» Ginger

I might have left you with the impression that I go all crazy for Valentines. I don’t, really. I mean, there is no one day that seems like it should hold all goodwill and affection for friends and family. But, because we’re friends, I thought I’d share a pretty little treat with you.

A week or so ago, I had the chance to go to Orchidaceae, an orchid grower/greenhouse right here at home. The greenhouse is beautiful – there is something magical about coming in from the grey and chill, only to find a room full of richest green. And flowers everywhere! Sadly, I can’t tell you the names of what all I saw, but it was all lovely. And better still, I brought a few home to brighten up the house. Special thanks to Joan for showing me all of the blooming lovelies.

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Happy Valentines, friends. I hope your day is lovely.

Just in case you are planning to have a sweet little brunch this weekend, or need some jam to brighten up your morning toast, I think I’ve got what you are looking for.

Whether you went on a blood orange buying binge and haven’t made the marmalade yet or just couldn’t resist the juicy Meyer lemons at the grocery last week, this is what you need to make now! Meyer lemon curd!

Simple and perfect for any baked good you might attempt this weekend, a small batch of this delicious spread will make everything look rosy. And on Valentines weekend, that might not be a bad thing!

Seattle Sunset Curd

Adapted from Food52, and contributed by Stephanie Thompson

As it turns out, I am not sure how much of a winter we are going to get. But instead of sniffling about it, I set out to do something. It was a pack up the car on Saturday morning type of do something! It involved snacks and snowshoes and a lot of winter layers. But before too long, we were headed for the mountains for a little winter fun. We haven’t been snowshoeing nearly as much as I would like this year, so it was high time for a little trek through the snow. The weather was simply beautiful after a few days of fog down in the valley. If I had my way, I’d probably hole up in a snowbound winter cottage and be perfectly content, at least for a few months!

So, I’ve been thinking a little about Valentine these days. Not so much because I am the hearts and flower type, but just because everyone can use a little something to look forward to in February. And the opportunity to plan a nice little meal is something I relish. So, here I am to share!

While dinner with the two-year-old who will be joining us could hardly be called a quiet affair, I do count on it being a good time. And since Valentines will be on a weeknight this year, elaborate feasts are not really in the cards for me. But the one thing that I will go out of my way for will be dessert. Doesn’t a nice finish to a meal make it that much more special?

A few years back, I had my first real introduction to the dessert called pots de cremé via Orangette. And while chocolate seems to be the go-to flavor for this little dish of deliciousness, I’ve never been able to tear myself away from the caramely goodness of this recipe. Honestly, I have a small collection of recipes for chocolate, espresso and other varieties that have gone untried. But now that I am back in the swing of the ease of these desserts, maybe I’ll be willing to give it a try.

It may sound fiddly, but I think this is one dessert that will actually work pretty nicely into a weeknight meal. And whether you give it a shot for Valentines or not, it is a handy sweet to have in your repertoire. See, it’s cooked in individual portions and better still, I think it keeps really well for a day or two in the fridge. Which could mean dessert for a few nights, already perfectly portioned and chilling in your refrigerator. Need I say more?

Butterscotch Pots de Cremé

Adapted from Gourmet, October 2003

Makes about 6 servings, depending on your portions.

Here are a few ideas that might help you pull this recipe off with a little more ease, depending on your schedule. If you like, you can prepare the custard base and store it in the fridge overnight. Then, next day, pull it out of the fridge to warm a little before filling your ramekins and scooting them into the oven. They will just take a little longer to cook. Or, if you’re a little more adventurous, make them the night before. Seal each container carefully with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Depending on your preference, allow to warm a little or serve chilled.

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or if you want to go a little lighter, try 1 cup of cream with 1/2 cup whole milk)
• 6 tablespoons dark muscovado sugar *
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons Demerara sugar*
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

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I took a slightly new twist on gardening this winter. While wintertime does not seem like the season for much of anything fresh, I brought my garden indoors. Yes indeed, I started growing sprouts. I chalk it up to spending just a little too long in the grocery store one afternoon. I happened upon the sprouting supplies and things have been a little crazy since then.

