Celebrating January...Part 2

It’s cold out there! I am not generally a soup person but it’s warming on a cold winter day. So this morning I dug through my mother’s recipe box as there is one soup recipe that I adore: Leek and Potato soup. This recipe is dairy free and beyond delicious. What I love best is that the ingredients are fresh and simple: potatoes, leeks, chicken or vegetable stock and fresh herbs. You can use an immersion blender or food processor to puree.

You’ll notice that I am still using my Christmas placemats Toy's Delight Gobelin Placemat Tree. I couldn’t bear to put them away yet. And although they are currently out of stock on the Villeroy & Boch website, they are sure to reappear next November so keep an eye out for them. They are well-made, beautifully crafted (the detail is amazing) and just plain gorgeous. And of course the colours (green, red and gold) are just right for the Holidays….and post Holidays!

Leek and Potato Soup

3 Large Leeks (about 3-31/2 cups, chopped)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

4 Cups Chicken or Vegetable broth

2 Pounds Potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet), peeled & diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 Teaspoon sea salt, less or more to taste

Pinch dried marjoram

1 Bay Leaf

1 or 2 Sprigs fresh Thyme or 1/2 Teaspoon dried Thyme

1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley

Black Pepper to taste

Few drops of Chile Oil or a sprinkle of Tabasco Sauce

Cut off the ends of the leeks and the tough dark green tops. Rinse the leeks well. With the tip of a knife make a slit down the full length of each leek and discard one outer layer. Rinse leeks again. Slice the white and light green parts of the leeks crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a 3 to 4 Quart thick-bottomed pot. Add the chopped leeks, stir to coat with the Olive Oil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes until the leeks have softened. Check to make sure the leeks are not browning.

Add the broth, diced potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram and a Teaspoon of salt to the pot. Increase the heat to high to bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Remove and discard the bay leaf and Thyme sprigs. Use and immersion blender or standing blender to blend about half of the soup if you want a chunky soup, or all of it if you like your soup to be more smooth. Note: If you are using a standing blender, puree the soup in batches, don’t fill the blender more than a third full at a time, and remember to hold the lid down while the blender is going.

Add the parsley, and cook a minute more. Add a few drops of Chile oil, or a few dashes of Tabasco to taste. Add freshly ground pepper, and more salt to taste.

Celebrating January

Post Holiday meals tend to be less elaborate and rich, and definitely quicker to prepare. I try to think of dinners to make that are really tasty and will stretch over at least 2 days. Which brings me to the topic of today’s Post, “Celebrating January”. I am sharing one of my most loved recipes for a quick and easy dinner that you can adjust according to your taste. Not only is it delicious, but it can be eaten warm, or at room temperature. And, if you want to extend the Holiday feeling, or just enjoy an elevated dining experience, use your fine china Vintage Jewel, sparkling wine glasses and silver flatware Grand Baroque. Everything tastes even better doesn’t it?

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

This dish can be made ahead, add the goat cheese, tuna and basil just before serving.

1 lb. orzo pasta (approx. 454 grams)

1 cup pitted kalamata or nicoise olives (or 1/3 cup sun-dried olives, my favourite) coarsely chopped

8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (or 1 cup sliced sun-dried tomoatoes) finely chopped

1/4 to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (start with 1/4 cup, it’s usually enough)

2 Tblsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Ground black pepper

140 grams (5 oz.) soft goat cheese, crumbled (I omitted the goat cheese as I have a dairy allergy, and replaced with 1 jar Rio Mare light tuna fillets in olive oil)

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (I used a full cup - I Love fresh Basil!)

I jar RIO light Tuna in oil (broken up or flaked before adding to Orzo)

1. Cook the Orzo in a Large Pot of boiling salted water for about 6-7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cooled. Drain again.

2. Combine olives, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, and salt & pepper in a large Salad bowl. Add cooked Orzo and stir well. Stir in goat cheese or flaked tuna and basil just before serving.

3. Serves 8

Thanksgiving 2023

Nothing reminds me more of family Thanksgivings than Fall flowers, the smell of lovely food and pies! My mother had an extraordinary way of making every Holiday special with attention to details. I have tried to do the same and it makes such a difference. The smell of the glazed ham in the oven, the colourful root vegetables and potatoes with crispy leek and onion, Fall floral arrangements in the kitchen window and powder room, and the aroma of fresh pumpkin and apple pie all contribute to a glorious Fall celebration and memories that last.

Christmas 2016

The Christmas Holiday is truly my favourite time of the year.  I start in November, choosing my Christmas cards, Christmas table crackers and gifts, planning the Christmas Dinner Menu and every year I add one or two new decorations to decorate the house with.

This year, the first of two new decorations was a life-size Nutcracker that has movement and music from the Nutcracker ballet.  I purchased it from frontgate.com and it did not disappoint.  It added a beautiful dinner focal point and delighted our guests.  In keeping with the nutcracker theme, I found some table crackers with a nutcracker theme at Metro groceries.  Colourful and inexpensive.

While shopping at what I consider the most beautiful, indoor shopping plaza in Ontario, I found my second new decoration.  Sherway Gardens has had a recent expansion, with stunning Italian marble floors throughout, new shops including Saks Fifth Avenue and a widely expanded parking network with the latest in parking technology.  Even on Boxing Day it was easy to find a parking spot with their green/red light parking system and LED parking updates which tell you how many spots are available in each parking section.  When you enter the protected underground parking, you immediately see which spots are available by way of a green light that shines above the spot.  As soon as you pull into the spot, the light turns red.  Wonderful!  

My girlfriend and her twins and I were strolling through Sherway Gardens when we were pulled into Pottery Barn by way of their beautiful decorations.  Once in the store, I fell in love with a wrought iron deer.  It was so simple and elegant and I knew it would add charm to any space in my home.  Pottery Barn instills magic into the holidays and provides beautiful themes to inspire you with.  I rarely leave without something stunning and unique.

Life-size Nutcracker with movement and music

Crackers for the Table

Reindeer

William Ashley

William Ashley is moving.

William Ashley knows how to transport their customer to a different time and place.  From the classical music that plays in the background, at exactly the right volume, to set the mood, the sparkling water with thinly sliced lemon and lime that they serve in champagne glasses to their customers, to the two hours of free parking that they offer; everything is meant to encourage you to relax, revel in the surroundings and enjoy the experience.  And I do.  

The wonderful news is that they aren't moving far.  They will stay on Bloor Street, on the South side but will now be in the Colonnade Building, just East of University.  Here the square footage will be less, but they will now have an elevator right from the store to parking below.  And they assured me that the new location will be as splendid as their current location.  The fact is, they currently have quite a bit of duplication in their displays.  "I will not be disappointed."  Thank goodness.  Everything is currently on Sale until the end of January.   A lovely time to make that purchase that you have always wanted to.

And Teuscher, the Swiss chocolatier that has a home in William Ashley will remain in the store as well.  This past Christmas the Teuscher display was like a fairy-tale, like a page out of the nutcracker suite.  The two go so well together - may they never part.