Thursday, February 3, 2011

Men and Marmalade Wars!

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My kids love snow days for more than just the day off. They know that if Mama is home on a snow day, there's lots happening in the kitchen! It must be the survival instinct that kicks in with me: cold and blustery outside, warm, fragrant (fattening) and comforting inside. There's nothing like a bunch of carbs to make a person feel safe (bloated) and loved!
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I started with a beautiful beef stew made with root vegetables and tenderloin and a dash of crushed chili peppers for oomph! It was so delicious!
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Then I made a pineapple upside down cake. I think of this as part of my overall scheme for organization and simplification: I used up the last of my maraschino cherries and a can of pineapple tidbits and found out that my baking powder is losing it's action (not unlike me). It was delicious!
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I've been dreaming lately of home-made bread. So, I got out my Jean Pare bread cookbook and settled on a 7-grain recipe: white and WW flour, oats, wheat germ, bran, cornmeal & rye (for which I substituted rice flour). I find it so satisfying and even therapeutic to mix and knead and form and bake "loaves of love"!









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I awoke this morning hearing a man snoring in the next room!!
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What's this? Sandy's extradordinary prowess in the kitchen has netted her a man?
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No! The weather was so treturous last night that my friend's son (whom I watched grow up) couldn't make it home after work, so I offered my empty bedroom. As I went off to bed last night, he was sitting in the living room reading (and eating large slabs of my bread); I woke this morning to the sounds of snoring in the spare room and a pair of large, stinky shoes downstairs. (Hmmm! That sounds just like the last couple of years of my married life!)
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Then while I was shovelling, I met another cute guy!!!
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Yeah! He's eleven ..... and he helped me shovel for a certain amount of recompense. (Yes! That definately sounds just like the last couple of years of my married life!)
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This morning as I wait for the weather to warm up a little and the salt trucks to do their thing, I'm partaking in "Marmalade Wars" --- Rose's Lime or Robertson's Seville Orange?.
As much as I love lime, Robertson's seville orange wins by an orange rind.
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Now, please excuse me as I waddle off to shower before work.
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13 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Mmmmm, I wish I'd been snowed in at your house! Everything looks so delicious!

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

That stew looks delicious! I want some dinner at your house. It has been years since I have had pineapple upside down cake. You make it look so lucious.

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

Yum, yum!!! We had beef stew also but I wish I would have made the pineapple upside down cake!! Maybe today!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

You did do good! All I could manage was the snow and was too beat to do anything else after that! We have sunshine today but it is still very much below freezing! Still it looks good. Have a great Thursday!

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Golly gee, I wanna snow day at your house!!!

I'm stallin' here 'till our sub~zero temps rise above zero before I don my Michelin Man garb to go out and do my chores. It takes about an hour to do what I need to but right now all I want to do is hug the fireplace!!!

Your cake looks magnificent!!! Mmmmmmm!!! Ya know you can make your own bakin' power by usin' 1/2 soda and 1/2 cream of tarter. Just sayin'.... Out here on the Ponderosa I'm stuck improvising much of the time!

God bless ya and have a great day!!! :o)

From the Kitchen said...

I'd say you pretty much have "snow day" down to a science. I'm a purist when it comes to marmalade so orange it is!

I've been getting my "snow day" on for the past few days. So far, so good.

Best,
Bonnie

Mise said...

The pineapple upside down cake looks delicious - I make something very similar as a traybake for hungry children.

The Decorative Dreamer said...

Hi! Thanks for stopping by and your sweet comments! Your pineapple upside down cake looks delicious. That is one of my moms favorite things to make. I also love the look of your bread and desserts on the tray! Yumm! I dropped down to your next post and wanted to say how cute the vintage star is too! I love it!

Kathy C. said...

You are crackin' me up girl! And...I LOVE marmelade!!!! You're making me crave some. By the way, I absolutely think your pic at the top of your page is the happiest, most fun pic I've seen in forever anywhere... I love it!

Jeanne said...

Wow, I AM impressed, I want to come to your house for good food and fun. I know I have not been over lately. My whole life is playing catch up. I used to think it was a temporary thing, now I know it IS my life. HA!

Have a wonderful day.
Hugs, Jeanne

Mary Bergfeld said...

I'm quite fond of the lime, if we get to vote. I'm new to your blog and this post charmed me into reading some of your earlier entries. I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed my visit and I'll be back. I hope you have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

suzanne cabrera said...

I'd kill for that pineapple upside down cake this morning. Perhaps I shouldn't write 'kill'....might be misconstrued into a Dateline Special one day...but nevertheless, it looks SOOO good.

Gail said...

Home made bread!!! I love the kneading and rising and kneading and the smell that floats through the house.

Did I mention I love yeast bread?

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