Cooking and Shopping...an antidote to cabin fever.

With the windstorms and the rain I have spent a lot of time in the house...
I am not walking as much due to flying twigs and snapping tree limbs
plus my walking partner has been pre-occupied with ailing family members.

What have I got to complain about?
in a nut shell, nothing!

I am just feeling a tad bit grumpy...and I want to shake this unsettling feeling asap.

Maybe I have "cabin fever,"
I am not sure...
that is what my Grandmother called it when she stayed in for a long time...

We actually chatted about this on the phone when she was alive...
I was home with toddlers...she with arthritis and a dodgy hip.

When your cat stares at you for a long time...

you wonder what he is thinking.

I am not one that has truly befriended idleness 

so I tie on my apron and get busy.

Cooking and cleaning are so therapeutic...

Store made BBQ chicken and salads were an easy peasy Saturday night dinner.

(after the neighbour's Cookie open house)

The next day it was transformed into a Chicken Pot Pie.

 It was not a Weight Watchers friendly supper...

BUT 

it tasted darn good.

I lapsed 

and did some online shopping at L'Occitane.

I rarely do this but Mr. HB was watching hockey!

I got a gift card and some small hand lotions as a bonus for shopping the site

plus there was free shipping...

In the frenzy of activity and between storms I popped over to the club.

Where there is a quiet spot to sit for a cup of tea

before

Mah Jong, Bridge lessons and games.

Eggplants were on sale at the market...

I have always been fascinated with them and I prefer to call them Aubergines.

I have no clue what to do with them so I posted on Facebook asking my "friends" what recipes that they might share with me.

One particular friend suggested I try Eggplant Parmigiana.

So I did a Google search

and then Martha Stewart's recipe popped up!

I served this to my Mother and Sister as a side dish for dinner.

Delivered some at lunch time for our amazing DIL 

and 3 gorgeous children to sample.

Took time out to take tea.

I feel infinitely better when I sit and have a cup or two.

Not so crazed after quiet time...feel like a new woman.

ready to take on new challenges and boldly go....

Just saying that this is my kind of Fur! (FIR)

I am hoping to get out for a long walk later this week but in the meantime I am keeping busy.

Hope that you are having a great week!

Weather, walks and letting go....

Mr. HB and I went shopping for Diptyque candles in Vancouver a few weeks ago...
We purchased our Fall and Winter "go to scent"...Ambre and then it was time to branch out and try something new...
I opted for Roses, because of course, Roses are my all time favourite flower.

Mr. HB got into the swing of things and sniffed all the testers...he liked Menthe Verte.
A fresh light fragrance...greenish, like the Mint itself.

While the house smells all fresh and minty inside we have been adding greenery to the porch.

I had to stop on my walk and take a photo of the moss on a granite wall near The Victoria Art Gallery.

There have been wind storms this past week and there are more in the forecast.

It has been difficult getting my walks in 

as the winds are ripping limbs from the trees 

small twigs are flying everywhere...

I do not want to be a target or suffer a head injury.

So I have been doing what Mother does when inclement weather strikes...

I have been walking in the Mall!

Not that I am a "mall walker" per say.

(many seniors walk in the mall before it opens then they sit and chat over coffee in the food court)

I have been getting some Christmas shopping done and while I am roaming in the shops I make sure that I cover lots of territory!

interesting interior for an elevator

 a sheet metal fantasy

Wind blown hair...

I made an appointment with my hairdresser this week

 after months of the tedious "growing out period."

It has not grown as long as I want it to yet 

but with the festive season upon us 

I can wait no longer.

If I do I might earn the nickname "Scruffy."

These cute little felted animals have my full attention...

they are adorable and so charming.

Crafters that can create such lovely things have my utmost respect.

I have tried to make these and mine looked rather odd.

So odd, 

that I disposed of them before showing them to anyone.

Sometimes we need to let go of the things that we cannot do and let those who can, lead the way!

"Letting go helps us to to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. 

It allows others to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations 

that do not belong to us. 

This frees us from unnecessary stress.

~ Melody Beattie ~

That is my deep thought for the day....

I'm currently busy 

rather pre-occupied with cooking and shopping.

I am volunteering at a Christmas luncheon for about 100 people.

It will be all hands on deck trying to get the full turkey dinner 

and all the trimmings out from the teeny tiny kitchen

to all the hungry diners.

I plan to wear my linen apron and comfy shoes...

hope I don't drop any plates

or pour coffee on anyone's lap or slip on the gravy.

Red just keeps on popping up on my radar...

Everywhere I look I seem to notice Red...

The Red Camellia blooming in a neighbour's garden.

Ilex berries

The felted wee animals at a local shop in our Village.

Our neighbours hosted a cookie open house this weekend.

They made dozens of cookies and in the centre of the table was a gumdrop structure of Saint Paul's Cathedral.

It was done to scale too...

most impressive and the cookies that I sampled were very tasty!

We had stormy wild winds and rains yesterday and there is more wild weather in the forecast.

