Easter Ham

Hello lovelies,

It's been a while hasn't it? Don't worry I haven't gone completely crazy from exams yet! You heard right, I'm still writing exams! My five finals are over a three week period and it's been so hard to see all the Facebook statuses throughout the weeks about going home. My last one is on the 30th and then I'm home for one day, then my family goes to Toronto for a wedding for the weekend, and then I start my new job in human resources at Hydro Ottawa (Eeeeek so excited!!!) on the following Monday. If you want to read a bit more about my decision to switch jobs/fields read on!


It'll be go go go in the next week as I pack up and leave Lennoxville for 8 MONTHS. Major sad face here, it's bittersweet but it also means I'm embarking on new adventures!!! I mean I'm going to France, like what??

If you want a little update on my past few weeks here it is:
1) We had a major flood in Lennoxville that had everyone across the nation talking about Bishop's. It didn't affect me (much) but we sure got a kick out of all the shenanigans going on in the hood.

2) I hosted Easter dinner and it was fabulous (my new favourite word after my roomies and I watched too many Sex and the City episodes).

Here are a few tips on how to host Easter dinner:

✿ Pot luck all the way!!! When everyone brings something it's so much easier for the host and cheaper! You're also more inclined to make something fancy if you know that's the only thing you're bringing. I guess my friends are all foodies because we ate like kings and queens!

✿ Buy a few nice napkins and centrepieces and it sets the tone for the whole evening! I bought these beautiful linen napkins on sale at Fabric Land and I don't regret the investment for a second.

✿ Have an activity! Maybe I say this because I am a twelve year old girl at heart, but having the egg dyeing table set up was a great thing for people to do while eating appetizers and it gives people the chance to catch up (and for me to put the finishing touches on the meal).

 

✿ Ask for help! I always forget that hosting 15 people for dinner isn't a walk in the park. Don't be afraid to enlist the help of your friends.

✿ Sit at one big table. I can't enforce this enough! We were a little skeptical about having everyone squished in, but we have a huge harvest table with a banquet so we thought why not? It's so much nicer and cozier to have everyone celebrating together instead of having a few smaller tables (à la kids table).

Here's the recipe for the ham I made, it's my gandpapa's recipe!

Grandpapa's Easter Ham

Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of beer
- 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup brown sugar or molasses
- 2 Tbsp dry mustard
- 12 cloves
- Water to cover

Instructions:
✿ Put ham in a pot with all ingredients. Add enough water to cover the ham.
✿ Simmer on low for 1 to 2 hours, don't let boil.

****** I doubled the recipe since I was using a big pot and two hams.

Father cutting the ham

Happy (belated) Easter!

Enjoy

xox

Gaby

I Choose Happy

Hello lovely people,

Get ready guys, this post is going to get a bit deep and there's going to be enough cheesiness to throw a grilled cheese party. This blog has kind of become a way of sharing what's going on in my life and I think this is a good time to talk about happiness :)

Sometimes when I'm super busy and stressed it's so easy to just think about everything that I'm doing wrong. I ask myself how can it be that last year I ran more, studied more, partied more, watched more movies, and got better grades? It baffles me sometimes but then I realize that it doesn't really matter because right now I'm the happiest I've ever been. 

My whole life I've been a rule follower. I like rules, I like being on time, I slow down at yellow lights, I do what I'm supposed to do. Really though, who cares? I think this whole exchange/studying abroad thing has really pushed me into this weird state that I'm not used to. For once, I am not basing my life plans/course of study on money, convenience, or others' expectations, and quite honestly I love it! 

The past few weeks have been really hard for me because I've had to make so many life altering decisions. Ok, maybe not life altering, but decisions that throw a loop in my plans. Last summer, I worked as a financial audit student and I had a great experience, but I wasn't honest and truly happy. It was a great job, one that hundreds of students would die for, but at the end of the day, when I looked at the director of my team, I didn't see myself doing their job in 30 years. So I decided that if I could get a job a truly enjoyed, I would take it. This sounds pretty simple but believe me, it wasn't.

There's nothing I hate more than disappointing people or disappointing myself. So when I got offered a job that got me excited and eager for the summer to start, I had a tough call to make. I had already made a commitment to my job last year, so either way I would be disappointing someone. After many hours of thinking it over, I decided to choose the less glamorous job, the one that paid a lot less, the one that didn't include paid flights to Toronto, and staying in fancy hotels with free room service. Nope, I chose the job that I wanted. I chose to be happy.

