And she's baaaack...

Some thoughts on cookies and presents and orange cats.

I have to admit that I laughed a little when I read the title of my last newsletter, Suddenly it’s Summer. Well would you look at that… suddenly it’s nearly Christmas. Time really does fly, doesn’t it?

I started my Substack newsletter around this time last year when I naively committed to generating 12 days of holiday cookies for anyone who was paying attention. It was all smooth sailing to start but as the chaos of the season took hold things got a little dicey. In the end I did complete my mission, managing to send off the final cookie recipe late on Christmas Eve… I am nothing if not a woman of my word! (If you weren’t following along last year all those recipes can be found by simply scrolling back through my posts).

In an effort to maintain my sanity and keep my foul mouth in check, I won’t be setting such lofty goals for my newsletter this year but, I will share some new cookie recipes over the next couple of weeks in a effort to keep things fresh and exciting in the holiday baking world. We don’t want our family and friends becoming bored with our cookie offerings now do we?

In the meantime, let’s talk about presents!!

Anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE to give and receive presents. I take as much pleasure watching someone unwrap a gift as I do unwrapping one myself. I really enjoy the act of trying to find the right gift for someone. And while I know that given the state of our planet the last thing any of us needs is more damn stuff…sometimes that stuff, however small, is so much bigger than whatever we’ve put in the box. From the moment you write someone’s name down on your list, to the time it takes to make or source the gift you have in mind, carefully wrapping and tying the ribbon, to ultimately delivering it… all that effort and thought is part of the package and, if chosen with care, says “hey, I've been paying attention and I think you might like this.” The preloaded gift card for Starbucks you grabbed in the check-out line at Safeway sadly doesn’t send quite the same message. I’m sure the recipient will ultimately appreciate it… two years from now when they discover it while rifling through the messy drawer in the kitchen (messy drawers… the common thread that binds the nation).

I think the difference between those two scenarios is whether you view gift giving as an opportunity or an obligation which, like all things in life, is simply about perspective. I get it. Life is hectic and full and oh, so bloody expensive these days. If find you’re feeling rather bah humbug about it all and coming up dry on ideas here’s a list of some of my favourite things I like to share with people.

*Important to note: I don’t benefit in any way from any of these suggestions (with the exception of the shameless self promotion of my own work but hey, you can’t blame a girl for trying). It is just a random list of things I love and think others might too.

At the top of the list is my own book, The Side Gardener… it’s my list, I get to make the rules. I can proudly tell you that it was included in the top 100 books of the year and top 10 cookbooks of the year by Chapters Indigo. So you don’t just have to take my word for it! Having said that, I’ve written three other cookbooks and all of them would make stellar gifts for adults and children alike… no one has ever accused me of being complicated.

Camilla Wynne’s new book, Nature’s Candy, has me obsessed and I now want to candy any and everything! I have a deep love for candied orange peel dipped in chocolate, my favourite being from Patrick Roger in Paris but, thanks to Camilla and her fantastic methods, I no longer need to book an Air France flight to get my fill.

If you have someone on your list that daydreams about visiting beautiful gardens you absolutely MUST get them Andrew Montgomery and Clare Foster’s new book, Pastoral Gardens. Andrew is the madly talented human who photographed The Side Gardener and every image of Pastoral Gardens is a work of art! For all my Canadian people you can purchase the book through Inform. For anyone outside of Canada you can purchase it directly through Montgomery Press. Inform also is the Canadian retailer for The Irish Bakery Book which is FABULOUS! Another book produced and photographed by Andrew and written by Cherie Dunham. Cherie is the loveliest person and an amazing cook and baker.

For the fiction readers in your life my two favourite books I have read this year were Still Life by Sarah Winman (thank you Margie for the lending it to me!) and Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (thank you Jess for lending it to me! )

Slipper season is upon us and my favourite on the planet were created by Glerups! One year I gave every single person on my list a pair! You honestly can’t go wrong with this gift. It also wouldn’t be Christmas without some fresh PJ’s and Muji makes the some of the best!

Give someone an education in something fabulous with a course from the Create Academy, the UK’s answer to Masterclass. I’d rather sit and watch Create Academy on my laptop than nearly anything on TV. It is beautifully filmed and focuses on all the best things in life…cooking, gardening, floristry, design and craft! You can purchase individual courses or subscribe for a year and have access to every course they offer.

One of the hardest working garden tools I own would have to be this broom. I’ve given up on rakes and clean all my beds, lawn, pea gravel and patios with this broom! Works like a charm! My second most used tool in the garden is my Hori Hori by Niwaki. Anything from Niwaki is perfection but this tool seems to be my go to for so much in the great outdoors.

I am not a huge fan of kitchen gadgets that only serve one purpose but without question my hand-held mandolin gets a ton of use. Works like a charm slicing all your vegetables paper thin (think fennel, cucumber, radish!!) and is easy to clean. Just remember to add a tag, written in all caps, that reads, PLEASE USE HAND GUARD or you’ll always be to blame for ruining the secret Santa gift exchange. I also think any baker or cook would be thrilled with a high stack of precut parchment paper or 1 litre containers for storage with a roll of masking tape and black sharpie… commercial kitchen must-haves that any The Bear fans will appreciate.

Okay…. I have talked about cookies and I've talked about presents… should we talk about orange cats now? How did I not know how crazy orange cats are? Why is this a thing? Don’t get me wrong, Bean is the MOST gorgeous, funny kitty and we love him to pieces BUT he is also completely nuts. When he isn’t tearing around the house, stalking the chickens or tormenting the dog, he can be found curled up in a large mixing bowl on the counter. This will be Bean’s first Christmas and I’m not going to lie… I’m a little scared. The tree is in the garage awaiting install. Stay tuned for the chaos.

xo

Rosie