Our 15th Wedding Anniversary Vow Renewal and Reception

Question: How do you know you are getting older? Answer: When it takes an entire week to recover from planning,preparing for and implementing a small party! It has been seven days since Eric and I celebrated with our 15th Wedding Anniversary. Although it was a tremendous amount of work, it was truly lovely. We renewed our wedding vows in a short but meaningful ceremony presided over by Eric's pastor and witnessed by our dearest friends (minus a few, who due to illness or distance were not able to be with us). Eric and I catered 90% of it ourselves, although two dear friends brought welcomed additions to the buffet table, and several more sweet people aided significantly in the setting out and cleaning up. We are left with wonderful memories, and not a few unexpected anniversary gifts! (something we weren't at all anticipating, but my, wasn't it just so generous!)

As planned, I wore my wedding dress of antique white bridal silk. my pearls and amethysts, and the wedding wreath and veil I had lovingly designed as my something new ( the wreath) combined with something old ( the veil from my wedding day). Eric looked dapper and handsome in his new suit. Using gorgeous antique white and mauve-pink roses, my friend Hellie, made my bouquet, the corsages and buttonieres for various participants. The tables were set with lilac gigham, and antique white. It all looked just spendid! Our venue was the banquet room at a local condominium complex which was like a resort; the grounds were a verdant bower of summer blossoms; roses, hydrangea, daisies, petunias, dahlias, imaptients, lilies, nicotania, and pansies, to name but a few.

The buffet table looked most inviting , with the food set out on various levels, draped in lilac and gigham. We all ate to our hearts content, and from all accounts, we had a wonderful time. Despite the fact that Eric and I got little (Eric) to no sleep (me!) we enjoyed the celebration immensely. People are already asking when we will be doing it again, and we are seriosly considering revisiting the idea in 5 years for our 20th anniversary.

Celebrations A Plenty!

Pearls ( a gift from my ESL class) joined with my lovely engagement jewellery, an amethyst pendant.

(Above)) My hand-crafted bridal wreath with attached veil from my wedding in 1994

Dearest Readers,
It is hard for me to fathom that it has been over two months since I last blogged! Life is progressing at the speed of light! Entertaining house guests, maintaining my home while my husband has been off on a 3-week European tour, tending my fledgling garden, and planning an anniversary celebration which will take place in just three short days, has left me little energy to do anything else! But as the busyness will soon be at an end, I promise to take the time to share with you some photos from my activities as well as a few recipes from the menu of our up-coming festivities.


My husband and I observed our 15th Wedding Anniversary this year, on July 9th. I say "observed" and not "celebrated" because in fact, we were apart on that special day because Eric was away on tour with the British Columbia Girls' Choir. Alas, my ardent hope of joining him on that adventure to England, Scotland and Germany was dashed in early April when I had to admit that the precarious state of my health would not allow for extended and prolonged travel. Although the trip was one I had dreamed of for many years, I knew in my heart of hearts now was not the time to consider it. Instead, I chose to stay at home to rest, care for our beloved pets, and keep the home-fires burning, so to speak. ( not that we NEEDED any home fires, as we have been experiencing a bonifide heat wave here on the West coast. Yikes, The mid thirties and HOT, HOT, HOT!) Partially to distract myself from not feeling too sorry for myself, and partially because we felt the definite need to celebrate with our dear friends, we decided to pick a Saturday in mid-August to renew our wedding vows and have a little reception. It amazes me how much effort and energy it takes to plan such an event, but, dear readers that is what I have been doing for the past two months or so; planning, coordinating, and creating for our little festivity! In another day or so I will be knee-deep in catering preparations for our little soiree for 28 people. We have intentionally kept it very intimate, as I am more or less catering it by myself and want to have enough hootspa left to enjoy myself. Once it is over and the dust has settled , I will share some of our photographs. Meanwhile, I want to include here a picture or two of the bridal wreath and veil I made for the ceremony. The veil is the one I wore originally, but the wreath is a new addition which I really love. Please consider this a hopeful sign of things to follow, and meanwhile take good care of yourself.

How My Garden Grows!

Look at these absolutely gorgeous peonies! I am so proud! This season, for the first time in nigh onto 7 years, I have been enjoying the garden. For whatever reason, ( and believe me, I am NOT complaining) the pernicious allergy I have had to something in my back yard seems to have abated, allowing me to cautiously venture out into the garden. My sorely-neglected, but much-beloved peonies have been pruned and watered regularly, and I was able to plant a stand of stargazer, Pandora and Casa-Blanca lilies, (which I hope will be lovely!) and create several window boxes and large planters of Draecena, pansies and lobelia. I do hope everything will flourish as I have sorely missed the opportunity over the past several season to drink in the splendours of the out of doors. I will post pictures of the other plants as I get them. My, isn't nature wonderful!

Kudos to My ESL Class! They have Endured Another Year!

Congratulations to my wonderful ESL class. They have endured another year of learning our very difficult language. What a priviledge to teach them! Here is a picture of all who have worked so hard and so faithfully this year. I will miss you all and hope to see you again in September.

