SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 101
Hello and welcome to Sundays With Celia Vol 101. It’s lovely to have you here! This week the weather in beautiful Lake Arrowhead, California has been bright and sunny but very cold. So cold that my front yard fountain froze!
My Morning Ritual
I have a morning ritual that takes me into my Butler’s Pantry where I prepare my daily Cappuccino.
You can read all about how I make my Italian style coffee in this post.
My Butler’s Pantry & Appliance Garages
From the Butler’s Pantry there is a view through my Dining Room, out onto the entry courtyard where my fountain is located.
As I’m waiting for my coffee to brew I always enjoy the view of the fountain, where birds are usually fluttering around. They come to drink from the fountain and take baths, and watching them is a real joy. In fact, I wrote this post about the birds that visit me.
But on this morning there were no birds in sight, as there was no running water for them to enjoy.
I’m not sure I’ll be seeing any birds this morning either, as the forecast is calling for rain and snow from 10:00am this morning until 5:00pm tonight.
Description Temp Feels Like Percip Humidity
See more of my home here. It’s FOR SALE!
Valentine’s Day Is Approaching
Valentine’s Day is next Friday. Do you have plans to celebrate? If so, I’m curious how you plan to do so. Will you go out to a fine restaurant, or will you tuck in and have a lovely home cooked meal? Brad and I usually stay home, as we will be doing this year. I prefer to cook something special for Brad rather than pay too much, and get poor service, eating out on a busy night like Valentine’s. And as you’ve seen, February is a cold time of year in my neck of the woods. So it’s great for cozying up by the fire, especially when there’s snow outside. A couple of years ago we celebrated Valentine’s Day in Stone Hill Cottage, the log cabin I renovated in Big Bear Lake.
I decorated the table with red roses and baby’s breath…
and made heart shaped Rice Krispy Treats.
For more Valentine’s Day inspiration have a look at these prior posts…
A BAKER’S DOZEN VALENTINE CAKES
Valentine’s Day Gifts From The Kitchen
I believe a wonderful way to show your love is to prepare a gift from your kitchen. Taking the time and making the effort to prepare a homemade gift really shows you care. In fact, I even have a Pinterest Board dedicated to Gifts From The Kitchen. This week I made a variety of mini loafs of quick breads to share with friends.
And what makes a gift from the kitchen even more special is the presentation. I begin by baking my loaf breads in a pan lined with culinary parchment paper.
Once the breads have cooled I wrap them in plastic wrap and then add another layer of parchment. I use Cooking Twine to tie them all up.
A reinforced-hole shipping tag is used to identify the flavor of quick bread.
Finally everything gets placed in a white take-out box which I then tie up with wired ribbon. You can get creative with the type of ribbon you use, choosing a color to match the occasion or holiday. Finally, I use another shipping tag as a gift card. It gets stamped with a personalized kitchen stamp so the recipient knows it’s from me.
The World’s Best Zucchini Bread
I hope you enjoy a wonderful Sunday and that Valentine’s Day brings you lots of love. I love you for stopping in today!
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So there you have it: SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 101
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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