Advent 2

Tags

CANCER, Christmas, cookies, PEI, Tourtiere

So again this week has been busy with many chores and events, Will’s health, my return from a 48 hour trip to Halifax and then attending to finding the food formula for Will, that was an adventure. Several companies make this injectable formula and it is a big seller for patients. Abbott is one company and the other manufacturer is Nestlé. So the product is now sold in cartons instead of metal cans. Because of this conversion from one container to another a delay in Canada is happening and the product will be available again on 15 December. What do you do in the meantime, that is anyone’s guess. Luckily the Cancer centre was able to help us out and we can substitute for the time being to another similar product. We were caught short and the nutritionist mentioned also that with Winter storms on the Island the bridge which is the only link to the rest of Canada in Winter can close for a day or two due to very high winds. This means that you should always stock up on essentials in Winter, just in case.

The weather is still very mild, no snow in the forecast and I think that this year will be like last year, the snow will be very late probably in January. When prior to Climate Change just a few years ago, snow would arrive by early November or sometimes late October. This Winter we are having the Canada Winter Games so we will need snow and cold weather, not rain and mild weather which is likely now.

Today we made Tourtiere, which is a very old Canadian recipe from the 17th Century and extremely popular at this time of the year. Originally it was game meat from the hunt, usually from a bird called Tourte. Nowadays it is a mixture of beef, veal, pork. Everyone has a family recipe but it is a variation on a similar theme. Mine has no beer and no potato in it. If you go on YouTube look for Food Wishes with Chef John, he has an excellent recipe for Tourtiere.

I also want to make a shortbread with pistachio and orange peel. Again it is an old recipe and the New York Times has a recipe this weekend, however theirs has chocolate in it, mine does not. A good cookie does not need chocolate.

Recipe for Shortbread Orange Pistachio, Cranberry

Orange Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies have the perfect balance of butter, orange zest, cranberries, and pistachios. 

They are tender and melt in your mouth with a lovely flavor. I love that the dough can be made a few days ahead of time so you can pull out and slice enough to enjoy each day, but they also store wonderfully in an airtight container.

First remove the zest from 1-2 large Oranges. I like using a vegetable peeler and then scraping any excess white pith off the zest with a sharp knife. 

This allows a little bit larger pieces of Orange Zest than using a zester.

Chop Zest finely.

Cream together: 

• 1 cup Butter
• 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Orange Zest
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Until well combined.

Add 3/4 cup Dried Cranberries and 3/4 cup Pistachios, and mix until well combined.

Stir in 2 cups All-Purpose Flour just until combined, being careful not to over mix.

Divide cranberry shortbread dough into 2. Shape into 2 logs 2″-2 1/4″ thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour

Slice Orange Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies 1/4″ thick and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for 16-18 minutes until edges are just lightly brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet to ensure centers are well cooked and crispy.

We also made the tree today, however this year because of Will’s being unwell we have downsized the whole Xmas affair, so we went from an 8 foot tree to a 3 foot tree. The tree is also decorated with ornaments we have been collecting for 44 years and we are using cloisonné balls because of their small size instead of the usual sterling silver balls.

For Christmas dinner instead of turkey or goose, I will have Cornish hens and dessert will be the traditional plum pudding flaming. A friend of Will’s sent him one from Vancouver. Again usually he would make his own but he does not have the energy this year.

A little routine

Tags

cocktail, cookies, dashchunds, home, life, routine

I was going through my old blog on blogspot.com and came upon an entry in 2009, saying that upon my return from Albania, I travelled to Tirana 38 times in four years for work, Nicky established a routine with me, one of many he would make. Nicky like Nora is very smart and in Dachshund fashion he likes to establish routine for us to follow. He started young, we can say the same of Nora.

At this point Nicky was about 8 months old. Here is what I wrote:

The weather is much colder now, must be around 9c this evening in Rome. The puppies were happy to see me much yapping and jumping and then this evening Nicky did something he has never done before, he jumped on the sofa snuggled up against me and fell asleep next to me while I was reading. Will says he was looking for me all week. When I came in, he came really close to my face and just stared at me for the longest while as if he wanted to say something, like where have you been. 

Nicky after his first haircut at 8 months in Rome. His weight was 4.2 Kg.

So this was the first routine and now every day in the morning and in the evening Nicky comes and sits next to me, snuggles up and falls asleep. If I do not sit down he comes to get me to go sit.

Every night around 5:30pm we will have a cocktail. I make them. First I get the glasses from the cabinet, as I put them down on the marble counter, even if I do it delicately and quietly, you will suddenly hear this thundering cavalcade from the other side of the apartment some 40 feet away, sounds like brontosaurus running down the corridor. It’s Nicky and Nora, despite the fact that they might have been sleeping, hounds do a lot of sleeping, they heard the glass being put on the counter and they know, it’s cocktail time, meaning that they get a bit of ice.

