Cold Snap

Last week was really cold (minus 30 cold)...even the herd of elk near our house were huddled up.  But we survived it with the help of some good soup and hot springs to warm us up.

I've been wanting to make this corn chowder ever since my friend Chloe made it for us for lunch one day a little while ago.  It's sooo good, and really easy to make. And at least one out of two liked it!  

Casey chowin' down on mama's bowl of corn chowder.  (Apparently Dada's was too hot, Liam's was too cold, but Mama's was juuuust right.)

And, I'm not gonna lie, there really isn't a better way to spend a minus 30 day than sitting in the hot springs...we're way too lucky to live here!

Here's the recipe for the soup.  It doesn't make a huge pot, so if you want left overs or have lots of hungry mouths to feed, you might want to double it up.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

1 green pepper diced

1 onion diced (I used 3 cloves of garlic instead)

1 cup cubed potato

3 cups frozen corn

2 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of cream or milk

1 Tbsp flour

2-3 strips of bacon cooked and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

How To:

In a pot, cook pepper and onion/garlic until done.  Add chicken broth and potato and bring to boil.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add corn and simmer 10 minutes.  Whisk flour and milk together then stir into soup and simmer a couple minutes. Stir in cooked bacon at the end.

Keep warm! :)

Job Shadows

If the boys didn't already think their Dad was the coolest, they sure do now.  One day we went to bring Rob lunch at work and the boys got the VIP tour of the Nordic Centre.  They were very impressed by all the big trucks and tractors.  Casey couldn't stop saying "track tra" (his version of the word tractor).

Casey with Dad on the back of the snow cat

Casey driving Liam in shotgun

Checking out an old tractor

Some future Nordic Centre employees in the making...

Long Time Waiting

It was sometime between Christmas and New Years on a warm winter day we drove out to Lake Louise with a mission; to go on a sleigh ride and have some fun.  I have been waiting years to go on a sleigh ride  in Lake Louise and finally (finally!) I got my wish.  

While we were waiting for our sleigh, Rob laced up and took the boys for a ride on the ice.

And then, the moment I've been waiting for...

And as soon as the horses started moving, Casey was out like a light.

It was a perfect day.  Mission accomplished. :)

Merry Millars

Christmas on the Island was beautiful.  It was warm, green, a little rainy and a lot of fun.

Rubber boots are a prerequisite for the Island.  Just ask my niece Molly, I think she had a different pair for each day of the week.  The boys got their very first pair for a steal of a deal at a consignment store in Victoria.  Then we were ready for some sea side exploration.

Like I said, it got a little rainy too, but that was the perfect time to whip out the crafts.  Molly and I made a cute little foam village to add a little touch of Christmas to the condo we were staying at.

Even if it was raining outside, Liam still liked to wear his rubber boots inside...it was quite the fashion statement. :)

Even though there was no snow, Victoria did it's best to let the Christmas spirit shine.  One evening we walked through The Empress Hotel where they had over 50 Christmas trees all uniquely decorated.  On Christmas Eve we walked around Bouchart gardens to see thousands upon thousands of Christmas lights. I 've never seen anything like it, it was amazing. 

And a Hunt family tradition lives on to the next generation.  We open one present on Christmas Eve...which just so happens to always be Christmas pyjamas.  It's one of my favourite traditions, but now that I have kids of my own, my parents have stopped doing it for us "Hunt" girls. (dis!)  But Molly and the boys looked very cute in their new pjs.

Our visit came to an end boxing day.  After another nice walk by the ocean and going out for some must-have fish and chips, we were on our way...