How often have I said, today’s assignment is in the oven as I write? Probably a little too often. But, here I am again. I’ve been meaning to make this tart all day, but have fallen down several rabbit holes along the way. First, there was shopping to find the perfect Rosé to go with the pickerel my parents generously shared with me (it’s a Prairie fish – properly called walleye – and one my father particularly loves, so it’s especially lovely that they passed some along to me). After that, there was weeding the garden, and a coffee on the Drive with Kevin.
Then, there was the main distraction of the day. A week or so ago, Melissa of Food Bloggers of Canada asked if any of us used bullet journals. I’d missed the phenomenon entirely and have been spending spare moments trolling Pinterest and Instagram, Boho Berry and Tiny Ray of Sunshine, in a quest to figure it all out. As it turns out, it’s not all that different from the ‘Everything’ books I used to carry around, with less angst and more concision.
I’ve fallen for the trend, more or less, and have started carrying around a Leuchtturm1917. It’s not a bad thing. I’ve never been a good fit for a traditional dayplanner – my work and creative outlets don’t fit nicely into those evenly divided spaces. I’d moved to keeping everything in my phone or in my head, which is convenient, but doesn’t have the satisfaction or brainstorming potential of analogue notebooks. So, this diversion has turned out to be a welcome one.
One of the first things I did was set up a section for blog planning. It’s been a little quiet around here, with many analogue-life upheavals and changes in the works. Things have settled down now and my capacity for writing, cooking, creating, and exploring has returned. So, my new planner is justifying its purchase quite quickly – thank goodness for positive reinforcement.
Even more positive is the return of my desire to get into the kitchen. My parents sent along some beets with the pickerel, I gathered some radishes from my garden, and picked up some mushrooms and new potatoes from the fresh markets along Commercial Drive. The vegan entrée was sage-roasted mushrooms and we shared roasted potatoes, beets, and radishes. Tomorrow, there will be corn on the cob and salad with lettuce, radishes, and cucumbers from my garden. My cooking mojo returned just in time for high summer’s bounty.
And for the next few days, there will be this delicious tart for dessert. Our markets are full of enormous, juicy BC apricots right now and the timing was perfect for this tart. David’s tart dough baked perfectly and the simple crumble topping is all that’s needed to complement the goodness of the apricots.
My mother is coming back on Monday for a visit. I’ll be hard-pressed to save some long enough to share with her.
You can read through everyone’s posts here. And consider joining this community of wonderful cooks and lovely people, as we work our way through David Lebovitz‘ My Paris Kitchen.
One Wet Foot 
I go through phases with cooking too. Sometimes I have a million ideas and can’t wait to get into the kitchen, and other times I’ll go weeks without the slightest desire to set foot in the kitchen. I find it passes eventually. That fish looks wonderful. How nice of your dad to share.
I’m always happy when it passes, especially when there is so much good food to eat right now. It was very nice of him to share – I’m going to have to make it up to him by sending something delicious home for him this week!
You always seem to catch me off-guard, Teresa. I have never heard of a Bullet Journal (I cannot handle “trends” passing right by me!!!) and had to google Leuchtturm1917 to see that I have one of my very own in my desk drawer. I think my 8×10 Day Planner which I never let out of my sight is a poor relative to a Bullet Journal. And, never knew the walleye was called a Prairie Fish in Canadian English. Whew. Learned all this in early AM with only 1`/3 of a cup of coffee in my belly. This is going to be a good day! Kevin is a lucky guy to have you with the kitchen inspiration going again. Like Rosa, that feeling comes and goes for me also. Most of all, your tart looks beautiful. That crust is perfect, perfect, perfect. Lucky for you to have fresh apricots. I think Colorado’s crop got damaged in an early frost. Happy Summer, my friend. You are an inspiration, always.
Thanks so much, Mary! I love David’s crust recipe, don’t you? It works perfectly. Happy Summer to you, too, my friend – I can tell from your blog you are making the most of it and I love all you share from your Colorado adventures.
As Mardi pointed out, I’m a little behind the times on the bullet journal trend, myself! And the walleye isn’t called a Prairie fish (we call it pickerel) – it’s just that we don’t have them here in BC. My Dad likes to bring them back when he goes fishing in Manitoba. In this case, a friend brought him 20 lbs of pickerel, knowing how much he loves it.
Your tart looks gorgeous! I didn’t realise Bullet Journaling was still a trend – I had vaguely heard about it a couple of years ago but not for ages! I love the concept!
Thanks, Mardi! I missed the trend entirely until now. It seems like there are still a lot of active aficionados, though. It’s been fun figuring it all out and having an excuse to go notebook shopping.
I, like Mary have never heard of Bullet Journaling. However, as soon as I leave my comment I will google it. Your tart looks fabulous, as does your garden fresh veggies and fish. I have heard of Walleye but have never seen or eaten it.
