It’s a pretty easy way to put together dinner; a little trimming, chopping, and prep and you’ve got dinner in the pot.  The smell of stew simmering throughout the day just seems to lift my snow laden spirits and puts a real kick into my day.

That’s a big plus up here in the New Hampshire woods.

I always make a huge batch of it and freeze portions in ziplock bags for retrieval down the road.

I just polished off the last of a batch of beef stew I made with turnip, parsnip, potato, celery, carrot, & onion.  It sure hit the spot.  I roasted the veggies first, that adds a wonderful depth of flavor.

The Irish Beef Stew pictured below, at Simply Recipes, is a masterpiece. The recipe is here.

This morning I was delighted to stumble across an entire months worth of stew recipes at Delish.

The Cataplana, #10 grabbed my attention right off the bat. I would suggest that you try Linguica, a wonderful Portuguese sausage,  along with the original pork.    # 11, Green Chili Pork Stew,  has been a favorite since I first tasted Chili Verde,   (Google search) many years ago.

If you like Mexican food you must give it a try.  Chili Verde can be eaten as a stew,   rolled into a burrito smothered with cheese,   or applied as a sauce.

No need to forego stew if you’re vegetarian.

The multi-talented Kimberley Stakal opines on “Crafting A Vegan Winter Stew“.  I tried the sample, it was great.

I encourage you to spend some time looking over her website and blog.

There’s plenty of stuff to stew about here.  Grab a pot, prepare a bowl.  Spring is only 64 days off.

And now……………

Memphis Soul Stew

STIR   SLOW        -         SERVE    HOT

Grilled Bosc pears & raw cranberry salsa.

Done over a hardwood fire.

I still drink a lot of coffee and have taken to playing with a variety of flavors to enhance my intake experiences.

My most frequent combination is baking cocoa and almond extract, put it in the pot prior to brewing, and whip when done.

Try raspberry or peppermint extracts, and cinnamon, too,  (put ground cinnamon on the coffee grounds or it will tend to thicken into it’s own little mass in the pot.

I really like cardamom, pry open the pod and scrape the seeds onto the grounds, then brew.

Use pumpkin pie spices or ginger, get bold with curry.

There’s no limit, try caramel or orange flavorings.  I’m not talking about syrups, just extracts, or artificial flavorings.

Here’s a link to more recipes – try the White spiced Coffee.

BLACK BEAR COFFEE is amazing!  (IMHO)

What a beautiful creation they are, and the aroma whilst baking …………

The art of carving the molds and rolling pins used to create these splendid cookies is something I came to appreciate later in life, but my grandmother Rose’s rolling pin was fascinating to me even as a child.  It’s lost now, but the examples I’ve seen on Ken Hamilton’s website,  The Springele Baker,  bring memories back in abundance.

Be sure to roam through the original molds section of Ken’s site for photos of beautiful molds dating back more than 200 years.  Catch the recipes section, and modern carvers ……………..  actually click on every link he has – it will be time well spent.

If you happen to be time challenged you can order cookies from Ken here.

You can also order molds from Ken,  Merkle,  cookiemold, and  Heidelberg Haus.

Other links to springerle are :

A Blog by House on the Hill - Do check this out.

Goode Cookys from Goode Cookery

Fantes.com ( for molds and rollers )

Cooks.com ( lots of recipes )

September 18, 2009

From Comments

(links coming)

Ginny wrote with memories of:        pfeffernussen,   pepparkakor,        nusskipferln

It was always a welcome treat after ice skating at The Reservoir in the 1950′s.  The park is a mere semblance of itself now. Gone is the fountain, the reservoir structure, and the warming hut seen in the background, with its wood burner going full blast to warm chilled toes.

But that chocolate beverage is going strong and is still a winter favorite.  It’s no longer just cocoa, hot milk, and sugar.

There are myriad variations in the form of powdered mixes, pre-made bottled versions, and recipes galore.

Check out this version:    Spicy hot chocolate.  I personally vouch for it!

I have had to modify my diet and generally make mine with a good natural cocoa for the more intense flavor, ( as opposed to Dutched ),  sweetner,  and non-fat milk.

However, at least once every winter I buy a small container of heavy cream and remind myself of the wonders of chocolate.  The fat in the cream adds a richness that is really lovely on a snowy night.

