A Life, Lived

New Year's Resolutions?

Have you voted in the photo contest? Only 1 day to go!

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 371 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

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Last year I posted this as my 'plan' for the year . . .

To visit more wineries in Ontario, Paso Robles, and Italy.

To explore Savannah, Georgia.

To laugh and carry on on Montisi.

To glide in a balloon over the fields, forests, and vineyards of Tuscany.

To visit the capital of slow food.

To drink a glass (or case, whatever might be best) of brachetto in Piedmont.

To ride a bicycle along the walls of Lucca.

To balance work and life better.

To continue the shrinkage of my waistline (42 - 40 in 2006, 40 - 38 in 2007, can I make 36?)

To explore more local food and produce.

To pet the cats more.

To learn to turn off my blackberry.

My posting prompted the following comment from a sad soul:

How refreshing, Jerry. I love your resolutions to travel, indulge and imbibe more in the new year. There are too many folks with the same old January proclamations of donating more to worthwhile charities at home and abroad, becoming more spiritual, being a better friend, and greening the planet.

What boring saps. Brava to you for admitting that less is not more.

PC (JC's twin)

Who knew that blogging could give rise to such drama? I hope that PC/JC were able to find some happiness this year - it sure sounds as if they could use some.

Of my list, I was able to complete 6 of the 12. 50 % isn't something to be proud of. No, not at all!

What does 2009 have in store for me/us?

Back to the gym!

Eating lobster, fresh from the ocean, in Maine.

Finishing my Italy and San Diego trip reports as well as San Diego restaurant reviews for Slowtravel.

Shopping less, saving more.

Hopefully a new election campaign here in Canada, followed by a new government.

Continuing to use local, seasonal foods whenever possible.

Paul would suggest that balancing work and life needs to continue to be a focus  AGAIN - as does turning off the bloody blackberry!

Probably camping some more this summer. Sitting around a campfire watching shooting stars . . . gliding through still waters in a canoe. . .

Relaxing!

JC/PC - if you feel the need to comment (although after the exchange of angry e-mails prompted by your New Year's comment you've been rather silent) bring it on - nothing says happy new year like a bout of rudeness! *smile*

To the rest of you - have a safe and happy new year. Judging by what is happening around us it may be a stressful one - it will surely be a year to re-examine one's priorities and focus on the truly important things in life!

Italian Beef Stew with Rosemary

Have you voted in the photo contest? Only 2 days to go!

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 371 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

Once winter took its bitter hold around here and the cats started to curl up in front of the fireplace I started to crave what I call 'winter food': hot and hearty stews and soups. This, coupled with the fact that I had a new le Creuset pot that was crying out to be used, had me searching for a suitable recipe.

This recipe, for a thick and hearty Italian beef stew in a rich tomato sauce seemed to be just the ticket. The only thing I didn't do was to put the tomato and vegetable mixture through a foodmill; I like things nice and chunky in a stew . . . not mushy.

This stew delivered on all fronts! It was just the thing to keep winter at bay for another day or so!

Enjoy!

 Italian Beef Stew with Rosemary

1 1/2 lbs. lean beef
3 c. fresh or canned peeled tomatoes with basil
3/4 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped parsley, preferably Italian, loosely packed
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
8 thin slices French or Italian bread
1 whole clove garlic, peeled

Trim meat, cut it into one inch cubes.

In a saucepan, combine the tomatoes, celery, parsley, oregano, thyme, oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bring to boil. Simmer about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Put the sauce through a food mill and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup butter in a wide flameproof casserole. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until the meat loses its red color. Add the chopped garlic and stir. Transfer the meat to another dish.

Add the wine to the casserole and cook over high heat until it is reduced by half. Add the meat, the rosemary, and the tomato sauce and, if necessary, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, spread the bread with butter and toast on both sides under the broiler. Rub on both sides with the garlic clove, place 2 slices in 4 hot soup bowls, and spoon the meat and sauce over all. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

Cranberry Tart with Polenta Crust

Have you voted in the photo contest? Only 3 days to go!