I planted beets for the first time this spring and I had a bunny in my garden that was quite thankful. So after I secured my garden, I replanted and they seem to be doing quite well. It will be awhile before I know for sure. I’m quite excited to pull them.
Have a great weekend, Teresa.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who missed the bullet journalling trend – we’ve got a lot of company in the comments this week! My parents’ kitchen garden, when they had the farm, attracted rabbits and deer. My brother came up with a clever fence with removable panels that thwarted them. I’ve had middling luck with beets in my urban garden. This year, with the stretch of cool weather we had in June, they’re doing much better.
I thought I was the only one that had never heard of Bullet Journaling. Naturally, I googled
immediately. Believe it or not, it still didn’t register with me. I guess I had better stick with
my daily planning, the other looks complicated. Anyway, your tart looks fabulous and I’m
happy that you enjoyed it.
You’re not alone – most of us on this comments thread are with you in that respect! The method does seem a bit complicated at first, but I’ve taken what I think will work best for me from it and used it as inspiration to get my notes and planning back onto paper!
It’s so nice to see your full and delicious dinner plate as your cooking mojo returned. Summer is such a good time for cooking with the bounty of fresh ingredients. Can’t beat sharing a good fruit tart with family. Enjoy your summer.
Thanks so much, Shirley! I hope you’re having a great summer, too. It was a wonderful meal. I’m going to have to find another source for pickerel, as I don’t think I can keep asking my poor Dad to share!
I tell you, that tart is so photogenic. Everyone’s look so gorgeous and yours is up there! I’m so glad your cooking mojo has come back for all the awesome produce and I hope that all these changes settle out and yield some awesome things for you! FYI, I’ll be in touch in a few months as I’m making a super-quick trip to Vancouver in early November and would love to meet with you, if you’re around and have the time (and are so inclined).
Thanks so much, Katie! And I’m excited that you’ll be coming to Vancouver. I should be in town then and would love to get together.
Your tart looks great. And how lucky the BC crop is a good one this year. My apricots came from just south of you in Washington.
I’d never heard of bullet journaling either, but I followed the link in your post. I’m going to try it. I use a calendar for scheduled events and appointments but tasks are in a notebook where I have trouble keeping track of the lists. Notes and ideas are on little scraps of paper on my desk! This seems like a flexible way to keep it all together in a way that might match the way I organize myself (which is loosely). I’ll let you know!
Glad you’re in the mood to be in the kitchen. This is my favorite time of year to cook — so much fresh produce from my garden, the farm and the farmers markets. I feel well nourished.
Have a great week, Teresa. Thank you for the inspiration!
Thanks, Betsy. It’s my favourite time of year to cook, too. There’s so much goodness in the garden and the fresh markets right now. I’m looking forward to hearing how bullet journalling goes for you. I’m having fun figuring out what aspects of it work for me.
Love fresh fish! I do not do bullet journaling but do have a day planner which I use for check listing various tasks that need to be accomplished at work by me or my team, or for jotting random scribbles. And glad to hear you had fresh local apricots… so delicious! Your tart looks amazing!
Thanks, Nicole – it tasted amazing, too! I think the concept of keeping everything in one place is what appeals to me the most about bullet journalling. That and concision. I do most of my creative writing on the computer these days anyway (a boon to those of us not gifted with legible handwriting), so a journal is more of a practical tool for me now than it was when I was younger.
Glad you got your cooking mojo back just in time!
Hey…strange request but I would so love it if you would change your blog header to feature some of those gorgeous blooms you have in your backyard. The current one is so ‘fall-ish’ and depressing lol. I want summer to stay forever. You can tell me to shove it if you want haha.
I usually change it seasonally, but there’s been so much happening this spring/summer, I didn’t get around to it. I’ll see if I can swing it before the header becomes appropriate again!
Teresa, your photos are just beautiful! And your tart is lovely! Enjoy the time with your mom! xxxxx
Your tart looks fabulous! And veggie harvest from your garden sounds wonderful!
That Walleye Dinner looks mouthwatering Teresa! I’d love a couple of pieces. Your tart looks delicious as well. Fun story and isn’t it wonderful you’ve so many good objectives filling up your day? Enjoy.
I like your reference of falling down a rabbit hole. It sounds like your creative juices are flowing. Looks like a yummy tart. I am enjoying cooking with the summer fruit these days too.
Wow! Love the height of your tart, the crust looks great!
That crumble topping though – yum! Summer fruit really gets me re-inspired.
I love your vegan entree- it looks very inviting. The tart looks perfect, I loved this tart (but failed at the crust)- one must watch it closely. I love journaling. One coworker laughed at me the other day because I pulled out a paper calendar- it is easier for me to reference than the computer or phone. For some reason, I can see it all better. Good luck with your notebook