3 Things that don't suck...

...even if the weather does.

  Like most people, the weather this winter has not been my favorite.  I get chilly and need a sweater when it's 70 degrees so I have felt that most of my energy the past few months has been devoted to the soul task of keeping warm.  I have been working hard to not let the grumpies get the best of me keep and to save myself from going insane, I focus on the things that I actually like this time of year.  Hopefully with some positive thinking, I can make it through the next few months without my laptop suddenly reading...

All work and no play makes Sarah a dull girl

1) Soup
   

 I love a good hot bowl of soup.  That is why soup usually shows up on our at home menu at least once per week, October through March.  One of my must make soups is Tuscan Sausage Soup. I tried a new soup last week, Creamy White Bean and Bacon Soup, that turned out to be quite yummy.  You could omit the bacon if you don't eat pork or meat and I think it would be just as good.
For a completely meatless soup the Zucchini Basil soup from The Farmstead Chef cookbook has become a favorite in our house this winter, especially when made with the Farmers' Market zucchini that I froze during the summer.

2) Starbucks' Caramel Flan Latte

     I am usually a Caramel Macchiato girl, but Starbucks' Caramel Flan Latte has stolen my heart.  There is nothing like the first warm- cozy- delicious- shudder worthy- first sip of a yummy coffee beverage.  I allow myself one latte per week, and only if I am a good girl and I don't run anyone over at the store with my grocery cart.

3) An Extra Snuggly Kitty

   Overall our kitty is pretty affectionate, but during the warmer months she spends a lot more time zooming around the house doing kitty stuff. In the winter however, she leaves no lap, no stretched out legs, and no warm back unsnuggled.

3 Extra bonus happy things- Fires in the fire place (especially when paired with a glass of wine). The book Watersmeet  by Ellen Jensen Abbott (Got it in December and finally finished it. It was a fantastic read), and watching 15 year old Yulia Lipnitskaya skate (I love artistic beauty and it got a little dusty as I watched her skate this weekend).