Jotting it down, before I forget

This post is a series of items jotted down before I forget. I’ve been so busy lately: we’ve been doing a lot of entertaining so I’ve been doing a lot of cooking & cleaning; twice daily dog walks; workouts 3 times each week; some visiting; some exploring; oh yes, and now there’s yard work too; and so on. Just a few reasons for taking so long to say “hi”.

Jot One.  In the last post I promised to share some of those recipes. I’m going to have to delay that until the next posting: I’m afraid I have my blog set so that people cannot right click the text or photos and help themselves (photo theft is a big problem online, as many of you may be aware). I’ve learned that I can provide you with a nice pdf of the recipes but first I need to type them up into pdf format and then load them to my dropbox so you can easily access the links — that way you can help yourself to the recipes. You will only have to wait no more than a day for the recipe post so stand by!

Jot Two.  My postcards and the rest of the package for Kat Sloma’s Liberate Your Art 2013 project  are completed. I chose 5 pieces of art, on postcards, wrote a little something on each one, and the works are in-the-mail! I can hardly wait to begin receiving works of art from the other participants to begin rolling in.

Jot Three. It’s about food, again. It means I need to share more recipes. I make my own pizza dough from scratch, my own Italian pan bread, and cinnamon buns, but I came across a recipe for dinner buns that I knew I must try. Try I did, and they were so amazing, I gave half a dozen to one of the neighbours and now I’m sharing the recipe with you. Credit for the recipe goes to Mary Marshall for her Easy Big Fat Yeast Rolls — easy for sure and incredibly delicious. It’s the addition of an egg and butter to the dough that amps up the flavour. PS: Since I wrote this part a couple weeks ago, I’ve made them again since then and they were equally amazing the second time, so give ’em a try! That’s them up there.

Jot Four. I have also been READING up a storm. The last novel I read was one that’s been out for ages, Chocolat, and although I did read it all the way through I didn’t find it all that satisfying. The book that is currently holding my bookmark definitely has my interest. I have around a half dozen books that have been sitting in abeyance waiting their turn to be enjoyed and I have to share with you that this one I definitely recommend, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. I’m nearly at the end and can hardly wait to see how it finishes up and what happens to Harold. I don’t write reviews here since there are hundreds of them online but I will say that the subject matter is definitely unique, the characters and plot are interesting, and I really enjoy the use of imagery in her prose.

We had a lovely Easter. I made an entirely non-traditional meal this Easter because I knew our guests would appreciate something a bit different. I went boring and simple on the appetizers because the rest of the meal was two days in the making. Appies included: cognac pate with sesame rice crackers; a couple (real) cheeses; and a variety of olives & pickles (that was the store-bought portion of the meal). First course was Spanish Pea soup that was really fresh and spring-like with a great flavour. Entree included fantastic (even if I say so myself) Braised Lamb Shanks, Carrot spears with Dukkah, Celery & Radish Salad, homemade Pan Bread, and Couscous with Mint & Peas. Then for dessert because I knew I’d miss my traditional lemon meringue pie, I made a spritely lemon parfait (always homemade) using my own shortbread crumbs to simulate the flavours of the missing pie. I think that’s the first time in my entire life I’ve gone non-traditional for the holiday meal. What about you? What do you make for Easter and do you like to go non-traditional at times?