I pass this mural every time I drive into Alexandria, Ontario, a town I shop in all the time. It was done a few years back by a friend of mine, Odile Tetu, and I thought it was high time I stopped and took a photograph of it. Nice, eh? It shows a bit of the history of the old town and some of its former mayors and some better-known townspeople.
I decided to make a spaghetti and meatballs cake, don't ask me why. The pasta is buttercream icing (and came out a bit too yellow), the tomato sauce is strawberry/rhubarb jam, the Parmesan cheese is grated white chocolate, and the meatballs are Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
I made another faux poutine cake. They look kind of fun beside each other, don't they?
Richard and I went to a party in the woods last night. The trail was marked with small bonfires and kerosene lanterns.
The end of the trail had a huge bonfire surrounded by several snow sofas and seats.
Richard and I tried to stay cozy on a snow sofa.
Don't you just love the sock monkey (not mine!) standing guard over a tiki light and a snowman?
When the bonfire got going, it threw a lot of heat. It was only -2C and I was actually overdressed and almost too warm. Lucky the party wasn't tonight though. Today the weather has changed and it's -19C and really windy with a windchill of almost -30C!
The last two days have been encrusted in ice.
Many trees suffered from the extra weight on their limbs.
I lost a nice tree and wonder about the many more at the back of the property. It's still too icy to head back and check up on them.
Richard tried to get some of the ice off the birch tree in front of the house.
I guess they'll be no mail delivery for a bit.
Power came back on after a few hours of darkness.
Driving was treacherous but there was plenty of salt on the roads.
Just as long as you kept below the speed limit.
I just love Christmas dinner: turkey...
...and dressing...
...and various veggies added to create the most perfect plate of food ever!
Finish that off with a variety of yummy cheesecakes. Thanks Mary and Victor for a wonderful meal!
Ever see such a huge Christmas tree? We saw it at Epcot in Orlando, Florida in November where it was a balmy 85F. Merry Christmas to everyone. Enjoy!
Here is the set of artist trading cards I drew for our holiday trade on December 26. They're called "Holiday Eats."
In the little town of Vankleek Hill, Ontario, about 15 minutes from me, there's a fantastic lunch joint called Mary's Country Kitchen. They also do a brisk take out business.
It's charming from the exterior...
...and although it's tiny, it's packed with amazing goodies.
For lunch, you can choose a ham and asaparagus quiche...
...or a carmelized onion, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese variety.
There were ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches ready to be eaten.
And stuffed curry pockets and cornish pasties waiting there too.
For dessert? How about a Bakewell tart?
The carrot cake looked fab.
Yummy-looking blueberry squares.
Tall jars of tempting cream cheese brownies and chocolate and caramel nut bars.
Behind the counter on a set of shelves were a variety of cookies and tarts.
And check out these funny chocolate mice and holiday turtles.
The place only seats 12 and it was absolutely buzzing.
The coffee was really good and strong.
We each ordered a Greek salad which had a light dressing on very ripe tomatoes (a real plus at this time of year) and tasty veggies and tons of olives and Feta cheese.
And we also decided to split the 4-layered carrot cake. Yummy!
Yesterday was bright and beautiful and was the perfect time to take a walk in the woods.
We came upon the remnants of poison parsnip plants. I couldn't believe how tall they were.
There were deer prints everywhere, especially on the frozen stream that runs through the property.
In the pine and spruce plantation, we came across several deer beds.
Richard was going to try this one out for size I think.
We came in and had a pot of tea to warm up. I shared my cup with my most senior cat, Domino. At 19-years of age, she likes a cup of tea with milk in the afternoon.
Latkes and poutine sound almost like they belong together. We figured we'd give it a try. All you need are a few peeled potatoes which need to be shredded...
..some chopped or shredded onions...
...thrown together with some eggs, salt and pepper.
Then you make them into patties...
...and fry in lots of oil until brown on both sides. Eat immediately.
But if you want to make them into poutine latkes, buy a can of poutine gravy...
...and heat it up and pour it on a layer or latkes.
Top with some extra squeaky curds. Repeat layers.
What you get is an incredibly decadent and yummy concoction.
My friend Gordon gave it a two thumbs up.
So did Natalie and the sock monkeys. To read more about these poutine adventures, go to Natalie's blog.