Holiday Wishes | Last-Minute Gifts For The Procrastinators

December 24, 2011 by 6 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas Eve!

Are you ready? Have you picked out or made something special for everyone on your list? Are your sweet treats ready to be devoured? Are you ready to share and celebrate with those you love?

I’m ready. It’s been a long, sleepless week, but I’m ready.

For the less-organized, I have some last-minute gift ideas that can be ready in no time. And better yet, they will have been made by you. Home made = thoughtful, sweet, lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vanilla Extract

Who wouldn’t love it? I followed these instructions from the always reliable Joy the Baker. I’ve made vanilla extract before and it was truly fabulous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vanilla Bean Sugar

Head on over to Skinnytaste to find out how to make your own Vanilla Bean Sugar. It’s unbelievably easy and totally awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Pepper Rosemary Salt

Wickedly easy, delicious, and can be used on meats, fish, veggies, and in soups, stews, you name it! Here are some lickety-split instructions. The recipe is from O Magazine, Dec. 2008.

Ingredients: Grated zest of 2 lemons (about 2T) Fresh rosemary leaves from 2 branches (about 3T) 1 T freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup coarse sea salt In a food processor, process the lemon zest, rosemary, and pepper until finely chopped, about 1 minute. Add salt and pulse until salt forms smaller crystals and mixture is blended, about 30 seconds. Pack into glass jars with tight-fitting lids and store in a cool dark place for up to 2 months.

PS. I found the small jars for the salt at the local dollar store, and the larger jars at Ikea. Mason jars for the vanilla are from Michael’s.

   


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cookies!

I’m not sure that I’ve ever met a soul who doesn’t like cookies and who wouldn’t be tickled to receive a freshly baked batch of such delicious treats. Last week I got together with a group of lovely ladies and we had a blast making these gingerbread heads. Serious fun people.

Looking for other cookie ideas? Why not try…

Cherry Almond Butter Cookies

Neapolitan Cookies

Christmas Biscotti

Kindness Cookies

And I highly recommend giving someone you love some crack for Christmas – Christmas Crack.

Time to start the celebrations. I’m getting fueled for my day with strong french press coffee and cookies for breakfast. I’m kidding…maybe. No matter how ready you are for Christmas, I sincerely hope that the coming days are filled with love, happiness, and lots of good food and drink. Merry Christmas my dear readers, I’m thankful for you all. Best wishes for the holiday season. <3

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It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere | Rosemary Gin Fizz

December 20, 2011 by 14 Comments

Alert. I am elbows deep in butter and sugar. I went to the grocery store yesterday with a rather large streak of flour on my forehead. I didn’t notice the flour until I got home. Damn it.

As a consequence of the above, I am waist-deep in dirty dishes. Help?

My kitchen is a mess. Every square inch of my dining table is covered with baking, homemade gifts, and cards. I haven’t eaten a meal at the table in days. My floor is covered with wrapping paper and items that still need to be wrapped up all nice and pretty.

It’s quite likely that I’m keeping the local grocery store in business. I have stopped there at least once a day for the past week. How?!

And then there’s the sleep issue. I can’t remember the last time that I slept more than six hours in one night. Don’t get me wrong, I like sleep. I love sleep. But I don’t have time to sleep right now. I’d totally be all good if there were like, 36 hours in a day instead of a measly 24. Clearly, whoever invented 24-hour days didn’t have a very busy schedule!

But I digress. And I’ve learned that when life throws stress and busy-ness and craziness your way, it doesn’t hurt to sit back, take a few deep breaths, and enjoy a tasty beverage. Preferably one that has a decent alcohol-to-mix ratio. You’ve earned it, after all.

It’s quite likely that you’ve been (and will continue) enjoying a beverage or two over the holiday season. ‘Tis the season for eating and drinking, no? Rum and egg nog (yes), spiked cider (yes!), mulled wine (YES!)…so many choices. Well, I’m here to offer you another choice, something a little less sweet, a little bit lighter (on taste, not alcohol…who do you think you’re talking to here?).

I stumbled upon this concoction on…Stumble Upon a few weeks ago and bookmarked it to try. I made it, I drank it, and I loved it. The rosemary flavor is lovely, but not overpowering. I’m ready to serve a few of these fizzies up over the holidays.

