Monday, January 12, 2015

My Scandi Home


The quiet days of January are upon us.

Outside is white, grey and rainy.

Inside is black and white and dry.

Cats sleep.
I eat.
Was I the last blogger standing who hadn't roasted a cauliflower?
A head of cauliflower does give one pause, especially if you're cooking for one.
But I took the plunge and over 3 days finished it all.

Then had to talk myself out of buying another.

We had a snow day so I made my favorite soup loaded with kale, potatoes, onions, garlic, black eyed peas from the freezer and sausage.

And yesterday, Senor from around the corner, finally returned from New Orleans,made jambalaya with chicken and andouille sausage. We ate it, appetites heightened by the karmic ending of the Packers/Cowboys game. ( Just had to sneak a little football in here didn't I).

I attempted baking, Martha's applesauce, oatmeal cookies. I skipped the icing, swapped out cranberries for the raisins and found myself with a tower of cookies. I couldn't tell if they were good.

The Irishman next door had shoveled me a "wee" path. ( a wee path can you stand it?)
So I forced rewarded him with cookies. I brought a few into work and once they were pronounced edible I brought in the rest.

The applesauce flavor seemed to intensify with age, nice.

This was the first time I had ever baked that I had all my ingredients measured out in advance. It  certainly made it easier but it will take more than one so so batch of cookies to make a baker out of me.

Next week I hope to bake Elle's Clementine Cake for flower shop birthdays.

The full report and recipe coming soon. 


You may notice I'd doing pretty well with that NY resolution to feed myself better.. but why oh why did I forget to add go back to the gym?

Shouldn't these go hand in hand?





26 comments:

  1. love the wee path. my grandfather was from ireland and i can just hear him saying that.

    the wallpaper! the wallpaper! the wallpaper!

    xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would have adored your grandfather, my maternal grandmother was from Ireland and she was the world to me. No wonder I'm so enchanted by the neighbor's speak!

      and no, we will never tire of the wallpaper. xo

      Delete
  2. Waiting to see how the cake turns out! :)

    Also, now that both the Lions and Baltimore are out, what's your team right now? I'm curious...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG , I'm afraid to come out in support of another team! My support doesn't seem to bode well for anyone.

      But I'll text you the answer.

      I'll make the cake next Wednesday, fingers crossed. Send me some magic.

      Delete
  3. Your January sounds a lot like mine, spend as much time in the kitchen as possible, one of us needs to move! And yes football, karma is a b----, they can't complain but of course will. The Colts won, we're ecstatic if only for one week when they will surely be crushed in frozen Foxboro by the mighty Patriots, luckily it's a long weekend. Lucy, (or is that Gus) is exercising for you, you're covered.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can never remember what comes after football besides Valentines Day and then a lot of snow.

      Just bought some dried garbanzos, next snow day project.

      Gus is exercising for all of us. Lucy only moves from radiator to radiator. My kind of cat!

      Delete
  4. I'm so envious of Lucy's shoulder stretch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too, my shoulder has not recover from the boot camp that was December.

      That's Lucy's love me pose.

      Delete
  5. Do. Not. Go. To. The. Gym. In. January. Under any circumstances! go back in February!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right. I. Forgot. About. January. Thank. You.

      Xo

      Delete
  6. I would say 'wee' path here in New Zealand too! And no, you're not the last blogger standing who has not roasted a cauliflower, because I am yet to achieve this milestone. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not quite the weather for roasted cauliflower in your neck of the woods is it? You might give it a go say July? Just a wee head.

      Delete
  7. Adore the Lucy photo. Such a great pose!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh that Lucy! And those cookies sound delicious. Happy post--thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay, you're home! Welcome back. Xo

      Delete
    2. So, how was Italy? Hope you were already home before the horrible events in
      France and I find myself wondering about some Blog acquaintances in, and of, Paris. Looking forward to a beautiful Blog post from you about La Bella Italia.
      Hugs to you both,
      Diane in Just Now Unfreezing Out Denver

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. That would be our world traveler? See above :-))

      Delete
  10. Well Mizz Jane,
    Now our team has just lost its play-off bid, unexplainedly and unforgivably. So I can commiserate with you, on that sad event and on the woes of January. Your blog does
    help cheer us all up and oh Lordy, thank the Goddess for wonderful, tropical houseplants.
    My living room is a riot of coleus and I am so grateful.

    Happy New Year y Feliz y Prospero Ano Nuevo, tambien.

    Diane in Finally Sunny Again Denver

    ReplyDelete
  11. My January so far has involved dithering over paint colors, and, much better, choosing California natives to plant under my oak tree! Hooray! Planting today! Wish me good fortune!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Soups are for winter cooking. Finally got to first laying out the ingredients, but measuring them too before diving in??? I always thought that was a 'wee' bit compulsive on cooking shows, thinking, 'who really cooks this way?' Now I know.
    Ray

    ReplyDelete
  13. looooove that wallpaper, Jane! :)

    ReplyDelete