I’m perfectly happy to take the seasonal approach to my vegetables. And while my fall CSA boxes transitioned to heartier greens and roots, I happily cooked along with all of them. But I do like a salad, even in the winter – some shade of green, leafy and full of crunch. As you may have seen earlier, I’ve dabbled with other greens for my riff on a Turkish Salad. But sometimes, you want something other than a standard head of lettuce. And here is where my little sprouting box in the window comes in.

I started out small with alfalfa sprouts. That is what I was most familiar with as a kid. But after seeing a few of the other choices – clover, radish, fenugreek – I went a little crazy. I even went online and found a few more adventurous blends. But of everything I have tried, I think my favorite has to be a combination of radish and clover sprouts. The radish has a nice zing to it and the leaves get nice and big for sprouts.

As far as the causes of this undesirable and unpopular condition, some due to breathing issues and conditions of the real member itself that your doctor will be able to describe better than any words in the following paragraphs. purchase cialis online A man experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety may turn into bad habits that can cheap levitra tablets further contribute to ED. In browse around description buy viagra online in rare case when this condition worsened and went beyond control, only then men consulted physicians who often suggested exercises, herbs or other natural remedies to deal with hard water regularly. The reason why herbal alternatives are better than synthetic is because ED canadian tadalafil pills can only enhance the blood circulation. I have a pretty good system figured out now that provides me with fresh sprouts all week long. Sandwiches, burgers and salads are all tasty ways to use sprouts. But lately, I’ve been betting that a new twist on fresh spring rolls including these sprouts would be delicious. I’ll let you know how that turns out!

B has even taken a little interest in what I’ve got growing. He likes to stand at the sink with me while I am rinsing out the sprouts in the evening. Some days we’ll pick them out of the trays, one at a time, and snack on them. Yes, that delights me!

The best part about this kind of gardening is that you don’t need dirt or even a well-lit window. Just a little spot on the counter in the kitchen will work just fine. I bought trays, but some people just do their sprouting in jars or other containers. With little attention and a few days, a little green goodness can be your in the midst of the chilly winter.

It’s one of those things I can count on…when the holidays are over, the seed catalogues will come. And while I might have to wait for months before really even thinking about taking spade to garden, I can dream my way through the dahlia catalogue along with the stack of other seed catalogues that have been filing up my mailbox. A weekend or two will inevitably be spent trying to decide on what four tomato varieties will make the cut in the garden. Or what mixture of greens will kick off my spring salads. In short, it gives me a little hope that eventually, spring will come.

Last year was my first with a proper garden in a few years. My parents arrived on the scene with ideas aplenty and in no time had full plans sketched out for the garden. And this was no ordinary garden plot – they built me raised beds with rails for sitting, gravel walks for easy maintenance and a little fence to keep out wayward toddlers and anxious dogs! I know, this whole area was a very kind and thoughtful gesture and I am still touched by the generous gift this garden has been to me. By the time the summer was over and the tomatoes and dahlias were towering over the pathway, it felt jungle-like. A friend donated a chair and table, which I painted yellow, and hauled it into the garden. This was almost on the level of garden spa! (Tina, you may also note that the yellow spray paint idea is hardly something new – I was doing it months ago!)

I should be honest and tell you that things got a little out of control in the garden. I am not sure if it was the year or what, but my tomatoes fell over at least three times last summer. The plants were too vigorous to stay with their stakes. It became my weekend project to keep adding new stakes, pruning viciously to try and control the growth. The dahlias were so top-heavy with flowers that they drooped across the pathways, sprinkling spent petals at an alarming rate. I must come up with a new plan for proactive staking this year! But I embraced it all – tucked out of sight from most everyone, my little jungle was a quiet refuge all summer.

And now, through the silent winter, those beds have sat under the briefest cover of snow. I mulched them with leftover leaves and grass, just hoping to replenish the soil enough for a repeat performance this summer. I’ve already been out there once to see how the composting process is going and take a quick look at my volunteer fava beans, an added bonus from my composting antics. I am going to be so excited if those actually produce anything this year!

