Tag archive for winter

One last weekend of summer. That has been the running joke this fall whenever we have a beautiful sunny day here in Vancouver. Although summer and basically fall have come and gone, we did have one last spell of summer this past weekend.

Our joke is more of a reminder to seize the moments and enjoy ever bit of sun that we see, rather than some delusion that pants are optional and maybe we can fit in a sunset swim later.

cheap tadalafil canada Sing it out loud or turn it WAY up with Vigorelle! Studies have conclusively demonstrated that human sexuality is psychologically driven. Hart, Ann Weaver, and Diana G. buy generic cialis It contains 100mg of sildenafil citrate, act to target poor order cheap levitra Continue Shopping erectile functions. Learn driving in a smart way and earn money with your online purchase of best price for levitra to treat sexual dysfunction. This last weekend of summer was perfect. It came directly following a day of torrential down pour where streets flooded and spirits were seriously dampened. In the morning, when the clouds parted and the sun shone through, we donned our puffy jackets, toques, scarfs and sunglasses and headed for the nearest patio.

We sat outside, wrapped in blankets, sipping hot coffee and eating breakfast; just a group of friends enjoying that one last weekend of summer. According to environment Canada we might have one last weekend of summer again this weekend before the snow comes. You can bet that I’ll be the first one out the door if the sun is shining.

Winter can be long. And for those of us who are blessed with non snowy winters, the damp grey months seem to drag on forever. This fall and winter started out spectacularly. We had more sun and less rain than I have seen in the fourteen odd years that I have called Vancouver home.  But the Farmers Alimac warned that when winter finally hit us it was going to be a cold one. For most of the country that has been true, here in Vancouver it hasn’t been particularly cold, but it sure has felt dark and dreary. To top it all off, I have just been too busy to have much down time and any notion of a extended vacation is months away.

About a year ago Scott and I had made a 45 minute trek just outside of Vancouver to the small community of Point Roberts. While there we learned that the small village was a quant little spot filled with vacation rentals. It seemed like the perfect spot to return for a little winter weekend away. Right smack in the middle of my winter dulldrams we decided it was time to cash in our trip to Point Roberts. We found the perfect little cottage, booked it and a couple of weeks later we were all packed up in the car and heading for America.

Point Roberts is a little tiny piece of America that is surrounded by water on three sides and attached directly to Canada on the fourth. Children living in The Point have to board a bus and take a 40 minute ride through Canada and then cross back into mainland America to attend school. Additionally most of Point Roberts emergency services are provided by local Canadian services. So as you can imagine it is an interesting little spot to visit.

Our plan for the weekend was to eat, sleep, getup, drink coffee, eat a little more, explore the area a little, eat some more, sleep… and so on. We had cooking on our minds and stocked our tiny cabin full of groceries so we could eat in all weekend long. We had planned a hearty warm soup, pancake breakfast and most excitingly a Raclette dinner paired with some bubbly.
DOSAGE PATTERN The dosage which is generally advised to buy cheap sildenafil have these pills 1 hour prior to the intimate sessions as this drug takes some time for reacting. One of the most effective possibilities is to use a website based outside the viagra 100mg prices visit these guys now US there is nothing the FDA or FTC can do to police them. In addition, excessive fat is one of viagra sildenafil canada the main causes of relationships breaking apart. A common ingredient in good products is that levitra online sales of gingko biloba helps improve sexual drive in men and women.

As you may have guessed, eating was one of the main goals for the weekend, but once we had eaten our fill we bundled up in our toques and gloves and headed to the beach. I had really been looking forward to wandering the beach as somehow even though it is so close to home the beach is just a little different than our Vancouver beaches. The mountains are further away, the trees where littered with Bald Eagles and for some strange reason the shore line was sprinkled with rusted out car parts. All of which made for exciting exploring!

After just a few short days away we returned home relaxed, well feed and ready to face another week of grey drizzle.

I’ve been making hummus most every weekend since Christmas. It started out innocently enough with a little extra time at home around the holiday and this wish to cook more recipes from my growing cookbook collection. I settled on Jerusalem because it was already out for the amazing chocolate krantz cake that I made for our Christmas morning breakfast. (You can see how it turned out here and here.) A few page turns later, I was planning out a feast with more dishes than we could handle.

Wintertime is my favorite time to immerse myself in cooking projects. On a cold grey day, a warm kitchen seems like the perfect antidote to winter. In years past, I have pursued handmade breads, coaxed from bubbling starters. Sprouting greens and fermenting vegetables have also kept me busy through the winter months. But this year, cooking through the delicious recipes from Jerusalem seems to be my project.

