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It’s 26 degrees Fahrenheit. We got about two inches of snow yesterday.
Posted for John’s Cellpic Sunday
Cellpic Sunday
winter
Quiet Saturday
Waiting for the plow guy to come and do our driveway, I’m trying not to be too antsy. Normally my husband snowblows the driveway, but not this year—the year of the knee. I cannot and will not operate a snowblower. I’m not that much of a feminist.
The word of this winter will have to be patience. That’s the only way we’re gonna get through it.
Healing stew (hopefully)
The healing process for my husband’s knee replacement is ongoing. Sadly, we had to cancel dinner with our son for his 25th birthday tonight, because my husband just isn’t ready for restaurants yet. There’s still a ton of pain, swelling, and stiffness, which apparently is normal at this stage (3 weeks post-op), but he’s never dealt with anything like this, so it’s pretty hard.
I decided to try a recipe I saw on NYT Cooking “most popular recipes of 2025” list—Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken. It looked easy and it was. My husband loved it. He said the flavor was great and it really was. I even made my own croutons, which soaked up the delicious sauce perfectly.
New England is experiencing real “depths of winter” cold right now. (It’s giving late January vibes.) Given the very cold weather and the knee, I think this was a success. And so easy.
Here’s the recipe:
Slow cookers (aka crockpots) are the best, right?
“Spring” in Massachusetts
It’s 33 degrees Fahrenheit and snowing here this morning. I heard on the news that central Massachusetts is going to be the coldest place in the continental United States today: April 11, 2025. 🥶
A time-honored tradition
It’s that time of year when Bostonians who don’t ski set their sights on the Sunshine State.
These are some of the rituals:
Get a pedicure
Pack sandals in your carryon so you can change shoes on the plane
Pray your flight won’t be canceled due to incoming snow
Leave your winter coat in the car and dash into the terminal coatless and freezing
Sit on the plane and nervously watch the wings get de-iced
Pray this bird gets airborne
Lift off – ah
Watch dirty, grey old Boston recede from view and mind
Touchdown in the Land of the Mouse.
😎
Related:
A winter stew for you
I’ve posted many times about the great cookies and other baked goods I’ve made with recipes from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Although she’s mostly a baker, Sally does have a few other recipes and I decided to give one of them a try: Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Corn Soup. It’s really more of a stew or chowder (chow-dah, if you’re from Boston 😉).
If you have a large slow cooker (aka crockpot), this recipe is easy and good. The inner part of my slow cooker is safe to use on the stovetop, so I didn’t even need a second pan to cook the bacon. For me, it was truly was a “one pot meal.” The only other tools I needed were a cutting board, knife, and potato peeler (for the sweet potatoes).
The only ingredient that was a bit hard to find in the store was a can of cream style corn. I had to go to two grocery stores to find it.
It cooks on low for 7-8 hours and smells wonderful while it’s cooking.
Great winter recipe.
❄️🥶☃️
Soups and Stews
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
Lately I’ve been making soups and stews. I’ve been trying out some recipes from NYT cooking. Their instagram feed always sucks me right in.
I use either my slow cooker (a.k.a crockpot) or my 4.5 quart Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I have a green Le Creuset, which I received as a gift from my mother decades ago. Le Creuset Dutch Ovens are a big investment, but in my opinion, every kitchen in a cold weather climate should have one. I can’t believe how many colors they come in now!
Recently, I made the NYT “Old Fashioned Beef Stew” in my Le Creuset. It was delicious. (I got the stew beef at Whole Foods and it was high quality.)
I also made the NYT Tortellini Soup in Le Creuset, which I really liked and will definitely make again.
Last night, I tried the NYT Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Spinach, Lemon and Feta. Obviously I made this one in the slow cooker rather than Le Creuset. I liked it. It has a Greek vibe. It’s very garlicky and has a real kick to it. I might try it again with a few adjustments.
Winter attitude adjustment
Ugh, snow. Pretty, snow.
We’re stuck in the house all day. Our house is safe and warm.
Church and choir are cancelled. Church is online and the choir made a video.
This is going to be a boring day. I’m going to get a lot of my book read.
The power better not go out! National Grid is prepared for this.
This is just the beginning of winter. I don’t have to commute to Boston anymore.
It’s 72 degrees in Florida right now. My kids and my parents are within an hour’s drive.
Christmas is over. I left the tree up and it finally looks like Christmas.
Back in the USSR
Daily writing prompt
Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.
I traveled to Russia (then called the Soviet Union or USSR) in January 1987 with a group of students and professors from my college. It was a Winter Break trip. We left just after New Year’s Day 1987. It was led by two professors of Russian History with whom I had taken classes. We went to Moscow and St. Petersburg (then called Leningrad), as well as some smaller cities–Suzdal and Vladimir.
I’m sure it was a fascinating trip, but my main memory is of how cold it was. It was really F***ing COLD.
This is the United Press International archives (UPI.com) report from January 8, 1987:
MOSCOW — An Arctic cold snap with temperatures lower than minus 40 degrees has gripped most of central Russia, slowing life in Moscow to a frozen crawl. The daytime temperature in Moscow is now almost four times colder than the average home freezer. A record low of minus 45 degrees hit Leningrad overnight and Moscow recorded minus 39, close to the 1940 record of minus 44. The official Tass news agency said the first week of January 1987 was the coldest recorded in Moscow in 35 years. Auto traffic in Moscow was virtually non-existent as a frozen mist, triggered by the snow on the ground being warmer than the air, rolled over the city. Ice fishermen tried their luck in the frozen Moscow River, but few others ventured outside unless absolutely necessary.
I remember we were warned to keep every inch of skin covered while we were outdoors so as not to get frostbite. We kept bottles of vodka in our chilly hotel rooms which we slugged for warming purposes (mainly). Other memories include eating coarse brown bread with butter and caviar, the museum-like Moscow subway, and fur hats. We all bought fur hats.
Related post:
Monthly delights
Tell us about the last thing you got excited about.
For Christmas 2019, my husband got me a 3-month subscription to BloomsyBox, a monthly delivery of beautiful flowers. By the end of the three months, COVID had hit and we were stuck at home, so I kept the subscription going. It was just so nice to have these gorgeous blooms to look at, especially in the winter.
Three years later, I still get these monthly deliveries. Each one is different and quite stunning. And I get excited about each one.
TIP: I ordered and paid for an entire year of deliveries on Black Friday and saved hundreds of dollars.
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