Dam Gina!

Our first winter in the house and the Bay State has been an education about winter for me.  I know that they must have existed in Minnesota, but I had never really been aware of ice dams until recently.  On the inside, our roof has been totally dry and has held up great through the piles of snow on top of it.  However, on the outside, our roof has been dastardly plotting against the landscaping.

The snow has piled up, it has melted some and compacted, it has frozen, it has rained, it has snowed some more - all of which has led up to giant blocks of ice looking over the edge of roof, scoping out targets below.  These beasts can be one to three feet wide on the roof, several inches thick, and let's say six inches deep.  This adds up to one bad mama jama.

Maybe this doesn't qualify for federal disaster relief (I didn't really want a FEMA trailer anyway) but here are a couple of peaks of the carnage.

This had been taller than the window, just about up to the roof.   Adios!

Oh good.  Glad that only the side everyone can see was destroyed!

Maybe this could turn into a topiary to compensate for the bald spot.

I do have to say that all in all I am awfully thankful to our roof for keeping the winter out.  I know many people out there would be thankful to have only lost some shrubs.  Hope spring finds everyone safe and happy and without too much water in their basement.

I Can Gather all the News I Need on the Weather Report

Kudos weathermen, you have done it!  You have accurately predicted how crazy this winter will be!  It is amazing how fast an entire state can go from, "Look at the pretty snow, it feels like Christmas!" to, "I'm done with all this white garbage!!!"  We are once again in the middle of a storm that has closed schools and businesses and made life a little bit more difficult.

At this point my goal to enjoy the winter is becoming one that takes some effort.  Currently, there are new healthy eating guidelines coming out and a renewed emphasis on living an active lifestyle.  This is all well and good, but I think my outlook on life is mostly going to stay rosy by eating and drinking through each storm.  And as we have heard so many times, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  One of my favorite breakfast comfort foods is french toast. 

Yesterday, foreseeing this breakfast need I made a loaf of brioche.  It is light and porous and doesn't have a ton of flavor so it works well for soaking up the batter and picking up that flavor along with the syrup and anything else.

This recipe was the first that I have ever tried from this cookbook, I'm happy with how it came out.  Waking up the next morning I was ready for a seriously delicious breakfast.  Having lived across the street from IHOP for three years, I became introduced to the idea of "stuffed french toast."  Given that I didn't make a special trip to the store for this I was confined to what was in the pantry, but I think it came out pretty well.

I stuffed the brioche french toast with dried apricots and cranberries, added a side of fake sausage, warm Vermont maple syrup, a cup of oranges and banana, and to wash it all down a cranberry and seltzer.  Take that winter!!!

Every good start of the day also deserves a good end.  For this I turn to my new favorite drink.  When visiting Laura's family in Australia I was first introduced to ginger beer (think ginger ale made with lots of actual ginger).  Lately, I have seen it pop up more and more in grocery stores and restaurants.  The last few bars I have been at have had this on the menu, and recently we were gifted the 2 items necessary to make a "Dark and Stormy."

1 part dark rum, 4 part ginger beer.  Add lime if you like.

With a good morning and good night it will be spring in no time!  Stay warm (unless you are in the middle of the heatwave in Australia, then I hope you cool down!)!

Not in Portland Anymore

One of the joys of living in Portland was that it hardly snowed, and this meant that when flakes started falling it was a special day.  Well, let's just say we are having a real "special" month out here in the Box.  It feels like the snow hasn't stopped since the day after Christmas (Boxing Day Blizzard) and it just keeps piling up!  I feel sorry for Stanley the Mailmanly, getting to all the mailboxes sounds like a terrible job.  Here is what mine looks like and I'm sure I spent more time than many other people clearing it out.

My mailbox is like Waldo at times.

On New Year's Eve we made some snowmen with the help of my sister.  They melted a lot at first, but have since turned into drifters.

In the wild the Equilateral Triangle men are very even tempered.

Our driveway is getting skinnier and skinnier; turning into the house and going into the garage feels like a bobsled track with the tall ice walls going up around you.  Despite the work to get the walk and driveway clear, it really all is beautiful.  Bright and early in the morning I put on my snowshoes and wandered out into the woods.

This is what our back yard looks like.  Our house is on an acre, but half of it is woods.  I think most people ignore this part of their property, but I have big plans for it!  Come spring time there will be some serious composting happening, owl houses, bat hotels, places to sit and relax....











I guess the outdoors-y Minnesotan in me has decided to come out.  It seems like all I can think of right now is snow shoeing, cross country skiing, ice skating, sledding, and building snow forts.  Maybe watching Cool Runnings last weekend has influenced me more than I realize.






Of course I also appreciate the beauty of winter while sitting inside by the fire with a nice book and my lovely wife.  Hope everyone is having a good January and that you always have a warm and cozy place to be when you want to get out of the cold.

Ice covered branches.

Winter Joy Joy

Snow has been falling almost all day and it is freeeeezing cold outside; it is expected to start raining this evening and create lots of ice.  It looks beautiful, but it is a beauty best enjoyed through a window from a cozy perch.

Looks like Bessie might need more than just her scarf!

After closing work a little early and getting back home, it was time to hunker down.  There are a few things that say snow day for me: 1-pajamas, 2-roaring fire, 3-movie, 4-nap, 5-board game, 6-baked goods.  I wasn't really concerned about items 1-5, these are no brainers, so the question was what to bake.  With the holidays recently over I'm not really craving any cookies or sweets, but a nice loaf of bread sounds just right.  I grabbed a recipe for focaccia that I had used before and got mixing.  It is from a cookbook that came from one of my all time favorite restaurants.

Proofing yeast (1.25t),
water (1C), & honey(1t)

Yummy Christmas present honey

1.White/Wheat Flour (1.5C each)
2.Salt (.75t) & Rosemary (1T)
3.Olive Oil (1.5T)

In the mixer for a few minutes

This winter I have fallen in love with our fireplace.  Yes, I'm sure that some day I will be tired of lugging around logs and putting in the time of getting a fire going and heating the place up slowly, but I am loving it for now.  Also, it works great for getting the dough to rise!

I lost...

Rising by the fire

1 hour of rising

Punched down & another hour of rising

Now, for whatever reason, I decided to roll the dough much thinner than usual.  I think maybe I wanted a big loaf of bread even though I halved the recipe. 

20min at 400F

Focaccia bread with vegi burger,
mozzarella, roast yellow pepper

Well, with some PJs, a raging fire, some fresh bread, and being with someone I love, I would say that this storm has been weathered quite well.  Of course, having a snowblower that looks like it came from Mad Max doesn't hurt either.