Halibut en Papillote - A Make Ahead Meal

Halibut en Papillote

My cousin, Therese, loves to eat healthy, as do I. So whenever she visits the menu is focused on fish, vegetables, and no carbs. Just recently, she and her husband, Tom, took a drive from NJ to Westchester to visit to my parents in their new home in Westchester. This past January we moved them from Long Island to be closer to us, and fortunately our family and their friends have been willing and gracious to make the trip to visit them. We hadn’t seen Therese and Tom since before the pandemic so it made perfect sense to feed two birds with one crumb. They started out early in order to extend their stay to include dinner at our house. Lucky us.

Keeping it light yet ensuring it would be filling was my main goal. So, we started off with mezze-style appetizers that would do just that.

All make ahead appetizers. Just plate before guests arrive.

Also, top of mind was trying to make as much ahead of time as possible. This was a Friday night dinner and I was going to be busy most of that day. Whenever you can give yourself a running advantage to ease your work load on the dinner day, the better. Here’s what I prepped the day before.

• Cut the crudite and kept in glass jar with wet paper towels. Carrots are kept in a covered jar of cold water.

• Made White Bean dip

• Grilled Eggplant

• Roasted Tomatoes

• Made Marinated Feta

• Store bought olives (Offering store bought items also helps ease the work load.)

Made ahead on the day of:

• Roasted Spiced Carrots

  • Cut carrots lengthwise. Season with cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, pepper, oil. Roast at 425 degrees until tender and browned. I made this in the afternoon, then warmed it up at the same time the Halibut baked

• Roasted Onions

  • Cut in thick slices or in wedges. Season with Magic 3 (oil, salt, pepper). Roast at 425 degrees until caramelized. I made this at the same time as the carrots, then warmed it up at the same time the Halibut baked.

• Halibut en Papillote

  • While the onions and carrots were roasting I prepped each packet and refrigerated them. Then baked it while we enjoyed the appetizers. You can prep this up to 4 hours ahead of time.

The night before while the tomatoes were roasting I set a simple but fun table. I wanted to give a nod to dinner. So I pulled out two matching runners that featured a sea creature and laid them across the short end of the table. This create a bridge from one side to the other. I picked up these runners at IKEA years ago, and have used them in so many ways. I love the bold, graphic contrast to the neutral tone. An inexpensive purchase that has paid off. I then chose complimentary napkins, swaddled the silverware in the center, then secured it with a napkin ring. The flared top of napkin gave the illusion of a fishtail. Another nod to dinner. The flowers were trimmed and rearranged from the ones my niece, Gianna, brought over for dinner earlier in the week. Glasses and some candles to make it moody, and we can call the table done.

This meal was a strike right down the alley for Therese’s palate. But not to worry, everyone else enjoyed it, too.

Making fish en papillote is not only a fun way to serve the main course but can be prepped ahead of time, placed in the fridge and baked right before serving. Oh, and wait, there is more; you don’t need exact amounts, or exact ingredients. Something near and dear to my heart. Use the type of fish and vegetable in the amounts that work for you and your guests. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s protein and veg all in one neat packet so you don’t need a side dish of vegetables. (I made more veggies because Therese loves, loves, loves vegetables.)

Ingredients

Halibut 6-7 oz/person ( you can use cod, snapper, flounder, salmon)
Onion, rounds
Scallion, long strips
Carrots, strands
Zucchini, rounds
fresh thyme
Lemon slices
Olive oil, salt, pepper
White wine

Instructions

1. Slice the vegetables accordingly. This is an important step since everything will be baking together at the same time. It is essential that the ones that need more cook time be cut more finely than those that don’t. I used a vegetable peeler for the carrots, while the onions and zucchini I cut in thicker rounds. The scallions I cut in long strips.

2. Place the parchment paper on a baking sheet. Start placing the lemon slices, onions, zucchini on top of each other at the center of the parchment. This way when you fold over you will have enough paper to fold and tuck.

