Hazelnuts

You may remember my post last fall about the hazelnuts I picked before the bears got to them. I was ever so pleased. My plan was to have them at Christmas but...Christmas came and went and the hazelnuts are still in the shells. Well last night, while watching a movie, I started cracking nuts. Not quite finished yet but it's a start.

Once the nuts are all cracked..me included! I'll roast them, rub them in a towel to get some of the skins off and then....off to the Joy of Baking website for some biscotti.

What's happening at the diner...

Life at the diner is progressing very nicely. Art and I are settling into a set routine and our days are less stressful.
The weekend was very busy but we got through it a little easier. I had much more food prepped which is a real life saver.

But...still so much to learn...this weeks lesson??? Do not buy all the meat on Friday to prep first thing Saturday morning. That was stressful and I don't know why I did it.

We bought our meat on Friday, brought it home, packed it into our fridge. 5:30am Saturday, we take all the meat out of our fridge, into the truck, and unpack it all into the diner. Divide it all, keep some for the weekend and freeze the rest. All the while, cooking sausages, bacon, mushrooms, onions, peppers, slicing tomatoes, cooking for our customers, and getting the soup ready...way to much!

Pumpkin Bread

Super delicious, moist and with a touch of cream cheese..just a little different.

From the Joy of Baking website.
Cream Cheese Filling:
1 package (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Pumpkin Bread:
1 cup walnuts
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 - 425oz can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter and lightly flour two - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans. Set aside.
To toast nuts: Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until brown and fragrant. Cool completely and then chop coarsely. Set aside.
Cream Cheese Filling: In your food processor, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and process just until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, processing just until incorporated. Do not over process. Stir in the flour. Set aside.
Pumpkin Bread: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the sugar and melted butter and whisk until blended. Whisk or stir in the pumpkin, water, vanilla extract, and nuts.
Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined. (A few streaks of flour is fine.) Do not over mix as it will make the bread tough.
Divide the batter in half. Take one half and divide it evenly between the two prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese filling in half and place each half of filling on top the two pans of batter, smoothing the tops. Top with the remaining half of batter. Bake the breads for about 55 - 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Place pans on a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing breads from pans. Can serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or else freeze for later use.
Makes 2 loaves.

Look at what's coming up....

I'm busy, actually really busy, but never too busy to stop and smell the roses, well in this case primroses...primulas.

Hard to believe that these primulas are throwing up new growth and buds.

And the violas are still here with some new buds showing. Not that my camera captured but they are there.

We could very well get a cold snap that might put an end to this but maybe not. Winter has just started and I'm already in spring mode.

Looking forward

Well Magpie's has been open for just over two weeks and I am pleasantly surprised at how well received the diner was. We have been steadily getting busier every day and with good feedback thus far.

But...the holidays are over, kids are back at school and parents are back at work, play time is over.

I wonder what January holds in store for me? I'm sure it will slow down but how much?? Only time will tell.

The past few months have been a blur..no time for long walks, no crafts, no reading...books or blogs, it really feels like my old life ended and I'm now living in a stranger's shoes. Exciting but strange.

I'm looking forward to spring and getting out into the garden. I think I'll be lucky if I can just maintain the existing garden and veggie beds, never mind any new garden plans this year.

And another small but welcome surprise I forgot to mention. It seems my chickens are starting to lay more eggs. I thought they would not be laying very much until spring but they are up to about half production. Maybe I should get more chickens..for more eggs...for the diner..HMMM!!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to my family and friends. Your support during this past year has been outstanding and very much appreciated.

I have not been posting as much as I usually do...the diner seems to take up all my time but I'm slowly getting into the groove and my time management should be getting better.

The weekend specials at Magpie's are:

Saturday. - Spinach, feta and tomato omelet for breakfast, triple grilled cheese and fries for lunch and the soup of the day will be beef barley.

Sunday - 7 Dollar pancakes with two slices of bacon, one hand made sausage or one slice of Canadian back bacon, BLT and soup for lunch, and the soup of the day will be homemade cream of tomato and basil soup.

See you all at the diner...

The last day off...

Tomorrow Art and I head back to the diner after four days off. I bet you're wondering why we took 4 days off when we just started the business....



Well it's a bit complicated. I suspected my job was about to end quite some time before it actually did and in an effort to protect myself I committed to a part time job. It's a work from home job as an emergency travel consultant which can sometimes be very stressful. Anyway, I was scheduled to work this past weekend, hence the reason for the diner closure. Now, I know, some of you may think that was crazy but I made a commitment and I stand by my commitments so I worked Dec. 26 and 27th but considering the trouble surrounding travel my shifts were uneventful. I'm so very thankful for that.



Which now brings me to today. Monday is a regular off day at the diner and I was not scheduled to work at the other job so it was a true day off and what did I do??? I cooked.. a real home cooked meal.



Now we have have all heard the "simple living" and the "cook from scratch" and save, save, save...I am one of those folks..but I'm telling you right now...when you work full time, outside of your home, in stressful jobs, cooking from scratch and doing daily household chores yourself is very difficult. How did I ever do it when my kids were small because although for very different reasons, mainly financial, that is what I did, worked full time, commuted by bus and all the while cooked from scratch, baked from scratch, attended school meeting and functions, kids games ect...I'm exhausted just thinking about it.



All this time...it was easy for me to preach this lifestyle, while working from home, with a good salary in a job that allowed me to put on a stew in the morning, to simmer slowly all day, stir every so often, to enjoy that night with a home baked roll and side salad. I forgot what it was like..how stressful life can be, how difficult it is not to buy ease...



Tonight I made a home cooked meal just like I did prior to the diner... pork chops, mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli and salad, we sat at the kitchen table, and ate slowly, savouring every bite, it was wonderful, one of my best nights ever.



So what does it all mean??? Is all this simple living a lie? Are we doomed?



Not at all. Take it one step at a time, start slowly and savour every moment you get to spend with your family. It does not have to be pork chops and the works every night, but just start with one night, it can be toast and scrambled eggs, just make it yourself, it will turn into two homemade meals, which will then be three....