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| Frozen River at Sunrise (what the heck is that yellow spot??? Reflections I'm guessing!) |
Hello Friends!
It's December! EEEK!!! Why does time fly so much faster as you age? Kind of scary in a way. It's so cold out, boo hoo hoo! Christmas is the only thing keeping me going right now...after January I will be in full hibernation, Hygge, cozy, hide-under-the-blankets mode!!! Okay Rain, no worries...only six more months of this...😢
One of the ways I get through our long winters is to make sure there is plenty of comfort food to eat. What's your favourite comfort food? Maybe I'll take some new ideas and make them this winter!!
Here is some "empty the freezer" Stir Fried Rice. Frozen peas and spring onions made this easy meal very delicious! You can use any kind of veggie with this stir fry. I make this when I'm out of ideas or just plain lazy!
I used the last of the frozen summer corn to make my Loaded Nacho plate. It was so good, we made a second one - but in hindsight, we probably shouldn't have...talk about a food coma!
I'm not sure why, but I'm finding LOTS of asparagus at the market lately! I usually don't see any until the spring so I'm taking advantage because it's our favourite veggie. I made my Asparagus and Fontina Tart - but I used Cheddar cheese instead since we had plenty in the fridge! If you have frozen puff pastry, this is a great recipe to use it up. This tart doesn't reheat well though, so make sure you eat it up quick! Trust me, there won't be a problem with that! 😋
Of course it wouldn't be a typical week in the Rain household if there wasn't a cheesy melty Poutine to eat!
To round out the week of comfort: Minestrone Soup (for Alex) and Fisherman's Stew (for me). You can't have comfort food without a good loaf of homemade No Knead Bread for dipping!
We opened up my Farmhouse Cheddar last night. It was pretty delicious! It aged a month and it was nice and soft, kind of like a Mozzarella. We have FIVE more cheeses to open and taste in December!!! And I'm going to start on my Camemberts for the Christmas holidays!
The girls love to sit outside on a sunny day in the winter. Charlie is pure husky - this is her season that's for sure! Marlene is part husky, part shepherd and she loves the snow too, as long as there is sun to keep her warm!
Jack, however, takes after me lol...he prefers a cozy pillow with lots of blankets!!!
When we first adopted Jack in 2015, we thought that he had a bad habit of chewing on his ears and we tried to teach him not to do it. But we realized that it's like a game for him - you know like some dogs chase their tails, he "chases" his ears and chews on the ends. He'll sit there for hours with one ear in his mouth!
I'm off for some more coffee now! Be sure to join me on Thursday for our art date - the theme is Flavours and Aroma. ☕☕ Until then, keep warm and cozy!
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| Baby Oscar In The Window |
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| Leo Watching The Birds |
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| Dana Sleeping By The Heater |
When we first adopted Jack in 2015, we thought that he had a bad habit of chewing on his ears and we tried to teach him not to do it. But we realized that it's like a game for him - you know like some dogs chase their tails, he "chases" his ears and chews on the ends. He'll sit there for hours with one ear in his mouth!
I'm off for some more coffee now! Be sure to join me on Thursday for our art date - the theme is Flavours and Aroma. ☕☕ Until then, keep warm and cozy!
You two do eat well, I must say! Yum!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the look of your food, and I'm with you that food can be a great comfort, especially in cold weather, and your winter is soooo long! My fave food at this time of year are soups, stews, stir-fries and anything over-baked with cheese in the oven, yummy! Your cheese looks very tempting. And as always, your furry family members are the stars of the show, one lovelier than the other. You are lucky to have such a great family, and they are lucky to have you! Hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteMy favorite comfort food is a bowl of hot homemade beef stew over wild rice. I also dearly love my homemade individual chicken pot pies. I made six of them this past week. I used a regular pie crust and fitted it into aluminum pie pans I found at our grocery store. Then I made a nice chicken breast meat stew with fresh peas and carrots. Since the weather will be turning colder soon I will be having the pies for dinner this coming week. It's so warming for the soul. The husky puppies are in their element. They do love the icy cold snow. Jack reminds me of a girl I knew in grade school that would suck on her hair. It was so nauseating. Lucy is almost like Jack. She loves our bed and any chance she can get to talk me into going to lie down is always on her mind. Sometimes she's very persuasive.
ReplyDeleteComfort food, comfort food...FA LA LA LA LA! 🍭
ReplyDeleteWe do a lot of comfort foods this time of year,too. Love all your pictures including your fur babies. Happy Sunday- xoDiana
ReplyDeleteComfort food warms body, soul, and spirit. Just the thing when it's cold outside!