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 371 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

I wanted something a little diferent for dessert on Christmas day. I knew that after a huge meal we wouldn't want anything too substantial. I had lots of cranberries in the freezer so I finally decided upon this tart from Gina dePalma's cookbook Dolce Italiano. I knew if Gina developed the recipe it would wow our guests.

It did!

This cranberry tart has a slightly sweet filling, punctuated by puckery cranberries.  The polenta crust is a whiz -- especially for those like me who would rather by pass the dough.  Rest easy, this one comes together in a snap and rolls out beautifully and the filling comes together in mere minutes. Serve your tart at room temperature or slightly warm.  

This colorful tart is a showstopper for the holidays.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Tart with Polenta Crust
adapted from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen,
by Gina DePalma

Cranberry Tart Filling
Makes One 10-inch Tart, 8 to 10 Servings

Polenta Tart Crust (see below)
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light corn syrup
½ cup heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F. and position a rack in the center

On a floured board, roll the tart dough into an 11-inch circle 1/8-inch thick.Transfer the dough to a 10-inch tart pan with fluted sides and a removable bottom by rolling the dough around the pin like a carpet and then rolling it on to the pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan, then trim it so it is flush with the top of the pan. NOTE - be sure that the tart pan has sides at least an inch to 1 1/2 inches high.

Chill the tart shell while you make the filling.

Sort through the fresh cranberries to make sure there are no stems, bruised or soft berries.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and corn syrup.

Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cranberries and continue to cook over medium heat until the berries just begin to soften and pop, about 2 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl to cool for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to dissipate the heat.

In another bowl, whisk together the cream, egg yolks, vanilla extract, flour, and salt.

Pour this mixture over the cranberries and stir gently.

Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell.

Place the tart on a large baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the crust has turned golden brown and the filling is set; it may jiggle slightly but should not be liquid.

Allow the tart to cool completely on a rack before carefully removing the sides of the tart pan.

Serve at room temperature or slightly reheated.

Wrapped in plastic, the tart will keep in the refrigerator for a few days

Polenta Tart Crust

This dough is especially good with berries, cherries, and plums, as the chewy texture and yellow hue provide a colorful contrast to soft, succulent fruits.

Makes one 10-inch tart shell

1 ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup instant or fine polenta (cornmeal)
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
½ cup (1 stick/4 ounces) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 large egg
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the flour, polenta (cornmeal), sugar, salt and lemon zest into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine them. Add the cold, cubed butter to the bowl and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand and no large lumps of butter are visible.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, olive oil, and vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients to the food processor and pulse just until a ball of dough forms.

Form the dough into a disk and tightly wrap in plastic.

Chill the dough until it is firm enough to roll, at least 1 to 2 hours.

Sunday Slow Soupers # 6: Hopping John Soup

Have you voted in the photo contest? Only 3 days to go!

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 371 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

It was Shannon's turn to select the soup recipe fo the week. In honour of New Year's she selected a Hopping John Soup. Hopping John is found in most states of the South, but it is mainly associated with the Carolinas. Gullah or Low Country cuisine reflects the cooking of the Carolinas, especially the Sea islands (a cluster of islands stretching along the coats of south Carolina and northern Georgia). Black-eyed peas, also called cow peas, are thought to have been introduced to America by African slaves who worked the rice plantations. Hoppin' John is a rich bean dish made of black-eyed peas simmered with spicy sausages, ham hocks, or fat pork, rice, and tomato sauce. In this case it is turned into a delicious soup.

This African-American dish is traditionally a high point of New Year's Day, when a shiny dime is often buried among the black-eyed peas before serving. whoever get the coin in his or her portion is assured good luck throughout the year. For maximum good luck in the new year, the first thing that should be eaten on New year's Day is Hopping John. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, many southern families toast each other with Champagne and a bowl of Hoppin' John. If it is served with collard greens you might, or might not, get rich during the coming year.

There are many variations to traditional Hoppin' John. Some cook the peas and rice in one pot, while others insist on simmering them separately. In this soup everything is all cooked together - and there is no rice.

The soup is amazing, a bit like french Canadian pea soup although not as thick. We enjoyed the addition of the collard greens which were easy to find here in Canada (shock of shocks). I'll be sure to serve some of this up for good luck on New year's Day. Given how 2008 unfolded, we can all use some good luck in 2009!

