Posts tagged ‘learning to love winter’
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Since summer I’ve been re-reading books by some of my favourite authors, including Carol Shields, Alice Munro, Patrick Lane, Sharon Butala, Isabel Huggan, Jan Zwicky and Marilynne Robinson. Now I’ve come to one of the best yet: Virginia Woolf.
I read Virginia Woolf’s books when I studied English in university, and To The Lighthouse is the one I would recommend most. It’s about the fleeting moments of happiness that spring up in our lives, experiences that may last only for a short time but linger on as memories that shape our lives and perspectives for much longer. In the case of this book, that moment is a dinner party where the main character is surrounded by family and friends. Appropriate for readers of food blogs I’d say! (more…)
Bright citrus sunshine
People in Calgary often brag about the sunshine we get here during the winter. It is cloudy, snowy and cold outside today. I try to be an upbeat soul, but sometimes I wonder what they’re on about. It is cloudy, snowy and cold here A LOT. I’ve been trying to embrace the season by spending a lot of time curled up by a warm fire with the dog, a mug of hot tea and my project of reading through all of Virginia Woolf’s novels again. This has been enjoyable, peaceful, even restorative. (more…)
Dreaming of summer
When is it coming back? Why is it so short? As much as I try to love winter, it’s summer that is real to me. Warm, healthy air streams into our lungs, embraces us, lets us be whole. Flowers grow in the garden, waiting to be cut and brought inside to make sunny kitchens even brighter. We sit outside, we eat outside, we read outside, we play outside. Clothes, shoes and houses are breezy, open and relaxed. Green, pink, orange, red, yellow and blue are all around us.
Winter has its beauty and its charms. I’m struck today and always by the silhouette of barren trees against snow and an icy blue sky; I would miss that sight if it wasn’t part of my world. But today I miss summer, I miss plants and I miss warmth.
Tomato Basil Sauce (taste of summer)
This summer I spent a whole day chopping up a 25lb box of tomatoes and cooking them into a tomato basil sauce that could be stored away for winter. Well, winter is here. No doubt about that. It’s snowy and cold here in Calgary, and it was frosty even in Vancouver, where we spent the Christmas week.
So, freshly home from our trip and with not much food in the fridge, it was time to bring out a jar of that heavenly sauce for a simple pasta meal. I added a small tin of tomato paste to it along with about 2 cups of fresh spinach, some finely chopped almonds, grated asiago and hot chili flakes and served it over brown rice pasta for a delicious, simple supper that tasted just like summer. Vegetarian and gluten free, of course.
The recipe for the sauce is below. I highly recommend devoting a day next summer to finding a big box of tomatoes and making it. It was a beautiful way to spend a day, and the experience of pulling out a jar of your own tomato sauce in winter time is about a million times better than opening up a jar of Prego. (more…)
Shortbread cookies
Shortbread cookies are a favourite in my family, and I think for everyone’s family. It’s especially true at this time of year as we celebrate the holiday season by making and indulging in all manner of yummy treats.
The recipe I use is my grandmothers’, as is the pretty china plate you see in the photo above. It’s as simple as recipes get. I’ve changed it slightly to fit with my tastes using all organic ingredients and substituting whole wheat pastry flour for the normal all-purpose flour. All-purpose gluten-free flour can also be substituted here. These are delicious with a steaming cup of tea.
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups of wholewheat pastry flour
Mix together ingredients in a mixer or by hand until they form a smooth dough. Roll into 1-inch balls and flatten with a glass or cookie press. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden in a 325F oven. Makes about 24 cookies.