As I quietly surveyed the garden last week, I wondered just where I should plant the lettuce this spring? Where should the dahlias grow? Can I add any new flowers to my collection this year? Where will my first row of radishes grow? Tina suggested I draw a little planting map – it might help with my planning. Maybe I’ll share it here…
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My one new discovery last year was purslane. It’s not really a well-known green, but it is going to be. If you’re looking for the latest food trend, you heard it here first. To many, this is actually a weed, but the seeds I found were for an upright variety that made for easy picking. The leaves had a bit of a citrus flavor to them and lasted much further into the summer than any of the other lettuce varieties and was a welcome addition to salads. I think it was sometime toward the end of July when I finally decided it had run its course and pulled it out.

I’m always looking for new things to add to the garden mix. This year the idea came to me that perhaps I could add a Meyer lemon to the garden. Obviously, I am not going to be able to plant it anywhere. But in a pot, it could be quite a nice addition. In my mind, I’m thinking towering lemon tree. But this is likely going to be more of a small shrub – alas! And so long as I didn’t feel inspired to buy a whole grove of citrus, maybe I could winter one plant in the house. Maybe I’d have room for two…and who wouldn’t love a citrus tree in the living room? Just the thought of a future lemon or two would truly be a treat. Of course, this could be along the lines of my attempts with the fig tree. For all of my efforts hauling the massive barrel in and out, my fig harvest over the years has been scarce, at best. But still I try, just hoping that this might be the year. And who knows, I might have a real knack with citrus!

I’d best be off now…I really have to decide on those tomatoes!

It’s almost the weekend. I look forward to those two days with so much anticipation. It’s a great time to relax and for me, to cook! As the week draws to a close, I am often planning what I am going to cook and compiling grocery lists. But one of the best parts of the weekend is breakfast. Or more specifically, brunch! We usually manage to get a little more sleep on the weekends and once everyone is up, head to the kitchen for coffee. That gives me a little lead time to start on something tasty to eat.

Last weekend, I cooked some eggs and tomato sauce. Call it what you will, this dish seems to find roots in a few different culinary traditions. Probably because it is so delicious! The tomato and egg combination holds up to a multitude of variations, so I’m sure to have something to throw together.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Baking dish – I prefer to use a skillet that can stand the oven. It makes the dish a true one-dish wonder!
• Additions – sauté veggies such as onions, peppers, greens or mushrooms. Add in chickpeas, olives or sausage.
• Tomatoes – a basic tomato sauce will work. My favorite is a large jar of whole tomatoes from my garden, but a tin of diced or whole tomatoes will work equally well. Add them to your pan once your veggies and other additions are cooked. Let this mixture simmer a bit so it’s not too juicy.
• Spices – Add what you will, just tailor it to the flavors you are building. Add a little harissa for a kick, fresh basil or pimentón. But don’t stop there, anything goes with this dish.
• Eggs – add as many as you are going to eat. I try to create little hollows all around my tomato sauce before slipping in the eggs one at a time.
• Baking – finally, pop that pan in the oven. 350 is usually a good starting temperature. Since your pan and sauce are hot, all you have to do is get the eggs to your desired level of doneness. Check frequently, but I can usually count on about 15 minutes for minutes for mine.

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In the heart of winter, I just want to hunker down inside and get cozy. Sometimes that might be a warm cup of tea in the afternoon or a toasty pair of wool sock and slippers as I pad around the house. Whatever the case may be, I must be talking about this idea a fair bit as my son has taken up the cry. I know it is just a two-year-old’s stalling technique as he hollers from his bedroom that he needs another blanket to be cozy, but it’s just too cute not to oblige.

This week we had snow. I’ve been waiting for a bit of the white stuff for some time now. And that big winter storm that covered the Pacific Northwest a few days ago promised to deliver. What followed was a wee bit more messy – snow, freezing rain, ice and then slush. And in the end, it seemed a little bit more treacherous than your typical snow day should be. But I made the most of it with a little quality driveway snow shoveling and some baking to keep us all cozy and fed on a winter afternoon.

