A Christmas Card!

I began writing a post a few days before the Christmas holidays came into full swing about "simpler" times... 

It was quite a lengthy dissertation about how busy and stressful this time of the year can be or become if you allow it to consume you!

And guess what ... I let some of those very things take over and I never finished the post!

So I will file my thoughts away for another time... and hope that you all enjoyed your Christmas time with your family and friends as much as we did.

Wishing you all Health and Happiness in 2014!

                           

            

A Monochromatic Walk

A black and white day!

All of the photographs that I took today on my walk through the woods had no colour ... 

Everything was black and white.

Because of the recent heavy snowfalls our walk was not so straight forward, not so "black and white" as all the paths through the forest were hidden and covered by a foot and half of fresh, white fluffy snow.

Nothing in the enchanted forest looked familiar and on occasion we felt lost and like Hansel and Gretel we should have left a trail.

                                

  A splash of bright red as we left the forest.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

The weather has presented many challenges for the walker this week...

It has been freezing cold with the wind chill making it even colder, the streets and sidewalks icier and a bit treacherous for those of us that are not that stable on our feet and of course there is the snow from light flurries to squalls.

I never was much of an ice skater spending most of my time on my rear end on the cold ice floor of the outdoor rink that my Dad would make in our backyard every year ...especially made for my younger brother. In those days 50 plus years ago there were not many indoor arenas.

I still am amazed that my Dad would take him every Saturday morning for hockey practice at 5AM at  the local outdoor ice rink at Silverwoods Park. 

This is where we also went to swim on those hot hazy days of summer.

    

    Hopes of summer... the tire swing.

We would ride our bikes nearly two miles, now when I visit the city I can't even imagine a youngster riding their bikes on the busy streets to enjoy the park activities.

Needless to say, my outdoor activities this past week have been limited.

I did get a good walk in earlier in the week in between the light dandruff snow and then the huge fluffy snowflakes falling down...

And as I finish this post it continues to snow, it hasn't stopped all day, the streets and driveways are filled in with snowdrifts ... 

It is Sunday tomorrow ... will we have a snow day!

Spring in My Step!

Wednesday night there were thunderstorms and rain which washed away the snow.

Thursday morning, the temperatures were milder which gave me a boost to go for a walk ... actually it was Monsieur Honey who pushed me out the door, not literally but with the use of lots of encouraging words. 

It was a great morning to go walking on my own and the milder temperatures put a "spring in my step". I was in need of some exercise for my body, mind and soul!

The sun so much wanted to be the star today and did come out a couple times during my walk.

 

See, doesn't it look like an early Spring day with the remnants of last year's leaves and debris along the trail.

My French walking buddy, Madame M. has been walking between nine and eleven kilometers every day for the past week.

If I am going to keep up with her on our planned walk to Compostella next year, I need to pick up the pace. 

I will also have to take advantage of the days with better weather.

I walked at a good clip and covered (7) seven kilo-meters.

Do you think I will be able to walk (10) ten kilo-meters atleast three times a week by the end of January? 

I have the intention to walk everyday if possible...

"French Roots"

This story has been in the works for awhile hiding in "the caverns of my mind" so to speak.

When we were spending our last few days in France this past June in a beautiful place on the Atlantic coast in Basque Country...we made our home base in Bidart.

We checked out the Saturday Market in the square....

On this day there were the usual vendors with food goods, fresh farm produce, specialty items, clothing and loads of touristy items.

We came across an elderly gentleman sitting in a chair with a bag of what looked like fresh dug roots/ tubers...we weren't sure what they were.

There was an information sheet and I made sure I got a photo, so I could check it out later...

He caught Monsieur Honey's eye and asked him to try this magic medicine...claimed to provide relief of arthritic pain.

The gentleman took his knife, scraped the skin from the root, and rubbed the oil/juice from the root into Monsieur Honey's hand ... and amazingly he did feel an easing of the pain within a few minutes.

Unfortunately, we could not buy any of these roots to bring back in our suitcases to Canada...they were covered in fresh dirt.

The roots of this tree in a local park (pictured below) reminded me of this encounter and I did some research about the Tamus root.

Tamus (Discorea communis) Black Bryony ...is a flowering plant in the yam family, now that I know this ... the roots did look like yams, really dirty ones!

The plant is poisonous and not to be used internally but is used as a poultice for bruises and inflamed joints...thus the relief Monsieur Honey felt after his hand was massaged with the oils/ juices of the root.

So, maybe I should check out the local Health Food Store to see if there is a naturopathic product derived from Tamus that would provide this relief for my Honey.

 

    Arthritis has a crippling effect on the joints ... 

Madeleine...Found at Last!

