SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 73
Greetings and welcome to Sundays With Celia Vol 73. It’s very nice to have you here today. I hope you are enjoying a relaxing weekend. Here in Lake Arrowhead we got some snow and some much needed rain, so we’ve hunkered down and tucked in for the most part.
Meeting friends for lunch today, then hosting some overnight guests tonight.
We did sneak out to see Mary Poppins on Friday night and had the entire theater to ourselves, surely the result of screening a kid’s film at 7:45pm. Brad and I didn’t want to miss seeing the sequel to the iconic 1964 original film we both loved as children, but have to admit, the return engagement of the flying nanny fell way flat for us. I guess you have to be a kid to appreciate it. Have you seen Mary Poppins Returns? If so, what is your opinion of the film?
I have fond, nostalgic memories of the original film I loved as a kid. And I enjoyed sharing the movie and the books with my children. The music in the original film was unforgettable, not so much in the sequel. If you too were a fan of the first Mary Poppins you might enjoy seeing this video that points out 10 similarities between the 2 films.
Looking Back On Sunday
As it turned out, this week on After Orange County was a week of bread. I first shared a yummy recipe for Chocolate Brioche with you. Brioche, a bread of French origin, is almost like a pastry, as it’s loaded with eggs, butter, milk and sugar, making it a perfect sweet bread to be enjoyed for breakfast. My recipe makes 2 loaves, one to enjoy yourself and one to give away as a gift from your kitchen. In case you didn’t know, bread freezes really well, so I popped my loaf of Chocolate Brioche in the freezer. Ever since I made it, before Christmas, I’ve been using a serrated knife to cut slices off the frozen loaf. I pop the slice in my microwave and voila, I have a warm, moist slice of chocolate deliciousness with my morning coffee. I just enjoyed my last slice this morning.
This week I also shared another recipe involving bread, this time with a Spanish twist. It’s my recipe for delicious, hearty, heartwarming, Bread and Cabbage Soup with Sage Butter. What’s special about this recipe is that it takes full advantage of our current crop of winter vegetables, as it’s chock full of cabbage & kale, two crops that actually grow in winter. And, it’s filled with yummy French Bread that is oozing with melting Manchego cheese, a Spanish Sheepherder’s cheese that is so special. The addition of crispy fried sage leaves, and sage butter drizzled on top, simply spells sensational. You must try it!
Plus, there was a BONUS with my soup post! It actually gave you links to 4 other Heartwarming Soup Recipes over on the websites of 4 of my blogging buddies.
Classic Casual Home prepared Healthy Roasted Red Pepper Soup With Parmesan Crostini
Most Lovely Things made Homemade Tomato Soup – Two Ways
Rough Luxe Lifestyle shared Hearty Mexican Street Corn Soup
Shine Your Light cooked up a Hearty Beef and Barley Soup
The Coziest Restaurants In Every State
Speaking of food, this week on Food & Wine Magazine’s website they had a post listing the coziest restaurants in every state. In my state, California, they chose The Majestic Yosemite Dining Room. Of course for us native Californians we know this to be the dining room at the wonderful Ahwahnee Lodge.
The hotel was renamed amid a legal dispute between the government and the facilities’ outgoing operator, so sad. The landmark Ahwahnee Lodge is the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park and has hosted the likes of Queen Elizabeth II, John F. Kennedy, Charlie Chaplin and families like mine over the course of its almost 100 year history. It is one of my favorite places to visit and holds many wonderful memories for me.
I would agree that despite the grandeur of its soaring ceiling and large size, it still emits an unmatched charm and warmth that could make it California’s coziest restaurant.
Have a look at the article and see what you think of their choice for your state.
Trip Planning On Sunday
This week I spent a lot of time planning our next big travel adventure. Brad and I have always wanted to take what is known as a “repositioning cruise.” It’s a cruise that is generally a little longer and a little cheaper than normal because it’s when the cruise lines are repositioning their ships from one part of the globe to another part as the seasons change. And, it often involves crossing an ocean.
In the case of the cruise Brad and I will soon be taking, our ship will be starting on the east coast of the US, traveling up the eastern seaboard to Nova Scotia, Canada, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and visiting Ireland and France before ending in England, the home of Mary Poppins.
I’m excited because I’ve never been to eastern Canada or Ireland, and I have yet to cross the Atlantic by ship. While in France we will be visiting Mont Saint-Michel, a place I’ve had on my bucket list for a long time.
We’ll spend a little time in England and then return to the US by air. As I’ve mentioned here previously, we save our AMEX points and always fly Business or First Class using points when we travel internationally. At our ages we could not imagine taking such a long flight any other way. In fact, I’ve written about a couple of those flights in these previous posts:
Behind The Scenes With A Flight Attendant
I’ve always wondered what goes on behind the scenes on an aircraft. So when I ran across this video that chronicles what a flight attendant does in the galley of the Business Class section to make a flight extra special I thought you might like to see it too.
Are you making plans to travel this spring or summer? If so, you might want to contact my trusty travel agent for assistance, especially if you wish to take a cruise. It costs you nothing more, could even save you money, and often gets you extra benefits:
Lori Seeley
Innovative Travel Concepts
Lori@innovativetravelconcepts.com
941-312-2584
Saying Goodbye On Sunday
Saturday afternoon we attended the celebration of life for Marnie Banks, a beautiful young woman our family has been honored to know since we first moved to Lake Arrowhead 15 years ago. Marnie was truly one of the kindest, sweetest, most special people I have ever known, and my admiration for her was shared by everyone who knew her. Hundreds of people came to honor her, filling the Grand Ballroom of our local resort hotel to standing room only. If the world were filled with Marnies it would be one incredible place. But, she was taken from us by colon cancer at only 39 years old, leaving behind a devoted husband and 3 beautiful young children.
At the end of a beautiful slide show of Marnie’s life was the following message we should all live by…
One day you too will be but only a memory…
let it be a good one.
Goodbye sweet Marnie. You are one beautiful memory.
So there you have it: SUNDAYS WITH CELIA VOL 73
Thanks so much for dropping in!
Express Yourself!
No blog post is truly complete without a word from you. I’d be so delighted if you’d leave a comment below.
All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. It’s what helps to make this blog possible. Thanks so much for your support.
