Sunday, November 25, 2012

The beginning of the festive season!

With both Canadian and US Thanksgiving behind us, I think it's safe to say the festive season is upon us!

Happy festive season to you and your family with live from ROOK!



Friday, August 31, 2012

Pause


Sorry friends for not posting for a while, it has become apparent that the end of summer is way too close; Leila and I will be taking the next few weeks to savor and enjoy these bits as well as prepare our families for the changes that happen come fall! I hope you guys are spending every last minute outside in the sun with your friends and family and we will see you soon xo.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Flank Steak


I've never made a flank steak before, but I was pretty happy with the way this one turned out. Flank is a pretty tough cut that needs to be marinated, cooked rare and thinly sliced.

I marinated mine in:

  • 1c red wine
  • 3 crushed garlic cloves
  • 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
  • shake of worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbs fresh rosemary
I left it all day and turned it once.

Then I fired up the grill and let it heat up until it was really hot. The steak only needed about 4 mins on each side. I definitely could have sliced it more thinly, but I was a happy camper.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Letter Love

Sorry about all of the inspirational posts as of late; the stairs are finishing at a snail's pace and there are too many unfinished projects for me to give you a great reveal. I can, however, leave you with some fun pictures of "letter decor inspiration"! It's been done before I know, for years I have loved this look and can not seem to tire of it...






So fun. I wish I could find an H like the third picture! I have found a few on my hunt but they have been terribly expensive.Oh well, the search is part of the fun!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Balls.


Meatballs. Yes. My kids love 'em. I know that's probably not surprising to most people, but to me it is. You see my kids are meat haters. So I was pleasantly surprised when they devoured these!


  • 1lb ground beef
  • 2 or 3 sausages - I used some Hungarian ones
  • half an onion
  • garlic
  • parsley (optional. I opted out because the green in the balls would have put off my kids)
  • wine
  • a can of San Marzano tomatoes
  • fresh basil
chop your onion really finely and crush or microplane a couple of cloves of garlic.  Plonk the beef and peel the membrane off the sausages and add the sausage meat to the bowl. Using your hands, mix this up well, adding a bit of salt and pepper. Remember that the sausage was already seasoned so go with a light hand. Add your parsley if you're using it.

Now heat a dutch oven or saucepan and add some olive oil. Roll up your balls (wet hands makes this easier) and put them in the pot. When they are browned, turn them gently, trying not to let them break up. Turn a couple more times until they are evenly browned all over. 

Take your wine and slosh in a good 1/2-1 cup, depending on your mood. use a wooden spoon to scrape those yummy browned bits up. Put your tomatoes in, crushing them with your fingers as they go into the pan (I put each one into my hand and crush it as I pour them in). Let this simmer for about 5 mins and then taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper. If you didn't use San Marzanos you'll probably want to add a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity. Roll up the basil leaves and slice finely. Mix through the sauce.

What I like to do with all my pasta sauces is to only mix half through the actual pasta and then serve the rest on top of each serving. This ensures that there is ample coverage but gives you a bit of control of the "good bits" on each plate.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Basket Case

One of my favourite things to decorate with, are these lovely objects...









So beautiful and yet so affordable anyone can use them. I think they really make the room in these photos, don't you?

Thursday, August 16, 2012

I'm Dreaming...

About built-ins lately. Of all shapes and sizes, to hold books and pretty things. Here are the pictures that are inspiring me lately;









I love the look of these, but can't even begin to imagine having enough stuff to fill and decorate them! However, they are lovely to look at, don't you think?