Saturday Simple Supper for Six...and a Slow Soothing Sunday.

Today is Sunday and I am taking a bit of a break from "The Ugly Truth Series"
(the posts showing the radical transformation of Our Humble Bungalow.)

I posted this picture of succulents from The Deep Cove Chalet Garden on Instagram last week.

I absolutely love that succulents are drought tolerant.

 Are available in wide variety of shapes, colours and forms which add impact and interest to any space.

A walk about in Victoria's Chinatown would not be complete without a stroll through Fan Tan Alley...

or Fan Tan Gallery!

This shop is on my list of favourites...

full of 

lovely linens, soaps, pillows and things for the house.

Glorious colourful fruits and vegetables are out in front of the shops...

garden market style.

We hosted a dinner party this weekend for friends who have recently returned from various trips.

Morocco, France and Spain.

We served bubbly, red wine and lemon infused water.

Mr. HB put the fairy lights on...they stay up all year now, as was the tradition in his family.

His father would plug them in for family dinners and special occasions.

I went to the florist and brought home some white African Violets.

They are a humble, but very reliable plant, and they are not too expensive.

I splurged on a new Sophie Conran Portmeirion bowl.

This was labelled "The statement bowl."

I used it for our salad....but I can see it used as a pasta bowl as well.

On the menu...

Prosecco

Cambozola stuffed Grilled Figs wrapped in prosciutto 

(White Water Cooks At Home recipe prepared by one of our guests.)

I made a simple spinach and arugula salad with toasted pine nuts.

Tossed with a basic balsamic vinaigrette dressing and topped with a shaving of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Whisk together 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

6 tablespoons good quality Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Makes enough dressing for a large salad.

You can halve the recipe for a smaller salad.

Home made Foccacia Bread served with oil and balsamic dip.

Spicy Italian Sausage Lasagna 

Saute 1 large diced onion, several cloves of peeled garlic in a small amount of oil until soft.

Add 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.

Remove from the casing and add in 1-2 pounds of Hot Italian sausage meat.

Add in a large can of San Marzano tomatoes and a can of tomato paste (or your favourite tomato sauce.)

 Season with Italian spices and red pepper flakes...to taste.

 We like ours quite spicy!

Simmer for about 45 minutes and then layer fresh sheets of lasagna noodles and sauce with a layer of arugula and cottage cheese in the middle layer and top with another layer of noodle and sauce.

Top with grated mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour until bubbly and hot.

Remove foil and cook for another few minutes so chees topping melts and remove from oven.

Rest it for 10 minutes before cutting into serving portions.

We walked up a couple of blocks to our friend's home after dinner

where we watched a fabulous slide show of Morocco, France and Spain.

 We savoured a delicious pumpkin chiffon pie with tea and coffee before walking home.

This morning we got up bright and early after a late night...

and took the family out for Sunday brunch.

 When we started out the sun was shining over the Inner Harbour.

The sea was calm...

the grass green and the boats tied up snugly to the docks.

then the clouds moved in...

Torrential rain followed...

the wind whipped the sea and soon we have a stormy Sunday. 

I've been tidying up the blog roll as I realized that so many of the blogs I had linked to were no longer active.

It seems like there is a large wave of bloggers who are retiring...

many have opted to post on Instagram instead.

I see the appeal as it is quick and easy.

The Humble Bungalow Blog has been active since November of 2009 and the anniversary is coming up.

(I think I will host a giveaway in celebration of this event.)

The sun has just made another appearance and I plan to have a lazy afternoon sipping tea and catching up on my laundry and blog reading.

Be Well and Be Kind until next time...

Hostess

The Ugly Truth ~ The Humble Bungalow Living room before and after

Renovation and restoration of our Humble Bungalow have kept Mr. HB and I busy for the better part of our "spare time" over the past 30 years...
The living room was a disaster when we moved in...
there was a big black stain on the carpet and the neighbours told us that a renter had changed the oil of his Harley Davidson in the living room....
maybe that's why renters often have a bad reputation!

We had wall to wall carpet installed in place of the stained carpet and knew this would be a temporary measure.

The front porch previously had been opened up and made a part of the living room.

Bungalows typically have porches so this was an unfortunate "muddle."

