I put Christmas to bed today packing up the trees and the ornaments that dressed their branches. The fireplace mantle is bare, I reread my cards. There is no scheduled time to do this, each year is different depending on family activities but this new year came in rather quietly after what is always a very busy holiday season. Christmas snuck by, a flu bug dampening my day, but everyone carried on and enjoyed special moments, dinner and celebrations. My girls took over the kitchen with Tony and prepared dinner, lit the candles; well they did it all, and there were no written instructions! They proved they know me very well. I was very thankful and proud. Their roast was perfect! I got to enjoy the leftovers.

I managed a moment or two here and there and my family certainly kept their eyes on me when I was not in the room. I listened in on adult conversations, talks between the kids and relished the contagious laughter, and at the end of the evening some angelic, joyful singing brought me to tears. It was good.

I hope that this note finds you all well, holding memories of Christmas, thinking about 2020 and what it may bring, but mostly I hope you are happy. We have to be strong in what appears to be a difficult start to a new year. Some of you are travelling to warmer climates to escape the snow, others will stay and bundle up. No matter where you are I wish you all safe journeys, and I hope you have lots of fun with friends and family and new experiences.

I gathered everyone together with the addition of my nephew Peter this past Saturday and this time I sat at the table, the Christmas lights and the candles sparkling. We laughed, discussed the new year and enjoyed each other’s company. It was joyful. I experimented with a new menu, a very safe task with this crew. It was yummy! I read earlier about “La Befana”, the Christmas Witch in Italy who brings treats to everyone during the Feast of the Epiphany, (coincided with our dinner) This is the legend of the witch who followed the wise men and witnessed their gifts to baby Jesus. I guess we celebrated La Befana, one old lady, but no witches and no broom.

This year, Tony and I will be joining those who are staying put. We will be bundling up but you will hear from me once in awhile.

Happy New Year! We have today, enjoy it and stay healthy. By the way, it is snowing and it is very pretty.

After a big batch of chicken stock is made my freezer is filled with fourteen litres of liquid gold, with one left on the counter to heal the cold ailment that has crept into our house. I was asked about the menu at our “La Befana” dinner, pure comfort, Roast Loin of Pork with Green Peppercorn Sauce, Tarragon Layered Potatoes, roasted Asparagus with lemon, and Candied Beet Salad with fresh mozzarella.

This was a Michael Bonacini recipe I tweaked along with his recipe for the beet salad.

The roast pork was Ina’s no tweaking there.

The fridge has been cleaned out and leftovers have been created, Tony’s favourite meals! He often says “this should be made again”, alas leftovers are originals and can’t be repeated. Maybe I should write down those \240recipes. It is the same with Kitchen Soup, the weekly concoction from gathering the little bits in the cupboards, fridge and freezer, with nothing going to waste.

Yes, when I said goodbye to the twinkle and glitter of December, winter became a reality. The whipped up winds of January brought on a whole new shift of culinary gears. Soups, stews, casseroles and roast chicken occupy my thoughts. Food always occupies my thoughts and I would rather spend the day in my kitchen than combat the wicked elements of weather, but that is just me!

It is -20C this morning but the sun is shining. Could be worse!

This marmalade brought back memories of Salt Spring Island where we stopped at Hastings House while road tripping on the Sunshine Coast in Spring a few years ago. A little slice of paradise, this country estate overlooked the very picturesque Ganges Harbour in British Columbia.

We had the opportunity to lodge on the Estate in the charming farmhouse, a tranquil haven decorated like an English cottage complete with cozy chintz love seats, a crackling fire and luxurious linens and down duvets in the upstairs bedroom. We \240overlooked the gardens that lead to the harbour where, when sitting on the porch we watched sail boats rocking quietly in the breeze. It was so calming.

On the back of the entrance door is a fabric cat and dog, if you did not want to be disturbed you would put out the dog. If you did not mind a visitor or a delivery you put out the cat. Needless to say, who let the cat out? I did because, each morning a “wake-up hamper” would arrive with hot muffins, or scones along with Marcel’s Marmalade to have with your tea or coffee. It was yummy. I make these exact muffins, and or scones regularly and in January, I make the marmalade. Hastings House was very generous with their recipes gifting their guests a new cookbook published to celebrate their history and famous cuisine. Marcel (a nice young Swiss man) is the Executive Chef.

I can understand why this is one of the most asked for recipes. Sweet and tart with candied peel like texture it brings sunshine to a plate. A glistening little spoonful is all you need. If you like marmalade, give this a try.

Marcel’s Marmalade

2.2 pounds (1kg.) oranges (4 large)

14 ounces grapefruit (397g) (1 large)

3.3 lbs. sugar

Wash fruit thoroughly and cut each orange and grapefruit into 8 segments. Chop each segment into 1/4” slices(you can chop a bit finer if you prefer) without removing any seeds or peel. Combine along with sugar in large pot. Bring to a boil stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved turn heat down and simmer for two hours stirring occasionally. It will thicken. Cool slightly, transfer to sterilized jars. Seal if storing in cupboard or refrigerate. Makes about nine cups.

