use real butter

Recipe: chocolate soufflé

I wrote a short piece for Lands of Plenty on Chinese dumplings if you’d like to hop over and read it. The illustration was created by the talented Melanie Kwan.

Happy Chinese New Year! While everyone was getting ready for their big game parties on Sunday, we were busily cleaning the house and prepping food all weekend for our New Year’s Eve feast. It was just as well since the winds were horrible here, so we didn’t feel as if we were missing out on anything outside. I figured the lunar new year could mean something new for Neva, too! It’s her first Chinese New Year, after all.

a pretty new collar for her to encase in mud…

high winds can sometimes deliver dramatic cloudscapes

For some reason, this year’s cooking went more smoothly than previous years and I had the bulk of it done by Saturday night. I also think as I get older I’m okay with letting some things slide. For instance, I usually try to make stir-fried Chinese rice cakes, but instead of making yet another dish and having even more food to finish before it spoils, I just tossed a few of the rice cakes into the cellophane noodle soup and called it good. I’m slowly learning to let go of ridiculous expectations that are only in my mind and trying to focus more on reducing stress. Also? I have a terrible habit of making too much food, so I made a concerted effort to make the dishes in smaller quantities and I sent Jeremy with some of the scallion pancakes and potstickers to our favorite neighbors. It’s good all around.

fragrant pears, satsuma mandarin oranges, and a red envelope

lucky ten ingredient vegetable before mixing

making scallion pancakes

frying up some pork potstickers

our small feast

so good to finally sit down and enjoy

Now with Chinese New Year cleaning and cooking done, I can sit back and take a load off my feet… sort of. What’s that you say? Yes, Valentine’s Day is coming up. We don’t really do that around here. There are no gifts, no surprises, no unauthorized expenses, no nothing other than our typical hugs and giggles and I-love-yous. But for those of you who like to cook or bake for those people you love dearly, I can get behind that. This gluten-free chocolate soufflé has been sitting in my archives for several months and it seems appropriate right about now. We start with a chocolate pastry cream.

egg whites, egg yolks, vanilla extract, unsweetened chocolate, sugar (twice), butter (twice), powdered sugar, cornstarch, cream of tartar, cocoa powder, salt, and milk

whisk the yolks, milk, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt together over medium heat

stir the chocolate, butter, and vanilla into the mixture

chocolate pastry cream

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: pretzel bites

Our most recent storm brought nearly 3 feet of snow to us in Crested Butte. And while we have been getting our fill of the powder (and then some!), there is the issue of clearing the snow on and around our house so we can get in and out, and so Neva can potty in the yard without disappearing completely. The thing about snow in Crested Butte is that it doesn’t really melt away until late spring. This morning was a balmy -18°F. So yeah, no melting here, just moving snow to make room for more snow. But the deep freeze is also what keeps the powder stashes fresh for days.

the snow in the yard is piling high (neva and jeremy for scale)

when neva is not outside, she wants to be outside

getting turns in the fresh stuff

we’ve never skied such deep and fluffy powder

jeremy getting after it in the trees

Alternatively, you might not be a snow lover (WHY??!). I can’t say I understand, but I know people who dislike the cold and snow of winter. Maybe you prefer to sit at home and watch a bunch of dudes hurl themselves about a rectangular field. Every person has their “thing”. No matter which thing is your thing, there is no denying that a batch of warm, soft pretzel bites would be a good thing!

brown sugar, butter, yeast, egg, salt, baking soda, pretzel salt, water, vegetable oil, flour

stir the flour and kosher salt together

get the water to around 100°f

mix melted butter, warm water, yeast, and brown sugar together

**Jump for more butter**