Enjoy!

Hopping John Soup

1 onion, chopped in fairly small pieces
1 cup celery, chopped in fairly small pieces
1 T olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
2-3 cups diced ham (cut off the ham rind and save)
8 cups homemade chicken stock
2 16 oz. packages frozen black-eyed peas (or use 6 dried peas, soak over night, rinsed, and cooked in water for an hour until they soften)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bunch fresh collard greens, chopped
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar, or more to taste
Optional: ham flavor base if needed, see note at end of the recipe


In large frying pan, saute onion and celery in olive oil about 5 minutes, until starting to soften. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more, then add ham and saute over very low heat 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to large soup pot, add chicken stock, black eyed peas, and ham rinds if available, and cook at very low simmer for one hour.

After soup has cooked one hour, taste for flavoring. Add more water and ham flavor base if needed. Add chopped collard greens and thyme, stir into soup and simmer one hour more, or until black-eyed peas are quite soft. When black-eyed peas are as soft as you want them, remove pieces of ham rind, then use an immersion blender, food processor, or hand masher to partially process about half the soup. You want a mixture of broken and unbroken black-eyes peas, with some thickening of the soup from the pureeing process. Be careful not to over process. Add red pepper flakes and vinegar and simmer 10 minutes more. Serve hot.

(Makes 6-8 servings, recipe created by Kalyn Denny of Kalyn's Kitchen with inspiration from The Gourmet Cookbook.)

Season's Eatings - Malted Milk Date Bars

Have you voted in the photo contest? Only 4 days to go!

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 371 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

The wonderful Katie, owner of Thyme for Cooking, arranged a unique secret santa event for food bloggers. We e-mailed her our name and address. She paired people up and sent us an e-mail indicating to where and to whom we should mail our treat. We were encouraged to send some local delicacy or ingredient as well as a recipe that would assist the happy recipient in using it.

There you have it, secret santas for the digital age.

I received Barb, from Art n Barb Live in Italy, as the person i was to send to. Thank goodness she was in the US for a few weeks over Christmas and asked that her parcel be sent there. Whew - dodged a postal bullet there! LOL I sent her some maple syrup made by a friend from work, and some of our homemade fig jelly with balsamic and rosemary and some wild blueberry and grand marnier jam. She posted about her parcel here.

I was so wrapped up in the bustle of the holidays that I forgot about this until a package arrived at the door while I was in the basement wrapping gifts. When I opened it I had to laugh - my secret santa was my good friend Palma! Palma lives in the desert so I was curious to see what she had sent. Ever one to tackle a challenge with style - she sent some dates from the desert as well as a jar of prickly pear marmalade.

She also sent along a recipe for Malted Milk Date Bars which I made today. Palma is a talented cook so I had no reservations attempting the recipe, well except for one. I've never been a fan of dates! LOL However, as a dedicated food blogger I know it isn't about me and what i like it is about the event! I whipped these up this morning (and had to pick Paul up off of the floor when he discovered me doing more baking!), let them cool while I ran errands and iced them this afternoon. I am happy to say that these are delicious - a dense, almost brownie-like square with a delicious vanilla butter cream icing.

Even a confirmed date hater like myself LOVED them!

Thanks Palma.

Perhaps like so many things in life I have discovered that I actually LIKE dates . . . happily I have plenty more to explore with.

Malted Milk Date Bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/3 butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup sifted flour
• 3/4 cup chocolate or vanilla malted milk powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup finely chopped dates
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 square (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate, melted
• Butter Icing, recipe below

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°. In a saucepan, melt butter and add sugar; blend thoroughly. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs and vanilla; blend well. Add sifted dry ingredients, dates and nuts.

Turn mixture into greased 9-inch square pan or llx7x2-inch pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes; cool. Spread with butter frosting. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the icing and cut into bars. Note: Mix a little confectioners' sugar and water into the melted chocolate to make it easier to drizzle.

Butter Icing
Combine 1 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Cream all ingredients together until of spreading consistency. Add more milk if necessary. Add a few drops of food coloring to this icing for special occasions.