ReplyDeleteyour food is killing me!!! i have no food here. i made stuff today but gave it to my kids. the nachos look killer good. and your cheddar looks like the really expensive beecher cheddar i buy. it's sunny and 60 right now. it feels like spring. where is my snow!!!?
ReplyDeleteps....jack should be in the movies. he is SO expressive.
ReplyDeleteYour food always makes me hungry, darn it. I love the way you get veggies in everything. We have noticed asparagus in the stores here too. We have been loving having it at the start of winter. One of our favorite veggies too. We roast it with parm cheese and garlic powder. SO yummy. I love your 6 fur babies. Marlene looks so regal laying in the snow while Charlie is watching to make sure the spot of sun does not move. Then there is Jack......the smart one that loves a warm pillow and blanket. Your kitties are so sweet looking too. Leo looks just like the favorite cat we had. He spoiled me on any other cats. He had so much personality. I still miss him.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks amazing, but the Fontina and Asparagus tart looks extra special good!
ReplyDeleteIt was 26 C last Friday and cloudy, but sunny today and 15 C. Such a strange Winter.
that's a feast what they serve up in the cold weather you need that.
ReplyDeleteThe dogs and cats look cute with their eyes. Yes, such a large family with animals is something nice.
greetings Elke
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ReplyDeleteYour freezer clean-outs look amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe bowl of soup with that bread would suit me just fine. Your babies look mighty comfortable.
The food looks delicious and comforting, it is cold outside. Beautifl shots of the pets too.
ReplyDeleteOh your food is MIND BLOWING dear Rain ,i suddenly feeling hungry :)))
ReplyDeletei am so glad that you are filling warmth in your cold days through such delicious tempting dishes :)
i also found the sunny view so amazing , your CUTE and ADORABLE pets look so lovely :) haha Jack under blanket with one eye looks COOL :)
hope your Christmas preparation is going great my friend :) wishing you warmth of love lots and lots of it !!!
Your dinners look so good! I love asparagus too and used to have a big bed of it on my farm. Love the pictures of the dogs and cats! Jack is something else....he has more personality in his eyes....a deep old soul I think. My favorite comfort food is Cheesy Macaroni Casserole. I'll have to post the recipe...one of these days! LOL! I am busy with Christmas now....where did the time go? I'm off to Cyber shop! Have a great week and stay warm!
ReplyDeleteOh, and your cheese is phenomenal! You are an amazing woman!
Mmmm... the Loaded Nachos get my vote. I'd love to come to your house and get a "clean out the freezer" meal. And your fur babies are all adorable. I don't know why Jack always catches my eye, but he sure looks irresistible. Does he know he's so cute?!?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite comfort is FOOD! It depends on the season too. In the winter months it's slow cooker fare like soups and stews. In the spring and summer it's foraging for interesting tidbits (weeds) for salads. When I'm sick, it has to be cream of chicken soup. Japanese foods make me nostalgic. Down home country foods like chicken and dumplings, ham, greens, and cornbread bring e comfort also. My scales tell me my seeFOOD and comfort foods brings me too much comfort.
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing all of your photographs …
ReplyDeleteYour food does look good …
I always think in the colder months soups and casseroles are perfect …
Happy December Wishes.
All the best Jan
You have the best food. I've been barely keeping it together. Spaghetti over 3 days. Pizza over 3 days, which hubby cannot eat. Frozen meals. We've been so sick!
ReplyDeleteYour pets are lovely.
I'm not a fan of winter but I will admit that it does look beautiful. Through my window :) Oh those huskies! I just adore them. They do love their winters, don't they?
ReplyDeleteAnd you two eat so well! Everything looks delicious.
I flinched a little when u said, only 6 more months of this ... aaargh !!! But no sis, decmber doesnt count and then in March things will get better...no ?? Please say yes !!!
ReplyDeleteJack looks so adorable with his ear in his mouth ... lol
And the girls ... just like ours. They just love the snow :) Inwish Ibwas at least part husky ... lol
Your meals looks so tasty! I wish I had the desire to cook great things, but I'm tired at the end of the day and am not really a fan of cooking. Crockpot soups are my favorite though...super easy and they cook themselves. We have a lot of that in the winter time. Our winter is not very cold though and we rarely see snow, so I'm a little jealous of your snow! Your fur babies are absolutely adorable!! We have a chewer too, I wish she only chewed on her ears, but she pretty much eats everything in sight. Puppies!!!!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post! Hope you have a blessed week.