Canadian Regional Cuisine? Nova Scotian Gingerbread

Is there anything that can be called "distinctly" Canadian? Are there social, cultural, religious, political values that belong to Canada, and Canada alone? My ESL students have asked this question and are eager to hear my answer. I have pondered the question and can come up with only one honest answer, and that answer is "No". Canada is truly a mosaic. Our national fabric resembles a quilt,not a mono-chromatic blanket. We are one, and yet we are many. We speak many languages, although our official tongues are French and English. At one time we would have called ourselves a Christian nation, yet we embrace those of every creed and those with no creed at all, and long may we do so. We are Scottish, French, Irish, Kurdish, German, Korean, Israeli, English, Latvian, Italian, Greek, South-East Asia, Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Australian, African, Iranian, Welsh, Ukrainian, and the list goes on and on and on. Our regional dishes include, but are not restricted to Cedar-planked Salmon ( Aboriginal Canadian) Banach (Scottish) Rappie Pie (French) Sauerkraut (German) Pirogi (Ukrainian) Spanakopita (Greek) Curry ( South-East Asian) Kimchi (Korean) Dolma (Kurdish) Sushi (Japanese). We celebrate the best of all cultures and dare to call the resulting beloved menagerie "Canadian". If we are distinctive it is because we desire to be inclusive of all that is lovely, honorable, wholesome and respectful. In case you have not yet cottoned on, I am passionately in love with this country and this culture. I can think of few blessings greater than that of having been born and raised here. In celebration of my own, east-coast heritage, I would love to share a very famous recipe from Nova Scotia. It is simply, Nova Scotian Gingerbread. Low in calories and high in taste, the fragrance of it fills the house with the scent of baking ginger and cloves. Served warm with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream, or a delicious warm lemon sauce ( or a bit of both!) it is a delight both to the eye and the taste buds. Enjoy, and think of me as you indulge in your first bite!

Nova Scotian Gingerbread

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup lightly packed demerara brown sugar

1/3 cup Molasses

*1 egg

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup boiling water

Method:

In a medium-sized bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, and spices) Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Into these wet ingredients beat in molasses and egg.Stir the dry ingredients gently into the creamed mixture, alternating with with boiled water, and ending with dry ingredients, combining until just mixed. Spoon batter into a lightly greased 8 X 4 or 9 X 5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F oven for 40-45 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in pan for ten minutes. on a baking rack. Remove from pan and allow to sit of baking rack until completely cool. (If you can STAND it, but I like to serve mine warm from the oven!) To store, wrap tightly or put in an air-tight container. Each 1/12 of a loaf is 133 calories! Pretty good for a delicious dessert, but that of course does not include the lemon sauce or whipped cream. (Lemon Sauce Recipe to follow! Yum, yum, oh yum!)

* your egg should be room temperature, but I NEVER remember to take it out of the fridge in time for that, so soaking the egg in warm water for 15 minutes before hand will bring it closer to room temperature.

Lemon Sauce

1/2 cup white sugar ( if you are concerned about calories you could use a 1/2 and 1/2 split if sugar and Splenda)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup boiling water

1 tablespoon butter ( Go ahead and indulge, it won't kill you!)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

*the juice of one lemon

In saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg/ Gradually whisk in boiling water, stirring to remove any lumps. Simmer over low hear, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Serve over warmed gingerbread and enjoy AS, NO DOUBT, YOU WILL!

* To get the most juice out of your lemon, heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds on high. You will double or even triple the amount of juice you will get from the lemon. I like to zest my lemon after if has been juiced, because if you do it before, the lemon falls apart as it is juiced.

Dripping with Diamonds and Pearls

The excuses for an almost two month hiatus from my blog are multitudinous, and I won't bore you with them at great length. Suffice it to say that in early February I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted at the same time, and it has taken me quite a while to recover. Note to those of you with teenagers..... if wisdom tooth extraction should ever become necessary for your child, make sure to deal with it while they are young and able to bounce back easily. At the ripe old age of 29 and some-months :), it was not a cake walk, to say the least.

Fast on the heels of my dental surgery came both Valentine's Day and my much-anticipated birthday. (after last year's celebration of my ?0th, from theretofore I will forever be 29-and-some-months) On Hearts day, hubby-dearest presented me with a little square velvet jewelry case. He gave me a lovely, wide, gold, comfort-fit wedding band. Although I appreciated the band, and wore it with pride, one thing was still missing. During our engagement, almost 15 years ago, I received as engagement jewelry an absolutely stunning 9-karat amethyst pendant set in gold. Although it was quite striking, I felt sad that I didn't have a proper engagement ring, something that every girl in the culture expects. However, at the time, finances would not permit such an extravagance, so I hoped for it one day, and always felt that the solitary wedding band looked incomplete. Well this year. not to be outdone by Valentine's, on my birthday, my husband presented me with a truly gorgeous trinity-styled princess-cut engagement ring highlighted by eight inset diamonds (three on either side of the larger stones and two embedded on the underside of the ring highlighting the phrase "past, present, future"). To say the least, it is a stunner, and looks great on my pudgy digits! Despite my attempts to be "cool" about the whole thing, I admit that I often find myself mesmerized by the sparkle! It is, most certainly, not the kind of ring I ever expected to own. And yes, I am going to be gouache enough to post a picture of it! It is ever-so-much larger than what I had imagined owning. In this case though, folks, bigger is definitely better!

