Well, we survived the ice storm of 2014, or second one actually. This time around nothing covered the ground or street, ice just covered the trees and power lines.
It wasn't quite as fun and definitely wasn't as beautiful this time around. In fact, it was a little scary hearing the crack of tree limbs and then watching them fall inches from houses and cars. We lost power for most of Wednesday, but thankfully it was restored late Wednesday night. Some folks are still without power around town. Losing power is fun for a little bit & even seems a bit adventurous, but let me tell you ... it loses it's charm pretty quickly.
My mountain man did boil a kettle of water over the fire and we drank coffee/tea while sitting close to the fire, warming our toes. We got pretty darn close to cooking our dinner over the fire, but then thought about how easily we could get out and go somewhere WARM. The roads were not bad at all so we ventured out for a hot sandwich at one of our favorite deli's. Once we were stuffed, we headed home, hoping the power would be back on when we returned. It was not (womp womp) so we pulled in the mattress off the guest bed & set up a pallet bed by the fire. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty cozy. Fortunately, my husband thinks ahead (unlike me) and had downloaded an itunes movie while we still had power. We cuddled up and began the movie. About twenty minutes in, all the lights came on and I shouted with joy! Yay for heat!!
We are so thankful for warm showers, heat and light! Our neighborhood still looks like a war zone with tree limbs everywhere and power lines still hanging down in places, but slowly things are coming back to normal. We're back at school & once again trying to get back into the swing of things (today was supposed to be a day off but its a makeup from the LAST ice storm). Spring, we're VERY ready for you at this point.
Typically I'm not a huge fan of winter or snow, for that matter. I can go for one good snow and then I'm over it, but this year I was praying hard for a big snow (kind of a joke since we live in Wilmington, but hey, a girl can dream!). The forecast a few days before was calling for a BIG snow here ... like 5+ inches, but as it got closer the forecast began to change to more ice and less snow.
I prepared just in case and stocked up on my weeks groceries on Sunday night. Tuesday we waited ALL day for something to happen & not much did until that night. Schools were out on Tuesday because the weathermen had said it would start early Tuesday morning. Will & I walked down to the park near our house and took a few before shots just in case something did happen. By Tuesday evening, it was sleeting and began to accumulate pretty quickly. We had a potluck dinner over at our friends house (they live two houses down) and I made English pasties (a tradition on the Nichols side of my family). It was such a blast hanging out with them that night and eating dinner together! Living in this neighborhood is so fun & we love that we can just walk over to friends' houses and share food on cold nights.
Wednesday morning everything was covered in about an inch or so of ice. Our neighbors came over for some homemade cinnamon rolls that I made and we sat by the fire. I so enjoyed my day off from school! We mostly just relaxed, read books, walked to the park and watched kids sled etc. One of my favorite parts about the day was watching all the kids in our neighborhood attempt to sled on the tiniest hills ever. None of them had sleds because, well, we live at the beach, so everyone was using boogie boards. It was so great & reminded me of all the great times we had growing up sledding down our street.
Our little house looked so cute with some white stuff on it & the neighborhood looked so peaceful (even if it was just ice). We took Clyde out to experience it & he absolutely hated it. Anytime you pick him up and walk towards a window or door, he now freaks out and scrambles out of your arms. Guess he's a summertime boy.
Schools were out yesterday and are out again today too (4 days off!). The ice is melting quickly, now that the sun is finally out and the temperature has risen. We're starting to go a little stir crazy at this point, but it was fun to stay in and spend time with friends for a few days. Last night, Will and I broke out a deck of cards and played a few games, then watched a movie on the laptop in bed. It's been a dreamy few days and definitely a break from reality. We southerners love a good snow ice so that we can shut things down for a few days and spend some time with our family and friends. Now that I've had my one "snow," I'm looking at you, spring. We're ready for ya!
A few days ago, we had dinner plans with family & I was to bring the dessert. I asked Will what he would like and he quickly responded with "a pie!" He then began questioning me about what fruits were in season for a winter pie. I named a few fruits and that sparked my interest so I began researching winter fruit pies.
As I have mentioned before, I have a horrible habit of trying new recipes on other people at a party or special dinner... and yet again, I went for it. Fortunately, it was fabulous! The pears and apples give it more of the traditional taste, but the cranberries and figs really bring in a wintery feel. AND there is a crumb topping. Could it get any better?
Ingredients:
Pie crust (or make your own)
Filling:
1 c. dried figs
2 apples (peeled & sliced thin)
3 pears (peeled & sliced thin)
1 c. cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. corn starch
1 c. orange juice
Crumb Topping:
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. pecans, chopped coarsely
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt (I used sea salt)
6 T. unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375.
Crumb topping: Combine all ingredients, then add melted butter. It is easier to use your hands at this point-- combine everything until it is a crumbly mixture. Place in fridge while you are preparing fruit filling.
Begin by chopping off the stems on the figs, the putting them in 1 c. orange juice & bring to a boil. Let this boil for 5 min. Then, drain and let stand. Once they are cool enough to handle, cut each fig into 4-5 pieces.
In a large bowl, combine sliced apples, pears, figs & cranberries. In a separate smaller bowl, combine sugar and corn starch. Then, put the sugar mixture over the fruit and combine.
Pour the fruit filling into the pie crust, then add the crumb topping. Simple enough, right?
Cook for 60-75 min depending on your oven. Make sure to cover with foil if the crust is getting too dark.
I am already considering making another pie; you should make one too.
Y'all, it is COLD! I am already beginning my annual complaining, shivering and commentating about how I hate cold weather. I realize we live in Wilmington, but if you only knew how low my tolerance is to chilly temps. You can find me in flannel pajama pants with fluffy slippers wrapped in a blanket at all times while I'm home. Since I'm cold natured, I love anything to warm me up, especially soups. This corn chowder is one of my favorite meals & reminds me of being home. I used to beg my mom to make it for me after a frigid track practice [outside!] in the middle of winter. Toast a piece of fresh, crusty bread and enjoy!
Here's what you need:
1 lb sausage-- I like to use the "hot" kind, but if you prefer milder go for it
1 med onion
1/3 c. green pepper
1 can cream of celery
2 cans creamed corn
3 c. milk
1/2 bag of frozen hash browns [the square ones, not the shredded hash browns]
4-6 oz. cheddar cheese
Dice the onion and green pepper & begin cooking in a large pan. Add the sausage & cook until it is browned. You may want to drain the sausage if it appears to have a lot of fat. I find it does seem to help to drain it slightly, but its not a big deal if you're feeling lazy. Add cream of celery, creamed corn, hash browns & milk. Be careful when adding the milk that it doesn't curdle. Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat and let it simmer, covered, for about 20 min. Basically just until the potatoes are tender. Then add shredded cheddar cheese on top.
This soup is hearty & will warm you right up! It even freezes well so you can save some for another cold day.
