STAYING WARM

Well, I think we best get the Midwest weather report out of the way.  -1 degree, very windy, no warm up until Wednesday.  I guess we are just rolling with it.  We wear layers, we shovel, we talk about it...a lot.  Basically, I am just worn out with not being active.  I admit, I was lethargic and lazy after the holidays, I thought I had a good excuse.  But now it's cabin fever, I think I can count the number of times I've been out this month on one hand.  I went to the grocery store last Monday and then out for firewood on Friday.  That's it.  Just a lot of reading and cooking.  I live a very sheltered life.  

Our floors are like ice.  Unless I put warm socks on, my feet are practically blue.  So I know how Layla feels with her tiny feet and little body just inches off the floor.  We have a radiator with a fan below the cabinets under the kitchen sink...you can see her lying in front of it in the above picture.  She tries to warm up but for some reason, she can't seem to gauge how much she heats up and I have seen her creep away and collapse.  Sometimes we laugh, but it's really not funny, even her tags get red hot.  I'm constantly looking that way and picking her up.

I have a really nice knitted dog sweater but I left it at the lake.  Friday I took pity on her and cut the sleeve off one of my old sweaters, you can see her in it above.  Is that like giving her the shirt off my back?  She was so excited!  She ran around in circles with her ears back, and was just so pleased with herself.  She then settled down in front of the fire which is a lot safer.  

I gave up flour and sugar so I have been very focused preparing and cooking meals that have a lot of flavor, variety and stick to your ribs goodness.  I made Hungarian Goulash last week that was adapted from a recipe on Food Network by Tyler Florence.  Saturday night I made this, Moroccan Chicken.  I seem to be traveling the world.  It's just amazing what a few little used spices will do; turmeric, cardamom, curry, paprika...And with the goulash, I love the mix of cinnamon, ginger and allspice in a rich beef stew, very savory and smooth.  

I received my copy of Better Homes & Gardens and I was really pleasantly surprised with the food section.  Not always though.  I'm always up for a challenge, but I get a little disappointed when recipes don't even sound inspiring, just plain weird.  So treat your self to this issue (literally).  I'm going to make this pie in a pan.  I hope it comes out this beautiful.  

I conducted a little experiment that I saw on a blog and thought I had Pinned.  I didn't Pin it though but I think it might belong to Lynn from Happier Than A Pig In Mud.  Step up if it's yours, Lynn!  You, too, can make your scallions (or green onions) re-sprout!  Who would have thought?  Just put about an inch of the root end down in water and the new sprouts just start coming up like crazy.  I love these babies and I use them in everything from soups to salads to pasta.  Since they tend to get a little slimy fast, and I shop every two weeks, I can get myself a new bunch in between trips to the store.  Fascinating, right?

We had an absolutely boring weekend but this will be a busy week.  I'm really excited, my furniture comes tomorrow.  I still have not done a thing with my living room since I took my Christmas decorations down.  I may have changed my mind about the blue/gray curtains.  My heart just isn't going that way.  We picked out blinds at Home Depot and found out that they will measure and install every window in your home for $120.00.  The Husband jumped on it.  We have 5 windows left to do now and it took him forever to do the blinds in out bedroom.  So they are coming Saturday.  And I don't know if I mentioned that we had to get a new water heater last week.  Well, a few days ago my washing machine died.  The transmission.  So The Husband picked out a new washer and dryer over the weekend and they are coming tomorrow as well.  They are very basic models, but are high efficiency so I'm very happy to save some money and hopefully, get more laundry done per load.  

So, that's it.  I think I am going to go hang my head out the bathroom window for some fresh air now.  Stay warm!

XO,

Jane