Yesterday, we had a guest preacher at church – the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster – and he brought with him this lovely term – Refreshment Sunday. It’s a bit of a nickname for the fourth Sunday in Lent, based on an old Anglican prayer used on that day. The idea is that by this stage of Lent, we need a little break, a little refreshing. I agree wholeheartedly, don’t you?
This morning, it’s snowing again – bright, white and clean, but cold, too, and it’s making winter seem long. My bicycle basket it filling up with snow. So, remembering yesterday and finding resources for today, I’ve collected a little list of things that I’ve found refreshing over the past week. And yes, there are recipes. It’s that kind of table, today.
Spinach Soup. I found this recipe on Joy the Baker’s blog – if you haven’t discovered her already, I recommend a good sift through her recipes. Far too beautiful and delicious. The soup ended up on our Sunday dinner table; a light soup after a full weekend and perfectly green, isn’t it? I don’t have an immersion blender, so transferred the vegetables to the food processor for a good buzz round before popping them back in with the rest of the broth. I took this photo this morning, but had to immediately put the soup back in the fridge for fear of a 10 am soup break. It’s that good. And green. And necessary in March. Here’s the link.
Saturday night Hallelujah. A friend turned 40 this weekend and threw open the doors of her house. It was a good working night for the neighbourhood’s babysitters – it seemed like all the parents from Beangirl’s school were there. In her kitchen, Kiri had strung up bunting and mixed large pitchers of tea-themed cocktails and mocktails which she served in fine teacups. The kitchen island was piled high with sandwiches and cupcakes and oh-my-goodness raspberry tarts. And the Spouse was propped up in the corner with his ukulele and guitar. There were other musicians, too, passing around instruments and songs here in the kitchen and over in the living room where Kiri’s new piano sat near the window. Then her husband stood on a chair to celebrate and serenade his lovely wife. By this stage, the kitchen was packed, and I was a little worried about how to balance my teacup and my bump without calamity. I found a gap in the crowd (next to that tarts) and the Spouse found me as Peter started to sing. He’d rewritten the words to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah to trace their love story. We all sang the chorus together. It felt like we were celebrating not only Kiri and Peter, but everyone else, too. All our own loves and lives. All the crowd that surrounded us, all the changes that come and the notes that hold us together. The harmonies in that room were excellent.
This poem by Carl Dennis. Read it. For “moments sufficiently free and self-forgetful.”
This image and these thoughts. I love Artway’s visual mediations. This week’s I found particularly powerful.
Beetroot Brownies. Maybe reddies? Pinkies? I don’t know, but they are gorgeous. Not weird, just rich and wonderful. This recipe comes from GoodFood magazine. We made them to eat with friends and their two year old. All the kids loved them. We used whole hazelnuts instead of the walnuts, but didn’t change anything else. I love bright food. Be sure to serve with dark coffee. And I can’t promise you that this piece is still in the kitchen. (Who plans these photoshoots on a Monday morning when no one else is in the house? Madness, I tell ya…)
