Hello Blog Friends!
Here we are at the last post of 2023. Of course, regular readers know that I won’t be wishing you a Happy New Year at this time since, if following the Liturgical Calendar, we are already a month into a New Year, which began on Advent Sunday, December 3rd😊.
It has been a quiet week as many friends have travelled out of province over the Christmas Season or are simply hunkering down at home after the rush of pre-Christmas preparations.
Christmas Day I had a lovely visit with Jillian and baby Amelia while Jillian’s husband, Victor nobly did dog-walking duty. We enjoyed some tea and cookies and, when Victor returned, he also joined us for a snack.
Although the office has been closed this week, there have been bits and pieces of work to look after, like the follow-up email for the Advent Study Program, which I sent out on Tuesday. Except for Christmas Day itself, when I only went online to watch the Eucharist and Evensong from Canterbury Cathedral, I have checked the email most other mornings to keep things ticking along.
Tuesday afternoon I was blessed by a visit from Pippa who, along with being the mother of one of my Godsons, is also a former CTM secretary, DC committee member, Team Member and Leader and currently co-Director of CTM’s Junior Youth Camp. I have known her since her parents first brought her, as a toddler, to Canada in the summer of 1981 when they had come from the UK to be part of the Day Camp Teams in the early years of the program. The family subsequently emigrated to Québec and are all close friends of mine. Pippa came to exchange gifts and withstood Thomason’s incessant barking to stay for some coffee and cookies 😊.
There haven’t been any other in-person visits however, yesterday, my former boarder, Steven (who is currently studying medicine in Alberta), connected with me for a FaceTime “visit” and today I am about to welcome my three Godsons and their Mum who are driving down from Ottawa to join me for lunch. The table is set and the soup is heating on the stove but, as wrangling 3 boys into the car always takes their Mum quite a while to organise, I am expecting them to be late, which is usually the case 😊.
Next week I shall need to begin the challenge of “Changing the Decorations”. This is always a big job but as I am still hampered by my wonky knee and ankle I’m not looking forward to facing the task. Pippa has kindly offered to drop by one day with her eldest son to carry heavy bins of china and Christmas ornaments to the storage rooms on the basement and that will be a big help but there will still be a huge amount to do since the Advent/Christmas decorations are more elaborate than those for other seasons. Stay tuned for my next post to see what happens 😊.
So, as previously mentioned, I am now anxiously awaiting the arrival of my visitors and had better close off with this week’s recipe, the last in my Christmas Recipes series 😊.
A few years ago I came across this recipe for Cheeseburger Pizza. It makes a yummy cold weather treat and even looks “Christmassy” with its green and red garnish. Enjoy!
Cheeseburger Pizza
- 8oz. ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 1 tsp.sesame seeds
- dough for 1 pizza crust (recipe below)
- 2 tsps. ketchup
- 2 tsps. mustard
- 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 large dill pickle, thinly sliced
- 1 small Coss lettuce, shredded
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
In a large cast iron skillet, brown the beef with the onion and salt and pepper. Transfer the meat to a bowl and press the pizza crust evenly into the skillet, covering the bottom. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated 450ºF oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread with the sauce mixture, the cooked beef, pickle slices and finally the grated cheese. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pizza and slide it onto a serving plate. Top with the shredded lettuce and diced tomato. Serve immediately. Serves 2-3.
To make your own pizza dough:-
In the bowl of a food processor, combine 4 cups flour, 1 tsp. salt and 4 Tbsps. olive oil. Pulse to mix. Dissolve 1 tsp. yeast in 1 1/2 cups warm water. With the motor running, pour the yeast mixture into the processor and run until the dough forms a ball. Transfer to a greased bowl and allow to rise for 1 hour. Divide dough in half and freeze 1 half for future use (thaw dough for 2 hours before shaping). Makes 2 pizza crusts.