snow day recipes ...

So what can I say about my snow day inspiration in the kitchen?! In general, I don't fancy myself as much of a cook - I can make do, but I don't really have the patience of a chef. With one exception. When a snow day comes along and confines me to the house, I just scream for comfort food and my kitchen is humming all day long! I thought I'd share with you three of the easy comfort foods that I made on our snow day ...

Popovers

For anyone who hasn't ever had one, this is really the ultimate snow day treat ... crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, it's a hollow, eggy, muffin-sized "bread" that pairs deliciously with anything from butter and jam to a nice hot soup on the side:

The only tricky thing about making them is the special popover pan (also called a custard pan) which looks like this:

I've heard that they can just as easily be made in a deep muffin pan, but I'm not convinced ... to me, it was worth the $18 investment in the "real" pan because I literally make popovers every time it snows (fyi, mine came from Bed Bath and Beyond, where I always have a 20% off coupon - actual price: $14.40 ). As for the recipe, it couldn't be easier:

1 cup whole milk

3 eggs

1 cup flour

dash of salt

Preheat oven to 450. Generously grease the popover cups (I use softened unsalted butter for this). Whisk together the milk and eggs, then slowly add the flour/salt (best if sifted, but not a deal-breaker). Don't overbeat, a few lumps are okay.

Disclaimer: I've heard it's best when you make the batter a day ahead, refrigerate overnight, and bring it down to room temp for about an hour before cooking. Truth be told, I've never once had the foresight to do this and it's always worked out just fine for me. Either way, here's what you do once your batter is ready to go ...

Fill the popover cups about 3/4 full and bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Be very careful not to open the oven door again - the "pop" part of the cooking process is delicate (think souffle) and you don't want them to collapse. After 15 minutes, turn the temp down to 350 (still don't open that door!) and bake them another 15 minutes or so. Once they're golden brown, take them out of the oven and out of the pan right away (mine's nonstick, they tumble right out). I've heard the tip that cutting a slit in their sides right away helps the steam to escape and ensures they won't lose their "puff" ... but I'm generally eating them so quickly that I skip that part ;-)

Like I said, they're as delicious with butter and jam as they are with a bowl of hearty soup ... enjoy!

Candied Pecans

These little treats couldn't be easier - or more addictive - yum! My sister-in-law brought these to Thanksgiving to share while we three daughter-in-law's cooked in our father-in-law's kitchen ... we scarfed them down in no time, you really can't have just one!

(before and after pics!)

Here's all you need to do:

1 bag of pecans (12-16 oz)

1 egg white

1 T water

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 250 (yes, only 250) and cover a baking pan in parchment paper. Whisk the egg white and water into a frothy mix and fold in the pecans to thoroughly coat them. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well to get a good even coating. Spread them out onto the parchment paper/pan and bake for an hour. That's all there is to it. Yum.

Butternut Squash Soup

This one's a longtime favorite of mine ... super hearty, super delicious, and super easy! It's a Fall and Winter favorite for sure ... I make it in large batches because it reheats so well (just cut it with some milk and reheat on the cooktop!), so be warned that this recipe serves 8 ...

2T butter

2 medium-sized leeks (or 3 smaller sized), coarsely sliced

4 oz raw smoked bacon (@ 6-7 slices), diced into small shreds

2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 T tomato paste

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream (I substituted with light this time)

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the diced up bacon slices until the bacon begins to sizzle and cook a bit ...

Add the leeks and cubed squash and soften for about 6-8 minutes ...

Now add the tomato paste and stir for about 2 minutes ...

Pour in the stock and the cream and cook on medium-low heat for about 30+ minutes. The soup should be at a slow simmer the whole time - the kitchen will start to smell wonderful!

Now that it's all soft after simmering for a while, a quick minute or two with an immersion hand blender like this one is all you need ...

... to make it look like this ...

I've found that you can either serve it right away or set the heat to a very low setting to keep it warm for as long as you need until you're ready to serve and enjoy ...

Bon appétit and Happy Snow Days to all!!

12 on 12 ...

This is now the second time I've modified the 10 on 10 photo project to accommodate my "better late than never" attitude ... oh well, marching to my own drum I guess! One of these days, I'm resolved to get it right and link up. on the 10th. with 10 photos ...

But until then, I give you this ... 12 snow-day photos from the 12th - our wonderfully peaceful, blissfully lazy day off due to a good ole' fashioned New England Nor'Easter that packed quite a punch ...

first order of business: peek out the side door to check out the morning

Yup, it's snowing alright - next up: pancakes ...

followed by a quick romp in the snow ...

how about popovers for lunch? why not, it's a snow day ...

meantime, the snow has stopped falling - time to come out of the house, mom ...

(do you recognize the Manbug's sailboat? It sleeps next to the garage all winter long ...)

Ok, mom's getting cold ... time to make candied pecans - yum!

Now let's try to drive over to the park before the sun sets - there's sledding to be done!

