Egg in a hole

Did you ever have an egg in a hole for breakfast when you were young? My dad used to make them and I remember being delighted and fascinated by the process by which they were made. The best part though was the hole of bread that we got to sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

In a way, this quilt reminds me of an egg in a hole. The design of the quilt was actually inspired by a picture of a room I saw recently. The room was painted grey with 3 pictures framed in white hung on the wall. That was it. It was quite striking. I decided that I would try and create a similar look. I am pleased with how it turned out.

This may be my last complete project in Montreal. My machine is not top notch and I do not have my free motion quilting foot with me. I want to sew up the rest of the fabric that I have here, but I think that is as far as I will get. Besides, the weather is getting nicer and I always seem to slow down production in the summer. There is too much to enjoy outside.

Cabane a sucre

Last weekend we went out to St-Eustache, QC with friends to a Cabane a Sucre. Before going, I pictured us driving into the hills and through a forest of maple trees arriving at a little cabin in the woods. Unfortunately, this was not the scene that we drove up to. Despite being slightly disappointed, I was excited to experience a true Quebecois tradition. To my surprise there were maple trees on the property and we saw how they are tapped today with a network of tubes connecting the trees to a reservoir down hill. 

The menu: part one of the meal included pea soup, cabbage salad, bread, and cretons (some sort of pate).

The main course included an omelette, ham, sausage, potatoes, brown beans, and oreilles de crisse (fried pork rinds). This is all smothered in maple syrup. Dessert was a choice of pancakes with ice cream, pudding chomeur (like bread pudding), tarte au sucre (maple sugar pie), or eggs cooked in maple syrup. The last choice defines you as a true Quebecer. I had one nibble. It was ok, but more than one bite might have been upsetting to my stomach. I had the tarte au sucre with ice cream and it was delicious. To round off the whole experience, we ate maple taffy cooled on snow. Sweet, but satisfying!

Overall, I enjoyed the experience, all the same I am not sure that it is a tradition that I would embrace. C'est la vie. We'll see how I feel about it this time next year.

Printemps

La grande magasin Printemps Paris

Paris. Printemps. Papillons. Ma niece.

These are the images that come to mind when I think of Spring.

When it came time to make a quilt for my niece, I decided to use the pattern "Turning Twenty". I used both vintage fabrics and new fabrics to create this quilt that reflects my niece's wonderfully vivid and creative imagination.

My niece is learning French in school right now. Last year she put in a request to go to Paris with Auntie and Uncle the next time we go. Someday, I would love to honor that request.

"I love Paris in the Spring time."

Maple Syrup

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Maple Scones

The Quebecois are passionate about maple syrup. I saw a public service announcement that suggests that maple syrup can be used as a substitute  for any sugar in a recipe. Maple syrup may be the only grocery item that is cheaper in Montreal than in Saskatoon. Anyway, in an attempt to embrace Quebec life, I bought a cookbook (en français) that uses maple syrup in every recipe. I have not been disappointed with any recipe yet. Maple scones, maple walnut pie, ribs marinated in syrup, maple glazed veggies, pork tourtiere. Très délicieux. I am going to attempt making all of the recipes before I leave Quebec. You can be sure that I will be cooking my favorites for friends and family back home.

Maple Tea Latte

Maple syrup use in Quebec reminds me of Bubba talking about shrimp in the movie Forrest Gump. "Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it." I think you can make an equally impressive list of maple syrup products: maple syrup and beans, maple syrup and eggs, maple syrup on snow, maple cheddar cheese, maple syrup candies, maple cookies...Last Thursday Daryl & I walked down to Vieux Port and stopped at a cafe. Of course they had, and I had to order, the maple latte tea. It was the perfect way to end a tough day at work in Quebec.

Cabane a sucre cupcake

We walked past a store the other day called Petits Gâteaux. They created a cupcake called cabane à sucre. If you don't know what a cabane à sucre is, I will fill you in next week. We are going to one with some friends here. It's a Quebec tradition during maple tree tapping season.

 I am only starting to tap into my inner maple syrup love.