3. Then place the fish, carrots, thyme and season with salt, pepper a drizzle of oil and splash of white wine.

4. Fold the parchment paper over the fish/veg pile then starting at one corner fold the paper all the way around creating a seal. You can either bake right away or if you are making ahead, place the entire baking sheet in the fridge until you are ready to bake.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

As I mentioned, I was short on time. Therefore, I didn’t have time to photograph the en papillote part. However, I did have images from the time I made it with red snapper. Which is actually an excellent example to demonstrate the many variations of this technique. In the pictured below, I used Red Snapper, Spinach, Zucchini Strips, Scallions.

With the many variations that can be made the list seems endless. But let me give you a few ideas. Other vegetables that work well: Asparagus, Spinach, Kale, Yellow Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, Basil, Sun-dried tomatoes, Broccolini.

You can even use potatoes if you slice them thin.

As you can see, this method affords a huge range of flexibility and versatility depending on your guests tastes. That is also another huge benefit. Since they are made in individual pouches, you can customized them for each guest. This might seem like asking for trouble having to make different combos for each guest. But it does allow you to accommodate guests who have allergies or food sensitivities. Or just the pesky ones who don’t like certain veggies!)

All in all, it was a fun evening of healthy eating and a great time catching up with family we love.

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Fish & Bean Stew

Way, way back BP (Before Pandemic), when entertaining and having friends over was a common occurrence, we hosted a dinner party for our friends on Monday night. I know what you are thinking… entertaining on a school night? Indeed we did. Since it was literally the only date we all could find available we threw caution to the wind and made it happen. It was late May and we had been experiencing cooler summer weather than normal so the menu included my Fish & Bean Soup. But as typical with Mother Nature, she rules. When she flipped the weather switch from unusually cool to suddenly warm, it was she who now dictated the menu. Soup did not seem like such a great idea anymore.

Problem was, I had already purchased all the seafood, (shrimp, calamari and monkfish), and I didn’t want them to go to waste. A tiny switch-aroo was in order. Take it from a soup to a stew. Sure, you’re saying ‘How is that different? It’s still warm.’ First, let me remind you that I did say ‘tiny’ switch-aroo. I, and our guests, can attest that that slight alteration made all the difference in a dish that was originally going to be too hot, to just right.

Monkfish, shrimp and calamari from the original stew dish.

Well, it’s now November and the reverse weather pattern has occurred. It’s unseasonably warm but it’s still Fall. We were again hosting with another set of friends at our upstate country house and this stew idea seemed perfect. Plus I’ve had this blog post in a holding pattern waiting to make its debut since 2019. It was high time that it graced our bowls again. I couldn’t find calamari or monkfish for some odd reason. But that is the beauty of this dish, you can use different combos of fish; shrimp, calamari, monkfish, scallops, cod, mussels, clams. They all work.

This recipe is similar to the soup with some revisions, mainly how you cook it.

Ingredients

Makes 4 generous servings as a first course or 8 appetizer bowls
*Note: you can adjust the amount fish you use, adding more if you want this to be a main dish

2 scallions, sliced (Use 1 for beans, 1 for fish marinade)
1 med onion, chopped (1 heaping cup)
1 large carrot, diced (1 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (1 heaping cup)
2 garlic cloves, thin slice (beans)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (fish)
2 32 oz cans Cannellini beans
12 shrimp, cleaned & deveined (12-14 oz)
10-12 oz cod, cut into chunks
10-12 oz. Sea scallops
Red pepper flakes to your taste
Magic 3 (Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper)
1-2 T Butter
1/4c White wine
Parsley to finish

Instructions

1. Peel and devein shrimp. Wash and thoroughly dry all the fish. I cut the cod into bite size pieces but left the shrimp whole. You can chose to cut the shrimp as well.

It’s important to always wash and thoroughly dry the fish, or any protein for that matter.

2. Marinate the shrimp, cod, scallops with scallion slices, crushed garlic, 1/4 t red pepper flakes, 3/4 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper and 2-3 T oil. Refrigerator while you cook the bean portion.

Marinated Fish with scallions, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and olive oil.

3. Chop and dice all your vegetables.

Mise en place: everything ready and in its place Celery, carrots, onions, scallions and garlic

4. Sauté the onions, scallions, carrots, celery for 10 -12 minutes then add the garlic slices, season with 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1/4 t red pepper flakes and cook another 2-3 minutes until soft and tender.

Sauté until soft then add the garlic so it doesn’t burn

5. Add the beans with some of their aguafaba juice and let simmer for 10 minutes until flavors meld. Taste for seasonings and add accordingly.

