Would you eat snow?

Thought I'd share this post from the Stonewall Kitchen blog...

Would you eat snow? This became the question of the day here at Stonewall Kitchen. Snow, it's all anyone has been talking about. How much there is, how hard it is to drive in, and how much more is on the way. All of this discussion about weather, but I was searching for something new to blog about. Laura, our Marketing Director, suggested maple on snow. In a questioning voice I replied, um...really? Alyce, our Retail Operations Director, was quick to say that she would definitely eat snow. So, I decided to whip some up for her. I went outside the photo studio, climbed over a snow bank (good thing I wore my boots), and scooped up a big bowl of fresh snow. I put some in a cup, topped it off with our maple syrup and brought it to Alyce. Sure enough, she ate it! No double dog dare required. She even convinced Michelle, Retail Operation Specialist, to try some too. I have to admit that I was skeptical. But you know what? When I saw the other cup of snow and pitcher of maple (from the photo above) just sitting here I decided to try it. I drizzled some maple on top and had a bite. I have to say, it was quite good! So, will you be eating some snow? We've decided that it would be good with maple or any of our flavored syrups. What a great use for those cone shaped cups next to our water cooler! It is also a great idea if you need a fun activity to try with the kids this weekend.

Looking to kick it up a notch? Try this recipe from our Favorites Cookbook: One Fifty Ate's Maple on Snow. Scoop up one cup fresh clean snow and put it into a bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon heavy cream and 2 tablespoons maple syrup on top and serve, accompanied by a cookie. If you can't avoid winter, eat it!


Molly and her friend Gillian are here for their "dead week" break, between Winter Study and the start of spring term.  Maybe I can get them to try some.

three dog night

Several people sent me this Wall Street Journal article today about keeping pets safe during extreme winters. It specifically mentions the Bichon Frise as a breed that is susceptible to problems with cold temperatures, such as low blood pressure, liver damage, and hypothermia.  The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommends buying cold weather gear specially designed to help our pets cope with the season...

like crocheted dog hats---

warm sweaters

and even boots!

As it is Teddy and Leo whine to go outside most of the day. They trample each other to be first out the door on their daily outings, and drag me behind them down the slippery steps. They like to dispense with the driveway as quickly as possible, again leaving me to negotiate the icy patches at the end of two quaking, tangling, fully extended leashes.  At my age (55, remember?) one has to start considering broken hips and that kind of stuff.  Teddy likes nothing more than to leap into the 4 ft drifts of snow on either side of the road.  Leo would trudge along for hours if left to his own devices.
I'm kind of perplexed by the recommendations for cold weather dog gear. Mine can't seem to get enough of the cold stuff. It's me I'm worried about.
The manual dexterity required to manipulate the pooper scooper bags means gloves are out of the question.  A hood compromises my ability to see or hear approaching cars on the treacherous curves of Walton road. Taking the time to lace up my best pair of snow boots would drive the dogs insane after a long night cooped up in the house.  Most mornings my pajama pants have to do (it's dark, and I haven't even had my coffee).  So I'm not interested in extending our outside time. I'm focused on to keep it short...the nearest fire hydrant is two doors away. That's my goal.
No, I don't think I'll be getting any of those cute doggie hats or scarves. Wouldn't want to compromise my health.

How cold is it?

It's so cold the icy waters of the Piscatequa river were smoking like a steam bath!

So cold my car moans like a dying moose when I turn it on.  So cold that when I come in from walking the dogs and wash my hands, the cold water feels warm.  So cold there are no tracks in the snow, and most telling of all, so cold there are absolutely NO joggers whatsoever on the narrow streets of New Castle.  That's a first. 

An open book

One of the fascinating things about renting a fully furnished house is having access to someone else's library of books.  Poking through the various shelves has been entertaining, and provides us with a deeper intimacy with the house and its other inhabitants.  Personal libraries are like fingerprints...so unique and so complex.  In this case it's an eclectic mix of subjects ranging from things like Cooking with Mussels, Decorative Maps, A History of  Colonial Floor Coverings, Quantum Physics, A Guide to Mushrooms and Toadstools, The Joy of Wine, Flags through the Ages, and The Complete History of Nantucket. The collection is peppered with classic authors along with a myriad of cookbooks, local histories, and iconic works from the generation preceding us.  It's always fun to spot the occasional volume we have in common, like a shared snippet of genetic code.
When we cleared out our house in preparation to move, the single largest category we had to sort through was our books.  Collected from college forward, including 21 years of heavy book buying for Clare and Molly, we had accumulated more than we realized.  As a family we had fun identifying the 'must keep' titles that would go into storage.  We sorted and re-sorted until only the most precious remained.  There were some bitter battles over what constituted a 'beloved' book.  We had many.  We reluctantly stacked those we were less than passionate about... the not so memorable picture books,  a nostalgic mix of  70's era textbooks, ragged paperbacks by favorite authors, gifts that missed the mark, subjects that reflected passing interests, inherited books, etc  At our blow-out yard sale books dominated the space but very few were bought.  The charity that came for our leftover stuff would only take a limit of 3 boxes of books.  At the very end, a hauler took the dregs that no one, not even the scavenging neighbors, wanted.  Sadly, that included many boxes of books.
Being currently 'bookless' save a few absolutely essential cookbooks that I managed to wedge behind the driver's seat as we pulled out of California, it's been fun having a completely new home library to explore. I like the way they are all lined up higgledy-piggledy on the shelves; you never know what you'll come across.  Every so often I'll pull out one or two to have a closer look.  The one  I've inexplicably put at the top of the pile today is a hefty 1936 volume called Rubber (A Story of Glory and Greed).
I'll let you know.