Your cheese looks fabulous, Rain! That's how persistence rewards you. That asparagus tart looks scrumptious. I've been seeing a lot of asparagus in our store too. Your fur babies are always adorable. I'm so glad that you adopted Jack. He certainly lucked out! All the best to you and Alex! XOX
ReplyDeleteWe do Debra! :) It's our favourite hobby lol!
ReplyDeleteThanks Valerie :) The winter here is crazy-long...but we're moving next year to a (hopefully) SLIGHTLY milder climate. We'll still have winters, but hopefully not for 6 months!! Oven baked and cheesy sounds great to me!! You're sweet :) I do love the furkids...they are so dear to me! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Leanna :) Chicken pot pies...yes! I used to make those a LOT. But when Alex stopped eating meat, they went out of the rotation. Although I made them once without the chicken and they tasted great! I need to make them again. It's too easy to be persuaded by the pups when they want to cuddle in bed isn't it? :)
ReplyDeleteLol...you got it Sandi! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Diana :) Comfort food is a MUST during winter!
ReplyDeleteI so agree Leigh! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Joyce :) That's funny about Jack! He is very expressive that's true. It's those big eyes!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marsha :) Honestly between us... ;) ...I am NOT a veggie fan, that's why I try to hide them in the food! Ha. I like the way you make asparagus! I'm sorry for the loss of your cat...it's so difficult no matter how long it's been. I miss all of my dearly lost furbabes...actually when Alex and I met, he had two cats, and I wasn't a cat person at all. I grew to love them but when we got Baby Oscar...he really has spoiled me for cats, I adore the little guy, he's so sweet. I have a new appreciation for cats that's for sure! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks TB :) That tart is only good for one meal, it's TOO good! I kind of envy your weather to be honest!
ReplyDeleteThanks Elke :) The comfort food is really needed here in the winter! And yes, I love so many pets in the house, it makes everything so cozy!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan :) Nice to see you! Bread and soup works so well for me these days!
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine :) Yeah, it's too cold for this time of year, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks Baili :) Lol...I'm glad my photos make you feel hungry! Oh you should taste the real food! LOL! Jack knows how to be comfy that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sam :) Oh I want a big bed of asparagus when we settle! I know it takes a few years, but that's one of the first things I'm going to plant!! Yes! Jack is a deep soul - it's those eyes. I adore him. I haven't had macaroni and cheese in AGES...I need to put that back in the rotation, thanks for the suggestion!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Becki :) Oh the nachos get my vote too...we made a second helping and we totally regretted it after our stomachs realized how much we ate lol! I think Jack knows that he can get away with anything if he just gives me those "bedroom eyes" lol! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Jo! My favourite comfort is food as well! We live for it lol! Yes, I need to bring out the slow cooker. We make all of the pet's food at home, so the big slow cooker is always full of pork and veggies for them, I forget I have a little one that I can use to make meals for me and Alex! I plan on making a cream of chicken soup this month! First time I try to make it from scratch, that is one of my favourite soups. And another first, I'm trying chicken and dumplings too! That meal brings me back to lunch on Saturdays with my grandpa! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Laurie :) I hope you felt the yumminess in my words! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jan :) Oh yes, soups...stews...casseroles, they are so good in the winter! Add some cheese on top and I'm in heaven!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn :) Okay, I need to visit your blog soon to make sure you're not sick anymore!!! Pizza for three days doesn't sound too bad to me! :) Hope you're feeling better!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Martha :) I'm with you on winter...HATE it. Well, okay...I hate the cold, I hate the shoveling, I hate how long it is...but yes, through the window, it's gorgeous lol...the huskies LOVE the snow. They play insanely every time I bring them out, they run around the yard like maniacs, it's really cute!
ReplyDeleteI know Nik!!! 6 months. Okay, I will agree December doesn't count, but did November??? ;) I don't expect to see a full green ground until mid-May anymore. Hopefully the Maritimes will be better for us next year!!! If I were part husky, I probably wouldn't whine so much about winter, but then I'd be whining during the summer lol!
ReplyDeleteThanks Courtney :) I don't work anymore and that's why I can put so much energy into the kitchen. I totally understand how you feel! When I was working it was mainly frozen dinners! I love my crock pot! I haven't used it much lately but I need to dust it off for busy days. If you want my snow, you can have some lol! The winters are just too long here so I complain a lot! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Louise :) The cheese making is going well, we have so many to open in the next month!! Oh and thanks...I feel so happy that we found Jack! He was abandoned at 9 years old the poor fella. When I saw his photo on the rescue web site, I had to have him!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm coming over to eat!
ReplyDeleteLOL. come on over Stefanie! :)
ReplyDelete