Today Could Be Worse

We spent yesterday at Chicken Mama's working to bring the Great Moving Adventure close to an end.  Just one more day (this coming Sunday) to get everything removed from the property.

The weather was super-cooperative with temps near 40 degrees and sunshine almost all day.  At the end of the day, I wondered what a pedometer strapped to my leg would have shown in miles walked up and down stairs and across acreage carrying thousands of pounds (maybe it just felt that way) of packed boxes and pieces of furniture.

When we arrived home at the end of the day, I was totally done in, ravenous but lacking one ounce of energy to whip up a delectable dinner for the three of us.  We caved and picked up a pizza for father and daughter and a California burger with onion rings for me.  I guzzled three half glasses of wine while wolfing down my burger.  Near the end of the meal, Chicken Mama asked if she could finish up the last of my onion rings.  I pushed the container over to her apologizing that I had left very little.  She commented that I had, indeed, chowed down in an uncharacteristic manner.

Later, Papa Pea and I each took some Arnica (homeopathic remedy for aches, pains and strained muscles) and crashed in bed early.  (I don't even remember exactly what time it was.)

I slept like the dead until popping wide awake at 3:30.  Got up and watched a couple episodes of Northern Exposure (why in the world don't they make TV shows like that anymore?) before crawling back into bed.

Both of us were awakened at 8:15 this morning by the phone ringing.  EIGHT-FIFTEEN?  What a couple of slugga-beds.

Granddog Tucker apparently had a rough day yesterday, too.

It is now 10:30 a.m. and we've not had breakfast yet.  We've both been swilling coffee and I have a splitting headache and ouchy tummy.  (The one and a half glasses of wine last night apparently did not do good things to my system even though it slid down ever-so easily.)

Today is shaping up to be a bit of a slow day considering our snail-like start.  Just as well.  Schools are all closed along with lots of other cancellations because of the freezing rain we got over night.  Joy, joy.  Freezing rain in the middle of January, for heaven's sake.  I shouldn't complain.  At least it's much needed moisture for the soil.  We certainly haven't been getting it what with the extreme lack of snow so far this year.

Now I think I'll go put another log in the stove to help stave off the gray, gloominess of the day (still dripping out there) and maybe take another dose of Arnica.

As for breakfast, there was a little of the pizza left over last night that I put in the refrigerator.  Think I could pass that off as breakfast/brunch?  Nah, Papa Pea would simply not appreciate that.  Nor would my stomach.   

A Resurrected Christmas Cookie

This year when I was doing my Christmas baking, I made a cookie that I hadn't made for years.  The first time I made Coco-Mint Cookies was probably in the 1980s (or earlier?) some time.  They appeared in our house at holiday time regularly for a few years and then mysteriously disappeared for some reason.  I think I remember our daughter making them once several years ago because she's particularly fond of them.

They're kind of like a healthy Oreo cookie with peppermint flavoring in the creme filling.  Everyone likes chocolate (the cookie part is chocolate) and the red and green tinted filling gives them a festive appearance.  From the comments I got on them this year, I think I'm gonna have to make them every Christmas from now on.

COCO-MINT COOKIES

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla and beat well.  Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix and add the milk combining thoroughly.  Refrigerate the dough for easier handling, if you wish.  (I didn't and had very little trouble working with it.)

Using a floured rolling pin and work surface, roll the dough to 1/8" thickness.  Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out round cookies.  (My cutter was 1-1/2" in diameter and that seemed to be a good size.)

Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.  Immediately remove to a cooling rack.

When the cookies are cooled, spread Mint Filling and assemble them sandwich-style.

Mint Filling

3 cups sifted powdered sugar
6 tablespoons softened butter
2 tablespoons milk
Green food coloring
Red food coloring
Oil of Peppermint

Divide creme filling in half and add 4-6 drops of green food coloring and 2-4 drops of oil of peppermint to one half and 4-6 drops of red food coloring and 2-4 drops of oil of peppermint to the other half.

My cookies were getting snitched so fast that I didn't get time to count them, but I think I got somewhere around 40 sandwiched cookies.

I'm thinking of making them again at Easter time with pastel colored creme filling.  I just had a thought . . . wouldn't it be cute to make the cookies with a bunny shaped cookie cutter?  

Just Ain't Right . . .

Here we are nearing the middle of January and we are severely lacking snow cover which is much needed moisture for our soil.

