Finally, it is soup weather!  October will be ushered in with a pot of loaded potato soup - thickened with cream cheese and loaded with celery, onions, garlic, topped with cheese and bacon. I am ready for the weekend!

Another Cold Spell

Doom and Gloom!

Seems there is another cold wet spell headed to the sunny south. With mixed reactions I am stocking the cupboards with the makings of comfort food in mind - plenty of coffe, hot chocolate and lots of soup makings and of course some light sweets to replace the energy that seems to evaporate in the cold air.

The heating and air man is here checking out the system. The electric bill soared this past month and I still froze. However, I know I am not alone. My little bill of just over $400 was mild compared to the $700+ that one lady had to pay. We Southerners are just not equipped to handle the icy weather of our Northern counterparts. Heat pumps are not efficient in prolonged below freezing temperatures. Hope this maintenance visit helps our units to perform more efficiently and I will stay warm as toast with or without my fleece.

Like most of the residents of the sunny south, I enjoy a glimpse of the beautiful white fluffy stuff as long as it doesn't continue for more than 2 days and I can stay inside. The ice is another story. I don't like it and it doesn't like me. Cold and wet there is little beauty in iced over trees struggling to stay upright in their heavy coats. The roads become impassable and dangerous, but still have the ability to entice the foolhardy and adventurous out to see if they can best the elements. I would move north if I wanted to experience mountains of snow and ice. I am thinking of moving to Florida to escape the whole ordeal.

My daughter and her family are in north Georgia on top of a mountain. For the first time in her life I heard her complain that she was cold during the cold snap of the past few weeks. She couldn't get off the mountain for several days and I'm thinking it is time for her to come south.

The coldest month is yet to come. February, the month of snow and ice, is still a few days away but already I am dreading its icy fingers creeping into my bones. Yep, I firmly believe that old is not made for cold. Ya'll keep warm and stay dry.
Until next time . . .

Happy reading!

Belle

Cold Weather Appetites

It was in the teens this morning with ice and frozen snow covering the lawn and trees. It didn't take long for the hunger to set in so I headed to the kitchen. With only the two of us at home, I quit making biscuits a long time ago. Mary B's frozen buttermilk biscuits suit us just fine and I don't know how to make four biscuits at a time which is all we need. If I cook more, we will eat more. This morning I made a pan of two dozen buttery biscuits (yes I remembered how)! We quickly consumed five of those delicious beauties.

Yesterday in anticipation of the ice, snow and temperatures in the teens, I dropped a chicken in the boiling pot with some onions, celery, and garlic. The house smelled delicious! Late in the afternoon, I pulled the chicken out of the stock to cool and spilt that rich chicken broth between two pots. In one pot I added a cup of rice and a quart of milk. After pulling the chicken off the bone, I dumped it into the pot and allowed the soup to simmer below boiling for about an hour. Today the other half of the chicken broth is the base of a pot of potato soup.

This weekend is wood splitting time. There will be enough trees cut and split to heat five households for the rest of the winter. When all the guys get together it doesn't take long for the stacks to rise and the air is filled with the smell of resin from the split wood. They get mighty hungry from the labor and the cold. Soup, biscuits and cornbread go a long way in appeasing their appetites without making them tired and lazy and the babies love milk biscuits!

Well, one pan of biscuits are gone, so I must get in gear for the next batch. Stay warm, be happy and eat well!

Happy reading!

Belle