I took a short video of the storm as it lashed the breakwater at The Oak Bay Marina...

it is on my Instagram page if you want to check it out!

The new dried cranberry citrus shortbread recipe that I baked.

Handy because you make it and then pop it in the fridge to bake later.

I bake it on parchment for even heating and quick clean up!

The shortbread is going to be stored in the red tin after it cools...

and then I will put the kettle on to boil and sit for a bit with my mug of tea and read.

I brought this book home to peruse...

I have always enjoyed Tricia Foley's style.

Red and White Roses at the local Oak Bay Coffee Shop and Bakery

called Delish.

It was cold and windy on my walk so I 

I stopped there for a pot of tea and a cookie last Friday.

How was your weekend?

A time tested Hostess Gift

Olives anyone?

I love a Martini...gin and 3 olives...just one and I am done.

“I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I'm under the table,
after four I'm under my host.”

~ Dorothy Parker ~


Last time we were sharing the dipped fruit recipe...today we are making my Mother's Rum Balls.
I have made them every year for the past 30 years.
They are well received and a much anticipated sweet treat...

These are quick and easy...

Mother's Rum Ball Recipe

In a food processor grind a 312g. box of Vanilla Wafers and 1 cup of pecans.

Place in a large bowl 

add 1 cup of icing sugar

 3 tablespoons of Caro Syrup

1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa 

1/2 cup rum

Mix together and roll into small bite sized balls.

Roll in icing sugar or cocoa.

Store in airtight containers.

Place in pretty containers for gift giving.

Enjoy!

(don't tell Mother I am sharing her recipe yet again...she likes to keep these family recipes a secret!)

We bought a wee tree for the front porch.

We can look out the living room window and see the little white fairy lights twinkling.

The sunlight warmed a very frosty day...

we scavenged some boughs from the fallen limbs on the Golf Course for the porch.

I am reading this novel...the first in a series and am enjoying it very much.

We went to see our darling grand daughter in her school Christmas Play.

All the students in her private school were in the production.

From the preschoolers and their rendition of the "Teddy Bear's Picnic" to the grade 4's

it was an uplifting and joyous evening.

We gave Isla a pink rose after it was over and she just beamed...

our little Miss shined on stage...

she danced

she remembered her lines 

and best of all she smiled and waved to all of us!

Members of the audience were oohing and awing when she waved and Mr. HB and I wanted to stand up and shout...

"That is OUR Grand Daughter!"

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time out of your busy day to say hello.

Cheers!

Hostess Gifts ~ Part 1

I have been giving and making gifts for many years...
Mother always took a Hostess gift. She impressed upon us how important it was to properly and politely recognize invitations and the efforts that a Host or Hostess put into having an event in their home.

Flowers, plants and chocolates are the first gifts that come to mind.

If you decide to give one of these items I would suggest a bouquet arranged in a vase 

or a potted plant or an orchid...

be considerate

leave nothing extra for the busy Hostess to do on the night of her open house or dinner party.

If you are giving chocolates...

opt for a local artisan chocolate shop over a box of "store bought" sweets.

(or make your own!)

If you are invited out to a dinner or house party do not arrive empty handed...

the gift does not need to be extravagant 

and please consider the Hostess and her tastes.

A bottle of wine

jam

a scented candle

marmalade

fancy teas

French milled soap

beeswax candles

exquisite olive oil

nuts

pretty napkins

a linen tea towel

lavender sachets

Hostess gifts need not be purchased if you are handy in the kitchen.

I have a few things that I like to make every year just before Christmas.

Our social calendar gets filled up quickly and I like to be prepared with a variety of gifts.

I buy pretty tins and doilies at the local Dollar Store.

My latest gift is dried fruit from the health food store dipped in chocolate.

Buy an assortment of fruit...melt the chocolate "buttons" and dip the fruit.

Cool on a parchment lined sheet pan then store in air tight containers

a layer of parchment or waxed paper between each layer of fruit.

Trust me...these are delicious!

They do not take very long to dip once the chocolate is melted.

Work in smaller batches so the chocolate stays smooth and pliable.

Arrange tins so that you can divide the fruit evenly.

Assembly line seems to be the most efficient way for me to get things done.

The fruit made ahead and stored in separate tins...

Each tin has a variety of chocolate dipped fruit.

You could add nuts if you like...

I make a batch of spiced nuts that I package in separate containers.

This is an easy and inexpensive Hostess gift...

delicious

but

 be warned

the fruit is slightly addictive!

(I reserve a large tin of dipped fruit in the pantry for our use)

Organic Chinese Mandarin Oranges are so sweet...

we have eaten one box so far and are into the second one!

BTW

I like to make one dinner and serve it twice when I am busy.

I made a big batch of soup...

I served it for dinner

and packed the leftovers for another day.

You can freeze it of you want and bring it out on a night when you are pressed for time.

Keeping Calm

is always so much easier if you "plan ahead!"

Stay tuned for more Hostess approved recipes!