January Round-Up

January has passed by really quickly.  Maybe just because I'm getting older or I've just been trying a few new things recently.  I've wanted to pick up painting again, but I haven't gotten there yet.  There is still February and much more of 2018.  However I have done a few things this month.

What I read: 

Beartown is about the aftermath of a rape in a small town in Sweden that is entirely focused on hockey. This book was very well written.  Usually a book with a plot revolving around a rape is something I wouldn't read, but this was so much more. It was gut wrenching and very difficult to put down.

On the other hand the The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper was charming.  It is about an old man who learns about the "secret" life of his recently diseased wife and in the process learns about himself too. 

What I've been listening to: 

I've recently started listening to podcasts when I run in the morning just as a change from the norm. The collection on Gastropod is really interesting. It combines food with history and science.  I'm interested in finding new podcasts.

What I've cooked:

Kale and goat cheese cups for breakfast.  They were super easy to make on Sunday and warmed up well in the microwave all week.  I would suggest cooking the kale a little more than the recommended 2 minutes. Maybe a feta would be delicious as well for a change.  Here I served it with a chocolate chip banana bread.  This is a great way to start my day before school.  

I hope your month was as enjoyable as mine.  

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

This was a great quick put together lunch my daughter came up with over her winter break.  We had shrimp on hand and wanted to come up with a way to use it that we both  would enjoy.  Of course since I eat almost anything that's not really hard.  The trick for her is that she's lactose intolerant so our cheese selection is very limited. She found several recipes for shrimp pizza on Pinterest and created this one.  There aren't really any exact measurements.

We sautéd peeled and deveined shrimp in butter and garlic for about 2-3 minutes.  (Before sautéing them I took off the hard parts of the tail, and if the shrimp were extra large we cut them into smaller pieces.

Next we added about 1/4 -1/2 cup white wine and chicken stock and covered the pot for a quick braise.

As a pizza base we chose a large piece of herb and garlic flavored naan.  Honestly the plain would have been just as good.

We layered shrimp, a bit of the braising liquid and then Parmesan cheese.  We topped it all with a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper.  Honestly this is my new favorite pepper.  It's a little less spicy than crushed chilies yet it gives a bit of warmth  to the food.

The pizza baked for about 12 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Bon Appétit!
And as always with love from the Midwest,
Beth

Serious Winter Clothes

As you know I live in Northeast Wisconsin.  Sometimes we have a lot of snow and sometimes we don't.  When there's snow the temperature is alright, about 20 degrees, but when there's no snow it can be just brutal, around 5 degrees as a high.  I guess that's why its called the Frozen Tundra.  This is the scene outside my front door this afternoon.  It is pretty, and yes we still have our Christmas decorations up because its been too cold to take them down.

The questions is what to wear on a day like this.  Honestly I get tired of seeing people in high-heeled boots and cute little coats in the city on social media sites. I basically live in a suburban environment with snow everywhere on a day like today. Someplaces are slick and others aren't.  So I decided to take a few pictures of what a normal winter look is for me. 

Corduroys are a great staple in my wardrobe.  Yes I know they are simple, but they work for a day like this.  I still love a pop of color so the pumpkin pants are just what I need.  What boots am I wearing today? LL Bean boots are great.  I usually bring a pair of regular shoes to change into at work as well, but sometimes not. 

The scarf -well it's cute and it doubles as a scarf for going outside.  Let's also be real I have an extra layer on under my sweater, long sleeve of course.  

I always like to wear some sort of jewelry.  Today I'm wearing my Pandora and these new hand-made filigree silver earrings I got for Christmas.  

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth

Winter Doldrums

While I do love January and the quiet after all of the holiday crazy, winter in northeast Wisconsin can seem monotonous.  For the first week it was so cold the most I could walk was a mile outside.  I'd come back in with my scarf all wet from breathing.  However we have had a little break and I've been able to get back outside at least for some after school walks.  For the moment I'm running on my treadmill for about 3-4 miles and doing yoga.  So what do we do over the winter.  Well there's always lighting a fire, reading a book and recently I picked up my knitting.  I haven't knit in a while due to elbow pain, but I just wear by tennis elbow brace and carry-on.  I'm currently working on a scarf with this beautiful variegated light yarn.  The bowl is a hand-made knitting bowl and for the most part it keeps me from getting my yarn tangled up.  

My husband and I almost always try something new in the kitchen.  Last year we grew mushrooms and this year we are making extracts.  There are many recipes on the internet so we decided to try.  The only change we made was to use everclear instead of vodka.  With this change you need to mix equal parts water and everclear with the vanilla bean, just please don't use straight everclear. We've made vanilla, almond, coconut and cinnamon extracts.  They are all waiting to be ready with the exception of the cinnamon that I've used in my coffee.   The cinnamon extract imparts a sweetness without any grittiness.  We just keep all of these in a dark area and shake every once in a while.  I hope they will be ready soon.

How do you choose to chase the doldrums away?

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

What I've Been Cooking

So last week was our winter break.  I'm so lucky to have time off from school to bake and try new things.  I'm also extremely blessed to have a daughter who likes to find new recipes in various blogs and my cookbooks and a family who is willing to try anything.  So we spent the last week eating a few new breakfasts.  The first one was Ginger Bread Panckaes.  These a lot of spice flavor and are made with buttermilk which is always my favorite.  I just served them with maple syrup and they were delicious. My children thought a lot of whipped butter would be even better with them, and they are probably right. 

Next up was a  Cinnamon Sugar Dutch Baby Casserole.  This was great on Christmas morning with fruit and bacon.  The dish was light and fluffy and was also delicious with a touch of maple syrup.  I really love maple syrup.   The only problem according to my 14 year old son is that there is not enough of it.  

And last was a Cinnamon Roll French toast.  I love cinnamon rolls, but I'm a morning exerciser and I really am not going to get up exercise and then take 2 hours to cook a breakfast. I'd be starving.  This was super easy to put together the night before and the next day it just needed to have a cinnamon sugar drizzle put on top and then the cream cheese glaze after cooking.  Again served with fresh fruit and coffee it is a delicious breakfast.

So what have you been cooking for breakfast?  Perhaps this has given a bit of inspiration.  As always Bon Appétit and with love from the Midwest,

Beth