Sarah Walker The Curated House, Author at The Curated House

Giving Thanks

Today being American Thanksgiving, I thought it appropriate to share my thoughts on gratitude. While those of you south of the border gather around the harvest table and give thanks for all that makes your lives abundant, my reflections will be quite simple. In fact, my gratitude can be summed up in two words: my family.

My amazing husband is truly my best friend and my partner in love and life. There’s nothing better than the kind of unconditional love that presses in through good and bad {and the truth is, we’ve had plenty of both}. He’s that kind of guy in spades, and I am very grateful for his love, encouragement and belief in me.

Our now nine-year-old and insanely tall, sweet boy has personality in spades and a wicked sense of humour. Life is just a bigger adventure with him in it, and his perspective continues to teach me to see the world with fresh eyes and a sense of possibility. I am a better person for being his mom.

We are all three very different personalities, really, representing a fascinating spectrum of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, pragmatism and dreaming, adventurous spirit and the need to just nest and snuggle at home and be together. I guess you could say that we are continuously finding a balance in the way we do life with each other, always learning and growing because of the way we give each other wings while being rooted and grounded in love.

If all I had was my sweet family, I would have enough. But I am blessed beyond that with amazingly supportive friends and creative collaborators who draw out the best in me {and I hope I do the same for them}. From friends who love to join me on foodie adventures in the kitchen, design excursions on the road, hands-on projects and spontaneous, creative discoveries to amazing talents like Gabriela Hansen who took these beautiful family photos for us this year, the simple truth is this: I. Am. Blessed.

As Marcel Proust said, “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” In this bountiful season of harvest, that is the garden most worthy of cultivation. So go love your people, friends. Let them know the difference they’ve made in your life. Plant seeds of hope. Harvest joy together. Give thanks by giving love, for it is the loved ones in our lives who make us who we are.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 22nd, 2012|1 Comment

Rifle Paper Co. + My Latest Confession

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to paper products. Without self-restraint, I could seriously spend an absurd amount of money on beautiful cards, journals, paper and books. Just the touch and feel of beautiful paper makes my heart sing, but add to that beautiful illustrations and it’s game over.

I am confessing this publicly because, now that I have found Rifle Paper Co., I feel I am treading on dangerous ground and am in need of your gentle accountability. Perhaps you struggle with the same addiction? If so, please repeat after me: I will not buy absolutely everything on Rifle Paper Co.‘s website. I will not buy absolutely everything on Rifle Paper Co.‘s website. Not absolutely everything…

In this season of gatherings and events, I think a sweetly wrapped box of Anna Bond‘s gorgeous notecards would make a rather delightful hostess gift. I for one would be utterly charmed to be on the receiving end of such a thoughtful thank you!

I still can’t decide which of her cards I’ll be ordering for my Christmas cards this year. There’s just too much charm to choose from, and she even has a custom option! I’d love to get your vote on which one is your favourite! Oh right, and then once again, repeat after me… I will not buy absolutely everything on the Rifle Paper Co. website. Not absolutely everything…

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 21st, 2012|0 Comments

Natural Food Colouring | Using Beets, Carrots + Pomegranates to Create Gorgeous Cupcake Icing!

Today I have the absolute delight of introducing you to my sweet and talented friend Natalie. To say that Natalie has prowess when it comes to baking and decorating confections would be a MAJOR understatement. Natalie is something of a genius with baked goods, in fact, and she recently decided to take her genius to a whole new level by experimenting with natural dies instead of food colouring to make gorgeous and inspired cupcakes. Here is Natalie’s process of experimentation and the BEAUTIFUL results!!

I have a theory that people like the idea of cupcakes more than they actually like to consume them. Sure the first bite is exciting. The second bite is enthused. By the third bite you can hear the faint sounds of sobbing dentists the world over and when you hit the cupcake home stretch the regret starts to set in. Regret tastes like a metric ton of refined sugar, shortening, and chemical food colouring.

I like my cupcakes small, interesting, and flavorful.

The trend of sky-high icing and fondant accessories has done the cupcake no favors. It’s too much! In my own form of mini rebellion, I now only make mini cupcakes. I’d rather have someone go back for seconds than abandon ship. After a delicious meal, a delightful caress of something sweet is all you need, not a glycemic index assault.

I set out to make a new icing variation without flour, eggs, shortening or food colouring. I knew there would still be sugar, but could I cut it down and still find a texture that pipes my fun dahlia petals?

I need very little encouragement to experiment with cheese. Goat cheese has such a versatile flavor and doesn’t need too much to become sweet. For the icing I used:

¾ cup of unpasteurized soft goat cheese (chilled)

1 cup of organic confectioners sugar (sifted*)

½ cup of unsalted butter (at room temperature)

* I’ve been programmed to ignore the word “sifted” until recently. Take the time to sift or strain, especially when using organic confectioners sugar. It’s made from crushed organic cane sugar and tends to clump more than refined.

I wanted my cupcake flowers to be a soft pink and so I experimented with 3 different natural stains: pomegranate, beets, and purple carrots. The pomegranate was the first one up. I sliced and squeezed and added a few teaspoons to the mixer. If you’re used to gel food colouring that stirs easily into the icing, you’ll quickly notice that the viscosity of the juice needs to be incorporated with a mixer. The colour was a soft pink and the flavor of the pomegranate was very subtle but present.

The only casualty of the day. It’s kind of ombré and I kind of like it.

Next, I sliced and boiled two beets with a small amount of water. The color was rich and beautiful and transformed my wooden spoon into a permanent reminder of this experiment. Despite the richness of the colour, the icing looked exactly the same as the pomegranate version.

The final test was the Purple Carrot Juice from the Smart Juice line. I was introduced to non-orange carrots at Sarah’s Thanksgiving dinner and was instantly enamored by the colour, texture, and general weirdness. A few teaspoons into the icing produced a rich, pink/mauve colour.

Using my favourite Wilton #81 tip, I created flowers by piping petal by petal from the center of the cupcake out (yet another reason why small is good!). Choosing a goat cheese icing for this particular piping method is a little ambitious because the cheese softens as your hand warms it up but a few minutes in the refrigerator solidifies it again. A small mint leaf tucked into the side with a toothpick gives these cupcakes a refreshing flavor.

They’re delicious, they’re cute, and they’re made without harmful dyes. The goat cheese and mint adds a flavor that won’t leave this dessert deserted.

Can anyone say baked goods genius? Thank you so very much, Natalie, for sharing your creative genius with all of us! I have designs on getting you into the kitchen with me soon to do some stellar gluten free baking, K? The world needs more of your sweet goodness.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 20th, 2012|1 Comment