We are wading through the doldrums of winter. Yes it has been, at times, the kind of cold that makes you clench your fists in your mittens; the kind of cold that that makes your teeth tingle, eyes water, and your cheeks sting. Yes we've had some snow. And yes, despite it all, I still believe in global warming. But if Jamie and I learned one lesson last winter, it is the kitchen as oasis from all that is brutal in Minnesota's world.
Armed with a Grateful Apron, courtesy of Kelly, Jamie has taken to seasonal dishes. Tortilla soup, root vegetable gratins, butternut squash and bean burritos. There have been fennel salads, leek and potato soups, focaccia bread pizzas. Now she adds Veganomicon to her arsenal...
I've tried to keep my end of the bargain as well. With some initial advice and understanding from our good friend Stefan, I've turned my attention toward the daily sustenance. From my standpoint, seasonal unemployment gives me a chance to learn a new skill. If the economy tanks any further, I at least don't want to be the guy waiting in the bread line. Bread baking was daunting and complicated at first glance. But once I quit being afraid of working with yeast and more importantly, found a way to make a warm environment for bread to rise in, it has been all fun and games. We have not bought bread in well over a month. Several of these made the grade the second time around. There have been some frustrations. Some heavy loaves that wouldn't rise, forgotten ingredients and the like. But having a fresh loaf at dinner is worth any pains.
These cider vinegar english muffins were the ticket. Much better than an earlier recipe I attempted.
I've made this flax seed and oat bread several times as its easy and delicious.
A classic New York deli style rye!
Almond Biscotti
Evenings in Duluth...
This apple pie tasted great but in reality was a pain in the ass to construct. Rather than add the usual amounts of sugar, the recipe calls to boil down the juices of apple and brown sugars making a sort of syrup that is then dumped over the pie. Apricot preserves give it the glaze. If there's a next time around it could go a lot quicker.
Pita bread - whole wheat - is ridiculously easy to make.
Bagels! Made for Jamie's Birthday. She's a tough bagel critic. Fresh out of the oven they were tough to beat. But after refrigeration they didn't have the same appeal. Poppy seed, sesame seed, fennel and caraway and salty garlic pictured here.
These two loaves were a Rose L.B. recipe called "ricotta bliss." I have to admit they were absolutely delicious. Soft, cakey and moist, they walked a thin line between between a dessert and dinner bread.
There are a staggering amount of bread recipes out there. I'd be happy to forward anyone the recipes for these.
Actually this had nothing to do with the Olympics of course, but it did have some Olympic elements. For one, teams throughout the northern hemisphere participated in the event. Notably, the lion jaw at the bottom of the page was carved by a Russian team. Also I'd suspect that most of these were not spontaneous first attempt artworks. Looking at the carvings, we noticed some teams had elaborate 3 dimensional plans, seemingly drawn to scale. 
This piece was called "Paul Bunyan's Ice Auger."
All manner of tools were used: planers, trowels, screwdrivers, picks, shovels, hand saws...
A team from Russia completed this one.
