There are times when making daily meals is downright boring, but then others when I love it. When I enjoy it most is when we have friends and guests over. I think it’s because there’s an excuse to be a little more creative than usual…and I’ve planned much better.

This weekend we had friends to stay. They were in Fredericton for a Leaders’ get together, so we got to see them for a couple of meals and late at night when they got back and, of course, breakfast. It was great to catch up with them over a couple of meals, and talk, and encourage each other, and talk, and laugh, and talk.

Now, there’s nothing I like more than a good breakfast. In town we have several markets on a Saturday where there is an array of good food. At the Cultural Market, there used to be one stall with only Almond Croissants on. I walked past that stall on a few occasions thinking how much I’d love one of those. They looked delicious. I put it off, and when, one Saturday, I decided to go get one, the stall had gone. The guy had stopped selling at the market. No!

I forgot about it and then last week found a recipe in Paul Hollywood’s ‘Bake’ book for Almond Croissants. I’ve baked through a lot of that book, but hadn’t tried those, as pastries are a little work intensive. This weekend provided the time and occasion to make them at long last. I’d started off the day a little fed up as our friends, Andrew and Janet, would be busy until supper, and Tim had to work all day. By the afternoon, things had changed. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and Issie and I had set ourselves the task of raking and tidying the garden/yard. Determined to get both jobs done, I made the dough, put it in the fridge to rest and put my phone with the timer set in my back pocket, so I remembered to come in to roll and turn the dough every hour. It was a good excuse to rest my sore hands and arms from the raking for a few minutes. By the end of the afternoon, I succumbed to reading a book in between rolling and turning rather than raking. It was lovely to be able to even sit outside and do that.

Finally, we got to taste those croissants Sunday morning. Tim got up early to go and set up the church meeting which made it easier for me to get up to spread and shape the dough, and leave it to rise. It’s amazing how much can be packed into a few hours when there’s an incentive to be up at the crack of dawn. Usually I grunt goodbye to Tim when he heads off to do move team, and then I stay in bed as long as possible, usually a little too long, before getting up and ready. I don’t think I’d opt for making pastries every week to get me out of bed though.

As it turned out, the weekend was a special one. Nothing to do with the baking really, that’s just background, just great to have those sweet, sweet times to hang out with family and friends.