Sometimes a winter snack calls for something with a little most substance. Something that stands up to a quick dip into my hot chocolate. These biscotti fit the bill for me. There is even a little crunch of cornmeal that makes me feel all the more healthy for adding it in. And depending what I’m in the mood for, I can make them as healthy as I like. Almonds and cranberries make a nice festive cookie. As would pistachios and cranberries. Chopped dark chocolate plays to their cookie sensibilities. And dark chocolate and orange peel sounds enticing.

I like the dry, crunchy texture of this biscotti. Even the dry shower of crumbs that they always leave behind. And not that they ever end up sitting around for long, but they taste just as good on day one as they do several days later. So a little tin of these biscotti is always welcome around the espresso machine in these parts. Sometimes they will even stand in for a little breakfast tie-over while brunch is in the works. But whatever the occasion, these biscotti always seem to bring the right level of coziness to any snack.

Almond Biscotti

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Lenox Almond Biscotti in Baking

I’ve made this recipe dozens of times with many variations. It may not be authentic, but someone at my house loves chocolate! Dark chocolate chunks and almonds are a pretty addictive combination. The sky is the limit, but I’d try to keep my additions to about 1 cup in total. And since all that chocolate sweetens up the dough, I often reduce the sugar a little as well.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

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1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup chocolate, chips or chopped your choice

Heat your oven to 350 F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the cornmeal and whisk to combine.

Working with a stand mixure, or hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for about three minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat for another two minutes, scrapping the bowl as needed, until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine. You’ll have a very soft dough. Scrape the bowl and beaters to clean and gently stir in the almonds and chocolate.

Scrape half of the dough onto one side of the prepared baking sheet. Using your fingers and perhaps a rubber spatula, work the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Sometimes a little water on your finger tips works well too. The log does not have to be perfect. Form a second log on the other side of the pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the logs are lightly golden and still soft to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. If you turn off the oven, bring it back to 350 as you prepare the next step.

Using a wide spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board and trim the ends of the logs. They make a perfect snack at this point! Cut the logs into 3/4-inch-thick slices and return to the baking sheet and the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden and firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Enjoy!

OK, so it’s winter and a little bleak. It looks grey outside and sadly, it looks like this might be the case for another month or so. And just about this time every year, I manage to find blood oranges at the grocery store! That little reminder that there is a season for everything just might be enough to get me mildly excited about the months between Christmas and spring!

To be honest, of all of the citrus available, we don’t have a whole lot of variety in our neck of the woods. I know there are many more varieties out there, depending on where you look. But I’m not going to be picky. I’ll scoop of a bag of whatever I find. And happily, the blood oranges are pretty easy to track down.

It seems that every season, I find a few recipes to try that call for this rosy fruit. Oddly enough, several of them are from Canal House, whose recipes I often adore! Aside from kicking up a salad or a cocktail, the blood oranges make pretty amazing orange juice. Just add a couple to your juicer for some brightly colored juice sure to brighten up your morning.

So you can imagine how happy I was to find a recipe for blood orange marmalade this weekend, just when I was looking for a project. First, I should tell you a few things about me and jam. It’s only fair…

On a whim a few years back, I took it upon myself to make a wide selection of jams and jellies. I started with the strawberries in June, didn’t miss the gooseberries, all the way through apricots, peaches and pears and stopped somewhere around the Concord grapes. And that is not an exhaustive list, I assure you. I know I went a little too wild with my preserving binge. Even my good efforts to share jam with friends and family didn’t run me out of any flavors. My sister even received a flavor pack of every jam made that season. What a good idea, right?!?

Since then, I’ve tried to hold myself back. Strawberry is a favorite flavor for my husband, so most years I’ll make a few jars of that. Then I’ll have my work cut out for me trying to remind him to make toast throughout the year! I’ve also dabbled into a few jellies, but to be honest, when we’re talking about specific temperatures to get things setting just so, it scares me a little. It shouldn’t, I know. But for that reason, I will tell you that the jelly we’re talking about today provided me with a few challenges.

