With all this snow, I have been cooking up a storm.

I have been making batches of soup in especially large quantities.  Some are old favorites that make my tastebuds sing with joy in the memory.  Some, like this one, are merely a result of food we have on hand.  I routinely begin a soup day in strong consulation with my favorite soup book:

I bought this as a gift for B… a really long time ago.  Even she said the other week, geez, I think that might be the most use we have ever gotten out of a cookbook.  So true, this thing was worth every penny!  (and note to self, who can I buy this for??)

Chicken + Potato x 2

(adapted from the Big Book fo Soups and Stews)

serves 6

6 cups chicken/turkey stock

4 medium sweet potatoes peeeled and chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 medium potatoes (I used russet, but I bet red would be great too!)

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, minces

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot over high heat, combine all ingredients except the chicken.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer while covered until veggies are crisp, approx 15-20 min.  Add chicken and simmer, uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls with salt and pepper to taste.

Over the past two days I have been working from home, due to the crazy snow and ice we have been getting….  Whoa.  It is quiet here, with B being at Alt….

I have been working a bunch, but in my pjs.  The fire crackles all day long, and i move from working on the couch to the dining room and looking out into the snowy yard.  I may have listened to everyone of my favorite playlists on my ipod.

But the last few evenings, I have loved getting inspired to create.  A little photo editing here and there… beginning this new knitting project…pinning stuff I want to create…going through a few patterns and craft books…

One of the books I want to use a bit more this year is :

Scandinavian Needlecraft

I have been very into embroidering lately and felt, so I’m not surprised.

I have completed one project out of this book already.  I never posted about it because… I made three of the same Deer!  (Rudy, RJr, Rudette…hehehe!)   I kept one, and used it on my Christmas Dessert table.  The other two found new homes, wrapped in paper and opened under the tree.  I sit here tonight, gazing at the first deer, and smile, knowing two others are out there, hopefully being loved.

Seattle and snow.  Such a  beautiful combination.  Sometimes we move so fast, letting ourselves get irritated that traffic is terrible, or people cannot drive in the snow, or wondering why the city only has 20 snowplows…

But maybe it is so we can work from home, in front of the fire, with snow steadily coming down outside the window all day long.  And, instead of a lunch break, you are able to  take a snow walk around your neighborhood.  In lieu of cars driving,  you see children sledding down your road, couples skiing where sidewalks once were, and neighbors venturing to the local hot spot……

I know, you read that and think …. are you crazy?

Well, the truth is – yes!  I still am in Christmas.  It has been busy since I have gotten back from NJ Christmas.  And now, the Pac NW is about to get a giant snowstorm… or so they say – i will believe it when I see a flurry!

There is a bit of snow still on the ground, and I am inside with Christmas decorations all around.

That combined with looking through and organizing photos….. means that I realized I never put up pictures of our 2011 Christmas Dessert tables.  We decorate tables every year for this event, and I don’t want ’11 neglected!

2010 table

2009 table