My good friends, M and E are ‘home’ at their cabin for Christmas holidays along with their cousin Mi (these are three of the five kids who built that amazing fort last summer). Whenever we get together, we always seem to end up either exploring outside or doing something fun and creative inside. As it was Christmas Eve morning, we thought it would be fun to give their parents a nice break and cook a big brunch for them here at the cabin.

M was in complete charge of the waffles, making the batter himself and doubling the recipe (we tease him about the math and fractions!!!) to ensure that we would have enough for everyone.

His sister, E collected the finished waffles and put them in the oven to keep warm. They were delicious!

Cousin, Mi was in charge of the eggs and scrambled them to perfection.

E was in charge of fruit punch. She mixed the juice, then poured it into a nice glass pitcher and added frozen Saskatoon berries and wild raspberries as fruity ‘ice cubes’.

I made bacon and some cheese tarts earlier in the morning. After only an hour of team-cooking we were ready. The kitchen was even clean as E and I had washed a load of the cooking dishes and put them away. The grown ups arrived right on time and were seated. M kept making waffles while M and E served the food and I poured hot coffee.

It was a delicious brunch and everything tasted great! After a few hours of taking our time eating and chatting around the table, the grown ups left (we told them they were not allowed to help) and the team got back to work cleaning up. Actually, the boys did the dishes while E and I took turn providing the music (E on piano, me on guitar).  M couldn’t resist a dance with Lucy (she adores him)…

It was truly a fun morning spending time with my good friends, laughing together, getting caught up on their lives, and working as a team to give their parents a nice break and the gift of a leisurely brunch. Merry Christmas, Everyone!