Rosemary Gin Fizz (adapted from Sassy Radish)

2 ounces gin (I used Tanqueray)
2 TBSP. fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP. Rosemary Syrup (recipe below)
Ice cubes
Cold club soda
1 rosemary sprig, for garnish (optional)

Grab yourself a beverage vessel. I am obsessed with serving things in mason jars, so I grabbed one of those. Use whatever tickles your fancy. Combine the gin, lemon juice, and Rosemary syrup, and give it a good stir. Add ice cubes to fill the glass halfway, and top with club soda. This is not a sweet drink, so if you want more sweetness, you could always add more syrup, or use tonic water instead of club soda…and then you’d have a mighty delicious beefed up G & T! Delicious, either way. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary, if using.

To make the Rosemary Syrup:

2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
4 rosemary sprigs, rinsed

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to steep for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup and chill. Store in an airtight container (ie. a mason jar!) in the fridge for up to one week.

Just a note: The first three photos in this post were taken via Instagram, a free app on my iPhone. I adore Instagram, and tend to snap a lot of photos with it on a daily basis, many food-related, but some not. Several of them have made an appearance on the blog before. If you’re interested in following me on Instagram, you can find me under the username “@onceuponarecipe”. Bottoms up!

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Things I’ve Learned Vol. 1 | Christmas Crack (aka. Clodhoppers)

December 16, 2011 by 28 Comments

1.When you’re eating a single lady dinner (read: frozen dinner), always enjoy your dinner on a fancy plate. This will help you to feel less bad about yourself/pathetic for a) eating by yourself, and b) eating microwaved crap when you should have been less lazy and made yourself something respectable to eat. Your fridge is full of groceries, after all.

2. When you decide that it’s a good idea to wait until the week before Christmas to start your Christmas shopping, be prepared to get feisty. People get crazy. I went to Costco recently and people were taking the line-ups for the samples a wee bit too seriously. I actually witnessed two people almost get into a fight about who got there first. Dudes, if you’re going to get that worked up about a sample of cheese, then you’ve got bigger problems on your hands. Seek help. Immediately.

3. It’s not a very smart idea to wait until the week before the big day to start your Christmas shopping.

4.Christmas baking is a lot of fun. Delicious fun at that. And you can dance around to annoying Christmas songs spilling flour and sugar and sprinkles everywhere while you do it. Unfortunately the fun suddenly comes to a halt when you have 14 dozen cookies in your freezer, beckoning you to eat them at all hours of the day and night. Thankfully, most people enjoy Christmas cookies and will gladly take a couple dozen off of your hands. Baking also makes a great gift. Right?

5. We should all poach chickens more often. Whole chickens. As in, stick ’em in a pot, cover ’em with water, add veggies and herbs and simmer away until you’ve got the most tender chicken that’s ever passed your lips. You’ll be left with a whack of chicken (for use in soups, salads, pasta, whatevs) and a serious helping of homemade chicken broth. Win! Seriously. Do it. I followed these guidelines.



Single Lady Dinner/Poached Chicken

6. Nearly every Christmas song recorded after 1995 is terribly annoying. Have you noticed that every song is about love, or asking Santa to shoot you with Cupid’s arrow, bring your love back to you, or some variation of the two? Newsflash peeps! There is no Santa Claus. And if there actually was a jolly old fat guy who could fly around the entire world on a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer in one night, eat billions of cookies, and slide down chimneys and leave us all everything we wished for, I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be so many weird single people in this world. Me included.

7. Is anyone looking for a weird girlfriend? I’ll bring cookies.

8. If you make the following recipe, you won’t regret it.

Warning: I have discovered edible crack. Just 4 ingredients come together to create a highly addictive sweet snack. This recipe was shared by a lovely coworker of mine (hi E!) who brought said edible crack to a cookie exchange I attended last weekend. Clodhoppers is the real name, but after one taste of this stuff, you’ll agree that it’s as addictive as crack. Not that I have any personal experience with the stuff (seriously). Make it. Eat it. Enjoy it.

Christmas Crack (aka. Clodhoppers)

1 cup white chocolate pieces

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup slivered almonds

2 heaping cups of Graham Crackers cereal

In a medium bowl, combine the cereal, cranberries, and almonds. In a double boiler over medium heat, melt the chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Roughly spread the mixture (but leave lots of clumps!) on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and throw the whole shebang into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes (to set). Remove from the freezer and break into chunks. Package in festive Christmas bags to give away, or toss into a bowl to enjoy yourself. Start researching rehab programs near you. 😉

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Eat and Be Merry | Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlets

December 11, 2011 by 23 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahoy mates! I am THIS happy (x 1000) to be back here!