After receiving the gorgeous ring, I was surprised once again by the generosity of my ESL class (English As A Second Language). At the end of the winter term they presented me with a beautiful cultured pearl necklace and bracelet. It was a total shock and a complete delight. I had been looking for a short, simple white pearl necklace, and without having ever mentioned to anyone, I was stunned to open the gift from my students to find exactly what I had envisioned. I have worn it almost daily since receiving it. Between this thoughtful gift, and my apres-engagement ring, I am feeling most blessed and not a little pampered!

Just a few more pictures and a recipe for scones

(Upper Left) Tea guests Dorothy (chintz polo shirt) and Kathleen (black cardigan and chintz blouse) survey the desert table. Directly in front of the ladies on the tea table are chocolate-dipped shortbread heart cookies alternated with decadent chocoalte-dipped strawberries. Toward the front is clotted cream encircled by freshly baked English Scones accompanied by Raspberry Jam. At table center is a heavenly Chocolate Pound Cake and Skor-Bar Trifle. At the back of the table sits the meticulously-polished Silver Service ready to dispense two types of delicious tea, the ubiquitous Orange Pekoe, and a new favorite, Chocolate Dessert Tea ( a perfect accompaniment to all things Chocolate!)as well as a rich, dark brewed coffee. (Lower-Upper Left))The first course in an afternoon tea is a variety of savouries, consisting of sandwiches (egg salad, curried chicken, cucumber with cream cheese and dill, and for those with a sweet tooth, the ever-popular cherry-cheese sandwich.) Also served was a spinach dip accompanied with rice crackers and miniature toast-point ramkins., as well as tuna mushroom toastades. Each dish was garnished with a variety of crudite and/or grapes)

(Lower left) More desserts are featured on a lovely silver tray. Starting from the left are buterscotch squares, followed by chocolate, oatmeal and cocont macaroons, lemon-curd shortbread tartlets and Nova Scoita's famous Cape Breton Pork Pies (not REALLY made of pork but a to-die-for puree of cooked dates, demerara sugar and lemon ensconsed in a shortbread tartlet, and topped with a diminuitive dolop of maple syrup butter cream. My husband's hands-down favorite!)

(Below) Elisia can always be depended upon to help out in the kitchen. What a gem of a friend!

(Immediate Left) Scone Queen putting the final touches on the tuna-mushroom tostades.

Rose's Tea Scones

Set oven to 375 or 400 degrees F. (depending on how hot your oven bakes)

Please read through the Complete Listing of Ingredients before you start!

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking POWDER

1 teaspoon salt

Optional Ingredients

Add One of the following four options

1/2 c. currants soaked in hot water and drained once they are plumped

1/2 cup raisins ( if they are really dry you can soak and drain these as well)

1/2 cup dried apricots cut into the size of raisins, along with 1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup (one stick) extremely cold butter cut into eight pieces

1/4 cup granualted sugar

1 egg (room temperature)

1 teaspoon real vanilla

enough homogenized milk or cereal cream to make 1 cup of liquid when combined with the egg and vanilla

Method

Combine the following ingredients using a wire wisk.

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Reserve 2 tblsps of the flour mixture.

Then, using a pastry cutter, cut into the remaining flour mixture 1/2 c ( 1 stick) very cold butter (which has been cut into eight large pieces) until it looks like coarse oatmeal.

In a small bowl, add the 2 tablespoons of reserved flour mixture to one of the OPTIONAL ingredients, making sure to coat them thoroughly.

Add the optional ingredients gently to the rest of the flour and buter mixture.

Gently add 1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a 2 cup measuring cup, lightly beat one room temperature egg. Add to that 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and enough homogenized milk (or cereal cream) to make one cup of liquid.

Using a fork, add 1/3 of the wet ingredients to the flour,butter, optional ingredient, sugar mixture, blending gently, but thoroughly. Add the next 1/3, blending gently, but thoroughly.and the final 1/3 blending gently until it incorporated. You should still be able to see small bits of butter in the dough. Do not over mix!

Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 4 or five times until it just holds together. Use a VERY GENTLE HAND when kneading the scones. Pat gently into a 1 1/2 high rectangle and cut into 8 large rounds or 12 smaller rounds. Place scones in a 9x9 ungreased square cake pan. Bake until the scones are a medium golden brown. (Larger scones take longer to bake than smaller ones!) Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes, before turing them out and seperating them Serve warm with clotted cream and jam., or at room temperatrue later in the day. These are best when they are eaten on the day they are made. Bon Apetit!