use real butter

Recipe: vegetarian bagel

I am getting into the spirit of the season. And by season, I really mean season. The solstice is here, the longest night of the year for those of us in the northern hemisphere. Jeremy dreads this day because he really misses the daylight. I don’t mind it, really. And it seems to come upon us so quickly that I’m usually a little surprised when it arrives. Alright, honestly? I’m always surprised when the month of December arrives. For some reason, after the leaves fall, the last quarter of the year rushes in like a flood: one holiday after another, winterizing the house, putting away summer clothes and getting out the winter clothes, cooking more stuff in a crock pot than on the grill (well, I pride myself in using the grill throughout the year if I can!), changing out my header image on use real butter, tuning up our tele gear, getting our winter skin back. The past couple of weeks have felt like true winter because of the snow and the darkness and the frigid temperatures – but it was all autumn.

I look forward to the solstice because our days get longer from there until summer solstice. It’s a hopeful time to me and I love winter – especially the night sky in winter. Plus, the chilly temps make for great cuddling with Kaweah, the mobile furnace. I am especially jolly this solstice since Jeremy returned from travel on Friday. We managed to squeak in a lunch at Sushi Tora in Boulder before he had to rush off to a last minute meeting.

hamachi sashimi

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Well, there weren’t any bears. Just Kitt. But there was porridge. There was beautiful, creamy, dreamy, rice pudding porridge. If Goldilocks had come across *this* porridge, Girlfriend would have been licking the bowls clean when The Bears came home.

mushy grains for brunch

I finally handed off the NaBloWriMo Traveling Masterpiece to Kitt this morning over brunch at Lucile’s in Boulder. I didn’t realize so many of the NaBloWriMos were in Colorado. Had a slight dilemma on my hands because I love savory food, but most of the savory items on the menu were drowned in Hollandaise, sausage gravy, or other artery-clogging goodness. I opted for the oatmeal, which was delightfully nutty, chewy, crunchy (you know, that chewy pop of good non-rolled oats), and fruity. I wanted to ask Kitt for a taste of her porridge, but cream/milk is mine enemy and it would have made for a horrible Rest of the Day as I had several errands to attend to in town.

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Recipe: raspberry buttermilk pancakes

Today was one of those non-stop days from the moment I woke at 5:30 am up to now. I am feeling great in large part due to my dosage of steroids (long story, but it’s to treat the side effects of a side effect from one of my chemo drugs). It’s good that I started the steroids now because I have so much to get done this week and… I’m getting most of it done!

This morning we ventured up to Lake Isabelle – a short hike under normal circumstances except the road to the trailhead is partially closed and the trail is 60% under snow still. A great time to see the lake which takes on a different personality every few weeks when the seasonal conditions change so quickly. She’s beautiful any time of year. Here are some of the favorites, but you can always hop over to the photo blog for the rest.

on the way to the lake

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