... here again. Already. Can you believe it?? As usual, I am not ready.
But some of the trappings of the season are done. We sat down to breakfast on Sunday, the First Advent, and lit the Advent candle. This year we opted for one candle instead of the traditional four. With four candles, each is lit on consecutive Sundays, adding one each Sunday, so they burn down at different rates - that doesn't sit so well with Werner, these uneven thingies on the table. I like this, too.
The greenery is from a little "bouquet" of evergreens we bought at the market plus things from the yard and the miniature Pointsettia that I keep buying thinking I can nurse it through till Santa comes. We'll see what happens this year.
Then it was off to René and Rima's for their annual First Advent family luncheon - ten of us this year with her parents, Lex and Monica, us, Mutti, Monica's cousin Ruth (plus Amina of course, though she doesn't eat all THAT much!).
René's kitchen just gets more and more refined. This year it was clear soup with braised dove followed by monkfish on saffron rice, then doe filet and stag filet chops with caramelized shallots (again? someone said !) and puff pastry horns filled with wild mushrooms. Yes, a bit heavy on the meat but all of it was simply delicious. First class.
I brought a cranberry bread, thinking they might have it the next morning, but they served it along side Monika's chocolate bundt cake and Rima's mother's Lebanese cheese cake. They were all well received, and with a couple of requests for the cranberry bread, I was happy.
Amina had to rest between courses - the meal lasted a good three hours - and here she is being read to by her cousin Sarah.
Sigh. Now it's Monday. Two classes down, three more tomorrow, so good night.
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