I am sure everything that went wrong stemmed from a misstep on my part! But I made a couple of substitutions to make up for the fact that things did not go as planned. Basically, I did not get enough liquid out of my apples. So I made up for that by adding water for the remaining liquid and a little pectin. I am sure things will go much more smoothly for you!

As suggested on the site where I originally found the recipe, this project is best tackled on a weekend. You could do it over the course of two week nights if you were well prepared and motivated, but since that never seems to be the case for me, I’ll spell out the recipe for two days! Plus, it was a nice way to spend a grey afternoon, especially with this cheery reward at the end. Also, since this recipe will make use of both fruit and peel, consider buying organic fruit where ever possible.

Happy jam making to you!

Blood Orange Marmalade

Recipe found on Leites Culinaria

Originally from Christine Ferber’s Mes Confitures

1 3/4 pounds Granny Smith apples

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2 3/4 pounds blood oranges, or 17 ounces blood orange juice

5 2/3 cups sugar

2 navel oranges

Juice of 1 small lemon

Day One:

Wash apples well, cut into quarters, removing stem and core, but do not peel.

Place the apples in a large, wide pot and cover with 3 1/4 cups of water. Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes. The apples should be soft.

Collect the juice by straining the apple mixture into a large bowl, light pressing the apples to get any remaining juice. Discard the solids.

Filter the juice a second time by pouring it through a cheesecloth. Collect the juice in a glass jar and refrigerate the juice overnight.

Day Two:

Measure 2 1/8 cups of apple juice, leaving the sediment that formed in the container. Discard any juice and sediment that remains.

Squeeze the blood oranges, saving any seeds, until you have 2 1/8 cup of juice. Save the seeds in a cheesecloth bag.

Scrub the navel oranges and slice into thin rounds. (Based on my experience, unless you want full rounds in your finished marmalade, you might consider cutting them down to halves or quarters, depending on your preference.)

Place the sliced oranges in a large, wide pot. Add 1 cup of sugar and the remaining 7/8 cup of water and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium and gently simmer until the slices are translucent.

Add the reserved apple juice, blood orange juice, the remaining 4 2/3 cups of sugar, the lemon juice and the reserved blood orange seeds in the cheesecloth. Bring to a boil, stirring gently. Skim any foam from the surface. Continue cooking on high heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes. Skim again if needed. Remove the cheese cloth with the seeds. Return to a boil, then remove from heat.

Immediately ladle the jam into hot, sterilized jars and seal. This recipe filled about six pint jars for me.

For me, January and February can be a little dull. Christmas is over, as are visits with friends and family. It’s actually one of the best times to make plans with those near and dear to you. And if there’s a project or special recipe you’ve been sitting on, this is the time to pull it out.

Before Christmas, I started to stockpile things. The idea began to form after conversations with my friend Mindy who says she saves all of her January magazines to look through after Christmas. It’s amazing how many of those publications managed to show up before the holiday break, but I stashed them away without a single glance for a future grey day. Along with my magazines, I saved a new cookbook, a pair of cozy socks and a special tin of tea. I also planted a small selection of bulbs, both paper whites and an amaryllis. As it turns out, January is not nearly as grey as I thought it might be.

So, with no further ado, here are some of the things I’m looking forward to in the remaining grey days of winter:

• Cooking my way through this, this and that, amazing cookbooks all.
• Planning my garden – the dahlia and seed catalogues are arriving fast and furious! I am also toying with the idea of ordering a Meyer lemon tree. I probably should just make plans for a greenhouse while I am at it.
• Developing my film from Paris. I have 12 rolls of medium format film, just waiting to be developed!
• A little more food focus for my creative energy. We’re working on a new food project this winter and I’m looking forward to sharing how it all comes together.
• There is no better time to curl up with a good book and I can’t wait to dig into the pile of good reads accumulating by my bed. I just have to get through my current book. I’m looking forward to reading this and this, just to name a few.
• Persimmons and citrus – for everything there is a season, right? I have a few last hoarded persimmons, but I’m making way for some great citrus and related cooking tangents!
• On new year’s eve, I shredded 14 pounds of cabbage and now I have four jars of beautiful cabbage fermenting in my pantry. And if the sauerkraut is not something to look forward to, then I don’t know what to tell you!

