The Usual

Every week or two we feel lazy, so we head over to our local for dinner. Rachael and Summit for him, Reuben and Surly Furious for me, both with cole-slaw. Then back home for the semifreddo I made for his birthday. It goes well on top of beer… I hope.

Winter Preview

This morning’s wake-up view. Time to get out the mittens and down jacket.

Categorized as Seasonal

Ice Sauna

On my chilly Minneapolis North Loop walk, with temperatures hovering in the single digits (Fahrenheit), spotted a woman in a bikini walking outside. It took me a few moments to realize she was walking from a wood-fired sauna to an ice sauna.

Ice Elephant

Walked the skyways of downtown St. Paul. Ventured outside briefly to admire the Winter Carnival ice sculptures at Rice Park.

New Year’s Day Tradition

Our New Year’s Day tradition is a long walk and a bar lunch. With subzero weather all day we achieved one out of two. Maxwell’s is our local, a chilly two-block walk.

New Year’s Paella

Our annual tradition: celebrated the new year in Madrid at 5:00 p.m. Central then made paella.

Enhanced Gravy

Last Christmas, a bottle of red wine was corked, so I reduced the wine to an excellent syrup. Over the year, it’s added a fruity note to dressings and sauces. Today, a couple tablespoons added a pleasant dimension to the gravy.