The comfort of the kitchen

plus holiday gifts for you!

(12 Days of Holiday Treats 2023 - scroll down for a link to all the recipes in printable PDF format)

December 15th 2023

Hello hello! I’m trying to get back into the habit of publishing this newsletter on the 15th of each month at very least so voilà, here I am in the final month of what can only be described as A YEAR, meeting that goal. Better late than never, right?

No matter where you are in the world and no matter what you celebrate (or don’t), December always feels like kilometre 18 of a half-marathon. So close, yet still so far… Teachers are hanging on for dear life. Those who are in charge of holiday meals/ celebrations are frantically dashing about with a “to do” list a mile long. Those who give gifts at this time of year are also dashing from store to store (or site to site) trying to find the perfect items for their recipients. Plus, all the social gatherings. It’s a lot.

Pre-brain surgery Mardi embraced this busy season, seemingly thriving on the energy and being able to get “so much” done. “How do you do it all and do it so well?” people asked. I was proud of how busy I was and how much I was doing (and actually not just during the holiday season).

When I think about that person now I wonder how much of this frenetic energy was me worrying about NOT being the person people expected me to be, that pushed me to be so busy. I wonder if my body KNEW something was off (especially in the year prior to surgery) and was desperately trying to keep up, saying “I’m fine, look at how much I’m doing!” when really I wasn’t. Deep thoughts for December and something I’m committed to working through next year.

All that to say, this holiday season looks a little different for me. I’ve been turning down social invitations like it’s my full-time job this year and I don’t even feel bad because I know it’s what I need to do for me. So yeah, post-surgery Mardi 2.0 rejects the busyness. She’s just as to happy to curl up with a book and a cup of hot chocolate (and yeah, maybe a Hallmark Christmas film) as she used to be dashing from event to event or from recipe to recipe… Will this change? Maybe. I’m hoping to be able to find better balance in 2024 where I’m able to do more if I feel like it (currently, my activities outside work are a bit limited by my energy).

So, with that, I thought I’d share some thoughts about things that have brought me comfort lately and some recipes…

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the comfort of the kitchen

Something I’ve been excited to get back to slowly over the past few months has been cooking. It’s a nice, solitary, quiet activity that I can tolerate right now and it definitely makes me feel more like “myself”. Sure, over the summer I dabbled a little bit in the kitchen but with my online cooking club back in action it feels more like normal times (if you’ve wanted to take a class with me in-person, scroll down because they are back in 2024!).

When I am selecting recipes to teach my students, I try to balance “kid-friendly” with “technique” - so a recipe that is one they will be likely to eat that teaches them some kind of useful-for-other-recipes technique. A few weeks ago we made Mac and Cheese. But not just any Mac and Cheese - this one was made with a from-scratch béchamel sauce. This might sound complicated and something that many adults would shy away from, but actually it only uses a few staple ingredients and it comes together in about the same time as your boxed mac and cheese. I’d say that’s a recipe that’s worth acquiring, wouldn’t you? The kids and adults in my class rocked it - one of the adults messaged me after saying “*I* made béchamel for the first time thanks to you!” I love seeing this sense of accomplishment in my students and, slowly getting back to the kitchen myself over the summer, I can relate to this sense of achievement and how good it makes you feel when you can make a meal from what you have on hand!

(just like the boxed stuff, only better!)

Want the recipe?

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12 days of holiday treats - printable recipes for you!

Back in October, I started thinking about recipe development again for the first time in close to 10 months. Each year since 2019 on my blog in December, I’ve shared “12 days” of either Holiday Treats or Cookies and I wondered if I might be able to manage that this year. With no other recipe development on my plate at the time, I thought this might be a nice place to start (small batches of delicious treats, who doesn’t want those?) and over the course of a few weekends (more than it would typically take me), I came up with 12 recipes I’m really happy with. My neighbours are particularly happy that I am baking again ; )

I just finished sharing the recipes on my blog but as I know there is not necessarily readership crossover, I wanted to share these recipes with you, dear readers so I PDFd them so they are printable and popped them in a folder for you to access easily if you’re stuck for ideas for your holiday baking. Each recipe makes 1-dozen or a few more smaller-sized treats that are simple to prepare and that use everyday ingredients and equipment so hopefully you’ll be able to whip up any of these on a whim.

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links you might like

eat

Is it a Meal? A Snack? No, it’s “Girl Dinner”? via The New York Times (unlocked). Gzoodness gracious. It’s a snack plate, NYT and not just for “girls”.

Stop the culinary cringe, it’s time we redefined what is “Australian food” via The Sydney Morning Herald. An interesting look at how Australian food has evolved over the years and what it looks like today.

live

The Beauty of a Walk and Talk via The New York Times (unlocked). I spent most of July walking (alone and wint friends) as part of my recovery and can attest to the power of a good walk (mentally and physically).

Why the internet isn’t fun anymore via The New Yorker. Yup.

travel

The world’s most beautiful train stations, from Mozambique to Spain via CN Traveler. Worth a visit even if you’re not taking the train!

Why you should check the plane model before you book your next flight via Travel and Leisure (if you’ve ever noticed there is less room under that seat in front of you…)

write listen

This month, with your indulgence, I’m sharing two podcasts where I was a guest (lots about my own writing journey here!):

Showing how to live a purposefully French life via Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles

From Classroom to Cookbook via Creatively Speaking (Wellar Smith Design)

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in-person classes are back in Toronto - plus a discount for you!

That’s right! After a bit of a (forced) hiatus this year, I’m bringing back my in-person cooking classes at the beautiful St Lawrence Market in Toronto in 2024. There’s something for everyone - French baking, wine pairing and appreciation (with my in-house sommelier, Neil), a three-course “menu du jour” plus a parent-child baking class!

Remember - experiences make great gifts to look forward to ! Check out all the offerings here and use SUBSCRIBER for 10% off your order.

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buy my books

Don’t have my books? They make great gifts… hint, hint… ;)

French food made easy … for everyone!

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rent our holiday home in southwest France!

“We spent two weeks in Nerac at this fully-equipped, centrally-located home. It is within walking distance of everything, including the canal, stone bridges, museums, parks, historic churches and of course restaurants and local shopping. (and if you are there on a Saturday, a huge outdoor market is a 5-minute walk away). We enjoyed all the features of this home and especially the patio. We sampled all the food and wine the French are known for. We also joined the locals in playing Pétanque at the square just up the street. Would highly recommend!

~ guest review, October 2022

Our charming house in Nérac, halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse, is in the heart of Gascony. Book ahead!

Thanks for reading. Wishing you a happy holiday season whatever you celebrate (or don’t). I’ll be back soon :)

Mardi xo