My neck is always cold. Girls say that all the time. Maybe not Paula, but even she would sport a really big scarf because she's trendy like that.

This is a big one. And I made it myself. And if you're coming to the Farmhouse Retreat, you should make one with me.

Along with the Racerback Tank Top, my second optional sewing workshop being held at the retreat is an infinity scarf.

There are several tutorials online for sewing these scarves, also called figure 8 scarves or circle scarves, but besides the simplicity, there are so many other reasons for making one at the retreat: perfect for the upcoming chilly Autumn weather, and finding the perfect pair of fabrics.

I love that simple projects mean you can focus on the fabric, and with an infinity scarf, you get to choose two coordinating patterns: matching, contrasting, themed, or completely random. The choice is yours!

I've had a mustard yellow polka dot flannel sitting in my stash for a while now, I think it was going to be potential bedding for Lily's crib, but decided it would be a perfect colour for the summer/fall transition.



I found a nice large graphic print fabric from the workroom in grey and cream to balance the bright mustard yellow.

I made the scarf a little shorter than most because I wanted a closer fit to my neck. I find some scarves are more necklaces than actual scarves and I wanted to use this one to stay warm. Maybe I'll make the next one a tiny bit longer.



While at the workroom, I picked up a few more fabrics that paired with other flannel or jersey that I had at home. I don't know what I'm going to do with so many scarves, and I feel like the style is so uniquely me (whimsy-ridiculous?) that I wouldn't even know who to gift it to! Maybe I'll hold an auction for charity one day.

This is a perfect beginner project, lazy afternoon project, or just one of those really useful "I need a scarf" projects. It can be done in less than an hour, and I always like to finish it off by hand so I can relax on the couch, chat with a fellow crafter, and maybe watch an episode of The Chew on my laptop.

Giant sailboats paired with an ocean blue floral print

Big pink pom poms with a ruby red jersey

Whimsy back-to-school print paired with a navy blue knit

I'm starting to narrow down my brainstorm of delicious food options for my Farmhouse retreat. I have more ideas than I can fit into a weekend. Where to start, where to start. Breakfast?

Time to take out the waffle iron!

Have I told you the story of this waffle iron? I'm a little ashamed. And a little proud. The story involves persistence, ingenuity, loss, and trickery. It ends with a brand new Cuisinart Waffle Maker. The story is likely more boring than I think, so you can ask me about if we ever meet and struggle to make small talk.

I've since made dozens of waffles, and although they were delicious, I had never branched out from the standard recipes found in the Cuisinart booklet that came in the box.

This morning, I decided I needed something warm and comforting and did a quick search for waffle recipes. Deb, Joy, and Molly are my trio of go-to ladies whenever I need a recipe. Deb was a big advocate of yeasted waffles but that requires an overnight batter -- another time. Joy is in no short supply of unique waffle combinations: lemon ricotta, whole wheat + other amazing healthy things, brown sugar bacon, cornmeal + chives.

Molly wrote a great post on waffles and mentions the yeasted waffle as well, declaring it a capital-W Winner. But she accepts that we don't all manage to plan ahead, so her second recipe from the same post is what I decided to make this morning. Apparently a quite well known phenomenon, Waffles of Insane Greatness was her batter of choice when you wake up in the morning in desperate need of a quick and perfect waffle.

To no one's surprise, the waffles were a million times better than my previous waffles from "the booklet that came inside the box". These waffles had crispy edges and light fluffy centres, I think I will confidently throw that Cuisinart booklet away.

I topped them with Ontario blueberries and cherries and easily downed two whole waffles because they were so light, fluffly, and delicious. All while still in my pyjamas.

These are definitely on the menu for the Farmhouse retreat.

Waffle of Insane Greatness

found on foodnetwork.com

For my 4-waffle Cuisinart iron, this recipe is perfect for one batch of 4 waffles. Double or triple the recipe as desired.

¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
¾ tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.

Make a well in the middle and pour in the buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla.

Whisking the liquids first so the egg breaks down a bit, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter.

Let rest minimum of 10 minutes before pouring the batter into your waffle maker. Waffle makers vary in size, so experiment with the first batch to see how much batter best fits your machine. Some may require some cooking spray or oil to ensure the waffles don't stick to the iron.

I once asked my coworker what his favourite cake was. He told me it was pound cake. I think I may have scoffed at his answer. "Pound cake? Really. A dense, crumby, old-lady cake?"

I think I've always dismissed pound cake because I remembered it as a dry, dense cake, usually lacking in flavour.

But I went ahead and made it anyway. And then made another for my parents. And then made it again for my birthday picnic.

I've changed my mind. Pound cake is my favourite, too. I'm addicted.

Chocolate pecan pound cake

I think it's a sign of growing up. I don't need my cake to be covered in icing. I don't need it to be fluffy to be moist. I love a cake that can stand up to coffee. And I love a cake that is so simple to make, you can play around with the flavours and have it turn out perfectly every time.

Now, if only it could be healthier... I did commit to more healthful options at the Farmhouse Retreat, but this pound cake may have to sneak into the weekend feast.

Strawberry jam marbled pound cake

A new jar of jam and a crunchy crust on the loaf

Variations on a Basic Poundcake

Adapted from Molly Wizenberg's recipe

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 small loaf pans with parchment paper. I always prefer to make 2 loaves from one recipe. You can always use one larger loaf pan and bake the cake for about 15 minutes longer.

Beat the butter in an electric mixer on medium speed; add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 mins. In the meantime, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Set aside.

To the butter sugar mixture, add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low until just incorporated. Give it one final scrape with the spatula to make sure everything's well blended. (Check that bottom tricky spot on the bottom of the kitchen aid mixer.)

Fill loaf pans and bake for 50 mins or until a poked skewer comes out clean.

