Advent Breakfast

Winter is closing in. The tree branches are bare, and the vegetable garden has been gleaned by both cows and chickens. Meadow grass is turning brown, and the cow barn is full of hay. We make the beds with flannel sheets now, and as the nights get shorter and colder, we start to feel the first twinges of excitement for the coming of Advent and the Christmas holidays, a happy, busy time of bringing in greens and dried herbs to decorate the house for the holiday season.

Maggie is baking Christmas cookies, and we are gathering inspirations for winter breakfasts. We look forward to fireside teas (and chats!), long tasty breakfasts and brisk outdoor walks to visit the animals. For lighting the candles on the Advent wreath the first Sunday of Advent, here’s a breakfast menu that includes ham, buttermilk, jam, applesauce and eggs, all produced on the property at Thyme in the Country. I celebrate with the St. Stephen’s Scrambled Eggs in From a Monastery Kitchen, by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourette.