winter, writing, food

In my last post, I talked about winter hibernating because we were due for a big snowstorm. We did indeed get that storm, but not quite as much as they predicted. However, that storm must've triggered winter vibes to the Powers That Be because now we're getting slammed. It's been nothing but snow, ice and cold since then. Here's the front of my house yesterday morning before I shoveled. The snow was wet and heavy with a layer of ice underneath from the ice storm two days ago. Not fun! Not that it ever is.

The backyard looks pristine and peaceful with the snow, but don't let that postcard look fool you.

Temps are dropping down to -9F tonight with high winds, which means blowing and drifting snow. Then comes another big snowstorm Sunday night into Monday. On top of it, record-breaking cold will follow the snowstorm all next week where wind chills could be -40 to -50F.

This past Sunday night was the Blood Wolf Moon. Did any of you get to see it? Of course, it was bitter cold here but I was excited to see this event, so I bundled up like Nanook of the North and went outside at 10:40 PM to watch. I was wearing leggings underneath Brian's flannel-lined LL Bean jeans, a scarf over my face, thick socks on my feet stuck in very warm fur-lined boots, and a parka that came down to my knees. I stayed nice and toasty and the black winter sky was beautiful with the blood moon and the visible stars. My cousin in Tacoma, WA saw this photo of me and she was like, "Stoppp! How do you guys stand it there?!" I told her us Chicagoans are hardy people. And I guess we shrug it off as just another winter. But yeah, that air really does hurt our face. (And we complain about the weather a lot.)

While I've still been in hibernation mode, one of the things I've been working on is my writing. I'm taking a writing workshop in Chicago hosted by my First Best Friend, Cin who is a rather famous Chicago writer, poet and author and I'm also taking an online class from Jennifer Louden. I normally don't carve out a lot of time to just write. I'm learning the importance of giving myself permission to do so. The support of the other women writers in Cin's workshop are a great support. Of course, so are the women in Jennifer's online classes (there's a closed Facebook group and sometimes Jennifer does a live video chat), but it's so much better meeting with other writers in person.

I had a taste for quiche for breakfast lately but I didn't want the calories and carbs that traditional quiche offers, so I made a crustless one. It's just eggs and cheese whipped up with sauteed veggies and baked. I would've loved to use baby spinach or broccoli in this - it needs something green! - but I was out of both at the time. This dish isn't as rich as quiche since it doesn't have any milk or cream in it, so maybe this is more like a frittata. Whatever you want to call it, it's healthy and good. You could even make this for a light lunch or dinner with a lovely tossed salad.

I haven't baked in a long time, but when I saw a photo of the most delicious-looking chocolate chip cookies I'd ever seen on Instagram, I had to look into the recipe to see what it was about. You can find the recipe here on the Cookies and Cups blog. It's unique in that instead of using traditional white flour, it uses both bread and cake flours. They also highly suggest chopping your own chocolate instead of using chocolate chips. That way the hand-chopped chocolate chunks and shavings get dispersed into gooey globs of chocolate all throughout the cookie. From reading the comments on this blog post, I found out this is an original recipe of David Leite, which he had published in the New York Times. However, Leite said he developed the recipe based heavily on one from Jacques Torres.

This recipe was a bit labor intensive, especially with hand chopping a pound of dark chocolate - and then you have to wait at least 24 hours to make the cookies as the dough has to sit in the fridge - but I have to tell you, these were the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. They're obviously not a quick go-to cookie, but when you want something really special, this is the recipe you want to pull out. They're thin and crisp on the edges, chewy in the middle.

Have a great weekend, everyone. I wish I could say I was going back to hibernating, but I actually have a busy weekend. 

Counting the days 'til spring...

at home

 Today's the only day all week that I have completely at home.* And wouldn't you know it - I have a bad headache! Woke me up in the wee hours. I'm wondering if it's the weather...it's bleak. Cold, rainy, and very windy. No editing of the photo below - it really has been that gloomy all day.

 I love to make a big pot of soup in the colder months and then have plenty of leftovers to keep in the fridge. So easy to heat up for lunches or a quick dinner. Today I made a pot of veggie soup - with bacon. ;-) I added a little quinoa elbow pasta to make it more hearty and keep it gluten-free.