Variation 1) Citrus

I've tried lime (2-3), lemons (1-2), and grapefruit (1/2). Anything goes!

For a vibrant citrus flavour, grate the zest of the citrus fruit and add to the sugar butter mixture at the beginning. Add the juice of the fruit (about 1/4 cup) after the addition of eggs. Don't worry if it appears a little curdled. Continue with above directions. I usually omit the vanilla if I'm adding citrus.

Variation 2) Nuts or chocolate

When adding nuts or chocolate, add them at the end. Just before all the flour is incorporated, add about 1 cup to 1.5 cups of chocolate chips or nuts. You can also crumble nuts on top of the cake, but you might want to bake at 325 to prevent any charring of the nuts. At 325, you will likely need an extra 10 to 15 minutes of bake time. Always test with a skewer.

Variation 3) Marbled Jam

You can swirl your choice of jam into the batter after filling the loaf pans. It's up to you how much you want to mix it in. I've used homemade strawberry jam (a little runnier and less sweet) and swirled in about 1/4 cup to each loaf pan.

If you try any other variations, please share! I'm always looking for new ideas!

Check out this amazing picnic!

No, this was not my birthday picnic. This was Brandi Henderson's wedding! Brandi is the founder of The Pantry, an amazing Seattle community kitchen and cooking school.

Here's my more humble birthday picnic. I regret not taking the time to whip out the camera, back up, and take a big picture of my amazing friends who came out to celebrate with me.

My crafty friends and me, scheming about our upcoming Farmhouse Retreat!

It has always been a dream of mine to host a big picnic party, and living in Toronto, what better setting than beautiful, urban High Park?

After failing to book a picnic site last year because I only called one month in advance (yes, every single picnic area was booked for the month of July when I called in May/June) I decided to book the event in March -- a whole 4 months in advance.

That gave me 4 months to dream up my ideal picnic menu. Maybe some ideas for my farmhouse retreat in September??

It was a group of about 60 people, so I wanted to keep the food simple.

Starting with snacks, I pulled out all my favourites: cheetos, ringolos, skittles, m&ms, and your classic brown paper lunch bag to fill and bring back to your picnic blanket.

I set up a sandwich station with a variety of deli meats and delicious cheeses, homemade pickled peppers, arugula, fluffy buns. We also offered a grilling station to warm your sandwich if desired. To keep ingredients cool in the summer heat, I used double foil pans and filled the bottom pan with ice. A perfect trick that kept the meat and cheese cool for several hours.

I avoided the typical mayonnaise filled salads (despite my love for them) and opted for a healthy mexican quinoa salad. This salad deserves a post on its own, but suffice to say it was packed with flavour. Corn, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, limes: heaven.


A summer picnic event would not be complete without watermelon or corn on the cob. I read a great tip on how to cook corn on the cob for a large group and it turned out beautifully. I put my cleaned cobs of corn into a cooler (also scrubbed clean) and added a large pot of boiling water. Close the lid. The corn's ready to eat in 20 mins, and it stays ready to eat for hours.

My dessert had to be birthday cake, but something that would stand up to the heat. I didn't want to have to pull out the forks and deal with messy icing, so I settled on my favourite pound cake recipe and created three different flavours: grapefruit, strawberry jam, and chocolate vanilla.

Pound cake freezes beautifully, so when my friends asked how I had time to bake 6 pound cakes, I explained that I just did it throughout the week and froze them. The perfect cake to eat by hand.

The weather for my birthday picnic was surprisingly perfect. Little humidity, full sun, not too hot. It was probably the best Toronto weather all month.

I hope you're all enjoying your summer and making time for good food and good friends!

Following several requests (always so flattering), recipes for the pound cake and quinoa salad will be posted soon!

Photo credits to Em and Dan.

I'm getting so excited for my first retreat!

It's a crafty escape to the farmhouse, and I'm already halfway booked up! Please feel free to email me at contact@purpleworkbench.com for more info if you are interested.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak at one of the optional workshops I'll be teaching at the farmhouse.

For a few years now, I've been working on a pattern for a good racerback tank top. My first version was when I sewed a racerback tunic for my trip to Mexico. Since then, I've made at least half a dozen more, trying to improve the pattern each time.

If you're at all in tune with the sewing world, the Wiksten Tank has hit this world by storm.  It seems everyone and their cool blogging aunt is sewing up their own Wiksten Tank. It has so many similar elements to my racerback tank, I was so proud that I was on the right trend. The most obvious difference from the Wiksten Tank (besides the absence of an ever so cute breast pocket) is the actual racerback shape of the backside.

Last week, my friend Jenn came over to test the pattern out with me. We had planned this sewing date since our trip together to New York City, where we visited the uber-whimsy Purl Soho. The fabric and yarn shop had a beautiful selection of Liberty London fabrics and Jenn and I knew we had to pick out a couple patterns for the racerback tank top.

When you get two money-conscious, Asian women contemplating how much luxury fabric we can afford to walk away with, you are sure to witness some genius moves. We decided to stretch the penny and make the tank top with a Liberty patterned front, and a solid coloured back. Somehow, it was going to work. The Robert Kaufman Cambridge Lawn is a beautiful solid coloured cotton that pairs perfectly with the Liberty Tawna Lawn fabric, at a fraction the cost.

Without getting into the mathematic details, we had to do a bit of pattern modifying to make the 1/2 yard of Liberty fabric stretch into a proper tank top. But the really fantastic outcome of such frugal thinking was how much the solid fabric accentuated the floral pop of Liberty on the front of the tank top.

And thus, a creation was born. The Liberty-accent racerback tank. Liberty front, solid back.

Farmhouse crafters are welcome to make their own Liberty-accent racerback tank, or just a regular cotton tank if they choose. I'm excited to see all the finished products!