After months of trolling the Brocantes and Vide Greniers earlier this year in France in search of an authentic, antique "Madeleine" baking tray, my dear husband also affectionately known as "Monsieur Honey" found just what he was looking for in a local shop while we were on vacation in Florida.

He probably could have bought one months ago in one our local shops if truth be told.

No it is not an original rusty, blackened tin one but this shiny new tray is Teflon coated and hopefully will provide a tasty treat just as the older versions did.

Madeleines are small scallop shaped cakes popular in France.

Msr. Honey wanted me to bake a batch of these sweet sponge cake treats immediately.

So now I was on the hunt for a recipe to try out this newest addition to our kitchen baking utensils.

I used the ever wonderful internet to search for the perfect recipe and was successful in finding many versions for these sweet tea time treats.

Funny thing happened during our last few days on our vacation, we were visiting friends and while preparing dinner one evening the television was on the Food Network channel.

"Giada at Home" was airing an episode titled "Cooking School Made Easy" where she was making her version of three French inspired desserts.

While training at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, Giada and her classmates had to do everything by hand with no mixing tools and no shortcuts allowed.

In this episode Giada simplifies the recipes for the home chef.

One the recipes happened to be for Madeleines...I have shared recipe in this post.

I was able to postpone the baking until we returned home and I was back in my own kitchen,

We arrived home from Florida on Monsieur's birthday and did not celebrate in any grand fashion.

As a treat for Monsieur Honey's birthday instead of "a cake with candles" I baked him a batch of Madeleines.

    Golden with crispy edges...hot from the oven.

    A light dusting of confectioners' sugar...

    Ready to enjoy! Maybe a little heavy with the sugar dusting...

There is quite a history behind the Madeleines, about who made the first one and so on...but it was the French author, Marcel Proust who wrote about this sweet cake treat in his autobiography ...

"A la recherche du temps perdu" or "Remembrance of Things Past".

He says the taste of the cake plunges the narrator into his childhood.

Proust's "Madeleine" has become a metaphor in France for anything that creates a vivid memory.

Is there anything that you eat or drink that brings on a vivid memory of your childhood? 

Here is the recipe ...

Honey-Almond Madeleines*

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis

Prep time:                    8 min.

Inactive Prep Time:   15 min.

Cook Time:                15 min.

Level:                          Easy

Serves:                      12 madeleines

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing moulds

All-purpose flour, for dusting

Batter:

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup yellow cake mix (recommended Betty Crocker Supermoist Butter Recipe)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Special equipment: 12 (3-inch) non stick Madeleine molds

Directions:

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter the molds liberally with butter.

Dust with flour and set aside.

Batter: 

In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy.

Add the cake mix, butter, honey, water, lemon zest, and almond extract.

Beat the ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds.

Increase speed to high and beat until batter is smooth about 2 minutes.

Spoon batter into the prepared molds.

Bake until the edges are golden and the center of the cookies spring back when touched, about 15 to 16 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes.

Using a small rubber spatula, remove the madeleines and arrange scallop side up on a wire rack.

Cool for 15 minutes and serve.

*Copyright 2013 Television Food Network*

You can then sprinkle with sugar or serve plain.

For Monsieur Honey's Birthday...we dusted them with sugar, served with Devon English custard and some ice cream...my Monsieur comes by his name "Honey" not only as a term of endearment but because he loves to eat sweet desserts.

P.S. I made the recipe again this past weekend as a special treat for my visiting grandchildren, this time I used pure vanilla instead of almond extract...my little ones enjoyed them very much.

Sunny Snow Steps...

The night before it had snowed again but nothing like in some other towns and cities not far from us.

    Can you see the fresh snow coming down?

And the next day as I awoke and looked out the windows everything was sparkling and glistening!

The sun barely awake was already inviting me to come out and enjoy the winter wonderland.

Today was Friday and I really did need to do some household chores ... the dreaded cleaning especially after being away for a month down south. I spent most of the morning scrubbing and cleaning.

My walking buddy came to the rescue when she called to check in late in the morning, she was just going to head out for a quick walk... this was just what I needed. 

Quickly dressed in my gear I was ready to go and surprisingly after some minimal coaxing by Susie Q and her better half, Monsieur Honey also dressed to join us for a short stroll.

The men leading the way into the forest ... and most assuredly prepping for the impending history and nature lesson. 

They both have a wealth of knowledge which they readily shared and was most interesting.

We had lots of company join us today...which definitely changes the dynamics of the walk!

It was a most enjoyable adventure into the woods.

Bright red berries... wouldn't some of those branches make a welcome addition to my winter garden container?

The beautiful fuschia coloured sun shining through the tree branches.

Again my camera was playing up due to to the cold ... Must figure out how to keep it cozy and warm!