End of Year

Mourning doves waiting for me to leave so they can come eat; Deb Marshall photo

This week alone, this is what I’ve cooked:

A small pot of celeriac soup.

A large pot of pumpkin-celeriac soup.

A large pot of chicken broth.

3 lbs of corton. (that’s French-Canadian pate, for those of you who don’t have F-C relatives)

2 tourtiere (pork pie; ditto)

7 jam and fig tarts, and one hand-sized tourtiere

2 steamed ginger puddings (steamed puddings look like cake when they’re done, but you do indeed steam them. For hours. In a mold or a properly-sized basin ((ceramic bowl.)))

Muhamarra, a full food-processor’s worth (middle eastern dip, made of walnuts, olive oil, roasted red peppers, lots of garlic, harissa, lemon juice, pomegranate syrup, and a few roasted olives. With za’atar on top.

Mustard-sauced cauliflower.

Cauliflower soup with 5 cheeses. (I used sharp cheddar, chive cheddar, provolone, swiss, and something called “Wife of Bath,” which I didn’t like but is more than good in the soup.)

In the last three days, this is what I’ve eaten:

All of the above, plus 2 kinds of fruitcake

Christmas cookies from three different cooks

Fruit-filled sweet breads from two different cooks

A lot of baguette, sourdough bread, and cornichon to carry the corton and cut the richness

Green bean casserole; scalloped potatoes; roast beef; ham

Mixed nuts

Cold shrimp cocktail

A cheesy dip

Lots of coffee with eggnog and milk

2 different salads; not nearly enough in ratio with the rest of what I’ve eaten

Chocolate-covered ginger

Chocolate-mint candies

Cheeses – mostly Stiltonish

Passionfruit nectar mixed with carbonated water

1 gin-and-tonic. Thank god I rarely drink alcohol

A selection of digestive herbs and remedies

On Christmas Day, here’s who this introvert spent hours with:

3 Daves: my bro, my youngest niece’s new honey, his dad

2 Kates: my oldest niece, and Dave honey’s sister

My youngest niece, responsible for two of the children below

6 children, all but one under the age of 7, and only 2, my grand-nieces, who I know; the others belonged to new honeys and sister of Dave honey and ex-wife of that Dave

A brother of Dave honey, George

The wife of George, Mika, whose name is the name of my Mother’s late cat

The ex-wife of Dave honey, and her 3-week-old baby; I don’t remember their names

Mom

The Husband

My sis-in-law

My ex-nephew in-law, and his new honey, Christine, who I’d never met before.

Abby, the dog who I know, and another really nice dog whose name I didn’t catch and don’t know

Here’s how I feel:

Pleased I survived all the strangers, who were all fairly friendly and surprisingly comfortable and relaxed

Over-fed

Wicked tired

Here’s what I’m doing right now: 

Writing this and staring down the to-do list. Daring it to make me do something.

Planning a post-prandial nap

Wishing I was already asleep…

For the blog, 27 December 2019: herondragonwrites.blogspot.com