Just a luscious pot of yum

6. While the beans are cooking, sauté the fish individually (shrimp, then cod, then scallops last) in a cast iron pan or skillet. Once each batch is cooked place them on a plate until you are ready to plate.

High heat develops a nice crust on the shrimp. You only need to cook them 1-2 minutes per side

Seared cod pieces

Seared scallops

7. In the same hot pan, sauté any remaining scallions and garlic from the marinade adding a bit more oil, a pat or two of butter. Once softened then add a few splashes of white wine to deglaze the pan. Reserve this au jus to drizzle over the finished plate.

Hearty Fish & Bean Stew

You can either plate it family style using one big platter with beans on the bottom and fish stacked on top. Or individually plate it as I did, spooning the beans then placing the fish on top of each bowl, sprinkle with chopped parsley and drizzle that delicious, concentrated jus over top.

We enjoyed a few appetizers first. Then had the Fish & Stew as a starter. Followed by Grilled Pluma (Iberico Pork), Paella Rice with roasted garlic oil, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Salad and Sautéed Broccoli Rabe.

A scaled down cheese platter along with French Breakfast Radishes and Fennel with Coarse Sea Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil & Basil

We had such a lovely, leisurely afternoon lunch with our dear friends, Tecla and Scott. We feel blessed to have them in our lives, and willing to make the drive to see our Airbnb home.
(If you are interested in renting our home in upstate NY, check it out on Airbnb
The Cozy, Country Cape House

This is such a hearty and flavorful starter. If you don’t have any plans to host a small dinner party, use this dish as a main course and maybe add some roasted potatoes or rice as a side along with a salad and vegetable As I said, this might be a warm plate, and naturally perfect for winter weather but it’s not too hot for a cool summer’s night meal or warm November afternoon al fresco.

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Whole Roasted Snapper - A Whole Meal

Please, I beg you, do not get squeamish on me for this one. Oven roasting it whole is a great way to get a moist, flavorful fish. Some people shy away from the whole thing. I get it. It’s hard to miss the eyes, the mouth and even the tail. I will admit that this freaks me out a bit, too. It used to be worse for me but now I simply keep my focus on the body and away from the facial attributes. Most importantly, I concentrate on how to honor the fish. The whole fish; because the skin and bones not only impart deep flavors but also protect the fish from drying out by providing natural oils. Another key to increasing its savor and tender texture is stuffing the body with aromatics, such as lemon, onions and herbs. These truly perfume the inner flesh and keep it supple. Additionally, you can cook it en papillote, which mean enveloped in paper. This steams the fish locking in moisture. I simply oven roasted mine this go around.

*NOTE: When buying whole fish, to ensure it is fresh, look for these keys elements.

• The fish should be bright, with a metallic luster.

• The eyes should be bright, vivid, clear and bulging. If they are sunken or cloudy, it is old

• The gills should be bright, wet, pink or red.

• The smell should be pleasant and mild.

• If the scales are still on, they should be shiny and not detach themselves.

2 fish, not in the same position as the logo for my main company, 2fish, inc, but there they are together.

I like making this for a small dinner party. It creates a lovely presentation and produces a succulent dish. I served this with green veggies, a quinoa salad and a watercress salad. If you continue to scroll down, you will find visual instructions for those dishes. These sides were ideal; light and refreshing to accompany the red snapper. Together they make for a perfect Spring meal.

And as my mom pointed out in the comments section, this method can do used with most any whole fish.

Ingredients

Red Snapper *2-3 lbs for 4 servings
2 Lemons (1 sliced, 1 in wedges for serving)**
1 small Onion
Parsley (or fresh herb of your choice)
Magic 3 (Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper)

*When buying a whole fish figure about 12 ounces to 1 pound of whole fish per person as a main course (as the fish generally yields 50 percent, thus making a 6 to 8 ounce serving) or for 2 people as a first course.

**If you are going to make the Quinoa Salad, then zest the lemon before you slice it for stuffing. Reserve the zest to season the quinoa.

Instructions

1. Make sure there are no scales on the outer skins of the fish.

2. Pat dry both the outside and inside of the fish.

I know it seems counterintuitive to make sure the fish is dry when you want it to be moist, but water just water logs the fish.

