Joyeux Noel

A very Merry Christmas to you all. I had grand intentions of writing more this past year, but it wasn't to be. Just the same, I wanted to close out this year with some reflections on the past couple of years. This Christmas quilt is one that spans these past two years. It also represents the last of my international travels and is the one major project I have completed over the past two years. This quilt is by Buttermilk Basin and is titled Joyeux Noel.

In October 2019, I had the wonderful privilege of traveling to Lyon, France, to an international professional meeting. This trip was all the more special because my daughter, who was a college sophomore at the time, came with me. One of the noted landmarks of Lyon is the basilica which sits up on a hillside overlooking the Seine River.

Lyon dates back to Roman times. Its position at the convergence of the Seine and Rhone Rivers made it a natural hub for transportation and communication. The ruins of the amphitheater still stand and are a popular tourist attraction. 

The marble that is featured in this stage area within the amphitheater were transported from many areas of the known world at the time including Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, and Egypt. The detail remains exquisite.

Given my fondness for wool appliqué projects, for Christmas 2019, my daughter gave me the kit for this block to commemorate our trip.

Once we realized that this was the first of nine blocks, I made the commitment to complete the larger quilt. I bought the next two blocks later in the spring of 2020. The challenges of the COVID pandemic and then the multiple petals in the second block proved a bit intimidating for a while, but I finished these next two blocks by the fall.

My daughter bought me the fourth block kit for my birthday in October 2020, and then I bought the fifth and sixth blocks. The final three blocks were my Christmas gift for 2020. Here are the fourth and fifth blocks.

Here are the last four blocks.

 

The final stages involved putting the blocks and borders together. I'm not one to do my own machine quilting, but I am very grateful for those who offer their services and make my quilts look so nice. 

We've enjoyed having this quilt hanging in our family room this Christmas season. It has allowed us to reflect on the trip to France that inspired the gift of the initial block. This quilt is also a reminder of some of the challenges since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I don't know about you, but I have had my share of disruptions and disappointments. Working on these quilt blocks has been a bit of a creative respite from other work and life demands. Some of them were more challenging than others and are reminders of the rewards of persistence and even small forward steps. This quilt is also the one major project I have been able to complete in the past two years. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! In the spirit of a Joyeux Noel, I will leave you with the response of the magi as they followed the star to worship Jesus.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 

A warm skillet meal for winter

 

Even though COVID-19 keeps us working at home these days, we still appreciate an easy recipe for the work week. If that recipe can generate leftovers, even better. This recipe is one that we have come to enjoy over the past couple of years. It's easy, filling, and features bacon - we all know that bacon makes everything just a little bit better.

With the exception of the pasta that is cooked separately, we prepare this meal in an everyday pan. You can think of an everyday pan as an oversized skillet that is deeper than a typical skillet and may or may not have a long side handle. They come in a variety of sizes and typically have a non-stick surface which makes cooking and clean up easier. Ours is a Calphalon brand and is 13.5 inches in diameter and about 3.5 inches deep. A number of varieties are available along with accompanying reviews so you can decide which might best suit your needs.

This particular dish includes pasta, leeks, and bacon. The choice of pasta is pretty much up to you. The main thing is that you want to select a pasta that is going to hold up well. We've used rigatoni, bowties, and medium shells. I will feature rigatoni in the pictures below.

One of the nice things about this recipe is that it really goes together easily and efficiently. When just three of us are at home, we can get three separate meals (9 total servings) from this recipe. When others are at home and eating, it's a bit of anyone's guess.

Here are the ingredients:

• 16 ounce package of pasta (suggestions: rigatoni, bowties, medium shells)
• 6 slices of bacon cut into pieces
• 2 or 3 large leeks - If you are buying your leeks from the store, 2 or 3 big ones will be sufficient. When I'm using leeks from the garden, I pull a bunch and then eyeball them to estimate the equivalency. At the end of the day, it's really up to you regarding how many leeks you want to include
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Here are the steps:

1. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the leeks. I like to cut them into thin rings extending up into the green portion of the leek. Depending on the diameter of the leek, I may further cut them into halves or quarters. It's not a perfect science so go with what you like. Set the leeks aside until you are ready to cook them in the bacon grease (yum!)
   
   
   
3. Cook the bacon in the everyday pan. Once it is nearly finished cooking and you have some accumulated bacon grease, stir in the leeks along with some salt and pepper. Cook until the leeks are soft. You can keep the lid on the skillet as the leeks are cooking to minimize evaporation.
   
   
   
4. Once the leeks have softened to your satisfaction, turn down the heat and stir in the cream. Stir until the mixture thickens.
5. Stir in the pasta, parmesan cheese, and enough of the reserved pasta water to loosen the pasta, bacon, and leeks. You're really not out to create a typical sauce. Rather, you don't want everything tightly stuck together. Of course, you can always add in a little extra milk and more water as you wish. 
   
   
   
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste
7. Serve with additional grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley (feel free to substitute dried if you wish).

Note: when rewarming leftovers, anticipate the need to add additional liquid (milk and/or water).