Ladies and Gentleman:  As I told you at the beginning of this week, we would not hold you any longer than necessary.  I have some good news for you all.  We do not require your services for Valentine's Day.  Nor will we be needing your services on Friday.  Ladies and Gentleman, Thank you so much - Your Jury Duty services at this court are officially finished. 

That was probably the best paragraph that I've heard since, oh I don't know... maybe 'Will you marry me?' or 'It's a girl' or 'It's a boy'.  Ok seriously.  Not as good as those sentences but almost as good.  Yes all you kind and gentle folk, I have finished jury duty.  And what a saga it was.  I nearly got to the serious selection interview on Monday but dodged that bullet by two people.  On Tuesday we had a fire alarm which meant that a good portion of the morning was spent outside (did I mention that I live in Toronto... CANADA.  It's not especially balmy this time of year) because once we were allowed back into the building we all had to go through security again.  All 300 or so of us.  Today we had a repeat performance of the fire alarm so you can guess how my morning went.  Combine that with a last minute choir needed on Tuesday and then Ash Wednesday services today, it's been a crazy time.
I was so relieved that it was all over that I treated myself to a mini-cupcake from this bakery and whatever else you do in life DO NOT check the calorie count on these bad boys because that's just a frustrating way to live your life.  I meant to get a picture of my mini's but I didn't because I ate them.

In other news, my school is going to Rome.  This is a big deal because it's our 75th anniversary and it's ROME.  We're singing for the Pope... wait, what... hold the phone.  As of the end of February guess what... we have no Pope.  He stepped down.  Now historically men usually die in the post, either of natural causes or... hmmm, unnatural.  The last time a Pope stepped down the Pope elected after him put him in a dungeon until he died.  That puts us squarely back to the death thing again.  We've been assured that a new Pope will be in place by Easter, (and that our present Pope will not be spending any time in a dungeon) ensuring that we will be the first to perform for him. So essentially what was originally deemed a disaster has transformed into possibly the best thing for our school in 75 years.  Silver Lining.
In yet other news, tomorrow is Valentines day and if you know me either in person or through this blog then you know that I don't give a S*^%.  I'm not anti-valentine's day or anything, I just don't care.  I have not spent my spare time making heart shaped anything.  I have not bought a card for anyone.  I will not be going out for dinner tomorrow evening (blech - the worst night of the year) but if I was offered a bottle of Veuve then I wouldn't refuse (who would).  I won't be giving or receiving any chocolates or baubles of any kind and nothing either pink or red will be worn by me.  Not because I hate it but because I don't care.


I made ginger cookies... boring, I know.  With whole wheat flour... ahh - even more boring.  I put white chocolate in them... ok, less boring.  But they were really really really good.  The catch that I'm finding with using whole wheat flour is that things don't last as long.  You'll get a couple of days out of these and then they're done.  They get pretty hard but not hard enough that they can't be hammered to pieces and sprinkled on vanilla ice cream.  Silver Lining.


Red Fife Ginger Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks adapted from 'Good to the Grain'
makes about 3 dozen

1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat (I used Red Fife) flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
1 egg
2 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
6 oz white chocolate coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (or so) coarse sugar for coating

Combine both flours, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg together.  Mix and set aside.
Combine the melted butter, both sugars, molasses, egg and grated ginger together.  Whisk to mix well.  Add the flour mixture.  Mix until it forms a batter.  Add in the white chocolate.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to 24.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicon liner.
Pour the coarse sugar (I use fairly course white sugar anyway so I just used what I had) into a bowl.
Using about 1 1/2 tbsp of dough + Chocolate Chunk and form into a ball and roll the ball through the sugar until it's coated.
Place the cookie balls on the cookie sheet.  Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes for soft cookies (14 minutes for crunchier cookies) - turning about halfway.
Cool on a rack before digging in.