Photohunt - Squeaky

Have you voted in the photo contest? Only 4 days to go!

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 371 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

Today's photohunt theme is squeaky. This water wheel is located in the town of Volant Mills, PA. We often stop in for a visit when we're at the huge outlet mall in Groves City. In the summer the wheel is quite squeaky as it slowly turns. You'll see from this picture, taken after an ice storm, that it has been silenced by its coat of glistening ice.

Lots of the slowtravel  community members also photohunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail

Christmas with Jerry and Paul . . . and Victor and Beckett too!

Have you voted in the photo contest?

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 370 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

Yesterday was a busy day here at casa Jerry, Paul, Victor, and Beckett too!

It started quietly - just me and the cats enjoying breakfast (the cats) and loads of coffee (me) while awaiting the entrance of sleeping beauty (Paul). Finally, at 9, he made his long awaited appearance!

We started off by opening stockings in the family room.

The cats got stoned on catnip treats.

 

Victor 'suggested' that I cease with the pictures and hurry up with the unwrapping of his gifts!

Finally the stockings were done and the cats wondered 'if this it?"

Then we moved into the living room where we opened the gifts under the tree. Santa was VERY good to us this year!

After the presents were opened it was time for breakfast. We enjoyed champagne and pomegranate juice, eggs benedict on savoury waffles, hashed brown casserole, and peameal bacon (what we Canadians call Canadian bacon - not that nasty stuff sold in the US as Canadian Bacon).

After breakfast it was time to get ready for the arrival of our guests. I had a baking crisis - we were low on cookies! Oh, the inhumanity! I took some logs of dough I had made out of the freezer and in an hour this was done.

Paul cleaned, tidied, and set the table. We were serving dinner for 8. Our dining room table was stretched almost to its full length - really, we need a larger house for such events!

We went with a predominate red and white theme this year.

 

Mom arrived (late, of course) and we enjoyed some white chocolate mint martinis.

 

It was time to take a break from cooking and open some more gifts. Woo hoo!

 

Mom had more catnip toys for the cats and they became quite crazed. At one point Beckett tried to eat his cat mat.

Paul's mom and step-dad arrived and it was time to open more gifts. Hmmmmm I can really get used to this!

Once all our guests had arrived we enjoyed a simple assortment of snacks - olives, cheese, and sausage rolls, while I finished dinner.

The first course was the delicious pumpkin soup with thyme and two cheeses selected for the Sunday Slow Soupers by Nancy. Everyone RAVED about this soup.

The main course consisted of Standing Rib Roast with Porcini and Bacon Sauce, Creamy Horseradish Sauce, Green Onion Popovers, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans with Pancetta and Shallots. I served Palma's famous cippoline onions at the table - these were a HUGE hit!

 

We took a wee break before dessert. We served some of our baking . . .

 . . . our fruitcake . . .

 . . . and because it would NOT be Christmas without mincemeat . . . mincemeat tarts!

Now, these weren't dessert, merely the accompaniment! For dessert we had a small wedge of Gina de Palma's incredible Cranberry Tarte. This turned put perfect - much better than when I first made it. Happily, I discovered that my oven runs 10 degrees cool. Baking has been much more successful since then (thank you Sunday Slow Bakers!).

Everyone left by about 9:30. By 10:15 we had finished cleaning up and were relaxing in the living room amidst the glow of the tree and the happy thoughts of the day. The best word to describe the day is full. Full of delicious food, wonderful gifts, laughter, wonderful company, good times, and festive cheer.

It was indulgent, but it happens but once a year . . .

I hope that y'all had a full day too!

Merry Christmas

Have you voted in the photo contest?

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 370 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

It is 7:30 on Christmas morning. The cats have allowed me to sleep in a bit this year. It is a Christmas miracle!

They likely have not gotten over the shock of donning their Christmas outfits for the festive photo shoot last night . . .

The presents are all wrapped and under the tree . . .

The stockings filled . . . even for the cats!

We have most of the morning for ourselves to open gifts and enjoy a slow breakfast. Then the fun begins! *smile*

Have a wonderful Christmas!