Coming home at dusk, we passed by a streetlight that cast the most beautiful color onto the snow-covered trees - see for yourself ...

And there you have it ... 12 pictures from the 12th of January.

A kind of 10 on 10 - ladybug style ...

how i plan to spend my wednesday ...

It was totally expected, but I got the official call at dinnertime tonight that school is cancelled tomorrow ... along with 571 577 588 other local closings being reported on the news as I type. The headline on boston.com right now is "Blizzard Warning Issued as School Cancellations Grow" and the governor has told all state employees to stay home ...

As you can see on the map, up to 16 inches could fall - I'm in that red "13.9" range along the coast and the little ladybugs couldn't be happier! Good thing I'm well stocked 'cuz the kitchen is gonna be humming tomorrow while they're out romping in the snow - I'll be making comfort foods all day long for our housebound quartet: pancakes and popovers in the morning, hot paninis and fresh baked cookies in the afternoon, and for dinner cheese fondue and a delicious butternut squash soup! Wahoo - snow day snow day snow day!!

still digging out ...

Today I had the good fortune to take an hour to sit down and share a sandwich with my bloggy-turned-real friend swooper ... it was just what I needed amidst the overwhelm of this very rude back-to-reality week (thank you, swooper!). I've worked so hard this week to put away all of our Christmas decor, catch up with vacation laundry, re-stock the kitchen to a healthy and functional level, deal with all of the back-mail and 1st-of-the-month bills, and still save enough energy to support the ladybugs as they face the same overwhelm at school. *sigh*... I wish I could tell you that even one of these checklist items has been crossed out completely but alas ... this house is still a mess ... truly a mess ... and at this point, I'm feeling awfully buried by it all ...

I've been so envious of all the posts I've been reading in blogland this week ... so many deep reflections about the year that's now behind us and so many hopeful resolutions about the year to come. I'd love to do the same, lord knows I have a million thoughts swirling around, but to take the time to harness them all is something that I just can't do right now - not while the house is in disarray. Late to the party - as usual. For right now my only resolution is to take my super long checklist and approach it one item at a time -

Good strategy, right? I'm hoping that by taking it one step at a time, I'll eventually be able to make progress, take a deep breath, and feel a lot less weighed down. We'll see ... one thing at a time, right?

But frankly, the most appealing strategy to me right now is to take the time before I collect the girls from school to reflect upon some of my happiest holiday moments before leaving for Aruba ... wanna hear?

1. Do you remember our sweet little elf-on-the-shelf Toddy?? Well, if you read that post, you remember that my little ladybug had previously made him a briefcase and a provided him with various snacks and treats during his stays with us over the years. This year, the little ladybug decided to give him a gift before his Christmas Eve departure ...

She left him his own gift-stuffed stocking one night and by the next morning, Toddy had opened his beautiful gifts:

It was a hand-knit shawl she had made herself as well as a tiny pair of mittens that were previously used as a tree decoration. I really love my little girl's heart and creativity - here's a photo of Toddy on his final day with us, doesn't he look handsome in his new shawl (you can also see last year's briefcase peeking down at the bottom) ... we'll miss ya, big guy!

2. My littlest ladybug and Manbug are huge football fans - this year, it got to the point where my little bug has a real understanding of game strategy, scoring, and the role of each position. Each Sunday is "Patriots Sunday" and the two of them put on their #12 jerseys and root for the home team ... it's been a wonderful bond between them. So for Christmas this year, the Manbug decided to get the little ladybug tickets to see a real game. And as if that isn't cute enough, the little ladybug decided that she wanted to empty her $200 savings account at the bank so that she could buy the Manbug a pair of tickets as well. Since they both confided in me, I was able to avoid duplication, but I mean seriously?! How cute is that? After a little lesson on budgeting, little ladybug chose instead a bunch of fan memorabilia for him - a mini tailgating grill, car magnets, a snuggie, cup cozies, etc. The big game was this past Sunday against the Miami Dolphins ... total bliss for both of them ...

Here's hunky #12, Tom Brady ...

And here they are in their seats, making good use of the snuggie ... cutest Pats fans ever, right?!

3. My big ladybug has a heart of gold - the girl is one of the most sensitive and compassionate people I know and I couldn't be more proud of this trait in her, she's such a beautiful person.

("Christmas" morning in her new PBTeen beanbag chair!)

Using that same thoughtfulness, she chose a really special gift for me this year. Knowing that we were headed to Aruba (and I suspect further knowing the kind of stress that puts on me to balance the prep for that trip with the holidays), she got me a beautiful little picture book called "Heart Stones". With it, she wrote a card that specified that she wanted to look for "heart stones" on our beach walks together in Aruba. Amazingly, we hit the mother load on our walks and brought 9 heart stones home with us! Earlier this week I got a wooden tray at Target on which to permanently display our tropical treasures ...

Isn't that amazing? I loved everything about this special gift and can't wait to add more heart stones to this tray in 2011 ... thanks, sweet girl of mine ... you and your sister make me the luckiest ladybug of all!

