Monday Quote

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."
~Bill Vaughan~

and because I had a tough time deciding:

"For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning."
~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"~

Monday Quote

Happy Holidays!

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!"

~Charles Dickens~

Monday Quote

One of my favorites - a lovely lady, inside and out.


"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others."
~Audrey Hepburn~

Monday Quote

"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore."

-Vincent Van Gogh-

(My favorite painting by Van Gogh)

The Great Recipe Round-Up Blog-Hop

Joining Kristin from DragonDreamer's Lair and others in this recipe exchange hop-a-long started by Mrs. Gamgee

I'm sharing a recipe that was shared with me by a dear Australian friend from college. I wanted to make it one Christmas and lacked the fruit that is usually used so modified it to reflect a more Holiday-ish taste. This has been a holiday standard in our house ever since and my oldest daughter who turns 13 today, even requested the more traditional fruit version as her birthday "cake". I only have pictures of the fruit version, but it will give you a good idea. Enjoy!

Holiday Marshmallow Pavlova

-6 egg whites
-1 cup sugar
-1/2 tsp corn starch
-1 tsp white vinegar

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Beat eggs whites until soft peaks form. Continue to beat, adding sugar one tablespoon at a time - be sure to scrape sides and beat whites until sugar dissolves before adding the next tablespoon. Once all sugar is added and dissolved, sprinkle corn starch and vinegar over top of egg whites and fold in gently. Spray and flour a large baking sheet. Place a dinner plate upside down in flour and draw around the edge leaving a circular shape in the middle of the sheet. Spoon egg whites into the circle. Spread out to the circle line and smooth edges up - keeping the outside edge of the Pavlova slightly higher than the center. (You want a bit of a "well" in the center). Bake in oven for about an hour and a half. The Pavlova will take on a pale color. The outside will crack and be somewhat crispy, but the inside will be marshmallow-y. Turn off oven and leave in with oven door ajar until cool.

For Whipped Cream:
-1 quart heavy whipping cream
1/3-1/2 cup granulated sugar

Topping:
2 cups crushed peppermint candies
1 bar chocolate for curls/grating

Beat cream until soft peaks form, add sugar (to taste - we like ours slightly less sweet) and continue to beat until the peaks are at the stiffness you prefer.

Spoon whipped cream into the center of the Pavlova. Sprinkle crushed peppermints over the top and garnish with grated chocolate or chocolate curls.

Delish! Also fabulous as shown in photo with fresh fruit. (Grated chocolate is a must with that too!)

*A little history on Pavlova: There is some hot debate over who exactly is responsible for it - Australia or New Zealand, but what is not contested is that it is named after the Russian Ballerina Anna Pavlova who toured both in the mid 20's. Essentially this is a large meringue with a lot of fresh whipped cream and fruit.

Monday Quote - A Bit Late!

Didn't scientists discover some mind numbing chemical present in Turkey . . . . ?

Ah well, here is your tardy Monday Quote: (and I so love this one)

"Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act."
-Truman Capote-