I enjoyed doing this today. If you don’t like marmelade, well enjoy your Manhattan or start squeezing, Citrus is certainly good to ward off the colds, speaking of which it is -10 as I write this but the sun is bright and it is a beautiful winters day.

Now at night if the cat is out, Marcel’s handmade Swiss chocolates would be on the night table when you returned from dinner. I need to get another cat, and

Marcel, thanks for the memories!

Outside is beautiful, inside not so much! I have been given a gift by a “friend”....

The temperature in my kitchen sits at a perfect 21 degrees that keeps it warm under it’s blanket. I feed it, I talk to it all the time, I keep it active and busy just like I am trying to be at this stage of my life, and I honestly care for it, cleaning up after it on a continuous basis. I can’t name it, too much too soon and that would really be going too far. I already have the perfect grand dog and who needs another pet? \240Fear though is starting to creep in, from my exhaustion, that I may kill this gift. Secretly though, I am having evil thoughts of doing it myself!

Every pan, pot, measuring spoon, cup, parchment paper pieces, scraper, scissors, canisters and bowls cover my counters on a daily basis.

Sour dough starter, looks like it’s dying doesn’t it? Not my fault. I have made muffins, sour dough bread, rolls, coffee cake, loaves, my freezer is full and I don’t eat sweets and frankly not much bread either! I have been to the grocery store more times than I can count for flour, sugar, dried fruit, you name it. My credit card gets whisked out of my wallet at every turn and my car gets filled with gas more now than ever. My new “pet” is going to break me! Why didn’t I say “NO thank-you”?

Sharing will take place. I would rather my freezer be full of savoury things ready to be barbecued, roasted, baked, braised, or simmering on the back of a stove in preparation for a nice dinner. Skip the dessert! Last week was tough with all this sweetness; do you know how much you have to drink while waiting for the timers to go off? Savoury cooking keeps you busier, occupied and the wine also goes in the dishes, how cool is that?

Ontario lamb shanks were cooked for Tony’s Dad along with Bolognese for pasta, and Italian Wedding Soup. He loved it all. \240Kansas City baked beans were started in prep for Super Bowl.

The sour dough bread will be good with them! The muffins are certainly healthy but so yummy!

The bread, now in the freezer for the game as well, seems a little heavy but I loved all the different shapes. The smaller cast iron pot proved to be the one that offered the more round loaf and I frankly was more patient with that first loaf than I was with the others. Throwing the dough in the pan, with my “let’s get this done” attitude resulted in that cute little heart shaped loaf, or is that a chicken?

Hope they taste good because the rolls were very, very heavy and I must say they did not, did not make it to the table. Always one to repurpose, they could be used as doorstoppers at the Royal Canadian Mint. Oh dear, can sourdough be over used, are there rules to how much you can make in a day?

Rest in peace....January 17, 2020 - January 27, 2020. I killed it! Talk to you after Super Bowl, I need a moment.

Time - 10:54 a.m.

I can’t believe that this was my first trip to the Trails, it won’t be my last. Today is certainly different but expected. I think March is coming in like a lion as snow continues to fall, driveways are on the second round of shovelling, events cancelled, buses off the road and kids out of school. Foster joined me for the day. He loves coming here!

February 28 - the snow drifts this morning were quite impressive in beauty artistically, but their wind blown size made the last round, fingers crossed, of shovelling a little more challenging.

We were teased no doubt by Mother Nature last week, typical of this “Springster” season. Next Wednesday rain is forecasted, crazy.

I remained inside, -17 but the sun shines and the temperature will climb. I prefer to look at my hyacinths that \240all bloomed at the same time this year. Last year they were pitiful. I love forcing bulbs but they do have a mind of their own.

Their scent is incredible, strong and with four together a bit overwhelming. My headache stopped when I moved them from under my nose. They reminded me of my Nanny Royston, another beauty. She loved spring flowers and perfume. In her later years a little too much was applied when she dressed for Sunday dinner.

It was great to see Mary and Donna M. for lunch where conversation flowed easily as we caught up on our activities, the current political situations in our country and in others, health issues around the world, and knitting. We are comfortable in our “topics” but certainly realize others around us have different opinions. We agree that there is a lot of hate out there right now and wonder if it will ever change. The Golden Rule has been forgotten - “do onto others as you would have them do onto you”, which when available may be a solution if you know or have asked the other person how they want to be treated. \240In our modern world we need to ask because we are all not cut from the same cloth.

Tony and I wrapped up the evening at The Gallery Hop, hosting an Installation by Dave Carlin at the building. Our vibrant art community holds four hop events annually with eight locations in our downtown core. This year two “pop-ups” were included in this successful event. It was wonderful to see the excitement and ever increasing support.

As well, we hosted Nipissing University students from the Business program, who presented their interpretations of Marketing through various art media. \240From around the world, and around the corner, twenty-two personalities, so diverse culturally, racially and ethnically came together and helped each other, listened to each other, laughed and worried with each other. “What if nobody comes”, was a common concern. It was wonderful to see friends and family members of those from our community head over to each student, giving them equal time, language barriers dropped, nervous smiles turned into full blown grins, the noise level rising as people leaned in to make sure they understood every word some laden with heavy accents. It was a great night. I realized how kind they were, how respectful they were, how kind everyone was who walked through our door. All knew at that moment how each other wanted to be treated. I felt proud and hopeful. We look forward to “the next time”.

