Hello Blog Friends!
Here we are truly on the cusp of Advent. As you will see from the above photo gallery, it has been a busy week with every pocket of spare time devoted to “The Changing of the Decorations”!
Nearly everything has now been completed and just in time, as this afternoon, we will be enjoying Episode #2 of the Cook-Along, with chef Jessica. Episode #1 went well and everyone seemed to have a good (and slightly chaotic!) time making Turkey Tetrazzini with Chef Michelle and her daughter, Maria, as tech assistant.
This week it has been a bit challenging to juggle the Cook-Along, Advent Study Program, Carols & Cocoa, Networks, and the Junior Camp Spaghetti Supper but we have made it through to Saturday, for which I am most grateful.
Monday afternoon I enjoyed a long FaceTime “visit” with Team alumnus and dear friend, Brenda, in Halifax. It had to be a multi-tasking visit so the laptop was set up on the kitchen counter and both split pea soup and orange curd were successfully produced at my end, while laundry was folded at hers, ah the wonders modern technology .
Tuesday I deep-dived into creating the PP templates for the 4 sessions of the Alumni Advent Study Program and made some progress, interspersed with dealing with a recipe question from a Cook-Along Mum and with a glitch in the online form being used to pay for Spaghetti Supper tickets; this latter issue spilled into Wednesday and Thursday as emails and texts were exchanged, hopefully things are now back on track.
Wednesday evening Jessica came for our monthly visit and this time I had planned an Advent High Tea (hence the need for orange curd ). The table was set with some antique Limoges china and we feasted on crumpets, sausage rolls, Earl Grey Tea Scones , salmon sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, stuffed eggs, cheese and grapes and Demerara sugar shortbread, washed down with a large silver teapot of of Earl Grey Tea. I know my friend Michelle would have described the preparations as “a quiet afternoon at the Taylor’s”, suffice it to say that I was actually sponge painting wreathes on the staircase wall about fifteen minutes before Jessica arrived, but, by the time we sat down at the table, all was serene (except for a manic dog ).
As of yesterday I was able to walk the house with a small vial of Holy Water, asking a blessing over each room for “The Season of Advent & Christmas”. The photos leave something to be desired as it has been raining since Thursday but, hopefully, you get the idea!
The Bake today includes the annual making of Stöllen, as I plan to serve it to Steven, my houseguest, who is set to arrive on Tuesday. I’m also making Soft Pretzels and a batch of Ginger Cookies (Christmas is coming you know!).
To end off I’m sharing the split pea soup recipe, made earlier in the week. It was quite simple to throw together and so warming and sustaining now the weather is dark and chilly. Enjoy.
Split Pea Soup
- 1 ham bone
- 8 cups stock (I used half ham, half chicken)
- ½ lb. green split peas
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. thyme
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the ham bone, onion, garlic and carrots. Sauté for 10 minutes, until starting to brown then stir in the paprika, thyme and salt & pepper to taste. Add half the split peas and the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered for 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and take out the ham bone. Mash the soup with an immersion blender or potato masher, leaving some texture. Add the remaining spilt peas and simmer for an hour, stirring often, adding additional liquid if it becomes too thick. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread or cheese biscuits. Serves 4-6 and freezes well.