Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas! It’s a strange year to be sure but 2020 will be remembered for the rest of our lives. I am determined that I’ll have at least a few good memories.

Our morning started like usual - taking the dogs out and feeding all the beasts. After last night’s rain there isn’t a speck of snow left and we barely needed jackets as it was a balmy 7C. 

Coffee’s in hand we cast our eyes around the room and low and behold! Stockings were hung by the chimney with care and gosh, St. Nicolaus did come bringing with him some treasures and lots of chocolate.

one of my presents - I don’t know why I’m standing so weird - must be those websites about posing for photos that I’ve been reading. Obviously need improvement!

We barely needed breakfast after feasting on stocking treats, but a concoction of bread, eggs, ham, cheese set in a baking dish last night, ready to be popped into the oven - it’s our traditional breakfast… what I don’t remember from years past is that it totally TRASHED our oven. Spattered butter was everywhere, even dripping from the racks, necessitating a scrub once it cooled down - who really wants to be cleaning the oven on Christmas morning? Luckily Carm steps right into these types of tasks.

Our day alternated between lazy and hectic, as we prepared the turkey and all its acrutruments. How can a meal with just 5 components take all freak’n day? Finally the big moment came - the bird was out of the oven.  We did something different this year, following a Jamie Oliver recipe that has you remove the legs and wings. The legs are deboned and stuffed, we used the wings to make bone broth for the dressing and gravy. The bird looked terrible as it listed sideways in the pan. Not pretty but gosh it was too late.

Yesterday I said never again would I do up a turkey like this… well… I’ve changed my mind. It cooked well, the meat was moist and tasty. We have 2 deboned legs in the freezer that we can stuff later, and with just the two of us, two full breasts for sandwiches and leftovers. And a few chunks of carcass in the freezer for soup stock. One turkey is a heck of a big dinner for 2 people!

We did have a chance to have a quick visit with Kirsten, Shawn, and the girls before we sat down for a feast. Now we have our stretchy waist pants on and are vegging in front of the TV.

A few days ago I got an early Christmas present: a clip and tripod for my phone which is why you are being bombarded with selfies! It’s even got a remote. Sorry… 😜 

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

~Paulo Coelho