And thanks, too, sweet swooper, for pulling my head out of the sand and organizing our yummy soup-n-sandwich run today ... it was great to stop and laugh and just plain regroup. Just what the doctor ordered. Next one's on me, friend ...

off the grid ...

First of all ... Happy New Year!

In case no one noticed, I've been completely and totally (and blissfully) offline line for the last 9 days ... what Manbug likes to call "off the grid". Why the absence?

Yup, those are real photos - photos that I took myself just a few days ago. In Aruba. Off the grid to be sure. I'll try to explain: when my widowed mother remarried 10 years ago at age 55, she married a man who had in his back pocket a 3-bedroom week-52 timeshare in Aruba. A man who, like her, also had 2 adult children. So the newlyweds quickly hatched a plan where they would go to the timeshare every year, and their adult children (and subsequent grandchildren) were invited to join them on a rotating every-other-year basis (her kids with them one year, and his kids the next). Um, yes please! Here's a running group of family photos from each trip - we call this the "obligatory sunset photo" - we try to recreate it each time we go b/c it's fun to look at them together and see how much we've changed over 10 years ...

Because there's a 2-year leap between each of these photos ('00 thru '10) it's pretty fun to see them all together ... that's a lot of time passing by!

Looking back on these 'Aruba year' photos, it sure looks like bliss, doesn't it? Indeed they were all blissful trips - well, mostly. Truth be told, there's a reason I don't 'talk it up' about Aruba ahead of time ... for whatever reason, each trip seems to go hand in hand with some sort of melodrama (my personal theory is the timing of week 52 is somewhat ill-fated, I think the stress of Christmas makes for a rocky starting point). How bad could it be you ask? Well, in that first photo with just the 3 of us, do you notice how my ladybug's face is sheet white? She was about to get sick - very sick - on the flight home to Boston the next day. Of course, she threw up all over herself and us for most of the flight - and did I mention the five-hour flight delay? We finally got home around midnight, after 12 hours of traveling, the stench of vomit had been on us all day and I was so traumatized I vowed we'd never travel that far with a baby again (non-stop to Aruba is just short of a 5 hour flight from Boston - not for the faint of heart). But as you can see, we rallied and stuck with the every-other-year Aruba plan that had been set into place. And I'm thankful to report that our karma has never sunk quite as low as that first year back in 2000!

I don't mean to sound ungrateful or whiny, I'm just trying to convey the humorous dysfunctional reality that seems to lead up to each of those sun-kissed family photos that paint such a seemingly perfect picture of each trip. It's uncanny, but there's always something that creates undue stress with each 'Aruba year' ... we've pulled all-nighters just to pack, been delayed by snowstorms, hampered by illness, sidelined by airline delays - and it's always a fine line between whether we laugh about it or cry! Fortunately, this year's drama was comparatively mild - first, we did have some illness drama on our plate in the days before the trip, but it was manageable and fairly short-lived thank goodness (always makes me hold my breath and say an extra prayer after the trauma of 2000, however!) ... and, second, this year the timing of week 52 collided with Christmas, it started on Christmas Eve ... so we decided to celebrate our traditional Christmas at home a few days early, fly down on the 24th, and bring our stockings to Aruba for a small celebration on the 25th. It wasn't ideal, but there was no way around it. Anyway, in spite of each Aruba year dishing out something to overcome, we keep finding our way back - wouldn't you?!

In any event, those low points are just a small part of the reality behind our family vacation photos - behind anyone's family photos really. Drama or not, we are lucky as ladybugs to have this travel opportunity when it knocks every 2 years! Not only is it a little slice of paradise with every sunset, but what an incredible place for the girls to connect with their grandparents ... we take beach walks, collect shells, body surf the waves, play pool games, eat out, stay up late, sleep in ... we feel fortunate beyond measure. So fortunate that now that I'm home, it all seems like a dream and these photos barely seem real! I've spent the better part of today enduring a harsh reality check: re-stocking the fridge, trudging through 5 loads of laundry, packing the shorts, sandals and swimsuits back up in their bins, and accepting the reality that tomorrow brings with it the dreaded routine of alarm clocks, lunchboxes, and homework ... *sigh* ... so long, Aruba ... so long, vacation ...

have yourself a merry little christmas!

At Christmas play and make good cheer

For Christmas comes but once a year

(Thomas Tusser)

The time has come - Christmas is upon us! The little ladybugs are home for the holidays, so it's time for me to unplug for a while and decompress ... I'm really excited to start wearing jammies late into the morning, making hot breakfasts, enjoying lazy days, and spending time with my favorite bugs in all the world! I'm going to turn down the volume, slow down the pace, clear my mind, clean the house, take a breath or two, and start the new year refreshed ... that's the plan anyway ...

(image from etsy seller brushstrokeornaments)

In the meantime, I hope all of my bloggy pals enjoy a very Merry Christmas ...