We just got back from taking one of our Suburbans about 20 miles down the road to our mechanic for a tune-up and work.  On the way home, I snapped this picture along the highway showing how barren the ground is.  

In a normal year (if there is a normal year any more), we would have a couple of feet of snow accumulated on the ground at this time.  Our temps have been in the 30s during the day.  You'd never know this is northern Minnesota.

What is the winter weather like for all of you in your location?  Has it been what it should be so far?  Or are you also experiencing whacky winter weather, too?

Soup Fail

That's not quite accurate.  It's more a Mama Pea fail than a soup fail.

I had plans all week to try out a new soup from the cooking with quinoa cook book I've checked out from our local library.  Although I managed to get three meals a day on the table all week, other things took up my time and I never did get the new soup made.  Therefore, no Sunday Soup post for me today.  (Hanging head in shame.)

Many thanks to all the rest of you creative gals who took the time to put up your Sunday Soup post today.  Some mighty flavorful looking soups there for all of us to try!

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Last Friday was an exceptionally warm day for us in January.  The temp rose to 33 degrees on the north side of the house where "the sun don't shine."  But Old Sol was warming up the south side of our house to an even higher degree.

Because it was getting hard to see out of our windows (ahem), I jumped on the opportunity and got all of the south facing windows washed inside AND out before a stiff wind came up and rapidly drove the temperature down, down, down.  It quickly became so cold that I knew it would be silly to try to do a good job on the remaining living room windows.

So all I have left to do is the outside of these two big picture windows.  If the forecast holds true, I should be able to get them done tomorrow.  (A couple of people have asked why there is a step ladder leaning up against the house, so it's time to finish the job.)

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Thanks again, Gals, for jumping on the Sunday Soup bandwagon.  I'm gonna try my best to do the same next Sunday.  Anybody else wanna share?

Movin', Movin', Movin'

Yup, Chicken Mama is still moving.

Papa Pea and yours truly after we had just finished unloading a truck and trailer into the storage unit.  (Fashion plates of the North, aren't we?)

Baby Pea rode home stretched out in the back of the truck cushioned with packing blankets and foam.  She may or may not have been conscious when this photo was taken.

Gotta remember the words of ol' Elbert Hubbard:  

"Home is where the heart is."

And Chicken Mama has been working hard to shift her loyalties to her new home.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Papa Pea and I traditionally spend New Year's Eve home sipping a glass or two of liquid libation of our choice in front of an open fire.  Last night for the first time in ages, we ventured out to friends' home for a wonderful dinner and an evening of good conversation and visiting.

We dined on a luscious venison roast with potatoes, squash and carrots done in a crock pot.  The homemade biscuits were to die for.  (I stuffed in two because they were so good.  Keep in mind that I rarely eat any bread with a meal because it fills me up so much I can't enjoy everything else.)  A fresh spinach, orange, raspberry and toasted nut salad with a wonderful dressing rounded out the main meal.  For dessert our hostess made what she said was "the special" treat when she was growing up:  homemade gingerbread with applesauce (made that afternoon) on top and a mound of whipped cream.  What a meal!

Did we all ring in the New Year together at midnight?  Nope.  Even though they are 20 years younger than we, the yawns started appearing fast and furiously all around near 9 o'clock and the two of us were back home here at 9:30.  Pathetic?  Nah.  It could hardly have been a nicer evening, and there was literally no one on the roads (tipsy or sober!) when we drove home at that hour.

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Papa Pea and Chicken Mama are off for some work at Swamp River Ridge today.  I was excused from duty so promised them a yummy dinner tonight when they return.  We have sunshine (hooray!) again today but the temp is in the single digits so it will be cold for them working out there, even in the house, as there is no longer any heat hooked up.  But we're tough up here and know how to dress for cold weather.  I was remembering this morning when we first moved up here.  During one January, the temp plunged to -25 and stayed there for TWO WEEKS.  Fortunately, we had a heavy snow cover that year which helped insulate everything.

Since I'm spending my day at home, I plan on taking down all the holiday decorations.  The tree is denuded and tossed outside already.  If I succeed in my endeavor, it will be the earliest I've ever accomplished the task.  I usually put it off for about a week after New Year's Day because 1) I'm so reluctant to let go of all the glitter and sparkling lights, and 2) it's such a big job that I avoid it like the plague.

But I'm not making any progress as I sit here typing so I'd better wrap this up.

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Wonderful, warm wishes to all of you for the coming New Year!  Let's all do our best to make 2013 a good one.