SNOWY DAYS, BAKING AND THE PAINT PROJECT

Well, friends, we got whalloped yesterday but the city of Chicago carried on like a well oiled machine.  We've had a lot of practice for this.  We were also fortunate that the temps were in the high thirties so the snow was pretty much melting before it hit the ground.  I think our area got about 9 inches, but a few miles  away may have gotten 12, snow is random like that.  Doesn't my patio look amazing?  I'd like to write my name on that cake with chocolate icing!

My amaryllis decided to bloom this week.  My $2.50 amaryllis from the after~Christmas sale at my grocery store.  I think I saved it's short little life!

Sorry about the quality of my pictures here.  The skies were so gloomy and I just wasn't sure what mode to shoot in.  Anyway, this is the latest in my bunny collection.  I can see this one getting a lot of love from one of my future grandchildren!

Look at her slippers!  Squeal!

I was so lucky to have so much time last week.  These are the Triple Chocolate Brownie cookies I made.  You definitely have to have a big tall glass of milk with these and then remember to lick your whiskers!

I was in the mood to bake but not kill myself too much with sugar, so I tried my hand at popovers, which turned out quite good.  We had them with dinner one night and I wish I could say everyone liked them.  The Husband thought he was getting some sort of bread or muffin type thing and a popover is actually sort of egg like.

So I moved on to cornbread muffins.  These turned out wonderful.  I found the recipe in the Williams Sonoma catalog and I tweaked it a bit.  I am sharing the recipe at the end of this post.  Now don't forget, we still have some "chili cooking" weather ahead and these goes perfect with a nice big bowl of it. 

The secret?  A nice hunk of cheddar cheese in the middle.  Oh heaven!

This is a peek of the living room right now.  It took me about an hour and 1/2 yesterday to pull pictures down and move all the little things into our den.  Except for a big mirror we are good to go in  the living room.  I left the nails in the walls...I really don't want to change what I have.   I know that sounds weird but I haven't got any new ideas nor have I seen anything anywhere that speaks to me.  And do you want to hear a real kicker?  Someone asked me yesterday if I had picked a paint color and I said, "Yes, for the last time, a creamy white!!!", "Well let's see the paint sample."  What?  What Sample?!!!"  I forgot to go out and look at paint chips! lol!  So, I'm headed to Home Depot after this post.  I mean, how long can it take to pick your favorite white out of a sea of whites?

And there was another glitch (isn't there always?).  The fabric I ordered for my new chairs is on backorder and we wouldn't get the chairs delivered until the end of May, which is after Emily's wedding.  So...I'm at square one.  I am taking this as a sign that the fabric may not have been the one for me.  I keep having visions of the muslin slipcovers I have in the family room.  Why not just a darker shade?  The fabric is soft but tough, sort of like denim.  Emily is bringing me home samples tonight.

Good luck to all of you out East where our snowstorm is heading.  Stock up on the hot cocoa, firewood and movies, stay off the roads and let it pass on through.  Now here's that recipe in my own little shorthand.  Email me if you have any questions.

Cheese Centered Corn Muffins

1 1/2 c. cornmeal

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 T. baking powder

1 1/2 t. salt

2 T. sugar

2 t.. chopped rosemary or 1 t. dried

2 eggs

1 3/4 c. buttermilk

6 T.butter, melted

5 1/2 oz. cheese (I used cheddar) cut in 12 cubes

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray muffin tin wells.  In large bowl mix all dry ingredients.  In another, mix the remaining ingredients except cheese.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add your egg mixture.  Fold until blended and no lumps remain.  Spoon about 2 T. of batter in muffin well, pop in a cube of cheese and add batter until well is 2/3 filled. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges of muffins are golden.  Cool pan on rack.  Serves 12.

Easy, easy!!  I will see you next week.  I'm joining Debra at Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday and Rooted In Thyme for Simple And Sweet Friday.