Here’s your punchlist
December 19, 2024
for celebrating the Winter Solstice which arrives this coming Saturday. And, what’s not to celebrate? Additional minutes of daylight each day until Spring? Yes, please.
Photo: Gardenista
Photo: Graypants
photo: Epicurious
Top to bottom:
As with any celebration a little something sparkling is a must, be it Champagne, Prosecco or sparkling water.
Then you need to deck the halls in true ancient form with a lovely collection of evergreens. My choice this year is white pine and yellow twig Dogwood.
Next, carry on tradition by building a roaring fire; outdoors, indoors or both!
White flowers to remind us of Spring is a must. I generally go for something of the bulb variety like white tulips but cut white Poinsettias or Helebores will do nicely and carry through to Christmas.
A simple supper of Spaghetti with Mixed Herbs reminds us of the season to come.
Additional ambient lighting is always appealing, from flickering candlelight to this modern LED candlestick, Wick.
This Brown Sugar Pavlova with its mixed berries brings the celebration to a sweet end.
Unless noted, photos by gp
Already?
August 26, 2016
Yep, it’s hard to believe, but Jaxon is turning four. And, If you thought I might finally get a picture to commemorate the occasion, think again. It’s like trying to ask a tornado to sit still and look at the camera. While he knows exactly what he’s doing…he thinks it’s pretty funny putting me through the motions. And, it is. Good picture or not, there will definitely be treats. Biscuits for him and Brown Sugar Pavlova for everyone else. Baby Hambone Jaxon 3000…Happy Birthday to you.
Photo and recipe:http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/three-layer-berry-and-brown-sugar-pavlova-354211 I’ve made a couple of adjustments to this recipe to simplify things. As abundant as berries have been I used a combination of them all; raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries. When making the meringue layers you might find it easier to pipe or spread them directly onto parchment and simply peel the parchment from the bottoms when they’re cooled rather than using the suggested pan technique. It’s a bit difficult getting those layers out of the pan, even with the parchment. The end result will be much more attractive. You may want to keep this as a “go to” celebration cake, it’s that good.
For your four legged family members, why not knock out a batch of these Buddy Biscuits? There have been no complaints here either…ever. https://simplequietmodern.com/2012/01/30/ruff-ruff/
Photos of Jax ( such as they are ) : gp
simplequietmodern 