February 14th - February 20th
My mother is a very cold person. She wears a sweatshirt in seventy-degree weather, she sleeps in cashmere socks, and her fingers are like icicles. As a kid, during winter break, we would take trips to warm places like Ixtapa, Punta Cana, and Maui. All destinations where she thrived in the warm weather and wouldn't need a jacket. A ski trip to Mammoth Mountain was never in question and I didn't spend any time in the snow growing up.
To me, the snow experience has always seemed magical. I looked at it like a young child would experiencing it only on special occasions. Bundled in lots of layers, drinking hot chocolate, sledding on rolling hills of beautiful marshmallow fluff. And the limited-time I've started to spend in it has been just that, a wonderful winter treat that came and went too quickly. Living in it has proven to be a different beast.
Our winter in Kansas City last year was pleasantly mild. We didn't have a white Christmas but a few light snow days here and there. They were magical, really. We made a snowman at the top of our driveway, threw snowballs for Josie to jump at and catch, shoveled the driveway once, and then it was gone. This year's polar vortex hit us, and so many others, hard. The temperature had been hanging out in the thirties for a while. A temperature that's tolerable and I can still bundle up to take Josie on a walk and get some fresh air. Over the last two weeks, our temperature started to drop into single digits. When it was seven degrees Josie started refusing to go outside. When she finally went out she was lifting her paws and limping after about two minutes and it was clear she needed boots. Getting the boots would mean a trip to the store. A trip that required driving in the snow to said store. To investigate, we walked up our long and steep driveway, the driveway that our real estate agent said "wouldn't be fun in the winter," and discovered our roads hadn't been cleared at all. A trend we have noticed with each storm. The issue is that both ends of our street have hills and I knew we would be able to get out but no way we would be able to get back home. I have seen way too many cars make it to about our house and then slowly slide back down. We were stuck.
The temperature kept dropping, the coldest morning was negative nine, and we got a few more inches of snow. I didn't leave the house for who knows how many days and I started to feel like Jack in The Shining. Not so much that I wanted to kill my wife and son but that I had been sitting here for days trying to write, feeling like the snow around me was swallowing me, and there was no end in sight. The main activity of my days was shoveling and salting the driveway just to then shovel it again the next day. An activity I was happy to do at first because it got me out of the house, it was almost meditative like making lines in a Japanese sand garden, but then became a huge pain in the ass. Remember when I mentioned it being long and steep? While I was out there my nose started to run and then freeze inside my nostrils...a truly bizarre feeling. One day I got the mail with wet hair and it froze on the quick trip to the mailbox and back. Another strange experience. I had two humidifiers running 24/7 but still couldn't get the humidity over 24% in the house. The constant static became painful. Occasionally it would rise from whatever I was cooking and then the condensation that collected on the windows would freeze...?! I hadn't seen anyone for days (also partially a pandemic problem), it was well below freezing, dark, and just sad. It's hard to feel good after a week of that and I was unhappy with everything creative I was putting out there. How do people live like this? How do people live in Michigan? Or Maine?? Or CANADA?!!
I wondered if winter made everyone else feel crazy and it turns out it does for a lot of people. Seasonal depression is a real thing and I learned a sun lamp is something everyone needs. Mine arrived this week and has made a huge difference already. To my grandma's dismay, I hopped on my roof (three times) to clear the snow from my skylight to brighten my kitchen. That has also made an enormous difference. When Marco had to cancel a lunchtime appointment because our roads were not cleared I suggested we get a little sledding session in. We got some much needed endorphins and things started to turn around. The weather has crept back into the 30s again and the polar vortex is behind us. We didn't lose power in our neighborhood due to "rolling blackouts" but if we did that might have pushed me into full hibernation, never leaving my bed.
Through my experience cooking Indian dishes, one thing I have learned that I enjoy is heavily seasoned and spiced dishes. I have always known this and been attracted to ethnic dishes with lots of heat, acidity, and herbs. I turn to magazines for recipe inspiration but over time I have noticed that magazine recipes are "watered down." They are a good start but lack major umph. So I zhuzhed up a recipe for Pork with Peppers + Olives from Real Simple magazine. This is what I did:
Cut the pork into 3-inch pieces and then browned them in a pan on all sides before adding them to my crockpot. This adds extra flavor.