One piece of advice for all of you lovelies…do NOT, ever, under any circumstances, plan a move for December 1. Now, I didn’t have a whole lot of choice in the matter, and consider myself lucky that things worked out the way that they did. It coulda been a lot worse, and so I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, you know what I’m sayin’? But, please try to avoid a December move if at all possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Cause then, when all you want to do is enjoy the wonderfuness of this holiday season (the decorating, the baking, the parties, the eating, the shopping), you’ll be faced with the unfortunate task of unpacking and organizing. Not a good time my friends, not a good time.

However, should you find yourself in such a predicament, there is a solution. Listen close friends, this is golden advice. Ready?

Unpack and organize the essentials…your kitchen, your bedroom, and your living room…and shove everything else into a room, shut the door, and don’t go back in that dang room until January. Problem solved! 🙂 Don’t tell me I never gave you any good advice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On to the good stuff! See these beautiful little tartlets?

Make ’em and take ’em to a party this holiday season. Or throw your own party and give ’em a place at your table. They are quick and simple, but big on flavor. The shallots become so sweet and caramelized, they don’t even taste like shallots! Not that I have anything against the little guys. Mega-delicious. A definite party hit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlets (from a friend of a friend)

6 shallots, chopped finely

2 TBSP. olive oil

2 TBSP. balsamic vinegar

3 TBSP. brown sugar

Salt and pepper, to taste

5 ounces of goat cheese, cut into 24 hunks

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup milk

24 mini tart shells

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prebake the tarts for 10 minutes and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, and sauté for a few minutes, or until they start to turn clear. Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to reduce and the shallots to caramelize (about 6-7 minutes). Fill each tart shell with a small amount of the caramelized shallots. Top with a hunk of goat cheese. Mix the eggs and milk together, and season with salt and pepper. Fill the remainder of each tart shell with the milk/egg mixture. Bake immediately for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the tarts are set and golden brown. Serve warm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s just one problem with that awesome advice I was dishing out earlier. I can’t find anything.

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A Hello and a Winner

December 4, 2011 by 8 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! I’m back! For reals!

I am all moved in to my new place. And by “all moved in” I mean that all of my stuff is physically inside of the house. Turns out I have a lot of stuff. There is little organization going on in this space at present, except for the living room and…the kitchen. Naturally, the kitchen was my top priority.

And today, for the first time in what feels like forever, I spent the afternoon in my new kitchen, experimenting. Unfortunately, two of my recipes failed miserably. Le sigh. Ok, maybe just one of them was an epic fail. The other – a cookie recipe – is still edible, but certainly not shareworthy. And the third was a masterpiece, but I’ve already shared it before. Definitely the best version yet.

So, while I am unable to deliver a recipe today, I didn’t show up empty-handed. I am giving you a daily dose of cuteness with the above photo. How sweet is my little decorating helper?! And…it’s also time to announce the winner of the Cooks Illustrated giveaway!

Randomly drawn just minutes ago, the winner is…

Kim Bee – “Yeah I do! Love this magazine. Good luck with the move. And the dating!! Stay away from the microwave! Have a great weekend!”

Congratulations Kim! Please send your name and complete mailing address to onceuponarecipe[dot]amanda[at]gmail[dot]com and your subscription will be ordered immediately!

Thank you to all of you lovelies for sticking by me during all of this moving commotion. I hope you’re all getting into the spirit of the season! Stay tuned for some new treats this week!  <3

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Counting Down | Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

November 26, 2011 by 17 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello lovelies,

Oh, how I miss you so. I have been knee-deep in boxes and packing tape and dust bunnies. My move is only four days away! I have been without Internet access for the past week or so, hence my prolonged absence. But I’ve snuck away for a brief moment to share a quick little sweet treat with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best thing about these Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares, aside from the way that they melt in your mouth and leave you wanting more (more, more!), is how quick and easy they are to prepare. I’ve been doing little cooking and baking lately, so to avoid buying ingredients that will eventually take up precious space in Tupperware containers full of my pantry items. However, these squares require just four ingredients, and leave very little leftovers. There are many other versions of these squares – some call for coconut or nuts – but I love the simplicity of this recipe. Plus, I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t love ‘em!

Make yourself a batch of these…they make the perfect snack, especially if you’re moving. See you next week from my new kitchen!

PS. Only four days left to enter the giveaway!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

½ cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 bag (300g) of butterscotch chips

1 bag (200g) of mini rainbow marshmallows

In a saucepan over low heat, melt your butter, peanut butter, and butterscotch chips. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth. Allow the mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes (we don’t want to melt the beautiful marshmallows!). Once the mixture has cooled, add in the bag of marshmallows and stir to evenly coat. Spread the mixture into a greased 9×13” baking dish. Refrigerate to set. Or, if you’re impatient like me, shove the pan into the freezer for an hour. Allow the pan to thaw for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Keep uneaten squares in the fridge to ensure that they stay firm (they get a little soft if left out on the counter).

