Luna

This morning began with a view of the lunar eclipse -- at least partially, until the moon was obscured by light clouds on the horizon and then she set in the western sky. Ah, but the beginnings. How magnificent! What a treat to have view of it from an upstairs bedroom! Inside the warmth of our own home. What an honor to bear witness to such a spectacular sight.

As much as I would have loved to have run to get my camera, pictures of the moon from inside the house are destined to be mediocre at best. Instead, I thought it best to simply soak in the experience and feel what luna had to offer.

I waved to the moony, as I always do when I see her. I listened deeply as she whispered to me an invitation for what's to come if we allow ourselves to be moved by the cycles of Nature. If we're open to the wisdom available to us. New beginnings. Powerful, big changes for one and all.

Yes!

I wonder what it means for my cousin Mandy's brand new baby boy born at 3:55am during a full moon on the cusp of a lunar eclipse?? (Congrats you guys!) Talk about new beginnings!

Our first big change? We jumped out of bed before eight and started cleaning the house. By 11:30, the house was spic and span...

...and we were ready to continue our day.

A little wine bottle labeling at the warehouse (someone's gotta fix the mistakes!), a little shopping...

...and some other errands, and we were home before dark (sounds like a long day but sunset's at 4:30 for crying out loud!).

And then before I knew it, T was tearing apart the bathroom on the main floor to paint the ceiling in preparation for painting the walls, a new mirror and new light fixture that we've been talking about since we moved in. Don't know what got into him, but I'm all for it!

When all the hard work was done, it was time for the...

12 Brews of Christmas!
For the ninth brew of Christmas, my true love poured for me...

Deschutes Jubelale!

I love this label! Just wish we had enough snow to have a good old fashioned snowball extravaganza.

Beautiful ruby red in color, well-balanced, tastes like some unusual malts perhaps? Earthy with a little cherry. Nice one. Perfect pairing with none other than...

...homemade Chicken Pot Pie.

What's For Dinner Tonight?
My most favorite recipe so far out of my most favorite cookbook.

If you're in the market for a new cookbook, you will not be disappointed with this one.  Fantastic!

First, I cut up a pound of chicken breast and poached it in 2 cups of chicken broth for 8-10 minutes, spooned out the chicken and then set it aside, reserving the broth. I chopped the veggies (3 small carrots, 2 stalks of celery and one medium onion) and sauteed them in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes until tender. Set aside with the chicken.

Next comes the sauce!

Melt four tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When the foaming subsides, sprinkle in 1/2 cup of flour and combine.

Cook for one minute.

Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups milk.

Simmer until thickened. Season with s+p and 1 tsp dried thyme, and 3 Tbsp dry sherry. Add the chicken and veggies, stir to combine. Pour into a pie plate and top with pie crust. Pierce the crust to vent.

Bake for 30 minutes at 400*F. Easy peasy!

While it's baking, tend to the fire : )

It's ready when the crust is lightly browned and filling is bubbling. Not all the filling fit in the pie pan tonight, so I had to make a second, single serving pie.

Shucks!

So, so good. I ate the small one and T ate from the large one. Now these are some leftovers I don't imagine we'll have any trouble finishing. Comfort food for a chilly fall night.

Enjoy your night!