MY DAUGHTER'S IMAGINATION IN FRUIT SALAD

Orange wedges, apple slices, crackers, roasted sunflower seeds, oatmeal, corn nuts

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU LET CINNAMON BUNS TO RISE OVERNIGHT

LESSON LEARNED: cook soon after making, THEN refrigerate. Refrigeration does not stop rising! 

ADVENT DAY NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR

Kite sailers in Pointe Claire

Grandma's sweetbuns

This one actually looked like a bum!

Christmas morning cinnamon buns

Could have been perfection

Not a traditional feast, but it was inspired by my love of baking and my daughters likes. It was perfect. Buns, ham, devilled eggs, honeyed carrots, mandarin oranges, and fresh pineapple with red wine.

STROBE LIGHTS ON A PARTY

Our staff Christmas party was this week. It was almost an overwhelming experience. There were 160 people there, and it was loud and dark. In Montreal, at a party, even the anglophones for the most part were kissing cheeks. So many kisses, so many cheeks. It was a blur! Even so, there are moments I remember so vividly. And if I think back, there is one face I see in a sequence, like a strobe light.

"Hello Darling!" was the first thing he said, and he came up beside me and I saw the first flash of his bearded face, a little long.  I didn't have a response to that. "Hello, sir?" (If I had a second chance, I would say "Hello, dear!") Without touching, we do cheek kisses before he disappears.

The next was at the bar. I only remember his eyes. This was the last moment I saw him sober, and as he was holding up a double shot of tequila,  I thought there was an offer in his eyes, which I declined with a shake of my head, but now I wonder if he was just expecting me to hold up my water glass and say cheers (if I was even holding a glass; if he was even looking at me.) I think, no good has ever come from a double shot of tequila.

Another flash, and he is walking up to a table full of people who greet him, welcoming him to sit at the one empty seat.

Again, later from the left, in my peripheral vision, he is wearing a red glow-in-the-dark Rudolf nose from the girls from Nez Rouge, getting laughs.

Next, he's crouching by a girl in heels. He stands, has his hand grabbed, and is pulled out of view again.

On my way back from the bathroom I stop, when he is at the entrance, slurring his speech and wobbling. I ask him what his lapel pin is, and he loves the ambiguity of it. In my heels, I am a little taller than he is. I don't remember what he is wearing. Jeans? But he leans very close, and lurches closer, then stands upright again, and I am sad. Why would this man, so smart, agile, clever and charming let himself be this dumb, disabled version of himself after all the alcohol abuse we see at work? Why is this not enough for me to turn off the strobe light?

The last flash is him coming in from the parking lot. He nods, someone following, as I exit. Then the night is dark again, and I drive home. My retinas have the picture of him etched in shadow, even now. I know he might not even remember me at the party, but flashes of his face keep coming back, no matter how hard I try and forget them.

ADVENT DAY NUMBER TWENTY-TWO

COPPER BRANCH :OK a neighbourhood vegetarian place with a signature beet burger. It's a bit bland, but what a joy to have an omnivore friend recommend a place to eat at that is vegetarian!

LATEST INSTALMENT OF THE STAR WARS SAGA: Ok, SPOILER ALERTS!
THE FORCE AWAKENS had high HIGH expectations! Not as high as THE PHANTOM MENACE, but still... And it did not disappoint me! How fun to meet the new droid BB-8! How great to see Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamon again! How spine tingling to meet Kylo Ren! I wasn't sure they created Rey and Finn to their best advantage, but the casting of Adam Driver was genius, and I look forward to his future acting (and Ren's angst). It was great fun with great seats with a fellow fan, and a perfect afternoon!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER TWENTY-ONE

Starbucks advent calendar puzzle, nearing completion.

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY TWENTY

Ingredients for supper

Homemade poutine

Poutine deconstructed

ADVENT DAY NUMBER NINETEEN

Every year our friends have a Christmas party. It's one event I look forward to every year. It is traditionally a time where we give away our worst possessions and try and disguise it as something good. Once in a while there is something good, and this year there was a lot of swapping for a jacket! Our hostess was the mostest as always. One of the highlights was a competitive game of Pictionary.  This was how we were told that the party was over: 

Last Pictionary drawing (LOL)

ADVENT DAY NUMBER EIGHTEEN

Helena Scheffer's color explosion called "Clarity". Robin's egg meets peacock feather meets sunshineAn early Christmas present for myself.

ADVENT DAY NUMBER SEVENTEEN

Botox crystals on a peppermint pipe cleaner 

ADVENT DAY NUMBER FOURTEEN

CABANA UPDATED COLOUR (TO BE CONTINUED IN THE SPRING)

MONTREAL ARTWORK

Love the crookedness, but searching for the source.

Genuis! Where I can get one?!

This room is filled with genuine West Island art. Flowers echoing a Pottery Barn for Kids quilt. Trees echoing Emily Carr.  Girl with a Pearl Earring, kid style thanks to 4Cats. A portrait of a precious sleeping child. A family portrait photograph.

Another original work of art by Susanne Strater. My daughter's Opa and Nan's house, in pastel gorgeousness.

ADVENT DAY NUMBER THIRTEEN

Pancakes for breakfast decorated by pretzels and strawberries

ADVENT DAY NUMBER TWELVE

There are some people who have an amazing ability to make things around them beautiful. Most of them that I have known are homemakers, but one of them is an incredible artist as well. I had a great evening with wine and cheese, and stollen and German chocolate with a Renaissance woman I admire greatly and respect, for her artistic talents and incredible achievements and lovely personage.

Neutral birch palette.

Homemade stollen, Niederegger (Lübeck) Marzipan, and chocolate covered orange rinds and Christmas chocolates. 

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY ELEVEN

My library has a rapid turnover section that you can only borrow for 7 days. Usually, if I like a book, this is plenty of time. Sue Grafton's X was much anticipated, given the wait since her U is for Undertow. But I couldn't do it. I think it is remarkable that she found a fresh take on her usual great character! But, despite overdue fines at a stiff $2/day, I couldn't get through it! Argh! Adult onset ADD is killing me!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER TEN

ADVENT DAY NUMBER NINE

Eating 100 veggies is a lot easier than no candy!

Here are 100 veggies!

Special fried rice

ADVENT DAY NUMBER EIGHT

This is totally doable!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER SEVEN

So my daughter was off to her Dad's for the week, and I packed her chocolate filled advent calendar to go. That left two other calendars with drawers empty, so I thought. Not so. A cinnamon candy in one and instructions for my personal advent in the other. How amazing is that!

Here's what that looked like: (most of the boxes are empty to fill the space or house decorations), but there are two gifts in the right foreground that made one little girl feel a little closer to Christmas! I have packed our Christmas decorations in hat boxes and decorated boxes for years, and just put the empty tins and boxes under the tree until the gifts start stacking up.

I spent quite a bit of time as a kid guessing packages by feel, so it was fun to teach Rebecca to feel and smell and shake the packages to make a guess at the contents inside. It's like winning a lottery ticket, and spending the wins multiple ways. I wonder if putting them out this early will make it too tempting, and that one morning all the tape will be loose! Time will tell!

"Put a gift onder [sic] the tree (for Me)!"

This year, with a one year old cat who likes to eat acrylic trees, we set up in my daughter's bedroom. She is loving the night light!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER SIX

We were supposed to go skating, but a local tournament cancelled the public skate. Despondent, the only thing to do on arriving home, was to eat the best bits off the gingerbread house. Consolation indeed!

Why smarties should never be your choice of shingle!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER FIVE

This was a great day! Christmas activity at the library with inspiration from Christmas carols, and a surprise friend meet-up. McGill Redmen vs Laval Rouge et Dor basketball with my daughter! Great ball, NBA superstar, cheerleaders and giveaways, and an exciting win 82:80! Amelia's pizza bringing back memories of Amelio's. A busy perfect day!