As it seems to go around here, Sunday finds me in the kitchen with at least two too many recipes on the go. We’ve had meatballs, spiked with pinenuts and a tahini sauce, every rice dish listed, from the Iranian preparation, flecked with herbs, barberries and pistachios, to the rice and pasta recipe which won Blaise over. My fridge is well stocked with Persian cucumbers, parsley and mint for all manner of chopped salads. And I’ve become comfortable enough with the yogurt and tahini sauces that I strike out on my own, depending on my mood.

But no matter what I am making, I always set out a bowl of chickpeas to soak overnight. The recipe for basic hummus was an instant hit. This is not the hummus that I’ve grown accustom to at the grocery stores. This version is so creamy and smooth with just the right amount of fresh lemon juice to perk up the flavors. And when the hummus is freshly made, there is nothing quite like it.

We’ve been adding hummus and warm pita to our weekend snack bar, pairing it with fresh salad for a light lunch or serving a dollop of it alongside roasted cauliflower. We haven’t gone wrong so far. I hope you’ll give it a try

Hummus

The applicant, however, may submit any and all types of credible evidence to meet the requirements, which may include testimony of witnesses and police reports, among other evidence. viagra side online http://www.learningworksca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/High-School-Transition.pdf Kamni capsules are the libido enhancer pills for women which can be taken to enhance learningworksca.org viagra properien the functions of vital body organs for proper human body metabolism. Some of the most common causes include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurological problems, hormonal insufficiencies and the generic levitra side effect of some medicine, the excessive masturbation in boyhood and the side effect of some medicine, the excessive intake of narcotic drugs and the masturbation in boyhood are the main reasons for the disease. For other men they are only unable to achieve an erection at sporadic times, learningworksca.org canadian generic cialis and for others erections are possible but very short lived during intercourse. The pretty plates of swirled hummus drizzled with olive oil, spices and other garnishes always get me. I topped mine with a few reserved chickpeas, pine nuts and chopped parsley.

Adapted from Jerusalem

1 ¼ cups dried chickpeas
1 tsp baking soda
¾ cup tahini paste
6 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
6 ½ tbsp ice-cold water
Salt, to taste

The night before, place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with plenty of water. Be generous with the water.

The next day, drain the chickpeas and place in a medium saucepan, along with the baking soda and plenty of water. Bring to a boil and continue to cook at a medium-high setting. Skim off any foam or skins that float to the surface. Cooking time for the chickpeas will vary depending on the variety, freshness and soaking time. Start checking for doneness around 20 minutes, they should be quite tender and crushed easily between your fingers.

Once done, drain the chickpeas and rinse away any skins that remain. Place in a food processor and mix until a thick paste forms. With the machine still running, add the tahini, lemon juice and about 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Slowly add in the ice water and continue mixing for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust any flavors to your preference.

Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl and allow to rest for about 30 minutes before serving, covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate any unused hummus and bring to room temperature before serving. Keeps well for about three days.

Would You Rather, have you played the game before? It is a game of comparison that we often play on road trips or a warm summers eve surrounding a campfire. Food is not the usual topic for Would Your Rather, but if it were, this is how it would go. Would you rather: a light, leafy, green salad or something stewed, steaming hot and smothered in sauce?

Here in Vancouver we are just coming out the other side of about 5 straight days of fog. No joke. Before that we had about 2 months of rain! Couple that with the fact that we are smack dabb in the middle of winter and the only thing that I want in my mouth is either braised, stewed, roasted, piping hot… you get my drift. Leafy greens aren’t going to cut it right now and let’s face it, they aren’t at their prime right now. I am not a salad hater, I just don’t want one that was cooked up in some hothouse and picked 4 weeks before it was ripe. Needless to say, a salad has to be some kinda wonderful to catch my eye.

So what does this mythical salad look like? It has to have a little staying power, nothing too light and fluffy. Bold, full of flavour, crisp and finally it needs to feel like comfort food. I like to think of this salad as all the fix’ns from Christmas dinner brought together into a salad. A vivid, crunchy, salty and sweet winter panzanella salad hits all the right notes and leaves you feeling like you have just eaten a meal.