The Ideal Bookshelf is a project by artist Jane Mount.  She paints a unique kind of portrait by depicting people's favorite books.  Her website is fascinating, and you can view examples based on themes like cooking, philosophy, poetry, or those of particular people.  You can special order your own and it's fun to try and imagine what yours would include.  

All souped up

I have a case of cabin fever, so I'm braving the semi-plowed roads today to stock up on provisions.  I'm in the mood for a hearty soup and since I can't decide between lobster corn chowder and cheesy beer and bratwurst soup, I'm going to make both over the next few days.  Soups fit my healthy, non-fussy style of cooking. I like the way you can make them and set them aside and they actually get better.  Plus, you can eat them for days.  
I've always been drawn to chowders...my bible is an old favorite, The Vegetarian Epicure.

I've made the Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder countless times over the years, and it's the foundation for many variations, including the one I'm going to make.  The common theme to most chowders is a base of sauteed onion in butter with flour added to make a thickening roux.  The liquid will be some combination of water and/or fish or chicken stock, depending on what kind of chowder you're making, plus milk and/or cream.  They are often flavored with dry white wines, sherry or vermouth, and fresh herbs. Potatoes are usually standard in most chowders, and a vegetarian version might include corn, and sharp cheese to finish it off.  A fish chowder is made from any firm white fish like cod or haddock, or shellfish like shrimp, crab or lobster.  
However, I'm going to start with the cheesy beer and bratwurst because I've never made it, and I've been wanting to try a beer and cheese soup for a while now (the German and Dutch segments of my DNA are egging me on). We saw it on lots of menus when we took the girls to look at colleges in New England, but it's just not something you see much of in California. 
I could get all of the ingredients at a regular supermarket, but  Philbrick's, our local whole foods type store,  has a large section of the meat counter devoted to homemade sausages, so I'll head over there. I'll pick up a loaf of bread at Ceres Street Bakery.  I'm hoping they baked Anadama today, my favorite with soups. 

time lapse          *          *          *            *          *           time lapse

My recipe comes from Plating Up, the blog of Maine Food and Lifestyle Magazine.  Since I've never made this before I'm following the recipe pretty closely:

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
¼ cup all-purpose flour (I only used about 2 tbsp.)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
12 ounces beer
½ teaspoon mustard powder (Philbrick's didn't have this, so I'm using regular mustard...hope it works)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup half and half
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (I used 1 1/2 cups at most)
3 bratwurst sausages, sliced (I poached my sausage in beer, an extra step, but that's what I get for buying fancy uncooked sausage)

Place olive oil in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
Add potatoes, broth and beer. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Add mustard, salt, pepper, half and half and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Remove pan from heat.
Add the cheese a little at a time, stirring until melted and smooth. Ladle out about 2 cups of vegetables with some of liquid and place in blender or food processor. Purée and stir back into Dutch oven with the rest of the soup set over low heat. (I omitted this step) Add sliced bratwurst and cook on low for 5 or 6 minutes or until hot.
I ended up with Oatmeal Molasses (day old and 1/2 price, I couldn't resist).  With the money I saved I splurged on fancy butter (yes, there is such a thing).

It's going to be a good dinner...

the empty nest

Of all the changes buffeting my life lately, the one that's taken me by surprise is our newly empty nest.  It managed to casually slip in somewhere between our final celebratory days in the Los Angeles public school system, the frenzied fixing up and selling of our house, the packing and storing of the vast majority of our possessions, a difficult stint in a San Fernando Valley transitional apartment complex, a sensational cross country drive that took us further each day from the landscape of 25 years and precious family and friends, escorting Molly to Williams, and our ultimate landing here in this exciting yet completely different new environment.
Having Clare and Molly around these past couple of weeks has brought it to mind.  It's early morning; Molly is soundly asleep in the room above me and Clare has just gotten up and is on her laptop in the next chair over.  By Monday they will both be gone.  It's feast or famine.
I inherited  a craving for regular doses of solitary time and ordered peace from my mother. My most vivid memories of her are when she was quiet, contemplative, hunched over her work or sitting alone with a cup of coffee...a single swirl of smoke rising slowly from her cigarette. Raising a family is at odds with this need and constantly challenges it. The trick has been to get that private space on a regular basis without blowing up or drowning in guilt. Ironically as the girls matured and got ready to leave for college I found that I didn't need to separate myself from them to feel that sense of peace. This holiday with its heavy snow, canceled flights, and the absence of longtime friends and boyfriends, put us in close quarters and was unusually bonding.  There was a surprising lack of tension as we may have instinctively realized that this family and this holiday as we have always known it will no doubt be evolving soon.
The girls will leave behind the gift of time this weekend but it will be quite a different experience in this new spare reality I find myself in.  I must be unconsciously anticipating the quiet time because I've suddenly become oddly attuned to subtle stimuli around me--- an entertaining squirrel appeared at the window earlier this morning, the neighbor's snow is riddled with interesting tracks, the changing trajectory of the morning sun is leaving mesmerizing shadows on the kitchen wall...
My challenge will be to make good use of this once prized solitude, to look ahead to the new phases in my life with my girls, not sentimentalize the past, and to keep my encounters with squirrels to a minimum.