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Things | And A Giveaway

November 11, 2011 by 22 Comments

Hi friends.

I’m going to dump on you a little bit here mmmk? You cool with that?

1. I’m sorry I haven’t shared a recipe with you in so long. I’ve been in the kitchen, making deliciousness, wanting to share it with you. But it’s so damn dark around here! Daylight savings happened, and now it is dark before I even set foot outside of the hospital at the end of the day. I arrive at work, it’s dark. I leave work, it’s dark. Somebody help me. My biggest concern should be the lack of daylight my poor self will be seeing for the next 6 months, but instead, I am most troubled by how this darkness affects my ability to take decent photos. I despise using a flash. Hmmmf. Help.

2. I want to make and eat all of these. In one sitting. And these. Help!

3. Long ago, someone sent me an email entitled “The Most Dangerous Cake Recipe!” – a 5-minute microwave chocolate cake recipe. As in, you make a chocolate cake in a coffee mug, in the microwave. I made one, due to some mad cravings (see #2). I’m not going to lie, it was pretty terrible. I would much rather put in the hour-long effort required to make a real chocolate cake, but clearly I was desperate. It reminded me of the cakes I made as a kid with my Easy Bake oven…a weird, spongy texture, not very much flavor. But I still ate half of it. And now I feel sick. What is wrong with me?! Help!!

4. I am moving in exactly 18 days. And I haven’t started packing yet. Help!!!

5. I have ventured back into the mysterious world of dating. Help!!!!

6. But seriously, HELP!

Phew, that feels better. Thank you for listening.

Now, on to the good stuff. Free stuff! This is the very first giveaway on Once Upon A Recipe! Aren’t you excited?!

Who wants a one-year subscription to Cook’s Illustrated magazine? Yeah you do!

Cook’s Illustrated is one of my favorite foodie magazines. Best. Recipes. Ever. Foolproof.

To Win: Leave a comment below (say hi, tell me what your favorite foodie magazine is, tell a crazy story, whatevs) and subscribe to Once Upon A Recipe. It’s that easy. Open to everyone. ‘Cause I love you. Enter before November 30, 2011 at 12:00pm Mountain Time. One winner will be randomly selected and announced after Nov. 30. Good luck!

And whatever you do, don’t make that microwave chocolate cake. Bad idea.

*Giveaway sponsored by me, myself, and I. ‘Cause I love ya!

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Year One | Ginger Apple Bourbon

October 28, 2011 by 18 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two days ago, October 26th, was a special day. It came and it went, as Wednesdays do, and I gave it little thought. I had a ridiculously long day at work, and all I cared about was coming home, taking Miss Bella for a walk, eating something moderately nourishing, and going to bed. I have not been getting enough sleep lately. But for good reason – I’m living life, meeting new people, trying new things. And while I might feel exhausted during the day, I seem to always get a second wind, right around the time I should be turning out the lights.

It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized that just as October 26th had come and gone, so had my first blogiversary! October 26th marked the one year anniversary of this little blog of mine. Happy Blogiversary, Once Upon A Recipe! You have been such a wonderful and creative outlet for me, and you have lead me to new friends and all sorts of new fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again, but it really is amazing how much can change in a year. People come and go, discoveries are made, good things and bad things happen (and everything in between). But I know that I’ve grown in the past year, in countless ways, and that I will continue growing…and continue having lots of fun…and continue discovering delicious things, like these and these and this.

Every celebration requires a celebratory beverage. This year, I choose to raise a glass of this Ginger Apple Bourbon, and to toast you all, for joining me here in the blogosphere, learning and tasting with me. Because without you reading my rants and humoring me by occasionally leaving me a sweet comment, there really would be no reason for this here blog! So thank you, old readers and new, for sticking with my crazy self. And to show my appreciation, I will be having a lil’ giveaway here in the next week or so. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, back to the important stuff – the booze! Bourbon is a new adventure for me. I’ve drank bourbon only a handful of times. But then I made these. I needed only one tablespoon of bourbon to make those delicious morsels, but while perusing the aisles in the liquor store, I somehow convinced myself that buying a 26 of bourbon was the most appropriate choice. Obviously. Raise your hand if you’re still with me.