3. Cut the onion and lemon in slices

4. Brush the interior with oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper then stuff with the onion, lemon slices and parsley.

5. Place on a parchment lined baking tray and score the skin making several long slits. Brush with oil and season the outside with a good amount of pepper, and salt. You can also envelope the fish in a tin foil or parchment paper pouch for the en papillote approach.

6. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145 degrees.

You can place the whole fish on a platter lined with greens or herbs, or you can debone it.

Whole roasted Red Snapper

Deboned into filets

Serving suggestions:

Of course any sautéed green vegetable will pair nicely. I made both broccoli rabe and string beans prepared in a simple sauté of olive oil, garlic slices, salt and pepper. The other accompaniments were a side of quinoa and fresh baby watercress salad. Below are the quick visual instructions for the latter two dishes.

Quinoa with Sautéed Onions, Lemon Zest & Mint

Quinoa is a wonderful source of protein and a fairly neutral flavor that is enhanced by the addition of herbs.
Ingredients

1 c Quinoa
1/3-1/2 c chopped onion/shallot
2-3 t lemon zest
4-6 T lemon juice (depending on your taste
6-8 T mint, minced (mixed in and some for top)
Olive oil, salt and pepper

Instructions

• Sauté onion and/or shallot, add the quinoa and water and cook according to the package. (I usually measure 1 cup of quinoa to 1.5 c water)

• Bring to a boil, cover and lower to simmer cooking for 15-18 minutes until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy.

• Then zest the lemon, squeeze some of the juice, season with salt and pepper and toss in the chopped mint and fork fluff. Save some mint for the top decoration.

Baby Watercress, Avocado & Orange Segment Salad with a Citrus Dressing

When making finger sandwiches, I prefer regular watercress as it has more of a textural bite to it as well as a sharper, peppery flavor. For salad purposes I prefer Baby Watercress. It is much more delicate. This salad is all about light and bright, and the citrus does that beautifully.

Ingredients

2 bunches baby watercress
1 avocado, cut in small chunks
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 large orange, segmented

Instructions

• First zest the orange and reserve for the dressing.

• Then as you segment the orange do it over the dressing bowl to catch all the juices, and squeeze any juice from the remaining pulp.

• Thinly slice the shallot (or red onion if that’s all you have)

• Cube the avocado (squeezing some lemon to stop it from browning).

• Assemble the salad in a bowl, then add orange juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil to the orange zest and whisk until emulsified. That simple.

This is a perfect Spring or Summer evening meal. It would be a lovely Sunday lunch idea, too. The fish is delicate and moist. The sides are light yet filling. The citrus brightens the whole meal up, and if you have leftovers, all this would make a wonderful taco lunch.

Celery Overload - The Star Ingredient

If you read my last post you know that we have been getting a good portion of our food supply delivered. Admittedly, a few of those were extravagant purchases; aka caviar and lobster, which we repeated for our New Year’s treat. So, now as I return from cloud 9 and settle back to the reality of creatively nourishing ourselves I offer up a solution for when you have an abundance of one item, and lack of others. The ongoing practice of: Use What You Got.

As I mentioned in that post, there are some items I get from Restaurant Depot and those come in amounts that are way more than what 2 people can easily consume. To be honest, it’s way more than a family of 10 can consume. I hate wasting food ever, but even more so in these times. And so I started using some items in ways I never have before.  Like celery.  I typically have only used this raw in salads or diced fine as part of a mirepoix (for soups, or sauces).  But since we had so much, and were lacking in some other produce areas, I starting sautéing it as the main vegetable.  i know this isn’t revoluntionary but how many of you only cut up celery as your side? Not me, but I must say I quite like it.

Given that I had so much I’ve used it before if you recall in my post entitled; 5 Ingredients- 4 Different Dishes.

But on two nights in a row I really went to town using celery for both meals. The first night I used celery stalks, plus whatever straggler veggies I had.  Then I sautéed some shrimp, made my Ba-Ba-Basil-ed Potatoes and had a complete meal.

After using up everything the night before, I only had celery and onion for the next meal, and so that truly made celery the star. I topped it with sautéd fish and a scallion basil sauce.

