a nespresso morning in modest house

today i am partnering with Nespresso to share my Nespresso morning routine in the newly lived in modest house (yay!!!!). the small town life is night & day compared to the city life i left behind this past summer. but with big changes comes new routines & new morning rituals. no more stepping outside my condo & being surrounded by the latest bakery, cafe or coffee shop that has opened up. while there are always going to be some things i miss about living in downtown toronto, i can safely say these changes are for the better. i am now able to do things i couldn't even dream of in the city, let alone the fact that i get to shoot in an actual KITCHEN. the kitchen has become not just a place to cook & bake, but my studio for all my freelance photography work as well. you are kind of getting a sneak peak in today's post with that beautiful brass cedar + moss pendant light hanging above the sink, but you will have to wait a little bit longer to see the rest of it (still working on the faucets, chandelier + reclaimed open shelving being installed).

on my weekday mornings, i start my day off by brewing a fresh cup of Nespresso in my VertuoLine Evoluo machine before pulling out the necessary props & ingredients needed for my shoot that day. the VertuoLine Evoluo machine is the perfect size as it is not bulky nor does it take up much counterspace. even as a freelance worker, i try to stick to a monday to friday schedule so my weekends are clear for justin & i. my two favourite blends of Nespresso are the newly added "solelio" & "giornio". i love the shiny & bold colours of the capsules as it adds some bright colour to my mornings & counter tops. the giornio is my go-to weekday blend for it's floral & velvety taste. it is a medium roast with toasted cereal tones that gives me all the energy i need to get through the work day, okay maybe an extra dose at lunch is needed sometimes too. on relaxed weekend mornings, i opt for the bright yellow solelio capsule. solelio is a fruity & lightly-bodied blend enriched by delicate red fruit aromas. it is perfectly balanced & light for my relaxed weekend mornings. my parents are always excited to come over & pick which nespresso capsule to brew. i have an assortment of colours & it truly feels like picking from a fancy box of chocolates every single time!

my absolute favourite thing these days is to enjoy my morning cup of coffee cozied up in a blanket out on the front porch every saturday & sunday morning with justin. we people watch & see all the friendly people of the town walk by with their big shaggy dogs or little kiddies being pulled in wagons. this is certainly something i didn't get to experience on a tiny eleventh floor condo balcony & i have never met such friendly people in my life! for now, the porch is all decked out & looking super cute for the fall with a ton of pumpkins i picked up at the pumpkin patch last week. i always go a little over board when picking up my fall decor & i can't wait to carve them next week! i am already dreaming of & collecting decorations/lights for the christmas season next too!

this post was created in partnership with Nespresso! thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love. you can find my two favourite capsules of choice here: solelio & giornio. share your Nespresso Morning  + Moments & find the Nespresso Boutiques here. 

apple pie in a jar a.k.a apple butter

i FINALLY made it to the apple orchards this season! there is the cutest place called the apple bin around the corner from my house & they have acres + acres of apple trees. i got a huge buschel to get through the season (okay, more like the week) of baking with freshly picked apples! they even sell fresh apple cider, so i treated myself to a gallon of that too. wait till you see all the apple recipes i have in store for you! drinks, pies, more pies & this apple butter. it literally taste like apple pie in a jar & you can put it on just about anything. toast, pancakes, waffles or if you are anything like me.. a giant spoon! it is very easy to make, but a bit of a lengthy process so i would even suggest doubleing the recipe & gifting mason jars full of apple butter to friends! next i am off to the pumpkin patch tomorrow to purchase WAY too many pumpkins for the porch. it is an obsession & i can't get over how whimsical the white pumpkins are, they look like they come straight out of cinderella. have a great weekend, i hope you find yourself at an apple orchard or pumpkin patch too.

p.s. look at that shiny knife rack! i have been dying to have my collection of shun knives on display & peg + awl makes the coolest magnetic rack out of reclaimed wood. i just need one more knife for that last spot! i was scared we were going to crack the backsplash installing it, but we bought a stone/granite drill bit & it worked out perfectly!

ingredients

• 4 pounds apples, peeled & chopped into cubes
• 2 cups fresh apple cider (no-sugar added)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

directions

• in a pot add the apples, cider, brown sugar & sea salt. simmer for 20 minutes until the apples have softened.
• pour mixture into a blender & add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla & lemon juice. puree until smooth.
• add mixture back to the pot & cook in the oven at 250 degrees for two to three hours. stir every half hour.
• remove from oven & let cool before placing into weck or mason jars.
• refrigerate for up to two weeks.

bacon & maple roasted chicken

can you tell what is different about today's photography?! hint: THE KITCHEN. yes! this was my first shoot in my brand new kitchen & what a better way to break it in than creating a chicken recipe from eva kosmas flores' new cookbook adventures in chicken which is released in stores TODAY! she is the amazing author & photographer behind one of my favourite food blogs adventures in cooking. everything she makes is a perfect mix of elegant & rustic. to anyone who knows me personally, they know i am obsessed with chicken. i eat it literally every single day (seriously though, every single day) so i am quite excited to have 150 recipes dedicated to my favourite food.

this roasted bacon & maple chicken stood out to me most because it has all the flavours i love. i wish you could smell how good the kitchen smelled when it was in the oven roasting. they should make a bacon maple rosemary chicken candle scent:) i used this beautiful copper & gold handled roasting pan from mauviel usa which i filled with potatoes tossed in olive oil & garlic. all those sweet drippings from the chicken made for the best flavoured potatoes. i will be sharing the recipe for these maple potatoes on my NOM channel next week too because they were that good! back to painting i go for now... i have two more rooms & the hallway left before the wallpaper gets hung! you will see more of the kitchen very very soon. xo

ingredients

for the maple marinade and chicken

• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), innards removed

for the roast chicken

• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons pure maple sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teapoons dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 strips thick cut bacon
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chicken stock (more or less depending on roasting pan)
• 10 large springs of fresh rosemary

directions

for the maple marinade and chicken

• in a large bowl whisk together the chicken stock, maple syrup, vinegar, salt & thyme.
• add the whole chicken in a large zip lock bag & coat with marinade.
• let sit in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

for the roast chicken

• preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• remove chicken from marinade bag & place in desired roasting pan.
• in a small bowl mix together the dry rub of maple sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, dried rosemary, & black pepper. spread generously over the chicken.
• in a separate small mixing bowl add the maple syrup, 3/4 teaspoon salt, diced bacon, sweet onion & olive oil. toss over the chicken & into the roasting pan.
• with the two left over strips of bacon, stuff them under the skin of the breast.
• place rosemary in the bird cavity & arrange some in the roasting pan.
• fill the roasting pan two inches high with the chicken stock.
• tent tightly with foil & bake for 1 hour.
• remove foil & cook for an additional 15-30 minutes.

for 150 more amazing chicken recipes, check out eva kosmas flores (of the blog adventures in cooking) first cookbook adventures in chicken which is released today! you can order it on amazon here.