Oh my gosh…. It’s Sunday evening and the end to a quiet
week-end. I was going to turn on the
news ….. and thought yuck!!! I didn’t
want to see or hear about any of the negativity that would be reported on. So instead I propped my feet up by the fire, poured
myself an adult beverage, put on a play list of music, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli
and Adele…. blissful! And decided to
write to you instead.
Food, friends and gathering around the table |
With the beginning of the New Year I’ve been mindful to take
( and make) the time to spend quality
time with family and friends. Here’s a
quick overview, Thursday evening a gathering occurred that was a reunion of
work pals and their spouses. We were a
band of very different kinds of people who were either hired (my case) or
elected to Executive Officer positions (my guests) and through the good and sometimes
not-so-good times at work, we forged a genuine affection for one another. And after a few years apart, the idea had
been put out by a fellow colleague to have a “reunion” and he suggested going to a restaurant. While I do love going out to dinner, this
event just begged for a quieter setting. And with that, I suggested that I host a dinner to encourage lingering
at the dinner table where we could enjoy
each other’s company in a relaxed fashion.
The other’s eagerly adopted the idea and an impromptu dinner party came
together. It was glorious…I have to
admit. I have some very basics on food
that I can fall back on and the menu consisted of Dijon Pork Lion, Gourmet Mac n’ Cheese, Apple-cider cranberry sauce, and the guests
brought a salad, bread, dessert and wine.
We gathered, shared stories, poked fun at each other and laughed a lot. It was a beautiful evening. As everyone was leaving, one said, let’s do
this more often….. it seems as a whole, that
we fail to set aside time to celebrate friendships forged by shared experiences. Alas… another resolution for me!
On Friday, I took the leftovers and shared them with my mom,
we played Scrabble and I got beat by my 82 year old mom…..she gloated over the winning. Lol
Saturday I baked and baked.
I called my daughter Jen and asked if she could take a few photos of me
to help submit to a magazine I’m trying out for. After the quick photo session, a heart-to-heart chat over coffee with my
beautiful girl. Mom and daughter time is
always a blessing.
Chocolate Shortbread, Espresso Chocolate Cake, Nutella Bread, Cinnamon roll bread (a few successes, a couple of need to work on the recipes) |
My other fav place to write when I'm not parked by the fire |
This morning on my way to visiting a new church, I dropped the yummies off to the Sheriff’s
office (they were excited). It’s my way to show my appreciation for their
dedication and something that I’ve been doing for several years now. Truth be
told, I’m not sure who gets more excited, me getting to bring “baked with love”
yummes to them, or them when they see my arms laden with baked goods.
And after church, a cup of tea with some dear friends. Then a nice phone chat with my sweet man. Can it get any better….?
And I have to tell you, that connecting with friends and
family keeps my “Gratitude Meter” fully charged. The beauty of taking the time
to spend with those you care about are the kinds of memories that warms this
girl’s heart on a cold winter day.
I hope your first week-end of the New Year was meaningful
and that your Gratitude Meter is fully charged as we begin the new year.
All my best, Gayle
P.S. I’ll be getting the recipes up on the website soon –
Good Farm Food ( the Espresso Chocolate cake is already on the Cake of the Month page.)
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