A Short Tour and Saturday Night Supper

We can finally leave the house by the front door or walk through the garage to the driveway and street. Richard went outside with salt and a heavy shovel and managed to crack through the ice. A couple of hours later he could manage to shovel the ice away.

And now for the tour (all photos taken from the sunporch -- the yard is not navigable, yet)...


What looks like snow is actually all ice. The sign says, "Garden Tours 50 cents." The birdhouse/hat had silk flowers around the brim that are probably adorning a squirrel's nest -- they just disappeared about two months ago.


This is our patio just waiting for a barbecue and at this time of year I don't need the umbrella to shade me from the sun.


This is the sun room. If you look closely enough you can see Azrielle (BIG black kitty) on the far chair enjoying the toasty warmth.


This is a clivia that is about to send up a bloom cluster. In about a week this should be in full bloom. The flowers are bright orange.


This was tonight's supper -- macaroni and cheese. The recipe follows:

2 cups cold milk
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon whole grain or brown mustard
1 tablespoon onion powder
4 tablespoons of chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces of shredded cheddar, smoked gouda, or Havarti (or a mix of your favs)
4 ounces of Velveeta (I know this seems pedestrian, but the stuff really melts well!)

1 pound cavatappi (De Cecco makes these -- they're like an elbow macaroni that is longer, twisted, and totally out of control. If you can't find these, use a macaroni that will hold onto the sauce -- like shells or penne rigate (with lines))

1/4 cup Italian-flavored bread crumbs
1 large baking dish sprayed with butter Pam

Preheat the oven to 375.
Place butter in a saucepan until melted. Add flour and whisk until incorporated. Add cold milk and cook until thickened and bubbling over medium heat. Whisk frequently guarding against burning. After thickened and bubbling, over low heat add mustard, freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, and chopped parsley. Add cheese, whisk until cheese has melted. Remove from heat. Taste for seasoning.
Boil macaroni, drain, and pour into prepared baking dish. Pour cheese mixture making sure it is evenly distributed. Sprinkle bread crumbs across the top and then spray them with butter Pam. You can also drizzle olive oil or melted butter if you prefer. Bake for 35 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

A Little of This, Aphids, and Quinoa

Nothing monumental for today--no solving the world's problems or insights on life. I've been having fun reading my own blog in other languages; that translator link is nifty! The sun is out and we've finally begun the melting process as it's above 32. Everything still looks like a giant glazed doughnut, but I can hear the slow, deliberate trickle of melting water as it travels down our drain spouts: a welcome sound.

Today I'm vacuuming up the back porch: the ash and schtuze on the floor. Cast iron stoves are wonderful and efficient, but burning wood as we have been for the past three weeks really creates a mess. On Sunday, we began burning our fourth cord. It's been cold!

I can't believe how hearty some insects are. While dusting on the porch I noticed my alstromeria (Peruvian lily) was covered in aphids. Yes, even in winter pestilence thrives! So I pulled out each stalk (it's better than cutting as pulling them makes more room for tubular growth), put the stalks into a Trader Joe's paper bag and put the whole bag into the wood-burning stove. Burn, baby, burn!

Last night we learned that our hybrid car can second as a generator if our power goes out!!! Can't remember if we saw this on the Weather Channel or on the news, but all we need is a cord to plug into the lighter in the car and then run into the house. We haven't figured out where to get this cord, yet, and how to attach it, but we're working on it. What a phenomenal idea!

Richard asked if I wanted to go out for dinner. I'm thinking of cooking. Something comforting, maybe, like baked macaroni and cheese. I have some creamy smoked gouda, some cheddar, and double Gloucester calling to me. I've been in 'cooking mode' for the past few days: last night I made Cuban black beans and brown rice I find that brown rice is so different from whole grain, white rice. I like both, but brown rice has such wonderful texture -- a chewiness to it that's satisfying. On Sunday I made peppers stuffed with quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wah'), spinach, onions, and feta. That was good! I try to make a few vegetarian meals a week.

Oh goody! Baltimore, Gas and Electric (BGE as they're known locally) is outside with huge trucks and jackhammers. They're digging up the street. I need to go stoke-up the stove and see if I can find that cord and figure out how to attach it...

Comfort Football

After the most quiet, most non-traditional Thanksgiving we ever 'celebrated' (I'm using this term loosely) (see previous blog for details), a recuperating Richard and I spent this dreary, bone-chilling, rainy Sunday watching football; really dull football. My sense is the players ate too much tryptophan-rich food on Thursday.
It occured to me today how much more 'comforting' it would be if our teams were named after our favorite foods. We wouldn't have that pesky political correctness to think about, either. Initially, I thought of using the team name initial to begin the name of the food, like the Baltimore Raviolis. That would still work for some teams like the Cincinnati Bagels, the Philadelphia Eggplant Parmesans, the Chicago Bear Claws, and the New England Puff Pastries, but I really wanted to work in macaroni and cheese and am having a hard time coming up with a team starting with 'M.' (Is there some city with 'Mavericks' or 'Muttons'?) Granted, the San Diego Cheesecakes probably doesn't have the power that the San Diego Chargers has, but I think this could really catch on! I'd go to see the Washington Risotto's with Wild Mushrooms, wouldn't you?