you will never know how much I appreciate you

I have shared my life with you for two days shy of a year. Not all of my life. Some days are simply not that remarkable. In fact, some days are completely robotic. Eyes open, feet find slippers, early morning bath routine, make coffee yada yada yada… until I end the day by reading myself to sleep.

My blog has been a godsend. Searching for the joy in my life, to share with you, has given me a new perspective on aging, marriage, friendship and parenting. Trying to find the right words to frame a thought has forced me to look at my life from every conceivable angle. It’s quite exposing to see your thoughts in print.

I started to blog as a way to celebrate my daughters. It turns out that my blog is teaching me to celebrate all of my life.

You will never know how much I appreciate you for sharing my journey.

As a cook, I am always on the look out for a new ingredient to play with. Yesterday – yes, on Easter Sunday – I cooked my first rabbit. Clearly, I was not entertaining children… Fresh rabbit is not that easy to come by in my part of the world. I often see it at the grocery store with third degree freezer burns! Last Thursday, I let out a little squeal when I spotted a ‘fresh rabbit’ sign in the butcher’s case of the Superstore.

Panko and Herbed Dijon Crusted Rabbit

serves 4

preheat oven 500*F

1 – 3lb rabbit, jointed click on grey link to watch a great video on ‘how to joint a rabbit’

Dijon Herb Paste

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl

In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup each of panko crumbs and Italian flavoured bread crumbs – toss well

Using a pastry brush, paint each piece of rabbit generously with mustard paste

Coat each piece of rabbit with crumb mixture

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350*F and continue baking an additional 12 minutes.

The rabbit will be tender and juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

Thanks for reading.