Speaking of healthy and gluten-free, I whip up these peanut butter cookies every so often when Brian and I have a hankering for something sweet. As I've mentioned, we gave up white sugar back in April. But, once in awhile, we still want something sweet. These are my go-to cookies because they're tasty, healthy, and amazingly simple to make. They're from the web site, My Whole Food Life. Believe it or not, they only have three ingredients: peanut butter (natural...please don't use/eat the cheap, unhealthy stuff with hydrogenated oil in it), pure maple syrup (again, use the real stuff - not the fake stuff that is nothing but water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and chemicals) and salt. You can find the recipe here. The only downfall? If you use a standard cookie scoop, this recipe only makes seven cookies. You can tell which ones are mine...I stuck some dark chocolate chips on top of mine when I pulled them out of the oven. Yes, those do have sugar in them, but it's minimal because of the dark chocolate and I rarely eat chocolate chips. Once in a blue moon isn't going to kill me. ;-)

 

I know this photo doesn't have anything to do with my home - I wish it did! I was at a local coffee shop yesterday and was absolutely enamored with the decor. I tried that leather chair in the corner before I left and it was heavenly. I could've taken a nap in it. Now... you see the peek of the amazing blue sofa to your right?

This is it. I'm in love with it AND the coffee table. And the wall art and the lighting. I would've taken photos of the other side of the shop, but there were too many people sitting there. The windows in front of the shop are flanked with blue curtain panels that exactly match the color of the sofa. (Later edit: Brenda from Cozy Little House commented, "add books and I'd be in heaven!" Well, guess what? This place does indeed have books! There is a small bookshelf filled with books near the back of the shop. I don't know if they're just to read while there, or if people can borrow them. I'll have to find out next time I go - and take more pictures.)

Back to home. Think my kitties felt the bleakness of today, too? I threw this quilt on the couch and next thing I knew, they were all curled up and fast asleep in it. Except for Mr. Monkey. He knows when I'm taking his picture and has to look extra cute.

*Well, so much for staying at home all day today. My plans have been thwarted. We had to order some photography equipment for Tim and it was delivered to our house today. We didn't want it delivered to Tim's place at school because it was very expensive and we were afraid it'd get stolen. He needs the equipment ASAP, so we're going to meet up with him for dinner. Guess I'd better go and put on a little makeup and change out of my pajama pants. Happy Thursday, everyone.

celebrations, winter, ready or not

 My lovely Aunt Mary turned 80 last week and we were delighted to help

her celebrate this milestone. I have such wonderful childhood memories

with Aunt Mary. Remember back in the day when cars were huge and

seat belts weren't required? Actually, cars didn't even have seat belts

back then. I used to ride in Aunt Mary's car and sit on the fold-down arm

rest in the front seat so I could be right next to her. I called it the "Easter

seat." I have no idea why. I'll have to remember to ask her about this. Aunt

Mary introduced me to Mad Libs - and actually played them with me. She also

let me color with permanent markers. There was no such thing as washable

 markers back in the late 60's. And when I took Aunt Mary's black and white teddy

 bear off her bed because I wanted to keep him as my own, Aunt Mary let me.

 We celebrated another birthday last night - Tim's! He turned 23 a few days ago

but was still at school. So now that he's back at home again, we took him out

to dinner. He chose a nearby Irish pub - Middleton's. I had a turkey panini but

it was rather rich with some blue cheese and a cranberry mayo on it. I also had

some sweet potato tater tots. I should've known better than to eat that much

rich food - I felt sick all evening and even up until I went to bed.

 

 I didn't sleep well last night - was up most of the night because Tim was out

with some friends and it was sleeting and snowing. I was worried about Tim

getting home safely. So between the overly-rich food and no sleep, I got up this

morning with a massive migraine. I was so sick all day and spent some time

reading while snuggled under a quilt. Love when my kitties join me.

Good day to stay indoors anyway when the weather looks like this. It'll definitely

be a white Christmas here in northern Illinois.

 Turns out that my sister, brother-in-law, and two nieces will be coming over on

Christmas day, as well as my mom and cousin. I only have a small table in my

kitchen and no dining room, so I think we'll move the 6 foot long table in the

basement into the kitchen. We'll make do somehow.

I have to pick up a few last minute items at the grocery store tomorrow before

I go to physical therapy (my shoulder is doing so much better!), then I might make

one more batch of cookies. I don't know what's going on with my cookie karma

this year, but I've ruined three batches of cookies. Those mexican hot chocolate

cookies that I featured a few weeks ago turned out terrible. They were really

dry. I made them last year and they were fine, so I'm wondering if it was the

butter. Some say there are differences in generic butter versus the more

expensive butters, such as Kerrygold or Cabot's. They have a higher butterfat

percentage. Generic butter has a higher water content. (Moreso than say,

Land O Lakes? I'm not sure. Need to do more research.) I also made a

chocolate cookie with peppermint crunch pieces in it - sounds good, but they

weren't. Hope the birds and squirrels liked them. And...today I went to bake

a batch of M&M cookies and I burned them.

Are you all done with everything...shopping, wrapping, baking?

 

holiday baking

It's no secret that I love to bake, and with Christmas coming up, I've been looking

at web sites and Pinterest boards for some baking inspiration.

This Cranberry Cake photo practically had me drooling on my keyboard.

It's from a site called The Kitchn and you can find the recipe here.

