Christmas 2017 and The Joy is all Around

24 Dec 17
09:22 hrs

     Chef Blaine and Sous Irene have their work cut out for them this Holiday Season at the Wayward Inn. The normal routine would be to have a large ham with several sides on Christmas Eve. This provides the ingredients for the Christmas Morning Wife Saver (nee savour) breakfast. This has been our tradition of sorts as we have always celebrated the Holidays as a nuclear family - no relatives in attendance.  This year we still do not have extra family visiting but we have found that friends of ours - The Green Jackets - gave no family either. The Green Jackets are an elderly British couple who we have come to know over the past ten years or so. Opinionated and straight shooting, no quarter asked and none given. Just my kind of people and we love them to pieces. My Better Half and I discussed the situation. We quickly decided that on Boxing Day we would entertain them, along with any other friends in need of a hot meal and company.

23:22 hrs.

     The Jolly Olde Elf will soon be here. I'm sure that our boys no longer believe in him but I do. Maybe not in his physical presence but in the magic of Christmas that he represents. Trust me when I say that it still exists and it is up to each of us to keep it alive.

     To quickly update you Dear Readers, we made it to church early or so we thought. The start time on the bulletin said 17:00 hrs. We arrived at 16:20 and walk in to a full blown service. The only seats left available were in the choir's pews but that's okay they were a bit thin and welcomed our voices.

     After the service we drove across town in the snow slicked streets because the Green Jackets were having difficulty with their Internet. While I reset their system my Lobster and the Jr Loin Fruit swept the back stairs of snow. Quick as a wink we were done and on our way home with a detour through Candy Cane Lane to look at Christmas lights.

    
25 Dec 17
06:30 hrs

     It is still quiet at the Wayward Inn.  I am the only one awake. Damn tinitus. Mind you I have always been an early riser. Inherited that from the Sages and enhanced it from the years in the Service. As mentioned, we have no immediate family visiting but The Oma was not alone either. She travelled from the Nation's Capital south to the GTA to enjoy a flurry of sight and sound with her Eldest Daughter et al. My Better Half was video chatting with them yesterday. Like so many of our seniors the technology just astounds them.

     I made some calls to distant friends earlier in the week. Gil, Craig, Trent, Nick and a couple more. Its good to hear their voices. The Sages would make some of their Holiday phone calls up to a week in advance simply because the phone lines would be jammed even between provinces. Now, with modern technology,  it's as if everyone carries their own fibre optic tin can and string. You can call them any time and connect to them.

     Chef Irene and Sous Blaine created their Christmas Morning Wife Saver for us to have for breakfast.

     In a 9 x 11 buttered baking pan place a layer of crustless white bread. Then add a layer of back bacon or ham. Add a layer of good cheddar cheese (you can use low fat but not cheese slices). Top with another layer of crustless white bread. Top with diced onions and peppers.

     In a bowl mix  together the following:
6 large eggs, three cups of whole milk (2% works but we use 2 1/2 cups of 2% and 1/2 cup whipping cream), salt and pepper to taste, a couple of dashes of your favourite hot sauce, a couple of shakes of worstershire sauce and a tablespoon of dry mustard. Slowly pour this mixture over the layered casserole. Then cover and refrigerate over night.

      The next morning take the Wife Saver out of the fridge and uncover. Pre-heat your oven to 375°F. While the oven is heating up crush up some corn flakes and cover the top layer of casserole. Melt 1/2 cup (or so) of butter and drizzle over the crushed cereal. Place it into the oven and bake for one hour.

     Enjoy!