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| Tabouleh, Salad Leaves, Tea, and Candy Compliments of Neighbor S |
Today was daughter's last full day at home. We slept in and spent a relaxed morning. Later, she helped me to put away the dishes we used for the almsgiving. They go on the highest shelves in the kitchen cabinets and daughter didn't want me to climb up on the step stool to put them away.
In the afternoon, neighbor S called to ask me if I could come over to help her pick a good spot in her garden to plant a fig tree and a pomegranate tree. I said I'd be happy to and daughter and I went over a little later. I knew that neighbor S and her family observe Christmas according to the Eastern Orthodox Church calendar and today, January 6, is their Christmas Day. Besides, it was my first visit to see them for the New Year. So, I took them a jar of my homemade peach jam and a small dish of watalappan (a Sri Lankan pudding made with coconut milk, jaggery, which is a type of palm sugar, eggs, spices such as cardamom, and cashews, steamed or, sometimes, baked). S's mother L was also visiting for the day. My daughter and I wore our masks and S and her mother wore masks, too, and we sat and visited for almost one hour. Before we left, we selected the spots for the two trees S wants to plant in her front garden (the actual planting will take place on another day). S sent us home with a plate of homemade tabouleh (she knows my daughter loves it), some chocolates, and tea (in the little pyramidal packages in the same bowl as the chocolates).
After we came home, my daughter ate some of the tabouleh for her brunch and I made some egg salad with some of the leftover hardboiled eggs from the almsgiving to have for my brunch.
Today, we also made our favorite Sri Lankan cake which is called Love Cake. It is a cake that is traditionally made by the Burghers in Sri Lanka - they are the descendants of the Portuguese and, especially the Dutch, who colonized parts of Sri Lanka. I'm not Burgher, but, my maternal grandmother was, so I've learned to make many of their specialties. The cake is made with semolina, cashews, eggs (my original recipe called for 18 eggs, but, we've since adjusted it to 12 eggs), butter, Sri Lankan pumpkin preserves (which is a type of squash), spices and essences. I've posted the recipe in earlier blog posts and a couple of years ago, my daughter did a video of us making it.
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| Love Cake |
My daughter will take some of it back with her and I will share the rest with a few friends and family members.
Dinner was baked salmon with tabouleh and baked mixed vegetables. We had some of the love cake for dessert.
After dinner, daughter packed her suitcase and backpack. She also made (painted) a thank you card to send to her aunt (my sister, who loves roses and teddy bears):
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| Thank You Card |
I used the new robot vacuum cleaner to vacuum the dining area - I had to pull all the chairs out of the way first! After dinner, I ran the dishwasher (and washed some other pots and the mixing bowls, etc., by hand).
Today, I am grateful for:
- A lovely visit with neighbor S, her daughters, and her mother.
- Neighbor S giving us homemade tabouleh
- Making the traditional love cake with my daughter
- Phone chats with friends
- These past three weeks of having daughter at home
Today's joyful activities included visiting neighbor S and making the traditional love cake with my daughter.
Plans for tomorrow include taking daughter to the airport and taking some love cake to my friend R.
I am rather behind with my blog reading, but, I promise I will catch up after tomorrow!
How was your Saturday? What are your plans for Sunday?
Hi Bless - I guess your home feels empty and quiet now your daughter has left. I certainly miss my holiday visitors! I was thinking about making Love Cake but the I saw how many eggs go into it! I have a fig tree, but sadly since it moved here it has not produced any fruit. Maybe one summer it will. It is very cold and wet here at the minute!
ReplyDeleteHi Angela, yes, she left this afternoon. Love cake requires a lot of eggs. There are some recipes that call for fewer eggs, but, I don't know how good the end product will be. I hope your fig tree will produce some fruit, soon. Hope you manage to stay warm and dry!
DeleteI think I've watched your video before of you making your Love Cake but I will watch it again later. You certainly have enjoyed a good social life with your daughter home and some lovely meals.Her thank you card is beautiful. I hope she has a safe journey.
ReplyDeleteYou might have seen the video before, Eileen, because I emailed it to a few people when it was first made. I think that was the most social week I've had since the first Covid lockdown! Thank you, Eileen; she had a safe journey back. :)
DeleteSounds like another great day. After hearing about the love cake all these years, it was interesting to see it made. Your daughter did a good job with filming and editing the video of making it. And the card is beautiful. Your daughter is just like her mother - very talented.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good day, June. I'm glad you found the cake making video to be interesting, and thank you, I'll tell my daughter that you said she did a good job making and editing the video. :)
DeleteIt sounds like you had a very nice Saturday and enjoyed the last full day (for a while) with your daughter. And how nice that your daughter got some more tabouleh :)
ReplyDeleteI remember watching that video a few years ago with you and your daughter making the Love Cake. It was a lot of work as I remember it!
But it sure did seem like it would be good.
That's a very nice card your daughter made her aunt.
Safe travels to her today.
Thank you, Debra. Yes, it was a very nice day and we enjoyed it very much. That cake is worth all the effort! My daughter had a safe journey back to her apartment, today, thank you. :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful thank you card! Love that bear! The Love Cake looks so delicious! Hope your daughter has a safe trip back to school.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mandy; I like the bear and the cake is very delicious. Yes, my daughter had a safe trip back (not to school, though; she's done with school and is working now).
DeleteI hope your neighbour's fig tree and pomegranate tree do well. I think it must be good to be Eastern Orthodox and have another 12 days to prepare for Christmas, while the commercialization has given up long before January 6th. I certainly could have used another week at least to prepare for Christmas this time!
ReplyDeleteThe Love cake looks delicious! Your daughter's card for her aunt is cute. She is so talented.
Thank you, Bushlady; I, too, hope S's fruit trees will do well. I, too, like the idea of celebrating Christmas on January 6th and gaining a few more days to prepare for it (not to mention benefiting from all the after Christmas sales!) The love cake turned out really well. My daughter had fun painting the card; I hope my sister will like it. :)
DeleteThat cake sounded delicious and if you ever visit me. please bring some peach jam, I love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chris; I'll definitely bring you a jar of peach jam! :D
DeleteI hope your daughter had a wonderful time. It must have been lovely to spend so much time with her. Love the card. She is really is very talented. Does her job include anything to do with the arts or is it a hobby?
ReplyDeleteShe did, Sharon, thank you. We both enjoyed this long visit, although she said the time went by too quickly!
DeleteThank you; she loves to draw and paint and craft (cross stitch, crocheting, etc.) They are hobbies. Her job involves running computer programs and data analysis. :)