We made the best use of the space and then one year when we were on the train coming back from Palm Springs  visiting Mr. HB's parents' on their snowbird expedition we decided that we wanted to put the porch back 

despite the fact that it would make our living room tiny.

Before...

Fir wainscoting

Here you can see just how much space we are losing in order to restore the front porch

approximately 6 X 12 feet.

This wood window was made by Vintage Wood works 

you'll have to trust me when I say that it was an "investment" piece.

(Several thousand dollars and we got a deal!)

The wall backing onto the newly restored front porch....looking good!

These photos are old and we have had the Morris chairs reupholstered.

The wall to wall carpet is gone and has been replaced by area rugs.

We have a few more bits and bobs in the room now and you'll see when I post the next few images.

We are so comfortable sitting in our Humble Bungalow living room...

it is a great place to entertain.

Mr. HB did most of the work...

 I did do some of the painting, even though Mr. HB says that I am not "a very good painter!"

Good help is hard to find but the price was right!

(scary 80's hair)

More Ugly Truths to come...stay tuned.

Cozy days...cashmere and cooking.

Fall is settling in with cooler days and foggy mornings...
the trees are shedding their leaves and we have put the furnace on to chase the damp away.

The change in weather means putting on cashmere sweaters and socks.
Love the cozy feel of cashmere as it keeps me warm.
I have several cashmere sweaters...
a vintage Johnson's of Elgin pullover in black, a navy V neck cardigan from Lands' End, and a long grey V neck cardigan from Lord and Taylor.

After I have done most of the domestics I like to retire to the comfort of the Morris chair in the living room put my feet up and cocoon with a good book and a hot cup of tea.
The cats usually follow me in and find a chair to curl up onto for a nap...and often it's on my lap.

Warm beverages, soups, stews, and roasts are such a happy marriage with the cooler weather.
In the kitchen, apron on, stirring a broth or baking is so soothing...
savouring the scents as they waft about our Humble Bungalow kitchen.

Pepper likes to keep me company and is stretched out on the bench seat by the arts and crafts trestle table.

It's so convenient having utensils close to the stove.

McCoy jardinere in basket weave pattern holds an amazing amount of spoons and spatulas.

The yellow silicone duck is actually a spoon holder...

it sits on the rim of pots with the spoon wedged in the middle.

I have two of these matte white planters and I use the other one for the stainless utensils.

They figure prominently in our kitchen as they sit on the granite counter top right by the stove.

The new "Whitewater Cooks" book has been published and I could not resist buying a copy.

Inspired

 I rolled up my sleeves, put on my apron and got busy.

Olive oil Orange Cake

Why stop now?

The kitchen is already a mess so I made some healthy muffins...

I found the recipe on the package of Roger's Ancient Grains Porridge Oats.

Martha Stewart uses an ice cream scoop to portion out muffin batter.

I have adopted her idea and it's quick and easy.

Packed with fibre and goodness these make a great breakfast with a bowl of fruit.

I'm halfway through this delightful book.

It's a bit far fetched but is a lovely escape ~ pure entertainment.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Keep cozy.

XO

(The"Ugly Truth" kitchen renovation post has been popular...stay tuned as a few more are on the way)

The Ugly Truth ~ before and after our kitchen restoration...

Several readers commented on our kitchen and Mr. HB suggested that I show you what our kitchen was like before we did the renovations...it was UGLY!
See for yourselves what we lived in before we did the restoration.
It took many years, lots of money, and hard work AND it required IMMENSE patience on my part...

I cannot believe we once lived in this kitchen...and what was with all the baskets?

Believe it or not I was able to serve meals to our growing family

host Christmas dinner

and we continued to entertain hosting many dinner parties!

The kitchen changes one wall at a time over a period of several years.

Starts to take shape...

Can you guess what I got for Christmas in 1998?

The Humble Bungalow Kitchen today.

The mission arts and crafts table is where I sit and write my blog.

I see that Chester snuck into the picture.

Mr. HB did these renovations on weekends and evenings over several years.

He could not take time off from his busy practice so he worked weekends and evenings.

He's a very talented fellow and has a keen eye for design and detail...

perhaps that is why his chosen profession is architecture.

Restoring our bungalow has been a labour of love...

Our Humble Bungalow is a designated home on the Victoria Heritage List which protects it from demolition.

I hope you've enjoyed this post.

Hostess