Do you see what I see?

Despite the residual sniffles, we have recovered enough to do a little Christmas preparations.  The kids loved baking, but they like eating the cookies more.  Surprise, surprise.  

Lots of little hands all over the house, helping with baking, tasting, stirring, cleaning, wrapping and playing.  Such a sweet part of Christmas is watching their little faces full of wonder as they hear again and again about baby Jesus being born and the shepherds and wise men coming to see him.  

M has become a king for the season - with a sword mind you.  Grandma has made him and J royal capes with hoods as gifts.  :o) 

Something new I tried this year turned out excellently; salted caramel shortbread.  I found a recipe for making caramel without corn syrup in Lebanon, but I hadn't had the time or energy to make it.  Well, I made it here.  And it was worth the wait.  MORE than worth it!  These little treats are like biting into Christmas!  The sweet caramel topping buttery shortbread and all showcased with a dash of sea salt.  

As for the rest of us - D, myself and baby - we are quietly thankful for all the blessings we've received throughout this past year and all of our lives.  And perhaps that's the best way to describe our Christmas: warm, quiet and thankful.  

Merry Christmas!  

Christ is born!

SALTED CARAMEL SHORTBREAD 

Shortbread

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup cup flour

1/8 cup cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper.  Whip butter several minutes until white and fluffy.  Add sugar, flour and cornstarch.  Mix well.  Add beaten egg and mix until smooth.  Place dough into pan and pat down until smooth and even.  Use a fork to poke holes throughout surface.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are golden.  Don't over bake!  Remove from oven and let cool.

Caramel

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup organic honey

1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

coarse sea salt

Combine sugar, honey and vanilla in a large pot.  Heat on high and let sugar melt and slowly caramelize.  (Don't stir.)  While sugar is cooking, heat cream slowly, stirring constantly until hot.  When sugar reaches a warm caramel colour, whisk in butter in small knobs.  Add hot cream, whisking until smooth.  

Let this mixture cook, stirring occasionally until it reaches 244 degree F, or soft ball stage.  I didn't have a candy thermometer, so I used the later and it came out perfectly: just take a cup of cold water and spoon a drop of the mixture into the cup.  If you can shape it into a  soft ball with your fingers, it's ready.  (Be careful, it reaches the temperature quickly once it starts climbing.)  

Quickly pour caramel mixture over the baked shortbread.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Let cool completely, then cut into bite-sized squares. Store in airtight container.  

A Christmas poem, realtime

Several days before Christmas not a present was bought,
All the kids were vomiting and sneezing out snot.
Mom and Dad with sore throats and jet lag abounding
Looked hopelessly silly with headaches a-pounding.

Thank goodness that Christmas is not about stuff;
Ribbons and wrappings and presents and fluff.
We celebrate Christ, his coming to earth;
The angels, the magi, his Mother giving birth.

And so I sign off without much ado,
Thankful for God's mercy through and through. 
Wishing you are well with all of my might,
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

This is Lebanon signing off

This is probably the last message I'll post from Lebanon.  We are winding down our time here and saying our goodbyes.  It is bittersweet - memories crowding back from our time here.  I know I've been remiss in keeping track of things.  The kids were sick for the whole month of November.  Basically tossing viruses back and forth.  Thankfully we seem to be mostly back to normal - with a few tummy aches here and there.  (Fingers crossed that things stay that way!)

M has had some exciting days in school.  A costume party on the 4th, a celebration of Lebanese Independence complete with a play, an animal show with actors, a birthday party.  He is in love with his teacher, Madame Rose.  He told her that he wants to take her to Canada with him.  It's so cute for us to hear that from this little boy with serious eyes.  He knows all his classmates names too and will go through a picture naming each one without blinking. 

I want to write about some of the adventures we've had in the past few days.  I'm not sure it's the right way to do it.  Too much is lost in the transposition.  How about this: once we return to Canada, if you'd like to hear some funny stories - definitely not your average adventures - give me a call and we'll have a chat over tea.  Tea with milk.  I do miss my Earl Grey.  Lots of tea here, but black.  Or herbal.  Delicious, of course!  But every now and then, a body wants a splash of Earl Grey or English Breakfast (with milk!) to warm up body and soul.  

Oh yes, last but not least, I feel compelled to shout to the world that I have found peanut butter!!  Yes, I spent almost 6 months without peanut butter, only to find it on the shelf in the supermarket beside the baking goods.  How I exalted!  M and J have been enjoying some PB sandwiches in the past couple of days with yours truly.  I just can't believe I spent so long without when it was right under my nose!  Go figure.  

Here's to hoping we can resume life in Canada after a safe trip!  We will miss you Lebanon.  Adjusting to life in Canada will feel odd.   Stay safe, everyone and happy trails!

PS - It's orange season here.  We've been up to our eyeballs in clementines and oranges.  Which means, of course that the weather is still pretty warm.  Nothing like summer time mind you.  We've  gotten down to around 18 degrees C most days.  Brrr.  Can't wait for snow!