Freshened Up Kitchen Shelves and A Healthy Chocolate Tart

One of the parts of un-decorating for Christmas that I anticipate most is putting back my kitchen shelves. Of course they never go back to the way they were before the red transferware is displayed. Something is always being added or taken away. But that's what makes things interesting in the kitchen.

Recently, I switched out the glass canisters and put back an older nesting set I had stored away. I'm enjoying the but of colour. I also hung this pastoral watercolour painting I had picked up over a year ago. It helped fill out the space.

My little Gold Crest tree fits perfectly in this old urn, and it doesn't feel too much like Christmas.

And since I've been spending a lot more time in the kitchen, I made a dessert to bring on New Year's Day. It seems that with the stroke of midnight, Pinterest has become an endless list of healthy recipes, all to aid in recently made resolutions.

My sister in law and I are trying to be more conscious of what we are eating, and since that meant I shouldn't be indulging in any more deserts, I decided to be proactive and make something healthier to bring. I came across this recipe for what was supposed to be a chocolate cheese cake, and while I can't really get my head around the whole cheesecake aspect, it was a surprisingly yummy chocolate mousse sort of tart.

So what's so healthy about this decadent looking tart, you ask?

It's made from avocados!

The bottom is a mixture of pecans, hazelnuts, raw cacao powder, coconut oil and maple syrup. The filling, a couple of ripe avocados, more raw cacao powder and maple syrup to sweeten it. It's not exactly as the recipe called for, but it's quite close. It turned out well anyway.

If you can get past the thought of avocados, and a definite healthier taste, it's quite good. It's definitely a decent chocolate taste, but refreshing and light, not decadent.

You can find the original recipe here.

A Few Antiques and Fall Shelves

I've been meaning for a while now to show a few antiques I've picked up and here there.

These little ironstone pieces were found at Oliver and Rust's Fall sale. The pretty little spoon rest is beside my stove, and I use the larger butter pats as saucers for pillar candles.

This collection of smaller ironstone pitchers was found out of town on Kijiji, and picked up by my lovely sister Monica, along with two matching trays. It's all the same wheat pattern. It's much creamier and more aged than a lot of my other collection, so it's displayed by itself in the dining area.

This lovely little alabaster lamp was found at an antique store in Waterford. Being in working condition, I thought it was a steal at $15. 

I also recently found this more ornate alabaster lamp on a trip to the Finger Lakes region. It was also a great find at $38. It's replaced the slightly smaller one on my night table.

A while ago, a customer came into the store and said that her sister was selling some ironstone. I was happy to find a few pieces, including this fruit bowl.

And while they aren't new, I recently pulled out my small collection of brown transferware for my kitchen shelves. I always love displaying a few collected pieces that suit the season. It's a welcomed change in the kitchen.

My other two favourite brown pieces are the platter and covered serving dish on the top shelf, both of which are quite old and well loved. I was happy to use each piece again on my thanksgiving table this year.

And while it's not an antique, I found this versatile wicker tray on the clearance shelf at Home Sense the other evening. It was only $18. I've been looking for a sturdy, square one for a while now. I have quite a few wicker things in my home; baskets, nesting chests, trays and evening our dining room chairs. They add a natural touch, as well as warmth and some texture to what is quite a lot of white and wood. It's for these same reasons that I tend to choose natural fibre rugs.

We been enjoying watching our view of the back woods change of the past weeks, as the weather gets colder and the leaves take on their beautiful Fall colours. And while many of the trees are starting to let go of their leaves and look rather bare, we know it won't be long before the view is pristine white, and each branch is covered in a delicate blanket of snow.

Autumn Shelves

Autumn... It's finally here!

Oh, how I have been waiting for this wonderful season to arrive.

In celebration, I added a few pieces of brown transferware to my kitchen shelves, as well as our first pumpkin and some quince.

What are some things you look forward to in the Fall?