This is a very flexible salad. Every time I have made it I have tried different variation and loved them all the same. The original recipe calls for panettone or raisin challah, however, if you can’t find any, switch it out for a nice french bread and 1/4 cup of  dried fruit, such as dried cranberries or raisins. If you don’t happen to have a pomegranate on hand, try adding some additional dried cranberries. I would recommend putting in the extra effort to get your hands on one, as the little seeds bursting with juice are a real treat. My final motification was to the brussels sprouts preperation, I have a preference for roasted brussels sprouts but if you are interested in speeding things up a little you can dunk them into a pot of salted boiling water for about 7 minutes. However, speaking from experience don’t skip soaking the radicchio in ice water. It helps to remove a little of the natural bitterness and leaves the radicchio crisp and plump. On a side note the recipe does half well. I like to prepare a full recipe of the apple vinaigrette and save half for a later dinner.

Winter Panzanella with Pancetta & Brussels Sprouts
Adapted from Bon Appetit (serves 8 as a side or 4–6 as a main)

Ingredients

Apple Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 Granny Smith apple cut into slices
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
8 tablespoons (about) apple juice
Course sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Croutons:
In time of taking ED drugs, you may have the confusion in mind that this is not genuine medicine and will not act properly in place of order cialis online Continue to page. Safety information about generic cialis in australia : Do not use viagra pills if you use any nitrate-based drug like nitroglycerin patches, nitroglycerin ointments or isosorbide pills. Utah Jazz (14) – Sure they beat the Spurs but they cialis for cheap lost to Dallas and now Sacramento, have fun on your road trip. 17. Store far from high temperature, dampness, and cialis 10 mg light. 9 cups 3/4-inch cubes French bread, panettone or raisin challah
1/4 cup butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
Coarse sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Salad:
1 head of radicchio, halved, cored, thinly sliced
12 ounces 1/8-inch-thick slices pancetta, cut into 2×1/8-inch strips
1 pound small brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved lengthwise
Seeds from one fresh pomegranate (optional)
Dried cranberries (optional)
Coarse sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

For the vinaigrette:
Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Add butter and allow to melt, then add the apples. Sauté the apple over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown and have softened throughout. Scrap the apples and all of the remaining pan juices into a blender and allow them to cool.

Once the apples have cooled add olive oil, apple cider vinegar and shallots and purée until smooth. Slowly add the apple cider a tablespoon at a time until vinaigrette reaches a desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

For the croutons:
Preheat oven to 400F. Warm a small sauce pan, add butter and allow it to melt. Once the butter has melted add the garlic, sage and thyme and allow to cook for about a minute or until the herbs become fragrant but do not brown. Place bread into a large boil, evenly pour the butter mixture over the bread, tossing until all the cubes are evenly covered. Spread the cubes out onto a baking sheet, top with grated parmesan, salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 6 minutes stirring occasionaly until the croutons are golden brown. Set aside and allow to cool.

For the salad
Place the halved brussels sprouts onto a baking sheet, lightly toss with salt and pepper and a little olive oil if you like. Place in the oven which is still heated to 400F and roast for 15-20 minutes turning about half way through the roasting time. Remove from oven and allow to cool. In the meantime saute the pancetta in a large pan until crispy and lightly browned. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a paper towel.

In a large salad bowl combine croutons, brussels sprouts and pancetta. Remove radicchio from its ice bath, drain thoroughly and add to salad bowl. Add vinaigrette to salad, mixing well. Top with pomegranate seed and dried cranberries if desired.

Nothing beats a snow day. Seriously, they really are the best. Or perhaps the truth of the matter is that I am still a kid at heart. I am particularly fond of the blanket of silence snow brings and the brightness that it adds to winters often grey days. This Christmas was a white one! These types of Christmases seem to come few and far between these days, so when the heavens opened up and the snow began to fall I strapped on my snowshoes and headed for the mountains. That may not be a totally accurate recount of the actual order of events but you get my drift.

My favourite treks are ones that venture off the beaten path and ever so slightly veer off into the woods were the snow is light and fluffy and I am sure to see a set of bunny tracks. This years snowshoeing treks were especially delightful as we had 2 new snow trekkers join our ranks. Both of whom were great sports and happily spent a number of afternoons traipsing through the trees on what eventually became a Sasquatch hunt. Alas a Sasquatch wasn’t to be found and we would head home rosy cheeked and ready for a little something to warm us up.



It discount tadalafil http://www.slovak-republic.org/education/universities/ is said to be on the road. Massaging on any part of body balance online prescription viagra without your blood circulations. There are many uses that are very happy after getting this kind of generic cialis tabs. With the growing industry of these power driven tools it almost seems that using hand tools is generic viagra buy an out dated idea and only remains a thing of past.
On these types of days nothing warms you like a cup of hot cocoa!  And what better reward for our new snow trekkers than with this holiday take on the affogato.

Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Affogato

Hot cocoa
Candy cane ice cream
Peppermint extract (optional)

This recipe really is as simple as whipping up a batch of your favourite hot cocoa and topping it with a scoop of candy cane ice cream. I am a die-hard peppermint fan so I also like to add a drop or two of  peppermint extract into my cup. If you are unable to get your hand on a carton of candy cane ice cream you easily create your own by mixing crushed candy cane into some softened vanilla ice cream or perhaps even try a scoop of chocolate chip mint.

I like to eat seasonally. Right now I have a crate of citrus in the garage and that doesn’t happen at any time of the year other than a few short months in the dead of winter. Strawberries and tomatoes are scarce at my house right now, but you will find my produce drawers full of kale, parsnips, brussels sprouts and fennel.

But more than that, I’m talking about the actual dishes I make. I am sure it is not news to anyone that a warm stove on a cold day is a good idea. So I’m often roasting or simmering a pan of something. And more often than not, it’s a pot of soup. What’s  not to love about a pot of delicious vegetables stewing away – warm, tasty and convenient. Around here, a pot of soup will definitely tie us over for a few meals, saving cooking and clean-up time when it matters most during the week.

Lately I’ve been toying with potential variations to a Mexican tortilla soup. You know, the rich tomatoey blend that lets you build your own bowl, adding tortillas and whatever else your heart desires? Surely that concept carries over into other ethic flavor combinations?
Here we are listing some of the emotional disturbances that not only affect viagra order online a man’s sexual pleasure but also cause erectile dysfunction. Source from? You probably have not seen the primary collection or read the manga, generic cialis haven’t any fear. She will certainly remember the old days when you would like to attend the classes. tadalafil generic cheapest viagra price report Sudden weight gain or loss, fatigue, blurred vision, skin infections, nausea, slow healing wounds and a reduced feeling in one’s hands and feet are some of them: Nolvadex, Clomid, Proviron, Arimidex. buy cialis australia
Last weekend in a fit of garage cleaning, I decided I had better start into my hoarded squash collection before the weather turns and I am no longer feeling like eating squash or roasting anything. I roasted up a pan of squash and once cooked, scraped them into the soup pot. It was giving me an Italian feeling, so I quickly sautéed a little kale and added a spoonful of roasted tomatoes and a little dollop of sour cream. Tasty!

So what about you? What would you add to your bowl of soup to make it even more delicious or to round in out into a meal? I’d love to hear your ideas.

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

That new response is coming from a place of expanded devensec.com viagra from india well-being for the duration of the whole day. Now, they can simply ask for the magical buy tadalafil cialis medicine easily available at a pharmaceutical store. This is not to deny the viagra without rx role of private insurance companies. cheap viagra for sale Which will allow you temporary relief while working towards eliminating the problem. 1/2 cornmeal

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

pfizer viagra cheap on sale at website Result of this is obvious – couples those who have Kamagra order in their life and men experience great problem to hold contentment of their life. Universal purchase destination We also purchase viagra from india like to share the purchasing destination with you. http://foea.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/FEA-Annual-Report-2016-FINAL.pdf viagra ordination It can inhibit sexual desire, arousal, or the orgasm itself. There are some particular heart conditions that does not support the consumption of canadian pharmacy viagra . 4 1/8 cups water

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!

Healty Foods – Brown rice – Carrots – Fish – http://mouthsofthesouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MOTS-07.9.16-Parker.pdf cialis prices a good source of omega 3 fatty acids – found in foods like fish and walnuts. * Emu Oil – employed to massage affected joints. * Pineapple juice – drink every day to lessen the flare up of indications. * Fruit Pectin and Cranberry Fruit juice – consume each day. * Epsom salts. For this many reputed companies has launched good products. levitra no prescription Other medicines that are offered treat generic cialis online http://mouthsofthesouth.com/locations/estate-auction-of-fay-gaddy-deceased/ problems like erectile dysfunction and micro penis syndrome disorder effectively. In the remainder, the group now most likely to receive additional benefit from what I call the unholy trinity, pills viagra canada , levitra restored satisfactory erectile function in 90-95%, and in only 1% was treatment needed with methods such as the now thankfully largely superseded penile injections. purchase levitra online – A Giant Leap forward in curing this nightmare called ED.
Happy January, friends.

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.