 A Pretty Life in the Suburbs posted the recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate

cookies last year. I made them and they were delicious. I am definitely

making them again this year. Here's the recipe.

How about a Christmas Blondie? This blondie delight is studded with white chocolate, 

candied cherries, and toasted walnuts. Brought to you by Better Homes and Gardens.

I'm a huge chocolate fan, but I also love a good molasses cookie around

Christmastime. These are one of Brian's favorites. From the blog, Mango

On An Apple, here's the yummy recipe.

 

Even if you're not a baker, you can whip up these holiday spiced nuts.

They'd be great for snacking, for putting out on the table for pre-dinner

snacking when company comes over, or even put in a pretty package for

gifts. Go check out the recipe at Mom Advice.

Speaking of holiday baking, next week starts the Blog Tour that I'll be

a part of. I'm still putting final touches on my holiday decor and even though

I don't put up a tree or do anything "fancy", I'd like to think that my home

is inviting and cheery for my family and friends. I can't wait to share it with

 all of you!

yummy in the tummy

Hello, friends! The beautiful weather streak continues in northern Illinois.

When I wake in the morning, it's quite cold in the house. I make my coffee

and check my email and Facebook while wearing a hoodie, but by the time

I take a shower and start my day, the house has warmed up and the sun is

streaming in the windows. And once that sun goes down...brrr, it's quite chilly

again. I'm more of a summer person, but even I admit that there's nothing

like a pot of soup simmering on the stove or a creamy casserole or roast

warming in the oven on those cold evenings. Brian mentioned yesterday that

he really had a taste for some warm, homemade bread so I have dough going

in the bread machine, then I'll take it out to rise and bake. I'm also making a pot

of black bean soup for dinner. Mmm, that bread will be so good dunked into

the soup! I will post those recipes at another time, since I don't have any 

photos to go along with them right now.

In the meantime, here's some delicious warm-up-the-tummy meals that

I can share with you all. This first dish is Ribollita - or, Hearty Tuscan

Vegetable soup. It's loaded with veggies (including fennel - which I love in

soups) and beans and is so hearty and delicious. I found the recipe here 

from the blog, A Food Centric Life.

 This recipe piqued my curiosity. Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. I love cheese and

I love pumpkin, but the two of them together? I decided to give it a shot. Brian

and I really liked it, but it's rather "different". If you make it, do not skip the snipped

sage that the recipe calls for! I don't have any sage growing in my herb garden

and was going to buy some at the grocery store, but when I saw that a tiny

bundle cost $2.49, I said forget it. I used some snipped rosemary from my herb

garden instead and was glad I did. This is the kind of recipe that really needs

that little extra something. The recipe also calls for Fontina cheese, which is

 hard to find. I substituted a Swiss/Gruyere mix. Serve this dish with a green

 salad and you're good to go. The crunchy walnut topping is incredible, by the way!

 Now for a meaty dish. I made this one last night. I normally don't eat ground

beef, but this dish was an exception! Wow, was it good. I had one small bowl

of it and I was absolutely stuffed. And this recipe makes a huge pot, so we

have a ton of leftovers. I put some in freezer containers to give to Tim next

time we see him. I was talking to him while he was walking home from school

yesterday, and telling him about this goulash I was making. He said, "Stop, Mom!

I'm starving!" He had forgotten to take a sandwich to school with him to eat 

in-between classes and it was already 5 p.m. One good thing about adult

kids living away from home is that they certainly learn little life lessons and

how to deal with them without any hand-holding. We'll always be here for

 guidance, of course, but our kids have to learn how to be independent. And it's

 amazing how good it feels to know that your adult child is making it on their own

and is thriving and doing well. Oops, I just majorly digressed. Click here for

this awesome goulash recipe from Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Make it -

your family will love it!

 Lastly, to leave you with a little something sweet. These cookies are

dairy-free and contain no sugar (except for the naturally occurring sugars

in fruit). I love a couple of them for breakfast with coffee. Since they're 

packed with oatmeal, fruit, and nuts, they're almost like a granola bar,

except in cookie shape! Though they're very moist and not crunchy like

most granola bars. I made up this recipe, adapted from this one.

BANANA NUT BREAKFAST COOKIES

2 c. old-fashioned oats

1/2 c. golden raisins

1/2 c. dried apricots, snipped

1 c. chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 c. mashed banana (about 3 med.)

1/3 c. coconut oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine oats, fruit, nuts, salt, and cinnamon in a large

bowl. Combine mashed banana, coconut oil, and vanilla in another bowl. Add 

banana mixture to dry ingredients; stir to combine. Let stand 15 min. in the

refrigerator. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie

sheet. Bake at 350F for 15 min. or until lightly golden. Transfer cookies to a

wire rack; cool completely.

 Happy cooking and eating!