Snowy Breakfast

Cooking when the power is out makes for a fun time as I hunt for the long matches to light the gas cook top. In the '40's I used to have the gas stove burn my eyebrows and the hair on my arms off when I would light the oven. So, I never wanted gas and always had electric stoves until I moved up here and decided I really did need a gas cook top for when the power was down. I can always use the wood stove to cook, but the gas cook top is good to have.

Green tea, organic tortilla chips, homemade salsa, and eggs cooked in bacon grease make for a good warming breakfast. I also made french toast and bacon yesterday, but didn't take photos because I was too busy cooking and eating. This photo is of my breakfast yesterday... no photos today because my internet connection is wonky and I'm trying to post while I have a connection.

 There is still lots of snow outside, but it has melted some in the driveway and the chickens are out trying to find sunny spots to warm themselves.


I took the snow/hand photo yesterday morning. We would get more snow during the day, then it would rain and snow, etc., and we still have the same amount of snow today. I wanted to post different photos than these, but I'm having trouble finding thumbs in this user account of iPhoto. I need to do some more searching around to find the correct settings.

I'm going to try and post this now... hopefully the internet connection will be better tomorrow.

Breakfast?

On these cold dreary rainy days I like hot oatmeal with raisins and a hot drink for breakfast to help chase away the wintery blues.

Didn't work this morning though because, after seeing Kristine off to work, checking on the chickens and taking Morgan for a walk, I ate my cereal and went back to bed.

Well, it is dark all day and I guess I'm tired and getting rid of this cold and my sleep switch is confused by not having any sun around. That's my story.

I like my oatmeal with milk (cream if I can get it) and sprinkled with brown sugar. If there is no brown sugar to be found I like maple syrup or honey.

I love this oatmeal even though it takes ten minutes to cook. It is stone ground and has a great texture and flavor. I'm getting hungry looking at the photo.

My favorite hot drink lately is ginger tea. I peel fresh ginger root, chop it up and freeze it so it is always ready when I want to add a few pieces to my cup.  The ginger tea is very simple to make.

Here is what I do:

1. Add about an inch worth of ginger root to the cup.
2. Add juice of one lemon (or how much you want.)
3. Add boiling water.
4. Add honey to taste. 

I guess it is what I would have called hot lemonade with ginger before I read about ginger tea.

I like the peppery taste of ginger and it really does warm me up.

I have been playing around with crocheting trying to remember how to read the directions and how to make the different stitches.

What I really need to do is move the furniture around in my room so I can make a large enough clear space on the floor to lay out the quilt layers and baste them together. I think a lot about moving the furniture, but I haven't come up with the will power yet to get the job done. Tomorrow?

And always at the back of my mind is the whole disaster going on in Japan. Maybe that's why I went to sleep. It was a good way to get away from thinking about the whole terrible mess.

This article (Reuters) or this article (PerthNow) quotes a Russian Chernobyl nuclear clean up specialist, Iouli Andreeve, who does not inspire confidence when it comes to believing news about radiation leaks in Japan and about possible radiation making it to different parts of the world.  Nothing I can do about it, but I sure wish I could get information that didn't sound like double talk.

If those plants really do melt down then everyone is in the radiation stew pot.

I can understand why the powers that be down play the eventualities because what are people supposed to do, where will they go? ... if people panic there will be a bigger disaster. I'm not going to worry. Can't do anything anyway. I think I'll go hang out with the chickens.

No eggs today. The chickens are confused by the dark days and all the rain too...