At Home with Kim Vallee

GIFT IDEAS, Gifts for the COOK | November 12, 2009

Upside-Down Herb Gardening with Sky Planters by Boskke

As a cook, it is important to have my reserve of fresh herbs. Nothing beats the taste of freshly cut herbs. I am currently looking at a simple way to keep fresh herbs indoors without using space on my floor or the counter. An extra small Sky Planter could be it. The Sky Planters remind me [...]

COOKING tools, DINING | October 12, 2009

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3 Mozzarella Slicers for a Chic Kumato Caprese Salad

I bought for the first time a package of Kumato yesterday. Called the brown tomatoes, the fruits exhibit darker green, brown up to a darker red. It is sweeter than the red tomatoes that we are accustomed. The producer of Kumato, Sunset says it has an intense aroma and surprisingly sweet, juicy flavor. The Kumato grabbed [...]

COOKBOOKS, DINING | September 6, 2009

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The Appeal of Home Canning and Preserving

Old cooking traditions are hot again. According to an article on the Globe and Mail, the younger generations enrolled in canning workshops. I feel that it is simply a continuation of the grow your own vegetable garden movement and the desire to eat better. My mother was running her own business when I was a kid [...]

HOME + GARDEN, OUTDOOR space | August 20, 2009

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The Art of One-Pot Gardening Taught by Sunset Magazine

Sunset magazine is a West Coast lifestyle magazine that I enjoyed reading every time I went to California. I love it so much that I became a subscriber a few months ago. The Sunset gardens are open to the public. The gardens are located at their headquarters in Northern California. I marked it down for [...]

HOME + GARDEN, OUTDOOR space | July 23, 2009

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Etcetera Hanging Garden by Vincent Vandenbrouck for Edition Compagnie

One cool space saving garden accessory featured on the August 2009 issue of Living etc is Etcetera Hanging Garden designed by Vincent Vandenbrouck for Edition Compagnie. It holds vertically 3 rows of 3 terracotta pots. Perfect for plants or fresh herbs. This design is a few years old. I like the concept behind Etcetera. It is [...]

HOME + GARDEN, OUTDOOR space | July 2, 2009

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Gift Ideas for Gardeners from Jason Neufeld

I told you before about Fairmont Hotels initiatives to bring back bees in our cities to spread pollination. We can also do our part. And to do that in style, Jason Neufeld produced an outstanding collection of ceramic shelters to to attract bumblebees called Bombus Shelter. The nest of bumblebees are in ground. They often [...]

GIFT IDEAS, Gifts for HIM | June 12, 2009

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Cool Dutch Design Gift Ideas for Father’s Day

The Netherlands are a country where talented and creative designers flourish in a good number. Sadly, most of their design products do not cross the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, most of the Dutch products are exported when a dedicated retailer wishes to carry them and import the goods directly from The Netherlands. This is the [...]

HOME + GARDEN, OUTDOOR space | June 8, 2009

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Liven Up my Terrace with Flowers and Cooking Herbs

Today, my husband and I went to the farmers’ market to get our flowers and cooking herbs. For me, my terrace is not ready for summer until I put plants on my garden pots. I opted for low maintenance flowers: marine blue Riviera, white Diamond Frost Eurorbia. I did not keep the tag for the [...]