Well, I’ve been productive this afternoon but Mother Nature not so much. Yet. We shall see.

Here is Mother Nature before:

And Mother Nature around 3:00 p.m.

Really, Mom, you’re going to have to step it up a bit here. Just look at what I’ve accomplished next to your piddly little skiff of snow.

Giant Ginger Cookies:

Toffee Squares:

To be continued ...

Everyone around us is on snow alert. We got up early this morning to do some Christmas dinner shopping at the Fairway Market in Paramus. At 9 o’clock in the morning the store was jammed with shoppers rushing to get done before the snow starts. Snowplows appear on the front of nearly every truck you pass. Sand trucks stand at the ready. On Skyline Drive the Road Closed Snow Emergency signs are already up and waiting. (Skyline Drive is high in elevation and is always closed during bad snows. From the top of Skyline Drive you can, of course, on a clear day see the Manhattan skyline. Hence it’s name.) But will the blizzard really materialize or will the whole thing pass us by?

Let’s see how we’re doing here at home.
Salt and snow shovels? Check.
Wood split? Check.
Bolognese sauce cooking on the stove? Check.
Ingredients for baking cookies? Check.
Anticipation and excitement? Check.

We are all waiting. The stage is set and the players are ready to spring into action. All that’s left is for the star of the show to really and truly show up for her big performance. Mother Nature, bring it on!

Right now at noon it’s 20 degrees, the wind has picked up and the air is raw and damp. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates.

I thought I’d take you on a little tour of some of the Christmas decorations around my house. Just a few, don’t want to bore you. I tried to keep it simple this year with fresh boughs and minimal clutter. I have a lovely and very extensive collection of Santas that are not making an appearance this year. Once in awhile you have to change up tradition.

Here is the (or was) the view out my dining room window a week ago after our lovely snow (which is pretty much gone now thanks to the rain we had on Sunday). I know it’s not current, but I like the photo. Note: you can see the lighted garland around the doorway into the sun room reflected in the window.

A welcoming and cozy front entry.

Fresh boughs, white lights, and a whimsical sleigh and reindeer on the dining room sideboard.

The living room.

The bears we bought during the Autumn Light Festival here in town (like a big street fair).  They are really supposed to be a foot stool, but I decided to make them focus of our side table in the living room.

Take a closer look and see how cute they are!

As for the snow part of this entry, well, we shall see. Right now we are under a winter storm watch with around 6-8 inches predicted. Truth is, they really don’t know what this storm is going to do until it gets closer. Right now it’s looking pretty good for some white stuff on the ground for Christmas. Snow totals will probably be higher around New York City and not as much “up North” where we live. I’m hoping to get snowed in but that probably won’t happen. I’d be happy with just some new snow. Wish along with me, will you? Thanks!

even if i have to share once in a while ...

but i love my sam kitty anyway so i don’t really mind.

Here’s wishing you someone to sit on your lap and keep you warm this holiday season!

We’ve tried some new recipes over the the past week that have really turned out great. This one, Honey Mustard Pork Roast with Bacon I mentioned the other day. We got the recipe from the Giada on the Food Network. We are so totally Food Network junkies! When in doubt of what to watch we inevitably tune to food. Well, with one exception and that would be Paula Deen. I am sure she must have some good recipes but I can’t get around her affected accent. (Although she would probably heartily approve of this dish.) But I am digressing here. I didn’t really want to go down the Paula-Deen-you-drive-me-crazy-I-can’t-listen-to-you road. It’s supposed to be all about the food. So ...

Here is the pork before cooking in its blanket of bacon:

We paired it with a recipe out of Cooking Light that my sister told she had tried for Thanksgiving and everyone at her table raved about. Cipollini with Apples and Bacon. Yes, we had our bacon fix for the entire week with this meal but it was worth it! Cipollini are small white (Italian) onions. Unlike the tiny pearl onions, cipollini are fat and squat but just as hard to prep for cooking. Here they are still in the pan looking all caramelized. Yum! Delicious!

And here is the completed meal. We served the pork on a bed of lightly dressed arugula.

We also tried to reinvent a recipe we had while in the Finger Lakes. A crab cake on top of a grilled portabello mushroom. We tried a new crab cake recipe from Cooking Light that also included chopped up shrimp. It was very tasty but I think I would have preferred a normal old-style crab cake for this particular recipe. The crab cake gets lightly molded and bakes right in the mushroom cap. We served it with a crunchy and fresh pickled cucumber salad.

Are you getting hungry yet?

Being the foodies that we are, we are going to Sunday Lunch at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County, New York this weekend. I had to make the reservation two months in advance! Neighbors Kim and Mark are joining us in this culinary adventure. It truly is an adventure since there are no menus at Blue Hill. Whatever is fresh that day is what you eat. We’ve been once before and you can read about it here. Elegant and upscale, gentlemen must wear a jacket and tie; ladies should be dressed equally so. Oh, dear. Must we go through what (not) to wear again? No, no, not to worry. I think it has to be the little basic black dress sans ruffles. Can’t wait!