Only Seven Inches

Okay, so it didn't start snowing as predicted (see my last blog). But when it did snow, IT SNOWED! So I measured the snow I got this morning and it appears that I got about seven (7) inches. Although to be fair, my yard may already have several centimeters of snow and some snow may have blown into my yard. So, to be fair, I think I got about six inches of snow within a twenty-four hour period (really good snow for sledding). Now I just can't wait for all of this snow to be gone and for sping to begin.

Eight Inches of Snow???!!!???

Weather forecasters predict that by tomorrow night, eight (8) inches of snow will have fallen in my neck of the woods. Are they serious? If this is so, I'll post up a picture tomorrow of the eight (8) inches of snow. I hoped that Spring would be on its way, but I guess not.

Spring: Temptuous Teaser

Apparently there is no such word as "temptuous" in the English dictionary, but I could care less. At this point right now, I think that word (even if it doesn't exist in the English dictionary) best describes my feelings about Spring.

The last few days have been mild and the sun has even paid a couple of visits from behind the clouds. The weather has been in the mid-30s, and despite the announcement that the groundhog saw its shadow earlier this month, I dearly want to believe that Spring is on its way (no additional six weeks of winter). Much of the snow has melted and I even walked outside without a hat. So you can imagine my dismay when forecasters are claiming that there will be some snow tonight and tomorrow. Why, why, why? Oh, spring, you temptuous teaser. Why won't you come and let us bathe in your glory.

Pizza, Pizza

I've been sick for some and I'm close to being my ole self again (or at least well enough to think clearly and blog). I never thought that the flu would've made me so weak or that the recovery took a lot longer than anticipated. Anyhow, I'm back and I wanted to share things I've made but didn't get the chance to blog about.

Sometime ago, and I mean several seasons ago, I tried a pizza dough recipe. See, I, like every other cook out there had a fear of using yeast. It didn't help that prior to this pizza dough recipe, I tried a different pizza dough recipe, which resulted in a disappointing semi-edible crust (I think it had a lot to do with allowing the dough to have a second rise). Anyhow, this fear of yeast and my first bad pizza dough almost stopped me from further experimentation and the quest to find a suitable recipe for homemade pizza dough.

Then one day I came across a blog (unfortunately I don't remember which blog) and saw the blogger's pizza dough recipe. I don't know what made me want to try her recipe, but I decided to put aside my fear of yeast and give her recipe a try. I must say, I do not regret giving this recipe a try because it's the best pizza dough I've had. It's soft, chewy, and tastes out of this world.

I'd recommend that you read the recipe thoroughly before you try making the pizza dough. The dough takes a while to rise (which is well worth the wait) but baking the pizza only takes several minutes. Have fun baking.

Yard Junk on Display

[Taken February 8, 2009, St. Paul, MN]

GO CARDINALS!!!

WHY are the Arizona Cardinals not getting their just due? Why are people so surprised that the Cardinals actually won the NFC Championship today (granted that this is their first time ever, since the inception of the NFL, that they got this far in the post-season AND won the NFC AND their first time as contenders in the Super Bowl)? What I don't understand is how this can be so surprising. Have they not seen Kurt Warner's quick release of the football, Larry Fitzgerald's gravity-defying catches, the amazing job the Cardinal's defense does in stopping their opponents' offense, or Adrian Wilson's ten-year devotion to the Cardinals?

I'm not a die hard fan, but for a very long time, I've had a soft spot for this underdog team. I was really exited when they drafted Matt Leinart as the team's quarterback of the future and saw it as a sign that the Cardinals were no longer going to be the laughing stock of the NFL. Then Matt Leinart got injured last season and Kurt Warner replaced him. I'll admit that I really [heart] Kurt Warner as a quarterback. How could you not? He's not a "traditional" quarterback, meaning that he went to a college that did not have a major football program, that after his college education he played Arena Football because no NFL team was willing to give him a chance, and finally he was able to sign with the St. Louis Rams in 1998 as a back up quarterback to eventually taking the Rams to and winning Super Bowl XXXIV in January 2000. I also [heart] Kurt Warner because he's one of the few remaining quarterbacks I watched as a "youngster" that has not yet retired (sniff, sniff, bye Brett Farve, I know you're going into retirement).