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One of my favorite things about the holidays has to be snow. I’m not going to try and tell you that all of the usual things – family, food and traditions – aren’t high on my list. But when I get right down to it, snow is one of the traditions I don’t want to do without at Christmas. This realization came to me the other night while I was standing out in the driveway with my sister in the middle of a snow storm. Snow was falling fast and thick and we had a couple of inches we planned to clear before calling it a night. Count on a good Canadian upbringing to make you realize that there is just going to be more snow to shovel in the morning if you go to bed in a snow storm.

Layered up in cozy clothes with snow shovel in hand, I thought, “It wouldn’t be Christmas if we weren’t out here shovelling the driveway.” Turns out I have just a few holiday memories tied up in that whole snow shoveling ritual. I don’t know when exactly we were turned loose in the driveway with shovels. Maybe it was a punishment, maybe it was a treat. I don’t really remember. Perhaps we were sent out to burn through some after-dinner energy or maybe to give our parents a few minutes of peace and quiet.

I can tell you a few things though, like the fact that there is a right way to shovel snow in our family. It is very precise and when the shoveling is done, everything looks perfect. There are no wonky lines going here and there, everything is tidy and orderly. And one other thing, don’t walk all over the snow before you shovel – clear a path and walk in that.  Otherwise your footsteps will stick and then it won’t look nearly as perfect! Likely, all of this comes from many winters of experience. When you are expecting a winter full of snow, you have to shovel with some of this in mind. You know that the snow bank is going to be a few feet high and if you know what’s good for you, you shovel accordingly.

For the longest time, the main snow shovel at our house was one of my dad’s creations. A piece of plywood nailed onto some other wooden remnant to make a handle. It was not easy to lift, so for us girls, it was more of a snow pusher. Someone else would have to come along behind and lift the snow, flinging it onto the bank. That shovel was around for years, slowing wearing out at a distinct angle after years of grating against the pavement. Sometime in the last few years, it was retired and replaced with a fleet of more ergonomic options. 

And besides, you dash your viagra cheapest reputation to the rocks with spamming. Ripe bananas are ideal food women viagra australia for infants. The bottom line is, don’t take the medicine if you have problems like cardiac, hypertension, generic purchase viagra Continue diabetes Don’t increase the dosage for yourself as it may cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Also they would inform you after receiving payment and lowest cost levitra delivery of the product. When we’re not out shoveling it, it seems that we like to find activities to get us outdoors. The last couple of years have focused on snowshoeing. Happily, we can virtually strap on our shoes right at the house, so it makes getting out there pretty easy. There is something so peaceful about the snow. Tramping through the woods can be so quiet, sometimes almost too silent. But the towering trees and snowy pathways are always inviting in their quiet way. And although there was not too much snow, we made a couple of forays into the woods.

We’d all string out, single file along the path. And with a few errant picture-takers in the group, there always seemed to be someone running along, trying to catch up. Not to mention a little guy up front who insisted on being carried, no one was really able to set a very daunting pace.

As we made our way home, we came up a party of sledders, making their way into the woods to do some sledding in a clearing. First came the kids, giddy with delight, running up the hills with sleds in tow. But what amused me the most were the adults who came behind. Some carried chairs. Someone else was pushing a giant cooler on a sled.  They were going to have a party out there in the woods. I couldn’t help but be a little jealous of the idea of a winter picnic. Maybe I’ll have to think about that for next year! Can’t you just imagine Thermoses filled with tasty soups and hot chocolate? Trade out the chestnuts roasting on an open fire for a few marshmallows and you’d be set!

Snow will always be a part of my fondest Christmas memories. The giant flakes I’d see falling in the light of the street lamp at the end of the drive. The snowbank where we heaved our parents exercise bike for the sake of some goofy photos. The snow forts built on very snowy years. That’s why, in the midst of that snowy downfall, I bundled up my little guy, complete with scarf, hood and mittens, and took him out into the night. Dustpan in hand, he pushed snow with the rest of us. It’s all part of our tradition, after all.