Ground Hog Day Blizzard

This was last Wednesday Morning (Feb 2, 2011). I went out to check on the snow. I wanted to see if it was a snow day or if I needed to figure out how to get to work. It was to my knees and still coming down. The roads hadn't been totally cleared but it looked like a possibility that I would need to drive in. But the email came in from my boss that we were not to venture in. I was relieved as I do not like driving in bad weather.

Later that day, I shoveled out my car. The pile of snow behind it was as much as another Mini. It took me 2 1/2 hours to dig out. No kidding. It was a beautiful afternoon though. The sun was shining and all of my neighbors came out to help each other.

Willow at Christmas

Look at my little girl. She was so good. She only held still for a second so Bobby snapped the picture fast. Her face looks like "Take the picture NOW!, I'm only doing this for a minute." Then, she dragged the hat and beard all over the house. I think she was trying to destroy it in case we had more photos to shoot. Little cutie.

Cold as ever here in Chicagoland. The rest of the week will be in the minus degree at night. Man - it's a cold cold January.

February is right around the corner though and I'm turning 50 this year. WOW! I feel 25 though. Well... sometimes.

MasterChef

Well... I had an incredible experience on December 5th, 2010. I auditioned for Masterchef Season 2 in downtown Chicago. Weeks before, I filled out an application on-line to audition and then thought about not going as it was one of the coldest days. But, the Wednesday before, the casting company called to invite me to attend and bring my dish. Well... Cold or not I though why not? Sounded like fun. I thought it was a big deal to get invited but they invited hundreds of others as well. Made me go which I am glad I did. The experience was priceless.

I arrived downtown at 8:00am. The slotted time was 9:00am so I thought I'd get a coffee and wait around the corner from the School. As I'm sitting and sipping my coffee, I see dozens of folks with wagons, coolers, bags and food wrapped in blankets. I thought , oh my gosh! There will be hundreds in line. So I hustled out and stood in line. Again, I thought I was special with my 9:00am time slot. Didn't matter. I still had to wait my turn. I was given number 175.

I was ushered in, picture taken and then the wait. I won't go into details. We had to step back outside for a photo and the film crew was there filming Graham Elliot. So it was a lot of back outside, inside, back out and then wait.

15 of us were taken to a room and we had minutes to plate our dish. I brought a spice cake with some Bavarian cream and some cookies. My plate looked minuscule compared to all the others. The rules stated that it was to be served room temperature. It was so cold that day so I thought a cake would be the best.

Long story short, I made it all the way that day to the end! I was walking on cloud nine. OH MY GOSH! I won today!! I couldn't believe it. I think I was happy for a month just because I made it.

I then had to do a on camera interview two days later. If I would of had the same attitude that I had on Sunday, I might of had a better chance. But I think I was nervous and didn't have the "I Don't care how this goes" attitude that I had on Sunday. It was fun but I wasn't what they were looking for. I think I knew that day I wasn't going to be picked.

But, they were calling all the winners in January. So for about a month, my imagination was getting the better of me. Hollywood and all the glamor was all I thought about. Christmas and New Years were a blur.

January 14th was the date. I didn't get the call. My Dad said I wasn't crazy enough.

It's OK. I has a winner for a day. The chef that tasted my food liked it so that in itself is winning. I wish I knew his name because he made my day.

Thanks for reading. I was a MasterChef hopeful. HA HA Me and 10,000 others. Bless you all.

Dessert Rose

It's the middle of winter and this Dessert Rose is blooming. I grew this plant from seed and it's 6 years old now. Wow! It amazes me every year. I don't understand why it blooms now. It is supposed to be dormant in the winter.

Winter in Chicago - I have to enjoy my indoor plants until gardening season opens up again. The seed catalogs are coming in now everyday. I'm designing it in my head and as always, want to expand to include more vegetables. I had plans to tame it down and to add more perennials but I love fresh vegetables and think I will need to expand to include more.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone.

Nothing much to report. Will post more later.

My Uncles

Uncle Peter on the left and Uncle Rudi on the right. My handsome German Uncles. Wow! They look fabulous in their suits. It was Uncle Rudi's 60th birthday this past fall.

Christmas is now over. On too cooking. I am making stock today for some recipes I'm testing. Chicken stock in a can is loaded with salt so I always make my own. Takes all day but once it's in the pot, you just wait. So I think it's worth it to make your own. I have beef already in the freezer. I freeze 1/2 cup containers and just defrost when I need some.

Happy Holidays to all.

Fresh Baked Breads

A couple of breads I've made. The first one is Italian. Great crust. Second one is a full wheat with walnuts, orange and brown sugar.

The wheat had a wonderful light airy hand. I love this bread. I created the recipe from scratch using this professional baking cook book I bought for a dollar. Practiced - made about 5 loaves before it turned out perfect.

Danish - looks brown but it wasn't burnt. Yeast danish and filled with almond filling.

Delicious!