feel blessed. i feel pleasure in knowing you both are mine. i feel so full of love that i fear i might burst some days.

so while i don't get to spend as much time counting the weeks & days left or verbally sharing the milestones of your growth, i did want you to know that i am privately getting to know you both intimately and quietly and it has been an absolute pleasure. i hope you can feel that, within the roundness of my belly and in the roundness of my full full heart. i hope you both know how much joy you've already brought your new family. your dada, your mama, and your older brother. seriously so much joy.

so there you have it. being the middle and youngest [wow! so neat to be able to say that] of my children, i sincerely don't want you to think you are any less loved or important. because kids, you are   so both.

so important and so damn loved.

xx
momma

.at 33 weeks, with the treb twins.

.at thirty three weeks.

::i officially look like i have two babies in there. sure, i am a little small for twins, but i take my shirt off and - whoa!
::the babies are lying in the worst possible positioning, breach + transverse. which basically means i'll be delivering via c-section if twin a doesn't turn around for me. not ideal.

::the heartburn, people! seriously, i've been put on a prescription for it. lying down, sitting up, walking, talking, breathing...it's always present.

:the twiners are chubby little monkeys. 3 weeks ago, they weighed in at 4lbs and 4.3 lbs [70th/80th weight percentile at the time!].

::i hardly wear pants anymore. be warned if you come to my house unexpectedly.

::i am craving caffeine of any sort. probably because i'm hardly sleeping at night, however.

::we bought an extra car seat, crib mattresses, cleaned out the bookshelf in the nursery and filled it with baby trinkets and have washed all of jack's newborn clothes. hurray!

::we also bought jack a "hello, brother" gift from the twins. it's this beautiful wooden pirate fort and i think he'll love it. everything is "piiir" [aka. jack's version of pirate] right now.

::my back feels like it's about to break in half some days. it's not great.
::and twin b loves to continually grind and roll into my ribs, which is something i never felt with jack. and....not great.
::my partner and i officially opened up our online children's boutique www.shoptheskinny.ca and it is going so awesome! such a happy and exciting time for us and i can't wait to see what the future holds!

::we just celebrated my sister and new brother-in-law wed. and it was beautiful. i even stayed till closing time!

::my pantry is about to get a cleaning.
::i basically only have 1 month left to go. whoo hoo!!
::i was lucky enough to spend one rainy & stormy night with the beautiful jessica from beautiful.simple.life.photography out at the lake. she's the one who captured all these gorgeous images [it's all her! i just showed up!] of me and my twin babies and i seriously have a little cry every time i look at them. i will cherish them forever. thank you so much, jessica xx

for those of you who don't think in terms of weeks...this means i'm now about 8.5 months pregnant!