Posts filed under ‘Home’
This is what a week off work looks like
It’s over now, sadly, but it was bliss while it lasted and it confirmed what I’ve always known: I’d do very well as a retired person.
I had two full weeks off work over the holiday break. The first was spent traveling to Vancouver Island and then Calgary for time with family. The second week was all mine. Both were wonderful, but it is a rare thing to be able to stay at home in your jammies all day (all week) doing nothing.
I spent my days sipping coffee, scribbling in a notebook, reading, making soup and going for a walk with the dog in the middle of the day while everyone else was tucked away at the office. I snuggled in for another couple of hours after the alarm clock went off in the morning and the poor sop next to me went off to win some bread.
The solitude, the sleep, the slow unfolding of the day just as you want it to be (instead of having all the demands of the world tell you how it needs to be), those are beautiful things. The feeling of being instead of doing. I’ll remember it fondly.
Spring bulbs already sprouting!
It’s hard to believe, but the first shoots of snowdrops and crocuses are peeking up in gardens around the neighbourhood, including mine. This photo was taken yesterday afternoon, which you can see was lovely and sunny compared to today’s drizzle and grey. (more…)
Gnocchi with chanterelle mushroom sauce
We hosted a dinner party on New Year’s Eve and with that I decided to tackle a long held goal: to make homemade gnocchi. I consulted several recipe books for different variations on how to make the actual gnocchi pasta and landed on Mario Batali’s version, along with a sauce inspired by my affection for chanterelle mushrooms.
Bean, lentil & kale bake
This is a recipe that my mother in law made for dinner when I was over at her place for antipasto weekend last month. I believe that all food made with kale (like this recipe and this one) holds a place of unrivaled virtue. It makes me feel like a health-nut superstar when I eat it, and I am always happy to add to my kale repertoire. (more…)
Lemon scones and strawberry jam
I’ve made these scones a couple of times recently, inspired by the gorgeous jar of homemade strawberry jam my uncle in Halifax gave me this summer. I brought it back from PEI and opened it a few weeks ago, and it is so delicious, as of course I knew it would be.
Whenever I’ve had John’s strawberry jam, it before it’s always been accompanied by his perfect tea biscuits. Sadly I wasn’t clever enough to write down a proper recipe for them before I got my jam home. I made these lemon scones in an attempt to create something similar. They are a variation on a cheese biscuit recipe I’ve made for years, which has yogurt as its secret ingredient.
They’re not John’s biscuits, but they did save me from eating jam straight from the jar.
Lemon scones
Makes 8-12 scones
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter
1 cup plain yogurt
grated zest and juice of one lemon
a handful of dried cranberries, blueberries, etc
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in lemon zest and dried cranberries. Combine yogurt and lemon juice and stir with a fork to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. If the dough is too dry add in a bit more yogurt. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough gently until it’s smooth, pat it until it’s about an inch thick and cut out scones. Bake on parchment paper at 400F for 12-15 minutes. Serve with heaps of homemade jam.
