Last week, we decided to skip town for a few days to hide in a cabin and find some peace and quiet.
It has been a long prairie winter thusfar with no definite end in sight, but while we are buried under our layers in an effort to stay warm, we might as well enjoy it! The snow’s crisp whiteness is beautiful and refreshing, like looking down at a blank piece of paper on a desk. All those layers (thick scarf, toque, hood) muffle external sounds, leaving one blissfully unaware and able to ruminate uninterrupted. Winter is a good time for inner reflection and brooding; a mental reset before charging ahead when the temperatures rises. When the wind is blowing I sometimes feel like I’m inside an Etch-and-Sketch that is being vigorously shaken by a 5-year-old, but I remind myself that clearing the slate makes way for new things.
After long walks through the snow, it is important to warm up again from the inside. Moreover, as this was a holiday, there was special food, and in my books, holiday food is synonymous with one word:
Bacon.
!!!!!
I don’t like cooking bacon regularly: it is messy, somewhat dangerous (grease splatter, oweee!) and leaves me feeling rather fatty and salty (read: sluggish and thirsty), so it is best relegated to the category of Special Food. Plus, once I have a taste of it there is no stopping until it is all gone, which is very regrettable for the rest of the day.
This time I took some inspiration from Mr. Elvis Presley, as apparently his favourite meal was a toasted peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich. Lacking a banana, I decided to use a Royal Gala apple instead. It was all very fantastic, particularly because of the bacon.
I might relax my “Bacon = Special Food” designation and have it perhaps for a Tuesday morning breakfast – sometimes, you need to take a random day and make it special. Besides, a day that starts with bacon is automatically a good day, and couldn’t we all use more of those?!