suzette roberts

// Yukon Gold Baked Potatoes

Summertime-easy cooking moments in the kitchen with the season in full swing these days right in our backyards. The Yukon Gold is a versatile go-to for simple and truly delicious baked potatoes with its slightly crisp edges and soft, buttery bite each and every time. These were ready to be enjoyed in 40 minutes, no fancy seasoning needed, and the oven did all (okay, most) of the work. Ready-made fries, you will not be missed. Round II above. And I'm thinking we may be the last ones just getting into this series. Here's to our slow-living weekend. We're here for it and letting it all hang out. ~xx

// Summer 2020's Bucket List

{mrs. jack showing us how to do summer, naturally, in our backyards :); this was taken 8 days ago, the first sunday of summer and made me smile when i opened the blinds; there she was all stretched out on her chosen branch maximizing her daily dose of D; it's become a weekend afternoon ritual as she was at it again this past sunday}

 

Good morning!, and here's to a new week with upcoming birthday holidays in the mix. I'm all for making that loosely sketched Summer Bucket List tailored close to home with all the goodness of nature to lighten our 'headspace' momentum. To be honest, we're so grateful this side that everyone is well and with no major health issues thus far, and moreso with being able to see and know firsthand on a day to day basis should anything start going haywire to alert each other and get things under control, as things do and will happen. Life 101. It's been an unprecedented six months for 2020 and one we never saw coming. How many times have we heard, or seen, or said that word: unprecedented??? It's the word for 2020 with work from home 24/7, school from home 24/7, and sheltering at home 24/7 for the most part where most of our younger children have not left home in any capacity since March...

// Butter Chicken ('Never Saw this Easy Coming) :)

It was all over the 'net' (directly and indirectly), and in and out of our larger online group conversations... "If you're not too sure, and prone to be thinking-it-out more than you should be,  — go for the chicken." Chicken was it!, and I haven't wavered since. But with flipping that switch and indulging in so. much. chicken. came the desire for a flavourful variety of said weekly chicken and my mind soon reminisced on our loved summer picnic right around this time of the year at Harbourfront (which included indulging in some Butter Chicken for lunch). That weekend, I mentioned to my sister Jan, that with most likely missing our Harbourfront get-together this year, I was tempted to make the sauce from scratch...

// Piña Colada Sherbet

Early last month, I started thinking about a frozen summer treat for our upcoming warmer weekends. We'd been hearing all sorts of wonderful thing about warmer weather and what it 'magically' could do to our current state of 'what on earth just happened in the world', and I'm hoping just as much too, that this sort of hot magic will give us the reprieve we've been desiring so — more okey dokey outdoors with our younger kids, and not just our backyards. But I do agree, and I'm sure you do too, our quiet backyards are a great start and a blessing. And because I wanted our little ones to have as much fun and refreshing celebration too, I went with a favourite non-alcoholic blend as we make a splash or two out back: 'The Classic Piña Colada', now slushed, to add some tropical beachy-ness to wherever our mood-sails take us, including right on our now green front lawns, sunscreen-slathered of course. Another weekend is on our heels and this time we get to say, "Hello Summer!", (Saturday, June 20th at 5:44 pm EDT). Here's to a little more ex-haling.

 

And a very happy Father's Day to our loving dads out there doing it and doing it, through the thicker and thinner things of it. We love you and appreciate every bit of you for always being there for us through the everydays and crazies of this world. :) ~xo

// Classroom Connections: Thinking in Colour

Two things the everyday classroom teacher would want to have in unlimited supply are paper and pencils, and make that coloured pencils for greater engagement. While we continue to shelter at home with heading into our homestretch for the 2019 - 2020 school year, here are some thinking-in-colour fun finds from around the web for little transitions throughout the school-at-home day...