Hello Blog Friends!
Here we are in the deep valley that runs between Christmas and New Year when all of us in the Northern Hemisphere hunker down and bundle in our homes wrapped in blankets while drinking mugs of cocoa- except, of course, for the maniac shoppers who raid the stores for what is now call Boxing WEEK bargains 😊!
Christmas morning Thomason and I slogged through the snow drifts and detoured off our regular route to stand in awe in front of the windows of the Pasta Casareccia restaurant where, each Christmas, they arrange an exquisite Presepio. It was a magical experience to stand there on an empty street in the early morning light with snow falling around us and to examine the details of this amazing traditional Italian village scene, which includes the Manger scene.
During the day, a couple of friends stopped by to exchange gifts but by Monday I no longer wished to be found sitting idle and so have spent a portion of every day this week reading first drafts of content for the 2023 Day Camp Program Manual, sending out the agenda for next week’s Day Camp committee meeting and dealing with various bits and pieces of office work. There has been tonnes more snow so I’ve also spent at least an hour a day on shovelling duty, although temperatures have risen over the last two days and we are cuttingly dealing with nasty cold rain.
One morning I touched up some paint on the basement walls and pillars and one afternoon finished the watercolour piece I had worked on during the sessions of the Advent study program. In anticipation of a possible quick visit with Janice, who is in Montreal for a few days with her husband Matthew and darling toddler, Maddie, I crocheted a Swedish badger named Helga, who I hope will become a “friend” for Maddie.
Wednesday Mae Anne was scheduled to join me for brunch. She has quite a long drive in from the West Island and the snow was nasty, so I was not too surprised when she was an hour late but began to get worried when, 90 minutes after her expected arrival she still had not appeared. I then called her mobile only to find she had confused the date and thought she was to come on Thursday, AGH!!!.As she was not working Wednesday, we agreed that I should head out and walk Thomason while she jumped in her car and thus we finally rendez-vous-ed for lunch. Fortunately the smoked salmon Rösti was still edible, as I had timed it for a late start, although not for an extra couple of hours of waiting! Later that afternoon I enjoyed a FaceTime visit with my former boarder, Steven, who now lives in Edmonton. It was great to chat and catch-up on all his doings.
Then on Thursday I was supposed to have another of my monthly breakfast visits with Emmanuel, who comes over after his night shift. Sadly, Wednesday evening, he messaged to say that he would be working a double shift so that visit has been postponed until January 6th. For breakfast I had planned to make a Toad-in-the-Hole and not wanting to bake a large dish just for myself, repurposed the sausages into a pot of Sausage Lentil Soup! I enjoyed that for Thursday dinner and froze a big container that will come in handy for winter lunchtime visitors!
On the knitting front I began a pair of stripy leggings that are destined as a gift for Josiah and Alicia’s baby and last evening, as I was beavering away on them, my phone pinged with a notice of the arrival of Agatha Eunice, woot! woot! So I shall be redoubling my efforts to complete this project as Thomason and I bundle together on the sofa cold dark afternoons enjoying the our Christmas tree. The tree has been such a joy that I eat all my meals in the living room so I can appreciate its beauty and fragrance throughout the 12 days of Christmas.
I’m afraid this has been a rather dull post and so will close off here with my Toad-in-the-Hole Recipe 😊.
- 6 breakfast sausages OR 2 large honey garlic sausages
- 1 scant cup flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 eggs
Sauté the sausages until browned. Transfer to a plate and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the pan drippings and sausage pieces in a rectangular dish OR leave in the frying pan if it is oven proof. Preheat oven to 400ºF. combine the flour, salt, milk, water and eggs in a large bowl and whisk vigorously until bubbles form. Immediately pour over sausages and pop into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 350º and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with gravy or chutney. Serves 2 (and can easily be doubled.)