This & That During Winter Break

Ibises near the lake.

This week has been a rainy one. It's still raining. Though I didn't work in the yard (it was a bit cold), the plants are thriving in this rainy weather. 

Brussels sprouts. 

New growth of a sweet potato.

I made an apple tart. I rarely make cakes and pies, may be once a year or so. Every December I make this apple tart. I'm not sure why I do it in December, it just happens so. 😊

French apple tart.

I don't like pasta with tomato sauce. However, the other day I decided to make tomato sauce. I used canned diced tomatoes. It was not bad, but I think I should have added more herbs. Adding lots of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese made the pasta dish a lot better.

Pasta & tomato sauce.

I used 10 apples to make the tart, so I had a bag full of apple cores and peels. I was planing to toss it in the compost bin, and then I remembered the apple scrap recipe on Zero-Waste Chef. I put apple scraps in my Mortier Pilon fermenting crock and added water and sugar. It's sitting on the counter top now. 😊

Making apple scrap vinegar.

A couple of days ago, a friend and I drove in the neighborhood to see Christmas lights. I love seeing oak trunks wrapped in Christmas lights, and icicle lights hanging from the branches.  The night was cold, so we enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate as well. 

Christmas decorations in the neighborhood.

I started crocheting another sleeveless top, using the same pattern used earlier, but in size XS.  I scrubbed and cleaned all kitchen cabinet doors, but didn't have time to clean inside the cupboards. 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones. I wish you all a merry Christmas 🎄 / a happy Hanukkah, and a joyful holiday season. 🌼🌹🌷

This week's to-do list:

1) Clean the fridge.

2) Clean kitchen cabinets. - Partially done.

Next week's to-do list:

1) Finish cleaning kitchen cabinets.

2) Finish the crochet top.

3) Make syllabi for the next semester.

XX

Nil