When celery is cut on long diagonal it make a more substantial base.

I am only listing ingredients, not amounts, because this is one of those times that calls for using what you have in the amounts you have. I encourage you to use all your senses to judge how much you want to incorporate. The more you use this skill the sharper it will become. And then there will be a time when you just know how much of an ingredient to add. i know that some of you are already quite skilled at this.

Ingredients 

Meal #1 Celery/Onion Sauté with Grilled Shrimp

Celery, sliced
Onions, thinly sliced
Bell Pepper, I had an orange one, use whatever you have
String Beans, sliced on diagonal
Shrimp
Basil-ed Potatoes

For this celery meal, I used a wok for a stir fry effect. Starting with the onions and celery first, then adding the string beans and orange pepper.
I removed those and used the same pan to stir fry the shrimp, which were salted, peppered first.
I had made my Basil-ed potatoes earlier, and then plated it all up.

Although I added a few extra items, celery was the main veg. Since neither the orange pepper or the string beans were enough to make a complete side dish, but enough to beef up the celery and round the whole dish out. Those were the straggler veggies I had. You can do this with a few asparagus, or an extra carrot, whatever you have.

Meal #2 Celery/Onion Saute with grilled Salmon & Halibut
Celery, sliced on the long diagonal
Onions, thinly sliced
Scallions, thinly sliced
Magic 3 (Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper)
Salmon
Halibut

For the Sauce
Scallions
Basil
Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper

Onion, celery and scallions sautéing.

Instructions

Simply slice the vegetables as mentioned above. I used a cast iron skillet for this version.
I sautéd the celery, onion and scallion in olive oil, salt and pepper until tender but still with a good firm texture. Then removed the vegetables and used the same pan to grill the fish.

Salt and pepper the fish on both sides and get a good sear before flipping.

I made a simple salsa for the fish using scallions, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil and buzzing it in a mini processor.

The second meal was pretty similar, minus the orange pepper and string beans. But cutting the celery on that extra long diagonal made them a heartier vegetable able to stand on its own.

I quite enjoyed the large amounts of celery. I think the celery also enjoyed stepping out from behind the curtains of its usual supporting player and taking on the leading role in this movie of the week.  Who knew celery could be more that a filler.  Now I do.

Food Delivery Resources - Help at Your Doorstep

I know my most recent posts keep making reference to either the lock down scenario or pandemic, but as we continue to deal with this increasingly concerning worldwide health issue, we must take the necessary precautions. In the early months of the pandemic we were all being creative in the ways we went about our daily lives, and feeding ourselves. Some of the precautions and restrictions eased up, while others remained. Then restrictions were put back in place, so I thought I would share some of the resources we have been using.

At the onset, JuanCarlos and I heavily relied on all our food supplies to be delivered to us from various sources. Some services we have moved on from, while others we have found worthy to continue. As we move into the winter months, more restrictions and less motivated to brave the cold weather, here are our top choices.

Our bulk items like onions, potatoes, pantry items and paper goods, and of course my supply for 2StirwithLove products come from my wholesale source Restaurant Depot. This being a wholesale warehouse means products come in huge quantities so we have been careful with what we order. That said, I blow through 10 pounds of onions lickety split. For the first several months, I ordered online, and had them delivered.

As the situation in NY improved over the summer I went and shopped myself, finding the least crowded times to visit. Now I am back to having my orders delivered. There is a delivery fee but it is well worth it for the convenience and safety. Restaurant Depot is mainly for food industry owners only, however, in some areas they offer one day passes for the general public to shop. So you might want to see if a few neighbors have a need and you can split, say 10 pounds of potatoes or 20 pounds of carrots. Check your local warehouse.

For organic produce, we started out by receiving a weekly “surprise” box from Misfits. Surprise, because we never knew what would be in the box, so we would cook with whatever we got. Which was no big deal for me as that is my style, Something from Nothin, use what you have. However, I must admit that I was slightly less impressed with this service. I thought we would be receiving a nice mix of seasonal items. Instead we seemed to get the same produce each week. We discontinued this service and have been going to our local farmer’s market or organic shop for the items we need.