Quitting a job is like breaking up with someone. It involves long phone calls, consulting with friends and family, and many lines like "I think it would be better for both of us" and "Don't get me wrong I had an amazing time last summer". At the end of the day though, I feel as free as a bird and I cannot wait to embark on a new adventure this summer. 

Next time you are making a big decision or planning your next big step, don't think so much. There's really only one tiny huge question that needs to be answered… Will you be happy?

Lots of love.

xox

Gaby

• Did someone say Happy?
• Here's a good start. Check out habits of supremely happy people.
• Gretchen Rubin decided to test drive happiness theories in her Happiness Project.
• I bet I can check off a few items on this happiness list.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Hello lovelies,

I hope everyone hasn't lost it yet with exam season right around the corner! I know that at the end of the month I sure will be happy to be home. My goal for this exam period is to continue to eat well, because I know how easy it can be to simply reach for a frozen dinner or go get fast food when you're super busy. I also want to save room for a bit of exercise in this perfect running weather. I can go a little stir crazy if i'm cooped up in my room studying all day, so I'm going to for sure hit the trails throughout the next month.

I made a really nice lemon poppy seed muffin recipe the other day from Joy the Baker, and it was delicious! I guess I wouldn't be posting them if they tasted horrible. Anyways, they were great, and I urge you to try them as they are really spring inspired.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

2/3 cup granulated sugar

zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 cups all-purpose flour (or I used whole wheat flour and they were still tasty)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk (or mix a bit of lemon juice and reg. milk, and let sit for an alternative)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (for topping the batter before baking)

✿ Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a muffin tray with paper muffin liners (or grease the pan), place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and set aside.

✿ In a large bowl, rub the granulated sugar with the lemon zest until the sugar is lightly colored and scented with lemon.  Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs, buttermilk (see note above) vanilla extract, melted butter and lemon juice.

✿ Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together.  When almost thoroughly mixed, add the poppy seeds.  Divide batter between muffin cups.  Sprinkle each would be muffing with granulated sugar.

✿ Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Enjoy!

xox

Gaby

Spiced Apple, Banana, and Pumpkin Muffins {VEGAN}

Hello lovelies!

I have some sad news to bring to you… This will be my last blog post of the year before I go on exchange. The stress has just been too much. April Fools!!!!! Haha sorry that's a day late ;)

On a nicer note, what a beautiful day it is today here in Lennoxville! The sun is shining and overly ambitious people aren't wearing jackets. Yep, I think spring has arrived. I told ya it was right around the corner :) It was so nice to walk to class today without 75 layers on. Hopefully this isn't some cruel April Fools joke and that it doesn't go back to -28C tomorrow. This year my prank game just wasn't up to par for the big day. Well it's kind of April Fools everyday with me so that's ok! I'm always telling little fibs and making dumb jokes, constantly saying "psych!" or "just kidding". I even earned the nickname El Pranko… So I'm just happy nobody got me too good yesterday.

If you're feeling bakey (bake-ish?) you should definitely make these muffins! They combine the best ingredients and make for SUPER moist vegan muffins. Sometimes I find that vegan baking doesn't fully taste like "normal" baking but these puppies are sooooo good!! I altered the recipe a bit and ended up making 12 muffins and a small loaf with the leftovers. So you might have to use a bit of personal judgment when baking them because it was kind of an improv act.

If you have any questions about baking/making these delicious treats just comment below. I'm always checking my email and so I'll reply as soon as I can!

Spiced Apple, Banana, and Pumpkin Muffins {VEGAN}

Ingredients:

- 2 bananas, peeled and mashed

- 1 cup pumpkin puree

- 6 Tbs unsweetened of apple sauce

- 2 tsp of coconut oil, melted and cooled

- 4 Tbs of maple syrup

- 2 tsp of vanilla extract

- 2 cups wholewheat flour

- 2/3 cup brown sugar

- 2 tsp of baking soda

- 4 tsp of baking powder

- a pinch of salt

- 2 tsp of ground cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon of all spice

- 1/2 teaspoon of cloves

- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

- 4 Tablespoons of water

 

Preparation

1 – Preheat your oven to 350F and grease loaf pan and muffin tins.

2 – In a large bowl sift  flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and spices and stir to combine.

3 – In a small bowl or jug stir together mashed banana, pumpkin and apple puree along with coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup until well combined.

4 – Add banana/apple/pumpkin mix to your flour/sugar mix and stir until just combined.

5 – Gradually add in your water 1 Tablespoon at a time and stir to combine until you reach your normal banana bread/cake batter consistency.

