Gluten Free Crepes

A morning alone while my man hit the slopes for the 100th time this chilly winter season, I decided to indulge in a “sweet -tooth” themed breakfast!

Gluten Free Crepes aren’t something I had ever made but after some research on different recipes I realized, the best way to make ’em is to just wing it! Which, when it came to cooking the crepes was an EPIC FAIL for the first few!! I really didn’t anticipate how quickly you need to roll the pan to get an even spread! Practise makes perfect!

Crepe recipe

2 cups of Gluten Free Flour (you can also use rice flour)

3 eggs

2 cups of milk

1 tbs of cinnamon

1 tbs of brown sugar

Whisk together all the ingredients. I found my batter a bit clumpy and I don’t have the patience to catch and mush all those clumpies so I ran my batter through a sieve before cooking them.

WARM PAN ON MED-HIGH HEAT (USUALLY @ 8)

I used coconut oil to prep my pan between each crepe, I used a 3/4 C. measuring cup to measure my crepe sizes; which was perfect for an extra large pan. Once I got the hang of rolling the pan, and creating an even layer of batter, it only took about 3 minutes before I had to flip the crepe.  VOILA you have your crepes. Its extremely easy, its only time consuming and messy the FIRST time around!

Strawberry Coulis I MAKE THIS ALL THE TIME!!!

20 large strawberries

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup of sugar (add sugar to taste, sometimes I find it can be a bit sour with out adding a little more sugar)

crepe

Stuff, top and decorate how ever you please this time I just used; fresh strawberries, strawberry coulis and whip cream. When my man came home I made him some with score bits and chocolate sauce! These also are great frozen and then set in the toaster oven to warm!

crepes02

 

 

 

Second Chance Vanity

I’m a huge fan of vintage and antique furniture, the fine lines and small details make me weak in the knees. Don’t get me wrong I have at least 3 IKEA Lack pieces and in my home and they play an essential role in setting the tone of a room, but nothing screams character like hand-crafted goods.

Although they are considered “old”, “pre-owned” and “hand-me-downs”, these treasures don’t come cheap, even the items that need a little love and elbow grease can come at a hefty price.

A DREAM, yes I said dream, of mine was, to own a sit down vanity that I could fill with my girly treats and could sit at every morning while I smeared on my war paint. (War paint is needed for Monday’s) It was the reason it took me so long to kick off my refinishing hobby, after months of looking or the perfect piece, my man brought home an antique dresser he claimed was the perfect piece to give me a kick start at refinishing . Although it wasn’t what I wanted (I know, I know, I’m a brat), I knew he was right , I needed to be patient and wait till the perfect vanity came along. Until then I would make a hobby of bringing life back to dressers and kitchen tables and chairs.

CHRISTMAS MORNING That smart man of mine unveiled a beautiful antique vanity. A match made in heaven. And just recently, the weather finally warmed up enough to let us start on this treasure.

Although, this wasn’t our first project it was a challenge, instead of being solid wood like the rest of our project this had a thin layer of wood veneer. Before we could start the sanding process, we had to use wood glue to repair a few areas where the veneer and de-laminated from the base. I’l give you a brief list of the steps we took and then Ill tell you two of the most important things I have learnt from giving furniture a “SECOND CHANCE”.

Steps : remove handles, remove seat of bench, measure handles and fabric of seat, sand, wash, let dry, stain, realize you don’t like it, sand again, pick new stain, stain again, wait to dry, replace bench fabric, replace seat of bench, replace handles, fill the drawers with your girl treats.

LESSON # 1) Expect surprises – It’s not always going to look the way you expected, especially if you’re a rookie at this sort of thing.

LESSON # 2) Its not DONE till you say its DONE – Its’s YOURS, and its okay to START OVER if you’re not happy, the point of these sort of projects is not only; to have something beautiful in the end but also, to appreciate the work that went into it.

Here are some photo collections of our “MY VANITY” project, if you want details and product names; COMMENT and I’ll post some details.

Sanding and staining

vanity

Choosing the perfect fabric; this was really hard for me, I really liked the green geometric pattern but I wanted it in black and white. I settled for the swirls… FOR NOW.

vanity 2

Finished Product… It may have taken 3 days but I’m all smiles now!

vanity 9

Good Luck on your RE-finishing projects!

Sincerely, Berkley

Tuesdays Treasures

By working my little tush off at the office this morning it left time for some much needed on-line exploring and it occurred to me that I should share some of my life/closet, must-have or as some call them staple items.

So, here we have my favourite sunnies, bra, and polish; the ultimate start your day and end your day exfoliator, a must have maxi, my favourite scent and a minimalist card holder. I consider these staple items for multiple reasons but lets start with the Michael Kors Sicily Aviator ($99 on-line at http://www.michaelkors.com); these can be worn for almost any occasion; a summer wedding, a cali-coast road trip, or a rocky mountain hike. I wear them everywhere and the best thing about them, they suit almost any face; even that of my scruffy, lumberjack resembling,boyfriend. (I’ve caught him wearing them a few times driving!)

