Hi, everyone!
The weather forecaster on TV said that we’ve had more snow in February than usual. The snow stayed around, too, because we had a long stretch of days and nights when the temperature never got above freezing. Mostly, I’ve been happy to stay inside and help Grandma with cooking projects! Grandma and Grandpa got their first vaccinations to protect them from the bad virus at the Wegmans grocery store in Pittsford. That’s the only place that sells passion fruit pulp, so Grandma bought some while she was there. I helped make passion fruit sherbet in the ice cream freezer. Even in cold weather, it tastes yummy!
Grandma and I have a friend who really likes biscotti — Italian twice-baked cookies. She especially likes honey biscotti with candied fruit. Grandma had some candied fruit left over from baking stollen at Christmas time. We decided to make both kinds of biscotti our friend likes and the kind Grandpa likes, too! I helped mix the dry ingredients for the honey biscotti. Grandma says we’d never get my paws clean if I helped shape the honey-moistened dough into logs for the first baking! I could help paint the logs Grandma shaped with egg wash before they went into the oven! After the logs were baked, I helped Grandma slice them into cookies and bake the slices again. When they were cool, I helped pack the biscotti so we could mail them to our friend.
The dough for the two other kinds of biscotti we made gets mixed in the mixer, so I couldn’t help there. I did help cut the cookie slices from the baked logs. Our friend’s favorites get chocolate glaze on chocolate cookies. I have to be very careful around the glaze until it sets!
We had quiet celebrations for two holidays. For lunar new year, we watched a streamed concert by Hanna PK. I liked seeing her on our big screen, but it was much quieter than being in Bangkok for lunar new year! For Valentine’s Day, Uncle Steven brought us valentines made by James and Thomas. Grandma and I decided it was time to make them another coffee cheesecake!
When the rest of the country got the big snowstorm right after Valentines Day, we got some more snow, too. My chipmunk friend tunnelled out from under the deck into a little open pit in the snow! He found an acorn there to eat. Most days, we just got an additional inch or so of snow, but by Saturday morning the snow gauge measured eighteen inches!
Last Sunday was a sun day! It felt good to see blue skies and be able to sit in my favorite sunbeam again!
After lunch on Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa took me out to the bay to stay overnight. Once there’s snow on our road, we have to park on the public road to the south and walk in. The snow was so deep that Grandma and Grandpa had to shovel out a parking place at the end of the road! There was deep snow on the frozen bay, too. We could see lots of snowmobile tracks, but there weren’t many people trying to fish through the snow-covered ice! Because of the extended cold, our rhododendron has shriveled its leaves. The three flower buds that were sticking out of the top of the protective netting are now safely inside!
On Monday morning, there was a lake effect snow squall at the bay. I couldn’t even see the other shore! The wind blew snow onto our porch! When the squall was over, our path back to the car was snowed in again! Grandma put on her snow pants and boots to make a new trail for Grandpa. I was very happy to be carried! The car was covered with snow that needed to be brushed off. Grandpa said I should sit in the car while he did that!
By the time we got back to Fairport yesterday, the temperature was above freezing. Grandma spent some time clearing icy patches on the driveway. Then I helped her make the mix for cinnamon ice cream. That uses egg yolks and left us with egg whites. Grandma used those to make chocolate meringue cookies. Today, I helped freeze the cinnamon ice cream. Then Grandma and I made a new batch of bearnaise sauce. If you cook that too much, it gets too thick. I made sure Grandma stopped cooking it before that happened!
Today was a freezing day for the ice cream, but another melty day outside. My snow beast is almost gone!
Love,
Lion-san
I have been working on a puzzle that is all things chocolate and it is making me hungry. Then we get your blog and it is usually about cooking. Joe is making leftover meatballs which should be good. It is nice you got to the bay and you were able to get back out. I would miss all of you snow bound into springtime when you could get out. It is almost time for you to look for groundhogs and spring flowers.
Lots of cooking going on over there, Lion-san. It’s a great way to fill up the days. We’ve been trying out plant-based recipes. Tonight Tom Kha Gai minus the chicken with the addition of baked tofu. Also we make lots of cookies…There is only one step to our cookies. Biscotti is a bit beyond our reserve of ambition.
I love that you all could get to the lake in the winter. Grandma once lived on Tupper Lake. The winter evenings in the moonlight were beautiful, especially when she went cross country skiing (the temperature would often be 10 below zero or colder).
We were ( La Vache and I only) disappointed that the big snow fizzled. We were really ready.
It’s always nice to hear what you are up to.
Grandma and LaVache