I’ve not made many chocolate cakes in my day, but I was determined to find the perfect recipe for Valentine’s Day. I looked high and low for recipes online that would yield a rich, satisfying result. When I came across this flour-less chocolate truffle cake, I knew I had found The One. I have always wanted to attempt those beautiful chocolate curls on top of a dessert and felt that this was the perfect opportunity.

We don’t usually make big plans for Valentine’s day, and this year was no exception. There’s something about the gross overuse of hearts, roses, the colour red and naked cupid babies that makes me want to vomit a little and then stay home the entire day. All week long I had been looking forward to my afternoon date in the kitchen and was not disappointed. I began by making appetizers of sundried tomato and goat cheese pesto wrapped in delicate phyllo pastry. After that, I made sweet meringue candies that melt in your mouth. I made raspberry sauce for the first time and made heavy whipping cream to go with the cake.

Chris had planned to make pork chops for dinner, so I moved right onto making dessert. I spent hours labouring over chocolate curls and ganache, eating almost as much of the Ghirardelli as I baked, sipping wine, and savouring every moment. The pork chops were, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever had. Chris cooked them on the charcoal grill with his own sweet and spicy sauce and they were incredible. I couldn’t even slow down to make sure I had enough room for dessert.

The chocolate cake was everything I had hoped for: dense, semi-sweet and oh-so-rich. I finally ended up with curls and shavings that I was happy with and almost didn’t want to disturb them. The raspberry sauce and whipped cream offered a wonderful balance to the dark chocolate.

There aren’t a lot of things in this world that completely satisfy my sweet tooth, but this cake was successful in every way. I am a flaming chocoholic and am proud to have met my match. I cut tiny pieces for the sake of presentation, but was surprised to have barely been able to finish it.

A beautiful afternoon, incredible food, chocolate cake, and an evening with my husband- the perfect Valentine’s day.

17feb10

I’ve been graciously nominated for “Favorite Handmade Crafter” for my pieces for sale in my Etsy shop. I want to thank Poppytalk for including me, and ask for your votes. I am honoured to be selected and appreciate the support of all who have voted.

Click here to vote for nataJane!

20 jan 10

I woke up to the sun rising into a clear sky and thought the forecast for snow might be a bit off. It wasn’t. Within a half hour, the sky was covered with a thick fog that brought snow. It’s been -13C most of the afternoon, but I layered up and got some photos. I couldn’t let this beautiful frost melt and disappear before I caught it. For the entire set, click here.

06 jan 09

For years, my family has carried the Dutch tradition of making oliebollen at the New Year and today I did my part. These delicious morsels are basically balls of dough fried in oil, then dipped in powdered sugar before consumed in mass amounts. Besides most of the Brak households in Holland, Canada and the US, these doughnuts are also popular in Belgium and France and are a major part of the celebration of a New Year.

I’m afraid I cannot release the secret family recipe, but I can post this photo and share another of my favorite traditions. I cannot tell you how many oliebollen I’ve managed to eat today, but I’m already looking forward to next year…

01 jan 10

I had a craving for crepes this past week and our wedding anniversary was the perfect excuse. It’s not exactly the season for strawberries, but I found some and gave them a good dose of sugar. Fruit and powdered sugar are lovely toppings and Nutella is good for a touch of chocolate inside.

Buttermilk crepes

1 1/2 c              buttermilk

3                       egg yolks

2 Tbs                 vanilla

1 1/2 c              all-purpose flour

3 Tbs                 sugar

1/2 tsp              salt

5 Tbs                 melted butter

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, egg yolks and vanilla. Add in flour, sugar, salt and melted butter and mix well.

2. Heat a crepe pan or skillet over medium heat until hot. Coat with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

30 dec 09

I’ve switched fabric vendors and am happy to introduce several new, gorgeous colours! The Coda has been getting a lot of interest as bridesmaid dresses for spring weddings. I love this fabric and it’s perfect for the stretchy versatility of this wrap dress. Ringing in the new year with beautiful new fabric options sounds good to me!

The Coda is available for sale by nataJane at Etsy.

30 dec 09

…well, it’s close.

I wrapped our first Christmas present today and put it under the tree. I love the paper, the colours, the lights, the music- we even have a beautiful blanket of snow on the ground. I think I enjoy the days leading up to Christmas about as much as the day itself.

This is officially the year for catching up with traditions! Apparently, there are a lot of Christmas classic movies that I haven’t seen? Some of my friends were a bit disturbed that I hadn’t seen Rudolf, a Charlie Brown Christmas or It’s a Wonderful World to name a few, so I’ve been getting the classics in full force. I’m in the holiday mood and I’m enjoying the old movies. And by the way- I’d love to hear your holiday classics and traditions! I’m all for supplementing.

I’ve got the popcorn, bring on the eggnog!

10 dec 09

I’ve had to wear glasses and contacts for years now, but I’ve always hated how much they cost. A few weeks ago, my glasses broke and I was ready for a new pair. I couldn’t stomach the thought of spending over $100 in a store that sells glasses, so I checked out several sites online with much more reasonable prices. Following are the links I was looking at:

Eyebuydirect

Zenni Optical

39dollar glasses

goggles4u

I ended up using goggles4u and was more than happy with the customer service and final product. I ended up spending $30 which included the frames, prescription lenses AND shipping. The arms of the frames were a bit tight behind the ears so I got them adjusted for free at Lenscrafters.

I now have the perfect pair of glasses that didn’t cost a body part.

05 dec 09

I am thankful for life, love and all that is beautiful. I am thankful for health and family. I am thankful for purpose and a clear path. More than anything, I am thankful for an incredible Father who has blessed me more than I ever deserved and loved me despite my many shortcomings.

Happy (American) Thanksgiving.

26 nov 09

Well, after a two week delay due to weather, we finally had Castleview’s second Harvest Fest and it was a terrific day. There were brand new games, a cream-pie-in-the-face-auction, incredible food and so much more fun stuff. Every thanksgiving we try to help out families in the church who may be struggling financially and at this Harvest Fest, we held a cream pie auction. We had four people willing to take a pie in the face, so we auctioned the privilege off and the proceeds went towards the care packages. Maybe some people enjoyed it a little too much? Maybe not…

We had the now-traditional egg toss, tugs-of-war and sack races along with the booth games. I had my same job of painting little faces and enjoyed it as always.

Here are a few photos of this year’s Harvest Fest:

16 nov 09