You might want to invest in a molinillo, or use a small wire whisk.  Either way the froth is the best part of a piping hot cup of cocoa.

Occasionally I flavor my chocolate with cardamom for another tasty variation.

Let your imagination loose and try adding liqueurs, orange peel, coconut milk, coffee, flavored whipped cream, mint  and different chocolates.

Best Friends Cocoa explains the difference between hot cocoa & hot chocolate.

Marshmallows if you must, but not for me.

Ms. Barclays article took me down memory lane and then some.   Follow the links.

After reading the article  I got curiouser and Googled snow cream. There’s enough snow info there to keep you busy for a while.

Then, curiouser still, I came across this gem.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow.

Type: Song
Tune: Ballinamona Ora.(listen here, scroll down 1/2)

Awa’ wi’ your witchcraft o’ Beauty’s alarms,
The slender bit Beauty you grasp in your arms,
O, gie me the lass that has acres o’ charms,
O, gie me the lass wi’ the weel-stockit farms.

Chorus-Then hey, for a lass wi’ a tocher,
Then hey, for a lass wi’ a tocher;
Then hey, for a lass wi’ a tocher;
The nice yellow guineas for me.

Your Beauty’s a flower in the morning that blows,
And withers the faster, the faster it grows:
But the rapturous charm o’ the bonie green knowes,
Ilk spring they’re new deckit wi’ bonie white yowes.
Then hey, for a lass, &c.

And e’en when this Beauty your bosom hath blest
The brightest o’ Beauty may cloy when possess’d;
But the sweet, yellow darlings wi’ Geordie impress’d,
The langer ye hae them, the mair they’re carest.
Then hey, for a lass, &c.

RobertBurns.org

January 25th, or thereabouts, Burns aficionados celebrate the birthday of the Scot poet.

There are 3 main features of such a celebration.  Scotch whiskey, poetry readings, and haggis,   (sheep’s heart, liver and lungs boiled in the animal’s stomach.)

I’ve attended – I’ve eaten,  and haggis  is not for me.  Sorry, I really tried.

Papillon,   Chelsea,  has turned heads with a more palatable rendition of the dish which includes,  confit pork belly,  foie gras,  sweetbreads,  morels and black truffles served with the finest Limousin beef fillet.  It will be accompanied by ratte potato purée and Madeira glazed turnips.

I believe I have the stomach for this variation.

Salami de Chocolate (with Coffee Liqueur made with Tequila)

Such was the case when I read an article by Patricia Jinich, ( More chorizo to love),  in The Washington Post.   I happen to be a big fan of chorizo in every last one of its forms.

Ms. Jinich has deftly encased chorizo and its nuances,  and served it to us smelling like warm tortillas and tequila.

That  tantalizing dalliance led me to her blog,  Pati’s Mexican Table,  which I have added to my blogroll and you must investigate, too.

I’ll be busy for some time reading my way through her site while listening to Ranchera Radio -  and thinking about the chocolate roll in the photo above.

I’ve got a generator to power my heater fan.  Three old oil lamps.  A box of candles.  The larder’s stocked with cheese, sardines, crackers, canned tuna & chicken, beans, apples, peanut butter, and other goodies.

There are plenty of books to read, ( the dark humor from the amazing  mind of cartoonist Gahan Wilson is perfect ) and a new volume of The New York Times crossword puzzles to work on thanks to my step-father Billy.

There are heaps of websites providing advice on coping with power outages.  Barbara Brown, a food specialist at Oklahoma State wrote this one.

The Ontario Ministry of Health  proffers dark wisdom here.

My favorite was written today in the Concord Monitor by Hillary Nelson, and was the spark for this post.    No Electricity Needed – simple meals for when the power goes out. Check out the open fire basket of fingerling potatoes, cipollini onions, and rosemary  -   That just plain made me hungry.

I came across an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about Chef  Aliza Green and her experiences teaching high  and junior high school students about cooking and Jewish culture. The article is well worth reading,  and I ended up checking out her blog and really got interested.

Check out the herb guide. Her book on herbs should be a good reference.

Chef Green is not only a talented cook, but is an accomplished author as well.  Ceviche just happens to be one of my favorite things, particularly in the summer.  I’m hooked.

In the Inquirer article she mentions that she is researching a book on Jewish culinary history.  I look forward to reading that.