This lingerie CLASSIC; The Date Unlined Bra ($28.50-$30.00 on-line at http://www.victoriassecret.com/) can be both sexy and sweet. It comes in 8 different patterns and I must say with the right sizing this bad boy can make even the most itty-bitty-titties look fabulous! PLUS its almost as comfy as going commando!

When it comes to my nails, I like to keep it neutral, this shade; Allure ($8.50 on-line at www.essie.com) will match with any mood and any outfit. I don’t like to look like I’m “trying to hard” when it comes to my nails, this simple sheer polish, screams “mentally stable” it also is less likely to show my laziness when it chips ;-).

The Minimalist Maxi Dress ($17.80 on-line at http://canada.forever21.com/ ) can pair perfectly with your “anytime-sunnies”, its a low maintenance look that has a girly flare with its thigh-high slit. The best thing about a maxi is no matter what time of year, it’s almost always weather appropriate; a sunny day at the beach or a rainy day at your regular brunch spot. AND I could say “when paired with the proper tights”, “IT WORKS EVEN IN THE SNOW” but lets be serious the only thing weather appropriate for a snowy day is a onsie.

Like I said before; this next “Must- Have” is the way I like to start my day and end my day; after the first time I used the Clarisonic Mia2 ($150 online at http://www.clarisonic.com), I was hooked. My skin felt so refreshed, I compare it to the amazing feeling of clean I get after seeing  my dental hygienist. The 60 seconds of the pulsing exfoliation, are more affective than the 35 minutes I used to spend cleansing and applying face masks every 2 weeks. Now,  find it very rare that I am applying a deep pore cleansing mask, maybe a couple times a year.

MMMMMMMM its sooooo bombilicious, I love love love Flowerbomb by Viktor&Rolf  ($185 on-line at Sephora.com) , its too bad I’m not rich enough to wear it as an everyday scent. It’s a weekend scent that’s for sure but its well worth dropping a couple billllzzz for. I’ll admit I have expensive taste when it comes to some things and this is definitely one of those things. All it takes is one whiff, and you’ll fall into its spell, its like magic,  VIKTOR&ROLF I’m onto you.

Now, that I’ve admitted one of my guilty pleasures and that occasionally I like to give myself a little “luxury” (yes I consider $185 for a scent luxury) lets get back to one of my simple staples, the Flat Card Case in Saffiano Leather ( $38 on-line at http://www.coach.com). I use this as an everyday wallet, since I’ve graduated from the server lifestyle, I rarely carry cash so this card holder is perfect. I used to lug around a bulky wallet that I had to sort through once every 6 months, filled with useless business cards and expired coupons.  Not any more! PERKS: I never have to down-size when I’m hitting the town, and when the Canadian gov’t kicked the penny to the curb, I wasn’t running to the bank to cash mine in, with this baby I didn’t have room to collect them. This little guy adds some simplicity to that junk drawer I call a purse.

Hopefully, some of these every day staples and “must have” make their way into your life soon! & If you already have them, lemme know if you agree!

Sincerely, Berkley

Photo credit.

 

Blog-ginity … taken.

I knew today would be the day, I could feel it; as I sat at my desk at work and “google’d”;  worlds smartest phrases to help me take the plunge. “How to name a blog”,” how to pick a blog topic”, “100 most popular blogs”, “can a blog be a journal”, “where is the ‘how-to handbook for blogs’ “, “will someone write my blog for me”, “is ryan gosling single” (okay the one was a joke but let a girl dream). After reading about a dozen posts from a dozen top rated blogs. I needed a serious coffee break. And a nap.

THEN, just like it does every morning, when I’m hitting the snooze and contemplating IF I’ll get out of bed, that damn, ever-so-famous Nike slogan slapped me in the face once again; JUST DO IT.

SO, now that I had wasted 4 hours of quality company time reading posts about ‘geeky chic gadgets’, and ‘make up how to’s’. I had to do myself “a solid” and get my very own blog. VIOLA HERE IT IS.

So let me formally introduce myself. It’s Berkley, Berkley Mac. A little about me, well,  “I wish I was a little bit taller,I wish I was a baller”… buuuuuut I’ll settle for being exactly who I am; an ambitious, anxiety ridden, social, loving and sometimes sarcastic woman. 😉

Ill start by giving you 5 fun facts about myself (without giving you all my dirty secrets all at once and losing you before I’ve even caught yah):

1) I’m an old soul trapped in a young, wild, crazy woman’s body

2) I love to laugh, what I love even more making my friends laugh ( cheesy jokes and embarrassing myself included)

3) I make mistakes, All of the time … I cant wait to share them all with you

4) TED talks are my favourite type of talks. (besides that awkward sex talk my parents gave me at 15, that was also a favourite, watching your father squirm is always entertaining.)

5) AND MOST IMPORTANT, I am still learning… in every aspect of my life and probably will be for the rest of my life

My hope is to share some of my experiences, some of my worries, some handy tips, some tricky tricks, some of my successes and some of my failures with you. SO lets get started.