A little sliver of ice for Nora and Nicky, cocktail time.

Nick will position himself next to the ice box drawer with Nora behind him. Looking at me intently, much excitement as I open the drawer and rummage for the ice. I will choose a thin small piece for him and for her, being careful when I give it to him he does not bite my fingers off in the excitement. They love the crunch of the ice. Our previous dachshund Bundnie loved ice which had melted in gin tonic or in a bloody Cesar.

This is the I am going to bed look, according to the clock it’s 10pm, Nicky goes to bed at that time, his decision not mine. Often he will be snoozing beside me on the chair and suddenly wakes up and looks at me. He is prompting me now to get up while he quickly goes to his bed and I bring him a biscuit (cookie). Same routine every night without fail. Nora on the other hand is sleeping on the sofa and she would stay there all night if we let her. However she also wants a biscuit at this time though she has no intentions of following Nicky. Both of them since they were 7 weeks old have been sleeping in their SkyKennel bought years go from KLM. They use to have an excellent service for pets and we would transit Schiphol Airport often. So we got them the SkyKennels, they have their blankets and just wrap themselves up and sleep.

Of course there are lots of other routines, about walk time, who walks first, no they do not walk together, no point in trying leads to disagreements. Who enters the house first. Meal time and the list goes on.

La Fête des Rois Mages

Tags

BULGARI, Christmas, cookies, Epiphany, gifts, sunshine, the 3 kings

Well today is the 6 January, the last day of the Christmas festivities. Again at dinner time we were listening to Radio Canada from Montreal and Monique Giroux the host of the music show had a special 1969 French Song of that year. It was a great year for French songs in Canada and in France, many hits for sure and some duds. I was 12 years old in 1969 and the Host Monique Giroux was 6 years old. It was so strange to hear all these old songs, many made me smile remembering Montreal then, we lived in Snowdon and the big street was Queen Mary Road name after the wife of King George V.

My father was the manager of the Bonaventure Hotel which was operated then be Western International, the hotel part of United Airlines, my Mom was in real estate in Westmount, then a really expensive stone mansion was $50,000. For some unexplained reason this Holiday Season I have been thinking a lot about my parents and my childhood years in Montreal. Our Prime Minister then was Pierre E. Trudeau, the father of our current PM Justin, who was not even born. It was also the year before the October Crisis which would see Martial Law impose for 6 months with the army occupying the streets. Being in Quebec, despite our young age I remember how aware we were of the political events.

This beautiful mosaic in the cathedral of San Vitale in Ravenna of the 3 kings dressed in the Gaul style with pants and the red phrygian caps bearing gifts to Jesus. 

This being the Feast of Epiphany, La Befana brought me a gift. In Italy she is the old lady who gives gifts to children on this day, there is NO Santa in the Italian tradition. BULGARI  is my favourite.

 

Will also made Peanut Butter cookies, they are very good but not the 22 dozens the recipe called for.

Home at 04:10 pm with the sun setting in the West.

A mix

Tags

Borden, cookies, dachshunds, decorations, ginger, Hand Pies, non-binary, PEI, Xmas tree

We are almost ready for Christmas, so here are some pictures of today. It is windy and -8C but no snow which is great.

The house also smell nice, baking meat pies and cretons. We are preparing our Xmas Eve Dinner menu and it looks like we will have a Lobster meat and shrimp soup to start and then Acadian Meat Pie, a salad and a special sweet.

My mom use to make Creton with veal but this version Will made is beef and pork. Wonderful with toast in the morning or anytime of day.

Nora on the left with her long rough wire coat and Nick on the right with his smoother coat. They love the sunshine.

Nick turned around because I called to him.

The 2017 Xmas Tree stands 2 meters tall.

Detail of the tree with our decorations from around the world, some are 40 yrs old

These little enamel painted balls come from China

This papier maché Xmas Frog came from a Xmas Fair in Ottawa, some 30 years ago.

Today I went food shopping at the Riverview Market which is owned by a Dutch Family and is as the name indicates facing the Hillsborough River. The Hand Pie Company from Borden was doing a special sale on their pies and though they had brought 600 pies with them from their shop in Borden, they sold out in 35 minutes. I was lucky to be able to buy the 3 last ones. Borden is not that far only 40 minutes from Charlottetown, so I could go there if I wanted to. By the Cash register this sign above Ginger Bread Men and Women appeared. I thought it was a sign of our times.