Carols by Candlelight

This is the weekend of the traditional carols concert in my town. My son performed in this event for 13 years, working his way through the apprentice, boys, academy singers and youth choirs. This year he is 600 miles away in the frozen north of BC so I'll be caroling on my own.

I made a delicious spinach dish today. I won't post a photo since it's not the most attractive dish ( no comment please, Mel LOL), but here's the recipe-

Spinach Leek Gratin

One ten ounce package of fresh spinach
1 small leek, white part only
1 cup fine sourdough bread crumbs
3T butter, divided
1 T Dijon mustard with horseradish
1/4 cup light cream
1 cup grated sharp white cheddar
1 tsp plain Dijon
Salt and pepper if you wish

Wilt the spinach in a large pot. Place spinach in a sieve and squeeze out remaining water.
Rinse and chop leek.
In skillet, melt 2T butter, stir in 1 T mustard, then breadcrumbs and heat til golden. Stir in cheese and set aside.
In another pan, saute leek in remaining 1 T butter til tender, then stir in spinach, plain Dijon and cream and cook till thick. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Turn into a lightly buttered pie plate, sprinkle with crumb mixture and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven about 20 minutes.
An excellent side dish for the carnivores and delicious main dish for all others.

Today's listening pleasure- "The Best of Nina Simone" five stars.

A Possibility of Snow

I really expected it to rain today. Sigh. A good day for soup.




Curried Broccoli Soup

3 tablespoons butter
1 large leek, white part only
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
1 large potato
1 tablespoon mild curry paste
3 cups broccoli florets and peeled stalks, coarsely chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup milk or cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute chopped leek, garlic and onion in butter til soft. Add diced potato and curry paste, then stir in broccoli and broth. Simmer about 20 minutes, cool slightly and puree with hand blender. Stir in milk or cream , reheat but do not boil. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Music and Magic

Recently a couple of my culture buddies and I took a little trip to Vancouver to take in the traditional double scoop of operatic goodness, Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, as performed by the Vancouver Opera in the big old Queen Elizabeth Theatre. We were downright giddly(think giddy plus giggly, not a pretty sight in women of a certain age) with anticipation, having fallen in love with a recording of "Cav" I had discovered online. Mascagni's music is richly melodic and overwhelmingly beautiful and we were looking forward to being swept away by the added dimension of stage and flesh and blood. Never happened. The leads were capable enough singers, but poor actors and the staging was (literally in parts) empty and boring. It's very difficult to succeed on the many levels required to produce great live opera. We grumbled through the intermission, especially about the tenor :) What was to follow made up for it, in spades.



The familiarity of Pagliacci had dulled our expectations. How wrong we were! This was a fine production, not only in the singing. Dramatically, a compelling reality was created onstage because of the acting ability and chemistry of the players. The great aria, Vesti la Giubba was sung with dignity and pathos as befitting its context. A scene of illicit, dangerous passion between Nedda and Silvio was one of the most sensuous and transcendent moments I've even seen and heard onstage. Magic.

Pre-opera we dined at a nearby restaurant, Da Gino, which I would describe as real Italian, good, simply prepared and perfectly dressed and seasoned food in moderate portions. In the early hours of the next morning, I was sung Happy Birthday by my two buddies ( who just happen to be accomplished singers themselves). What a lovely way to get older!

A quick thanks to all my dear friends who have helped me mark yet another birthday and especially to my many November born pals, past and present. I carry you with me in my heart,always.

Happy Birthday Scorpios

Here's a tasty treat sure to appeal...to me, anyway

Cocodependent Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup lite sour cream
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar and eggs. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

Today's listening pleasure- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand", my absolute fave cd of the year, 5 stars!

Thankgiving: the Aftermath

Canadian Thanksgiving comes early and this year our household was reduced by one third, leaving just the two of us to deal with the Big Bird.

This year’s favorite leftover meal was my adaptation of Mulligatawny Soup, which turned out fabulously well!

Mulligaturkey

2 to 3 cups chopped turkey
6 to 8 cups turkey broth
1 onion, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced diagonally
2 T butter
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 T mild curry paste (I like Sharwoods)
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup uncooked white rice
Cream or plain yogurt (optional)

Saute the veg in a large soup pot, add curry paste, broth and tomatoes, simmer for 1 hour. Add turkey , salt and pepper and rice and simmer 30 min. Swirl with cream or yogurt if desired.

Today's listening pleasure- Amanda Stoloff Quartet. "Still Life" 4 stars

Spider Season

This spider's sense is telling her that lean times are coming, despite a strangely summerlike September here on the coast. My yard is festooned with the evidence of her industry, in fact, after a half hour of sitting in the back yard, I discovered that strands of spider silk were attached to my toes.

I think it's safe to say that my respect and admiration for the eight-legged artisan is a one way street! So if you come calling and I don't answer the door, come out back and rescue me. I'll be the large silk wrapped mummy hanging from Miss Spider's web...

Freedom Road

For me and for my university bound son, the road to freedom is a two lane highway north.

On the first of September there is already a nip in the air that sweeps away the stupor of summer. He is ready for this and I am more ready than I expected to be to let him go. My mantra for motherhood, that the ultimate goal in parenting is an independent child, has somehow done the trick. The anticpated rush of tears and despair never happens. I am truly thrilled for him, deeply proud of his achievements and successes and convinced that he has made wise choices for this next phase of his young life.

For both of us, a new phase of independence lies ahead like an open, sunlit field.