an updated version of the harvest cake, apple goodness

With all the apples we have been getting from the orchard, I have been baking a lot of harvest cakes. The kids are eating them like crazy, the cakes barely last a day! So I started making double batches in the hope I would be able to have some, coming back home after a long day at work...

Well when I changed the pan, it felt not quite right. So I changed the recipe with less butter and apple cider instead of milk. I think I like it even more than the original recipe!

Ingredients 4 eggs 200g of sugar (7 oz) 200g of flour (7 0z) 2 teaspoon of baking powder cinnamon 1 stick of melted butter (salt) 3 Tablespoon of apple cider 3 large apples, thinly sliced. Mix everything together in order, one at a time! Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes, until golden-brown.

Eat warm or cool, depending on your preferences, or if you want to make sure there is cake, warm is definitively better!

It is a disappearing cake, I see more baking in my future...
Happy baking!

Baking corner {One Room Challenge} week one

One Room Challenge? Yes, here we go again! This time I am working indoor and on a small scale, unlike my Spring ORC where I worked on my outdoor dining area, it turned out great and we are still enjoying it! This fall I would like to set up a baking corner in the kitchen,  I love baking as you can see in my French patisserie classes! A few years ago, I did a little improvement, where it went from this to this:

which at the time was great, but then I worked super hard on updating the cabinets: making them taller and painting them white.

We completed the look by adding a marble back splash after losing our microwave (all of this happened slowly, over many months, even many years, far away from the concept of ORC!)

But that corner stayed the same, and now it is time for change. And with the schedule of the ORC, it will/should be ready before Thanksgiving! Nobody needs a messy kitchen at that time of the year... Here is the results of this Spring One Room Challenge:
more details here.

a fox fall pillow

 Since I am over my jet lag from my short visit to Brittany, I am ready to tackle fall here. It is noticeably cooler now and the leaves are collecting everywhere through the yards...time to change the decor in the house! And what better way than through a new pillow? and not any pillow, but a handmade fox pillow!

I found the pattern on the September issue of Bustle and Sew, the same one that inspired me for the apple tote bag.

Super cute!

The fox is a mix of felt and boiled wool (from a old favorite jacket),

and the leaves are raw edge applique from various material:

tweed (like the rest of the pillow), linen, velvet, quilting cotton...

I installed a zipper in the back, it does not take much longer than just overlapping the fabric,

I did it in a similar way than this tutorial from S.O.T.A.K handmade ,

my zipper is just shorter, so it adds a few steps.

I like the clean finishes on the back,

even if the front is all raw edges!

There are also 2 little acorns embroidered in the lower corner, perfect detail with the oak leaves.
But now it is time to relax on the couch with a nice cup of chai and a piece of harvest cake. The rain is forcing us to slow down....reading time!

Happy sewing!

a late summer trip to Brittany with a new beach bag

 Last week, I spent a few days back home in Brittany (18 h trip each way!) to enjoy some family time by myself which has not happened in 18 years, Mon Cheri found me a super discount ticket that I could not pass....  No trip is complete unless we go to the beach, St Malo more exactly. This is not the kind of beach where you look for the shade or the sand burns your feet, it is the kind of beach where you prepare yourself for the wind and cold toes, the Chanel is never warm!

Well, it was quite pleasant and being the equinox (fall season change),

we had a very low tide that afternoon,

perfect for walking along the sea.

I finished my beach bag just on time to try it that day.

It is ideal size for a small towel and a snack.

Fort National is on that beach, only accessible at low tide.

I previously mentioned this embroidery I was working on over the summer.

The pattern is from "Les Brodeuses Parisiennes",

a very sweet, vintage, and French embroidery company.

Isn't it so cute?

I paired it with some Tim Holtz fabric (elements, I think),

it reminded me of notebook paper.

The construction of the bag is inspired by this tutorial by s.o.t.a.k handmade .

I added the side tags so it can be a simple backpack.

It is lined with a flag fabric,

perfect with the theme and colors.

Now, if you know St Malo, you know it is known for its corsaires

(pirates working for the king of France),

its resistance to the English invasion,

and its emerald sea.

Cannon shot, just because it makes me smile!

 really low tide, with easy walk to the Grand Be.

Happy sewing!

apple bag for the market

It is still not fall here,

but it is definitively apple season!

Every week end, we drive to the local orchard to get some fresh apples.

It sounds obvious....

they are so fresh and tasty (and cheaper) than the grocery store ones!

So of course, I had to sew a bag just for this activity....

Not really, it totally works for other events, like the farmer's market or a small run at the grocery store.
The pattern for this bag is from Bustle and Sew, from the September magazine. If you have seen my Instagram feed,  you know that more projects from Bustle and Sew are coming, I am having such a great time sewing with these patterns!
I used dropcloth for the outside,  and many different prints for the apples and pears: flannel, linen, cotton...
For the lining, I used some raven laminate fabric from Michael Miller, making safe to carry food without staining the bag. The laminate is soft and quite easy to sew.

The apples and pears are raw edge appliqued, super easy, and stitched in place free motion style. The cores are hand embroidered, I did not totally follow the directions and alternated between satin stitch and lazy daisy stitch.

I love how it turned out, I will be the most fashionable apple buyer at the orchard this weekend!
Happy sewing!

almost fall cider donuts

It feels like it is totally fall in Blogland, and while we are far from being cool, I could not resist making some early fall cider donuts. Our local orchard has already a lot of apples, especially my favorite, Honey Crisp, so we also picked up some fresh cider, and made some baked donuts.

I followed this recipe from Jenny Steffens Hobick. It was easy and tasty, it made about 30 donuts, and it might have been the main source of food from some children, teenagers can eat!

From my experience, it is best to reduce the cider from 1 1/2 cup to 1/2 cup and let it totally cool down before making the dough, I was impatient, and there is a difference in consistency between the first batch and the later batches, so yeah, patience is important!
I will be making them again, if we can keep this cooler weather!