Dyson's Delectables: October 31, 2011

MENU FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 31, 2011

This has been quite a week and its only Tuesday…. The rain predicted for Saturday was instead snow. In October! And 17 inches of it here. We lost power at 7 on Sat. and did not regain it until late Monday afternoon – for which we were very grateful. There are a hell of a lot of folk in the area who will not get their power back until the end of the week.

To put it in perspective, I mentioned to Warner that our first frost was two feet of snow. He replied that he didn’t think we’d had a killing frost even yet. He was correct. As the snow began to melt my parsley reappeared growing in my pots on the deck. So although Monday was Halloween, the frost was not yet on the pumpkin…

It was rustic living to say the least – and you can have it. We kept reasonably warm by keeping large stock pots boiling on the Garland and the oven on. But candlelight ceased to be romantic very quickly. And the cat sorely missed the space heater by her bed. Cooking was not a problem as the Garland is totally gas. Seeing to cook was something else. Candelabras in the kitchen may sound pretty, but they don’t help you to see to cook!

We were concerned about the freezers, but they came through. The refrigerators, however, were not very happy. And of course, Saturday we’d cooked 20 quarts of chicken stock. That and the big beef stew ended up in the snow to keep them chilled. Ugh! Then there was the matter of ice….

Mon. AM Pasta with Bolognese Sauce f/i