Skipped microwaving the sliced onions and garlic. I found this to be entirely unnecessary.
Added 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes.
Cut the time in half and turned the temp up to high.
Left out pimento-stuffed olives and used a whole jar of Castelvetrano olives.
An extra big splash of red wine vinegar at the end.
Served it with sauteed kale over creamy polenta. More appetizing than canned beans and white rice to me.
The dish was great. Give the original or my version a try and I'm sure you will enjoy it. Just don't microwave the onions and garlic. That step is totally unnecessary.
We eat a good amount of meat in this house but I am all for a delicious vegetarian or vegan meal. My Thursday recipe this week happened to be vegan (until I added cheese). Hearty mushroom Bolognese with so many flavors layered in we truly didn't miss the meat at all. This recipe requires a lot of time stirring but I made prep super easy by pulsing all the veggies in a food processor. I'm a little biased but I really do love this recipe and think everyone should try it.
I worked on a secret project last weekend with the 1.7lbs of foie gras I was sent from Bella Bella Gourmet. In normal times I would have used the whole lobe to serve at a party but who knows the next time I will have a house full of people. I decided to attempt a terrine of foie gras. The foie gras is deveined (a process that looked easier on Youtube demonstrated by a handsome French chef), seasoned with salt pepper and Armagnac, packed into a "terrine" dish, and baked low and slow in a water bath. During the baking process, some of the fat will render and raise to the surface. When chilled the terrine is sliced and served alongside charcuterie including its beautiful bright yellow layer of fat. The seasoned and cooked foie gras is buttery smooth and delicious like pate, minus any traces of mineral flavor, and the fat is the best part. It's like seasoned butter and is heavenly spread on a little piece of toast. There was no need for the two of us to eat a whole lobe of foie gras in 3-5 days so I sliced it up and frozen them individually. I'm sharing a few slices with my friends and then whenever I can host a party again, I'll pull a slice out to serve on a cheeseboard. This experience was a new one for me but I definitely enjoyed it. I'm going to keep this in my back pocket as a special holiday party dish.
This week's late-night thought: What if you put grated potato, cheese, and scallions in a savory waffle?
It's better than I imagined!!! I used the batter for my GF Sour Cream + Onion Waffles and added grated potatoes, grated cheese, and sliced scallions. Play around with these at home, it's worth it. Just make sure to squeeze all the extra liquid out of your potatoes. I'll work on a recipe for you guys!
Recipes From This Week:
Restaurants From This Week:
The sushi craving hit again and we decided to try another "best" sushi restaurant in KC. The portions were massive and the fish quality was fine but we didn't love it. The fish preparation was sloppy and the pieces of fish were unappetizingly thick. An important part of any dish is the experience. What is it like to pick the piece of sushi up? How does it fit and feel your mouth? Is it hard to eat? Knife cuts were inconsistent, the thickness of the fish was unpleasant, the rolls were difficult to eat, and the rice had an odd flavor. Would I eat at Bob Wasabi Kitchen again? Sure if someone wanted to go there. I found Jun's a better experience all around and far superior.
Thing Everybody Needs:
If you live anywhere that experiences a real winter you need a Happy Light.
I added a list to my Amazon storefront with all of the suggested items, games, and books to help get us through winter. If you need a little pick me up, check it out.
Animal Cuteness:
All of the cats like the happy light. They take turns sitting in front of it.
Random Thing From This Week:
Our sledding hill.
Coming Soon:
I was sent my quarterly spice club box from Burlap and Barrel and it included Salina Crystal Salt. I think that is a sign to finally start my salt research project...
Book I'm Cooking Through This Month:
India: The Cookbook, Pushpesh Pant
Recap + review coming this week!
During the polar vortex, a new outdoor sectional for our deck arrived. I stare at it daily thinking of the hours I am going to spend lounging on it when the weather hits 60 degrees...
See you next week,
Marcella
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