Okay, so enough gushing about Kurt Warner (he rocks!!!). Since the Cardinals clenched the NFC Championship today, it means that they are going to the Super Bowl (YEAH!!!). So watch the Super Bowl and root for the Cardinals. GO CARDINALS!!!

Burgundy Door

[Annapolis, MD, taken December 5, 2008]

Candied Lemon Peels

My sisters swear that I have too much time on my hand. I like to think that I'm curious and thrifty (especially considering the state of the economy right now). So as of late, I've been wanting to make lemon sorbet (a future blog in the making). After squeezing the juice for the sorbet, rather than throwing away the peels, I decided to candy the peels. After doing some research on the internet, I came up with the following recipe. I would recommend using organic lemons because regular lemons in the supermarket have a wax applied to the peel.

Candied Lemon Peel

Peel of 3 medium sized lemons
Water for blancing
1 1/2 C of water
1 3/4 C of sugar
(1/2 C of sugar for coating if needed)

1. Remove the pith (the white parts on the back of the peel) from the peel (try to remove as much as you can).

2. Blanche the peels by boiling several cups of water in a small pan. Put peels into the pan and boil the peels for about 5 minutes. Drain. Repeat this process two more times.

3. Add the 1 1/2 C of water and 1 3/4 C of sugar to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer the peels for about an hour (boiling longer is okay if necessary). The liquid will be syrupy and the peels should be soft, tender, and sweet. The syrup and peels will be hot.

4. The peels may be left in the syrup and stored in the refrigerator in a clean and air tight container. This method of storage allows the lemon peels to stay soft and flexible. The peels may be chopped up and used when making other baked goods.

5. The peels may also be coated in sugar. Put a 1/2 of sugar in a sealable container (e.g. Tupperware). Once the peels and syrup are cool, take out the peels and put into the container with sugar, seal it, and shake. Afer shaking, take the lemon peels out of the sugar and dry on wax paper. [As my picture indicates, I didn't properly coat the lemon peels with the sugar. I'd recommend coating several strips at a time instead of coating the lemon peels all at once]. Store the sugar-coated lemon peels in an air tight container.

6. Lastly, don't throw away the syrup, it will be a lovely yellow. Keep the lemon syrup in an airtight container in the fridge and use it to make lemonade, as a topping, sweetner, etc.

Books of 2008

The following is a list of the books that I remember reading in 2008 because, unfortunately, I didn't keep a good record of the books I read. I excluded from this list books that I began reading but didn't finish, books that I skipped through multiple chapters, and cookbooks. Lastly, I want to add that many of these books are a good read and I encourage you to check them out. I would particularily recommend The Disappearing Act of Esme Lennox by Margaret O'Farrell.

1. Antonement—Ian McEwan
2. The Other Bolyen Girl—Phillippa Gregory
3. Mr. Darcy's Diary—Amanda Grange
4. Shoot the Moon—Billie Letts
5. In the Woods—Tana French
6. The Disappearing Act of Esme Lennox—Margaret O'Farrell

7. The Historian—Elizabeth Kostova
8. The Little Women—Katherine Weber

9. The Slightest Provacation—Pam Rosenthal
10. The Pillars of the Earth—Ken Follett

11. Shadows at the Fair: An Antique Print Mystery—Lea Wait
12. Still Life with Chickens—Catherine Goldhammer
13. The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken—Laura Schenone
14. Julie and Julia—Julie Powell

15. Son of a Witch—Gregory McGuire
16. Size 12 is Not Fat—Meg Cabot

17. Twilight—Stephanie Meyer
18. New Moon—Stephanie Meyer
19. Eclipse—Stephanie Meyer
20. A Map of the World—Jane Hamilton

Back Yard

[A quaint and picturesque back yard in Annapolis, Maryland, taken December 5, 2008.]