Another organic produce delivery option to consider, but one that I can’t personally attest to yet is:

Imperfect Foods They pledge to eliminate food waste but using small to medium sized farmers. The plus with this service is that is seems that you can customize your box to exactly what you want for the price you want. I just signed up for this service and will report back.

For proteins, we go to several sources.

We use Butcher Box for grass fed meat and poultry . We were first put on a waiting list, but it didn’t take long. JuanCarlos is thrilled with the quality. These comes frozen and vacuumed sealed in manageable portions which makes it convenient for defrosting and making meals for smaller families.

Salmon, cod and halibut and some other fish are delivered freshly frozen from Wild Alaskan. These are all wild caught, sustainable seafood that come in individually sized, vacuumed sealed packets that make it easy to cook the right amount, and exactly the piece of fish each person wants. Some nights I want Rockfish, and JuanCarlos wants Salmon. Easy breezy to just take out what you need.

Perfectly sized protein piece of Salmon accompanied by roasted potatoes, sautéd spinach and salad.

Onto some decadent items. These are not weekly or monthly purchases but very much special occasion buys. Believe me when I say, these were extravagances.

For JuanCarlos’ birthday back in May, we purchased a few treats that made him feel special since we would be celebrating in isolation. Traditionally, he loves marking his birthday surrounded by loved ones and with good food and wine abound. So without that, these little touches helped to elevate the occasion to a bit more extraordinary. And the splurge was rationalized in that we weren’t spending a boat load to throw a party. So whatever we spent on these delicacies seemed to be a fraction of what we would have spent. The only sad part was not sharing them with the family and friends we love.

We splurged once on caviar from Imperial Caviar which was so delicious and truly special.

Photo Credit: Imperial Caviar

Photo Credit: Imperial Caviar

A little goes a long way. Of course, you can eat it off a pearl spoon or top a mini bilini. But you can also jazz up some scrambled eggs by adding a dab to finish.

The appetizer plate I made to celebrate JuanCarlos’ birthday. I made mini pancakes aka bikini style, topped it with sour cream, and of course, the star… caviar and pink champagne.

And the lavishness continued. I must admit that even though these spiny crustaceans came at a cost we indulged a bit more with lobster from Get Maine Lobster.

Photo Credit: GetMaineLobster.com

Photo Credit: GetMaineLobster.com

We enjoyed them alongside vegetables, and even made lobster salad for a summer’s lunch.

Lobster Salad & Kale Apple Salad

Grilled Lobster tails with sautéd string beans and broccoli.

JuanCarlos even decided to use them to make a paella, and cooking it on the grill which he absolutely enjoys to the max. These were some of the ways we got through early on. True indulgence that we felt justified at the time, not realizing just how long this pandemic would last. At least we have wonderful memories of good lobster meals.

A man and his flame.

Let’s not forget about liquid requirements. For some, the imbibing of alcohol increased during the pandemic, and copious cups of wine and liquor were needed to get us through. Best not to drive under the influence and let the bottles be dropped off on your doorstep. We mostly used Wine.com and Vivino for our crushed grape needs. For liquor, we ventured out to our local stores such as Zachy’s, who also ships both wine and liquor, but it’s close to our home.

Now for more reasonable delivery solutions, my parents have been relying heavily on Instacart, which gives a variety of stores from which to choose for all possible foods and products you might need. There is a $10/month subscription with free delivery for orders over $35 but there is a mandatory tip. I’m sure plenty of you have been using this service to have access to a wide range of popular stores.

Of course, there are a slew of other options for meal prep, and meal delivery services. Among them:

Purple Carrot

Marley Spoon

Dinnerly

Hungry Root

Home Chef

Goldbelly

Hello Fresh

Blue Apron

Since I cook from scratch, I have not tried any of the above services. However, I found an article that tested and summed up a huge range of services and gives detailed info on which ones might be right for you .

The Best Meal Delivery Kits

As we sadly face another stretch of long days, and months sheltered at home, JuanCarlos and I are so grateful to have a home to keep us safe, warm and guarded. As well as to have a multitude of services and front line workers that help us nourish ourselves safely. I pray that we can sustain ourselves, physically, mentally and spiritually, through these difficult times. That we, the human race, can heal quickly and fully, and we learn from this experience with humility and grace.

Happy end of 2020, and to a brighter future in 2021!