February 29 - that extra day! How many times have we all said, for various reasons, “if I only had one more day”, today we do. Enjoy it, and to borrow “Ellen’s” very truthful words,

“Be kind to each other, love one another”,

Talk soon,

I love flowers and always have them in the house. I appreciate their beauty. The Iris I received at the end of February and with Spring around the corner, I was hopeful of what was to come. I was very aware of what was “out there” but a little naive thinking a Virus could not possibly make its way to Canada but as time progressed, my eyes opened very wide. My family knew we had to continue to protect each other. We are eleven, including our nephew who now lives in North Bay.

Isolation is not hard for me. \240I love to be at home in my kitchen cooking, so at this time, I decided to sort through my parent’s recipe box. This experience brought back wonderful memories of special times with family members, or their friends, who are no longer with us but also some that still are. Some recipes made it back into the box, others did not. I did “modernize” them a bit; realized I am a savoury cook, not a baker, and pulled the sweets out to give to a baking pro in the family to try out herself. After two failures in that department I was done.

After a round of Sauce making, I moved on to Aunt Anna’s Short Ribs, always yummy and a favourite of many.

This is a two day preparation and today one large beef rib replaced the bite size short ribs in the original. She made these for Tony and I at the cottage “before kids”, four of us were around the table, a rare moment. My parents were at a wedding in town and my cousins busy elsewhere. Sweet and tangy, melt in your mouth goodness.

Bits and Bites, BBQ Sauce, Meatballs to share! BBQ sauce is Auntie Helen Kurtz’s recipe but I thicken it up with some molasses, maple syrup is added, more mustard. She was a gem, lived until a 104, did not take unnessary meds and her favourite drink, to quote her, “rye and water, lots of ice, no water...please”, sounds like a good plan.

The bits and bites, Auntie Claire’s treat. I used to make these only at Christmas but now they are a household item. Everyone enjoys the snack, the addition of other crunchy bits may have changed but the savoury, garlicky, buttery flavour stays the same! In February, heart shaped, so cool!

Auntie Claire taught me the “proper way to make tea”, necessary after a few week cups on McIntyre Street. My hands are like hers; when I hold my morning tea I think of her. So many memories.

Aunt Beverly’s Lamb Paprikash! Tony was over the moon. I followed her recipe exactly but added more vegetables, cooked al dente on the top of the dish before serving. So long ago I remember the dish and was thrilled to stumble on this one. Another keeper! My Mom’s baby sister who babysat Billy and I, has been with us at every family celebration happy and sad, taking care of us. Distance sometimes gets in the way, but she is held in all of our hearts everyday.

My “journey” through this box has just started, appetizers beef, cookies.....we shall see what is next. My appetizer favourite was from my cousin Dorothy, creamy mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter, green onions, salt and pepper, whip cream and parm cheese thickening it to a perfect consistency, I served it on toast for a light supper. My memories of Dorothy are so clear in my head, she and I could tell stories, laughing out loud over our make believe scenarios; I should write some of them down and send to her, maybe she will remember.

On the 23rd we celebrated my 70th birthday. My family gathered together and planned an evening I will never forget. I was thankful to be surrounded by so much love, kindness and strength. I am proud, there is no doubt, of each and everyone of them. I was brought to tears many times over a toast, a memory walk, words in cards and photos lovingly prepared in a scrapbook by Nia. I was unprepared by the feelings that overcame me when I looked at each of them in the room. I am fortunate to be here and healthy, and I will do anything necessary to keep them healthy as well.

Thank you all for the happy wishes, cards and phone calls, gifts of love and the thoughtful little treasures that touched my heart.

Take care of each other, keep smiling and find time to laugh out loud. Solitude is not always easy for everyone so reach out and share, pick up the phone, and if you are able to help it will be appreciated. Until next time....

Oh, and dance ‘TIL you drop!

Blueberries are so sweet.

The cabin (Circa 1916) is under a bit of a Reno. Her old floor is getting secured and new flooring put down. More light is being let in by switching out the door. Her little face will be lifted in the fall. This was Tony and my first cottage. We purchased it from my Uncle Bill in 1981 who did not use the property as he owned Keystone and then moved on to Windy Point. He rented the property for one month to our Great Aunt and another month to the Jones’ who were a true fishing couple. On their death he let our great aunt stay the summer. She died in 1980 and we were asked if we were interested. It is now the Limina family “cabin” after we built the new in 1986. The memories/history of that cabin are a blessing.

Door switch, more on that later...

A work in progress!

Freedom on the water from jumping off the dock or the float boat after a cruise, kayaking, hanging around the rocks or cooling down before sleep, what could be better?

Katie and Foster off to the end of the Island towards Keystone, a little further everyday

Jes and Nia! Wilco is usually in the front seat!

Morning dip off the rocks

Cousin visits

One, two, three, jump

Day is almost done!

Whatever you are doing this holiday weekend, embrace and enjoy, and stay safe.