Why is it that the older I get, the faster time slips away? I thought I had time to get my act together for the holiday season, but mercy me, the company begins to roll in one week, and I’m excited but not prepared yet. Well, at least the decorations are up, and the lights are working.
No room for a tree, so we decorated our three trees outside with bright lights, and all is well!
You can’t miss us if you come this way, that’s for sure. We look like a landing strip for Santa!
We got our winter load of wood for the fire, plus my daily exercise of stacking it all.
We had family in November and checked out the jacuzzi in the cold weather.
We all went out for a delicious dinner with Lutz’s sister and husband, along with their son Thomas and his tribe. All of them enjoyed mussels which I was informed as a child by my Lifeguard father, “Don’t touch those; they’re seagull food.” So I abstained and enjoyed a gluten-free pizza instead.
We enjoyed beautiful sunsets on our balcony. I was so impressed to see pictures on FaceBook of the gorgeous sunsets in San Diego. I am so grateful for Mother Earth and her creativity!
And we were pleased to see the day’s rainbow after the rain hovering over our little village!
Of course, the snow was falling but not in our neck of the woods, so we headed out to explore the Black Forest mountains and were lucky.
I also got a peek at some of the traditional homes lighting up. It is like a fairy tale. Traditionally they don’t turn their lights on until the first day of Advent. It looks like we jumped the gun at our house.
German Christmas markets began to open at the end of November, and we headed out for our first visit to one an hour away. The best thing about it was it was a gluten-free Christmas Market. Lots of yummy things to eat but…sugar, sugar, sugar!
I love the traditional German Saint Nicolas that strolled down the path with goodies for the kids.
Later in the week, I went into town, and It looked like the season was upon us, and our little Wolfach was also lighting up.
We visited a little village a few miles away that was setting up its booths and decorations. They really go “all out” here for the December holidays.
Let the holidays begin, and I’d better start my menu planning for our company that will arrive next week. This brings me to my “GIFT TO YOU” this month. I’ve put together some of the meals I will be planning this holiday and thought it might inspire you. I’m into easy and want to spend most of my time with my guests, so I’ve decided to start cooking now and freeze most, then thaw and heat my meals for the day. I hope these recipes will help you if you’re like me, chasing your tail. Now to get on with the grocery list!
New Fave Recipe:
This Yogurt Pear Cake with Creamy Custard is easy, and quick pear cake is out of this world. Serve it warm just as it is, or top it off with this creamy custard, ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.
New Fave Resource:
Here are a few of my favorite recipes I plan to whip up this year. Maybe you will find something that will help you this season! Most of these delicious meals will be made in advance and frozen or set in the fridge until I’m ready to “wow” my guest.
I'm Melinda Stevens and living the life of a beach bum was inevitable since my father was a lifeguard for the city of Los Angeles. My memories of growing up on John Street in Manhattan Beach, California were filled with joy, excitement and adventures; until my world, as I knew it, fell apart when we moved to Del Mar, California. My father was offered the position as Captain of the lifeguards and we started the slow migration to the small deserted stretch of beach in 1963. At twelve years old, this seemed like the end of my life. Remember, I’m writing with clear hindsight now, ok somewhat clearer… Little did I know this would be the beginning of a new journey and give a bit more clarity to many of the events that led me to this new cooking adventure.
Beautiful ❤️