There's No Place Like Home!

Even after living in Toronto for 16 years I still call Montreal "home".  I hadn't seen my sister Gail, her husband Albert and their kids, Leana, Henry and Buddy (okay Buddy is a dog) for what seemed like ages and I was really looking forward to going there on Labour Day weekend.  Well, I was not looking forward to the six hour drive, but it passed relatively painlessly.  I managed to even drive a couple of hours (broken up of course) before my chin hit my chest and I started to drool.  I don't snore.  Jim does.  Anyways, he did most of the driving and got us there and back safe and sound. 

Gail had made a special request for some corn muffins, so Friday night I whipped up a batch.  You must be thinking..."wow she must be an accomplished baker, she can whip up a batch".  The truth is I still have much to learn but I can talk the talk.  It's kind of like my French.  If I don't know or can't remember the French word for something, I just say it in English with a French accent.  That's an old trick for those of us who didn't pay attention in French class.  The point is...at this point if I have to contribute to a pot luck or make a dessert to bring to a dinner, I know have a couple of go-to recipes that I feel comfortable with.  Just as long as they don't involve biscuit dough.

Since I had previously bought the ingredients for the last quick bread in the first section, I decided to make it and bring it with me.  It was a yummy marble cake with a white chocolate glaze.  That glaze is so incredibly good that I will have to use it on many baked goods in the years to come. 

My sister made a fabulous dinner Saturday night and the cake was part of the "sweet table".  I say that because in my sister's house, guests never get just a bowl of jello (with or without miniature marshmallows) or a slice of pie, instead there must be a myriad of goodies with which to tempt you. But there is always fruit - the domain of my bro-in-law Albert who knows how to pick 'em. 

As usual, I asked Jim to take a photo of my accomplishment but this time I insisted that all the folks at the dinner table that night gather round in the kitchen to be in the picture.  Here are all people I love (except for the guy with the glasses on the end sitting beside my sister Gail, who is a really nice guy named Alex but I had just met him for the first time as he is a friend of my nephew Henry's).



Alex, Gail, Lilyan, Albert, Leana, Henry, Jim

I made it through chapter one with only the smallest modicum of stress.  Next I set out to conquer the world of COOKIES!