Christmas Lego at the library (inspired by Christmas Carols): From Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer at 9 o'clock clockwise : Let it Snow, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is Coming to Town (centre)

Amelia's is open! The white pizza aka 5 cheeses pizza is just as good as Amelio's and the salad still rocks!

HOTEL BONAVENTURE FOOD

For the second year in a row, I signed up for the Annual Refresher Course for Family Physicians Annual dinner . Last year featured Eric Speed, the world's fastest violinist, just recovering from a bout of eosinophilic esophagitis. This year was a wine pairing even with sommelier Carl Villeneuve and Genevieve Dagenais. It was a great evening with fun colleagues and great entertainment. The 28 year old award winning sommelier had a nose and palate algorithm that was like watching a magic show. It was great fun!

Fresh Atlantic salmon gravlax, crispy asparagus salad, champagne dressing served with Cava Brut Espana with a fuzzy peach nose and palate. Wonderful!

Creamy artichoke and sun-dried tomato risotto, parsley sauce served with Swartland 2013 white South Africa with an apricot nose. Underwhelming risotto, but great wine.

Roasted milk-fed veal medallion with truffle and coffee mushroom duxelle with Langhe Rosso 2013 from Beni Di Batasiolo, Italy. A very disappointing veal dish after morally avoiding for almost 2 decades. Oops, and the wine smelled to me like a cork!

Chocolate biscuit, light Baileys mouse and glazed chocolate orange mirror  with Banyuls Hors D'age from Domaine de Valcros, France; a fortified wine with prune nose and palate. Amazing dessert and amazing wine!

Butternut squash soup, rice, grilled veggies, edamame and lentil salads. Really great lunch!

Lemon and raspberry marshmallow, and delicious verrines. Always save room for dessert!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER FOUR

After a day of Christmas markets, and a taste of Europe, these ladybugs reminded my Croatian friend of her childhood Christmas. Instead of Santa Claus, a Ladybug Auntie puts ladybugs under the pillow of the kids who are good, and branches under the pillow of the kids who were bad.

ADVENT DAY NUMBER THREE

CHANNELING AUSTRIA: SCHNITZEL, SPAETZLE, AND KOHLRABI

Christmas markets across Europe are open, and in my dreams I would fly over to Austria or Germany and visit. So when I went grocery shopping yesterday and found fresh Florida Kohlrabi (never knew that existed, and certainly didn't expect now to be the season), I had a hankering for Austrohungarian fare. I had been introduced at New Year's  in 1996 in Bavaria to a raw dill seasoned kohlrabi salad that was incredible, and only years later tasted the vegetable that my parents' neighbours grew every year. It was too late when I planted my seeds this year, but I hope to try again for my own homegrown kohlrabi next year! I found spaetzle in the pasta aisle, and made a moral exception to a small fillet of tenderized pork that I planned to transform into schnitzel, but when I found that I misplaced my meat tenderizer, they weren't quite thin enough to be called truly schnitzel, but my daughter ate it, kohlrabi and all! The ketchup from St Hubert (actually Premiere Moisson) was an amazing accompaniment, as was a last glass of Ménage à Trois Red wine. 

MY NEW AVATAR

My daughter came from school today and taught me how to pick a cover photo, and background to my google account. This is my new avatar!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER TWO

My mom used to get us to save some of our halloween candy every year to transform into a grand gingerbread house. Now kits abound, and they are sure a lot easier, but even the Wilton one we used this year didn't come with enough decorations! So after 10 mini-boxes of smarties, an assortment of chocolates from Halloween, and coconut shavings, we had a our house. This kit sure made it easy: it even came pre-fabricated. Just ice and decorate! It such fun to see a girl grow up. We watch enough Nerdy Nummies to make her feel confident with an icing bag. She looks like a pro!