Now, I can’t drink bourbon straight up. I tried it, and my tongue just didn’t like it. So I knew that mixing the bourbon with some things that my tongue does like would be important in consuming this bottle and preventing it from being overcome with cobwebs in my liquor cabinet, like that bottle of Ryan’s Cream (yes, it’s actually called Ryan’s Cream, and no, it is not a proper substitute for Bailey’s Irish Cream)! I came across a recipe for an Apple Ginger Bourbon in my daily blog perusings and decided it would be worth a shot. I made a few changes to suit my tastes, and came up with a bit of a reversal – a Ginger Apple Bourbon. You can change up the ratio of ginger ale to apple cider to bourbon, but the recipe below is the one I enjoyed most. It’s best if you use unsweetened apple cider, and really good ginger ale (I used Real Brew’s Outrageous Ginger Ale, from Planet Organic). I also plan on playing around with this recipe, so be prepared for another version in the near future! Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ginger Apple Bourbon

4 ounces ginger ale

2 ounces unsweetened apple cider

1 ounce bourbon

Ice

Pick a pretty (or masculine) glass. Fill it with ice. Add in the ginger ale, cider, and bourbon, and mix it up. Bottoms up!

Disclaimer: This drink might make you want to shake your tailfeather. Enjoy responsibly. 😉

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Enjoying | Bourbon Pecan Pie Brownies

October 19, 2011 by 18 Comments

Well, hello there. How you doin’?

What’s that?

You skipped your pilates class for the third week in a row the other night because something more important came up? You went to a hockey game and sat in the front row and drank overpriced beer and ate salty popcorn and hot dogs and cheered your little heart out instead? Me too!

You haven’t gone for a run in over a week, cause you’re too lazy to get off your butt, strap on your sneaks, and hit the pavement? Oh my goodness, I know that feeling!

You have a to-do list a mile long, but you continue to ignore it, and it continues to grow and grow and grow, and you have no idea how you’ll ever possibly accomplish everything? Ditto!

And you also made these decadent brownies and proceeded to eat almost an entire row of the pan while taking photographs of them? No way! But please tell me that you had the decency to go to a hot yoga class last night, to rid your body of all of those toxins, like I did?

Ok, phew. We’re on the same page then.

Do you ever have one of those weeks? Where your best intentions are set aside when fun opportunities come up, and you grab hold of them and take a leap and just enjoy? It’s been one of those weeks for me. But instead of beating myself up for not exercising enough, or not getting enough sleep, or not doing all of the things on my to-do list, I’m just enjoying. You only have one life peeps, enjoy it. Live in the moment when possible. It’s kinda liberating.

Friends, I wish you all had one of these brownies in front of you at this very moment. I really do. Cause if we lived in a world where illness, poverty, war, unhappiness, or even a crap-town day could be cured by brownies…we’d have it made in the shade. These brownies have a fudgy, rich base, and a sweet, gooey, crunchy top. Oh, and don’t forget about the bourbon. I’m rather certain that the bourbon gives these brownies special powers. And if you’re like me, and don’t have a bottle of bourbon lying around, go out and buy one. Yes, you only need two tablespoons for this recipe, but hey, then you have a bottle of bourbon to drink! Heck yes. Stick with me and that bottle of bourbon will come in handy. I promise you. Deal?

Bourbon Pecan Pie Brownies (from the Edmonton Journal, Oct. 12,2011)

For the brownie layer:

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/4 cup sugar

A pinch of salt

1/2 cup flour

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside. In a double boiler set over boiling water, combine the butter, cocoa, sugar, and salt. Allow the butter to melt and mix everything together until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg/vanilla mixture. Add the flour and stir until well blended. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Bake for about 25 minutes (until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean). Allow to cool.

For the pecan pie layer:

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 TBSP. vanilla

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 TBSP. bourbon

2 cups chopped pecans

Using an electric mixer, beat together the corn syrup and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon, and beat well. Add the butter and bourbon and beat again until well-mixed. Stir in the pecans and pour the mixture over top of the brownie layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the centre of the pecan pie layer has set (mine took about 45 minutes). Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving. Chow. down. Preferably in the company of others. I cannot be held responsible for what might happen if you are left alone with this entire pan of brownies. Consider yourself warned.

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Happy Thanksgiving from Canada!

October 10, 2011 by 6 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello friends! Just a quick hello here today. If you live here in Canada, you are probably celebrating today (and likely earlier this weekend too) with turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. I want to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving! As I grow older (in fact, I will be turning another year older tomorrow – eek!) I am reminded constantly to be thankful for what I have, and for the people in my past and present who have shaped me into the person I am today. Life is peppered with challenging and difficult experiences, but it is those experiences that teach us the most about ourselves and help us figure out the kind of person we want to be. Thank you to all of the people in my life – past, present, and future – who have and will continue to contribute to my life in meaningful ways. I cherish all of you.

Now go and eat! 🙂

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