6 – Pour batter into your prepared muffin tins and poor the leftover batter into your loaf pan. Sprinkle muffins with some oats and a little brown sugar (optional).

7 – Bake the muffins for 25 mins or until they are golden brown and the tops springs back when lightly pressed. A toothpick should have just a few crumbs attached when inserted into the centre. The loaf may need to cook a little longer (30+ minutes).

p.s. Aren't these muffin liners absolutely gorgeous?? Maggie gave them to me! Isn't she sweet :)

Enjoy!

xox

Roasted Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini

Hello lovelies,

I sure hope you aren't too upset about the never ending snow we seem to keep getting. Don't worry, just think about all the warm summer months that are right around the corner. I can't wait for the homemade lemonade, weekend trips to cottages, biking to markets, and wearing sundresses again (who am I kidding, I wear sundresses year round!!). I have an absurdly long exam period, so I'll have to be super optimistic or else I know I'll start pulling my hair out with the anticipation of waiting for weeks before I get to go home.

I have more exciting news for y'all. I'm going to spend my fall semester studying abroad in Rouen, France. I am thrilled to say the least about the whole thing! I can't wait to spend four months parading around Europe, and to make things even better, my best friend Maggie will be there with me!! I can only the imagine what we'll get up to. So if you have ANY advice about travelling in Europe or France, or studying abroad, or if you want to crash on my floor while I'm there, shoot me an email at gaby.patenaude@gmail.com. I'd LOVE to hear from you. Even if it's just to say that one time you saw this one thing in this one town, I want to know any bit of insight I can get my hands on. 

My home in the fall

I present to you a recipe that I made for dinner a little while ago. I love love love bread and cheese, which is why I could never go vegan or gluten-free. This recipe combines both, with roasted squash and green onions on top. Delicious! Paired with a nice salad, these roasted squash and goat cheese crostini are perfect for dinner, or serve them alone as an appetizer.

Roasted Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini

Ingredients

- 2 cups of seeded, peeled butternut squash, cubed

- 1 tsp olive oil

- Pinch of salt and pepper

- 1 Baguette, sliced

- 1 clove of garlic, halved

- 1/2 cup soft goat cheese

- 2 Tbsp milk

- 2 tsp lemon juice

- 2 tsp finely chopped green onions

Instructions

✿ On greased rimmed baking sheet, toss together squash, oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 425 F oven, turning once, until tender and golden, about 20 minutes. 

✿ Meanwhile, arrange baguette slices on separate rimmed baking sheet; add to oven and bake until light golden, about 5 minutes. Rub cut side of garlic over crostini. In bowl, combine goat cheese, milk and lemon juice; spread over crostini. 

✿ Top with squash. Sprinkle with chopped green onion.

Enjoy!

xox Gaby

Yogurt with Frozen Berries

Hi lovelies,

Great tip alert!! Put frozen berries in your yogurt in the morning when you pack your lunch. It keeps your yogurt cold and gives plain yogurt a sweeter taste. Thanks Maggie for this tip you shared years ago, that I've been using ever since :)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Hello lovelies,

Happy pi day!! Yes, that's right, today is March 14, 3.14, as in π. I love pies and so what better day to post one of the easiest , most delicious chocolate pies. If you are also a dedicated pie fan, then you can check out a more summery pie that I made this summer, here. It's a peach pie and although it takes a bit of effort it's a  definite crowd pleaser. 

Here are a few posts from around the web about pi(e):

• These people went all out for pi day…
• Joanna always has the best recipes, try out her apple pie.
• Joy the Baker has a great strawberry ginger gluten free pie.
• My girl Martha knows her pumpkin pie.
• Buzzfeed always gets me laughing.
• Look here for the pi day background story.

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Ingredients
- 1 pie crust recipe or store bought pie crust
- 3½ Tbsp cocoa
- 1¼ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup melted butter or margarine
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk

Instructions
✿ Preheat oven at 350F. In a food processor, mix together cocoa powder and sugar.
✿ Add all remaining ingredients and blend together. Batter will be very thin.
✿ Pick the crust several times with a fork and pour batter into crust.
✿ Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the batter sets up and there is a thin crust on top.
✿ Top with whipped cream and raspberries

**TIP: I made coconut whipped cream once when I made this pie and it was delicious!! Just put a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight, and then scoop out the hardened part and whisk it for a few minutes! You can put the whipped stuff in the freezer so that it can harden up a bit.

Happy pi day!!

xox 

Gaby