paws for hope - a message from henry

Paws for Hope from Miss Allaby on Vimeo.

come here... i love you...

You know what my one regret in life is?  That I'll never have a dog.

I don't know how I missed this last week but this stop-motion video from Dean Fleischer-Camp and SNL actress Jenny Slate is just adorable and brilliant and oddly touching.



MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

fairytale wedding

Once upon a time...

Supermodel Coco Rocha's wedding video is a dream for anyone who loves stunning fashion, chandelier crystals, spiral staircases,  European castles and twirling.   

Just unbelievably gorgeous.


Coco + James // Teaser from Americana Cinema on Vimeo.

quick butterscotch or penuche icing

I attended a picnic last weekend and had my heart set on bringing a chocolate cake with a brown sugar icing.  This recipe from Joy of Cooking captures all the melting sweetness of penuche (peh-NOO-chee) fudge.

(The cake was devoured before I got a picture. But trust me, it was delicious.)


Quick Butterscotch or Penuche Icing (JoC)

Heat, stirring in the top of a double boiler until the mixture is smooth:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup light cream or evaporated milk

Remove from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Gradually add, beating until spreadable:

•  2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or 1 teaspoon run

If the icing seems thin, set the pan in a larger pan of ice water and beat until spreadable.  If necessary, add more powdered sugar.   Add 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans if desired. 

This makes 1 1/2 cups - enough to easily cover a 9x13 slab cake.

**
If for some reason you're not using the icing right away (and really, why wouldn't you?!), you can cover the surface of the icing with plastic wrap and store it  for 3 days at room temperature and 3 weeks in the refrigerator.  Or freeze up to 6 months.  Just soften and stir or beat until smooth before using.

Enjoy!

the romantics

I predict that I will enjoy this film for the following reasons:
* the interiors (wallpaper, antiques, trophy rooms!)
* the exteriors (cedar-shingled grey beachiness!)
* the cars (panelled station wagon!)
* the clothes (sweaters, silk and stripes!)
* the girls (Candice Bergen, Anna Paquin, Dianna Agron)
* the boys (Adam Brody, Elijah Wood, Josh Duhamel)
* it's an ensemble piece that gathers old friends together for a big event in the tradition of The Big Chill or St. Elmo's Fire
* a vulnerable Katie Holmes gazing pensively at an ocean pining for lost love (it's Capeside redux!) almost makes you forget that whole TomKat thing ever happened...

emma

There are so many reasons to love Emma Thompson: 

Her career has been dominated by literary adaptations and period pieces; the kind I love to curl up with on a Saturday afternoon.

She has two Oscars (and is the only person ever to win for both acting and screen-writing), two Golden Globes and an Emmy along with a slew of other awards and nominations.

Her college boyfriend at Cambridge was Hugh Laurie. Thirty years later they're still chums.

She had her first child at age 40.

She's funny: "In one scene I get to stand at the top of the stairs waving an empty sherry bottle which is, of course, a typical scene from my daily life, so isn't much of a stretch."

According to her latest co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal: "She's cooked me roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, while acting and writing and producing a huge, multimillion-dollar studio movie."

AND this weekend at the ceremony for her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she posed outside the "Pig-n-Whistle" with a pint and a pig and still manages to look classier than your average celebrity.

miramichi wedding: sunday!!!

"What is that?" "That is breakfast."

this is breakfast.

big thanks to justin at gloss hair lounge and emily from made you blush for getting 8 girls out the door on time!

the boys arrive

the usherettes

patient boys

the bride and the groom

and away we go!!

no turning back now...

the end of a beautiful day.

miramichi wedding: saturday

the clan gathers at 3 elm

the front yard

the back door

bagpipes? check. marriage license? check.

aaron speaks for long-suffering grooms everywhere.

saturday afternoon at o'donaghue's

the wedding party takes a breather

rehearsal party on the beautiful miramichi

soon to be mr. & mrs.

miramichi wedding: friday

a moment of reflection for the bride - mentally checking off the to-do list at O'Donaghues

organizing the place cards

1:30 a.m. - finally done!

it never entered my mind

70 years ago tonight the Rodgers and Hart musical "Higher and Higher" re-opened for a three-week return engagement at Broadway's Shubert Theatre (it had closed after only 84 performances in the spring of 1940).  The musical has been more or less forgetten now but it made one lasting contribution: "It Never Entered My Mind."  This haunting 1956 version is one of my all-time favourite Miles Davis recordings...

down the lazy river

Monday was a holiday and the pup and I took our new-to-us car for a drive down river to the little village of Gagetown.  Would you just look at those blues and greens?

.

I remember stopping at the inn above for lunches on my way to summer camp many years ago... It's closed and there's a for sale sign out front now.   Dangerous for someone who secretly fears she will go all Lorelei Gilmore and buy an inn in an impossibly quaint town... Ah well, a girl can dream!

pink and coral

I love pinks, orange and corals together so when I saw these flowers at our local farmers' market, I knew I'd found the colour scheme for the garden party I hosted for my mom's and my shared birthday.

ready for guests

sweet candy, sweet colours

pink bubbly

two of my faves

dusky croquet

Strawberry-Rose Punch

My mom and dad bring the best birthday presents.  The sangria jug comes from Urban Almanac and the vintage metal bird tray was found at Le Pink Chandelier on Etsy .

Champagne and strawberries are a classic pairing and I added the rose water to this recipe to give it a subtle floral note. Rose water is available at many specialty food stores. (Here in Fredericton you can find it in the Middle Eastern food section at Scoop & Save.)

Makes 2.5 litres of punch.

2 ½ cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
Two   750ml bottles rosé wine
One    6oz can of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
One    750ml bottle champagne or other sparkling wine
¼ - ½ cup of rose water to taste

Combine strawberries and one bottle of rosé in glass pitcher or bowl. Cover and let stand for at least one hour. Add second bottle of rosé, lemonade concentrate and rose water. Just before serving stir with ice and top with chilled champagne. Enjoy immediately!