I'm off to make muffins to munch on while we open presents!

OBD

Have you voted in the photo contest?

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 370 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

My pal Palma tells me that I have a disorder! ACK ACK ACK

Happily it won't kill me, at least not directly.

She claims that I have OBD, also known as obsessive baking disorder. Those of you who know Palma will smile at the thought of her calling anyone obsessive . . . hello pot . . .! Anyone who can host a sit down dinner for 48 at her house is the queen of obsessions, but I digress.

What does this disorder look like? What are the symptons?

Well, I imagine that it is different for everyone but this is a good sign that you have OBD:

32 containers of cookies, squares, and candies. All of them homemade in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

In addition, you panic that you might run out of baked treats so you have this in your freezer:

Logs of frozen cookie dough just waiting to be thawed, sliced, baked, and enjoyed. These are far tastier than any Pillsbury cookie logs, Sandi!

There you have it, two very strong indicators that you minght have OBD.

There is a third and final sympton though. This one closes the deal, in my opinion. If your Christmas cookie tray looks like this:

and you have made everything yourself, run and get help! It isn't too late.

Seriously though, there has been a lot of baking taking place in our household. We don't eat all of these cookies ourselves, instead we give most of them away. Nothing says I like you like a tin full of delicious Xmas baking!

Have a happy Christmas!

Christmas Brunch at the Ancaster Old Mill

Have you voted in the photo contest?

Four of our trip pictures have been entered in a photo contest run by the good folks at easycar.com. Oh happy day - all four photos are currently in the top 10 out of 370 photos. You can vote for each by clicking here, (remember 10 is a good vote! *smile*)  here, here, and here.

Yes, you CAN vote for all four photos.

You can only vote once from any given IP address - this means you can vote once for EACH pic from both at home and at work! If you have two computers networked at home, you can only vote on one of them, however. If you have a Blackberry though, that is a third vote. If you send these links to friends, relatives, or people who bug you with unwanted e-mails - just think of the of votes! It boggles the mind.

Heck, do what I do - vote at every hotel, conference centre, and friend's house in which you find a PC attached to the internet. Don't be shy at all. :-)

---

For the past few years mom has taken Paul and I to the Ancaster Old Mill for a Christmas brunch. Ancaster is a lovely town (well, it has been sucked into the large, gross city of Hamilton but it retains its small town feel) about 20 minutes west of us. The mill was originally built in the 1850s and is nestled into the escarpment. The creek runs right through the restaurant.

The restaurant buildings have been beautifully restored and were decorated with fresh greenery. Of course, the snow we received last Friday and Saturday made look complete!

The restaurant is divided into a number of rooms and we were happy to be seated in our favourite room. It is smaller, tucked away from the kitchen and hustle and bustle of the buffets, but the crowning feature is that the walls are all glass and you look out over the waterfall - stunning! We were also close to the piano and we enjoyed the jazz Christmas music that was preformed.

The buffet is set up in a number of different rooms. The busiest room is always the one where you can get omelets, waffles, and crepes made to order. There is also a juice bar where they will make you one of about 6 different types of smoothies. In the centre of this room is a huge table set with salads and beside it another table groaning with seafood. Mom spends most of her time here!

Outside this room wa a long table filled with different breads, all made on the premises. You can also get yoghurt with berries and granola.

The main buffet is HUGE! On Sunday it featured: steamed vegetables, roasted potatoes, perogies, tortellini, eggs benedict, a whole steamed salmon, roast pork, roast turkey, and  roast beef. Enough food for an army!

  Then at the end of all of this, if you had room, there was the dessert table:

The selection was varied: bread pudding, blueberry cheesecake, fresh fruit, assorted cookies, cupcakes, trifle, apple pie, pecan pie, and a chocolate banana cake. Literally something for everyone!

Wow - were we ever stuffed by the end of all of this.

Our server was excellent and she kept us well supplied with both coffee and champagne and cassis or champagne and freshly squeezed OJ. Sadly I was driving or I might have indulged more!

All in all it was a wonderful way to spend some quality time with family enjoying the best of the season.