Fireworks!

There was some sort of fireworks show this weekend in the city so I went out and shot some photos. These are all handheld, ISO 560. Thank goodness for image stabilization!

Lac La Ronge Part 3- The Furkids :)

This was the furkids' first camping trip and they had so much fun. They were dead tired at the end, Helix even needed to be carried back to the campsite after our day at the beach, LOL!

What a long tongue!


Tired little girl


Kira didn't really want to be a foot warmer...


Kira loved the whole trip


Helix only liked the shady areas


Helix loved the bird poop covered dock...


Helix stole my chair for the whole trip!

Lac La Ronge Part 2- The Lake

Lac La Ronge is a huge and beautiful lake. We had perfect weather to enjoy it too!

Lac La Ronge Part 1- Flora & Fauna

Here's the first of my posts on our camping trip to Wadin Bay at Lac la Ronge in Northern Saskatchewan! We spent 3 nights camping listening to the wind in the trees and the loons calling on the lake. It was so relaxing and the weather was perfect (except for the day we left when it was raining!). Here are some of the shots I took of the surrounding vegetation :) .

Mmm... Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

I whipped up a vanilla bean cheesecake with raspberry coulis for a family barbeque last weekend. It was fantastic and got rave reviews. It has a shortbread crust and feeds 16+ people. The raspberry coulis is so easy and very versatile. I had to snap a pic of course!

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly coat a 10 inch springform pan with spray oil. Note: You could use a 9x13 inch pan instead.
2. To make the crust: Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Spread to the edges of the pan. pierce all over with a fork, then bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Allow to cool.
3. Increase oven temperature to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 3/4 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 5 eggs and the yolks and mix thoroughly. Add cream and vanilla bean seeds and mix only enough to blend.
4. Pour filling over crust and bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Reduce temperature to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and continue to bake for one hour. Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour. Don't worry if it looks a little jiggly in the center.
5. Chill overnight. This is imperative! Top with raspberry coulis when served.

Raspberry Coulis

2 pints fresh raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice

Mix together, blend until smooth. Strain seeds using a fine sieve (you will have to push the juice and fruit through until just the seeds remain). Serve over cheesecake.

Beautiful Glass

Some of our family from BC came out to visit this past weekend and it was great to see them again! One of the boys (he's only 16!) does beautiful work with glass- beads, vases and paperweights. He sells quite a bit as jewelry (including a few pieces this weekend). His work is amazing, he really has a lot of talent. Here are a few of the pictures I took of a few pieces.

Pink Party!

We attended Dustin's cousin's going away party last night and we had a blast! I took a few pictures, but in low lighting it was really tough. Here are a few of the salvageable ones (thanks to a little post-processing).