Sounds like a good start to the new year!

We have a big snowstorm coming into Chicago. I'm preparing to make soup and then going for a walk along a nearby river in the falling snow. My workout later today and tomorrow morning will be shoveling.

Springroz, another tornado?

Put away all things Christmas in labeled containers in the basement. Made a too small pile for Goodwill☹️. Made meatballs and defrosted sauce and DH is making the pasta. DD sent pics of grands having fun swimming on Skidaway Island where its warm and sunny … not here! Storms later and possibly snow tomorrow . Red wine waiting to be opened. That is pretty much it. Happy New Year

Incredible yumminess!

Still painting and rearranging. Have to take care of tender plants this afternoon. Hope to cook and bake later. I think I want to make gumbo this week, but already had plans for red beans and rice. Have to think about that....

Hope everyone is enjoying New Year's and we all have a better adventure in 2022.

Making gingerbread cookies and royal icing over here.

We're doing what Trail is doing...tree ornaments off tree, other Christmas decor going in labeled boxes to be returned to storage. Last year for our artificial tree....lights are increasingly not working. Left over minestrone soup & parm chicken salad for dinner with artisan bread. I am a non drinker, but DH will have wine I am sure. Our neighborhood streets are still snowy, so we will be home again...all day...!! After watching our DGD & SIL so sick with Covid, I am almost afraid to venture out anyway. They were both vaxed x2 but not yet gotten their booster. She has until . 12/22 left of her college break. DD is to return . to teachin on Tuesday. I am aching to go get a couple new indoor plants to liven up our home. Anyway, Happy Healthy New Year Wishes to you all!!

After eating left over chilli for breakfast, I planted an amaryllis bulb. I removed the burlap from an outdoor bench on my sister's front porch. I'll upholster it tomorrow with the Sunbrella fabric I ordered. DH and I cut out and sanded two more signs for our directional post, and five fish for my sister's beach house. I'll paint everything in the next week or so. Then I sat on the screened porch with the dogs to cool off. FaceTimed with DD2 and the grands. Ordered pizza for our lunch, then I laid on the floor and rubbed Miss Ellie's belly. We will walk to the beach to watch the sunset, and come home to watch a movie.

Happy New Year! Stay safe.

@Judi, yes….this was taken just over the hill from me…

I’m enjoying a cozy day, blessed that I can spend it inside. While i watch the snow fall (finally!), I’m leaving the lights and ornaments are on the tree for just one more day, watching a holiday movie, I did move all the Santas to the dining table, in about 20 minutes when the movie is over I’ll put them away, but I’m leaving up the deer. DH took down the outside lights before the snow came. I’ll miss them, but it’s no fun to take them down when it’s too snowy.

I've taken all the Christmas decorations down and they are about 85% put away. We just finished our black-eyed peas and cornbread meal for luck in the new year and now I'm browsing GW. I've made too many trips up and down the ladder today. The remaining tasks can wait until tomorrow. My favorite day of the week for Christmas and New Year's Day is Saturday because you have a full day afterwards to finish clean-up before the work week starts.

I rewatched Chocolat this morning. We went for a walk on our usual route, probably 4 miles or so. I have been pretty much a vegetable for much of the afternoon, although I did work at arranging some of my blue and white Cornishware on the dining room windowsill, a decorative act of defiance that would surely make a professional's head explode (don't care). I think I took a nap for about 20 minutes at some point. We're expecting a cold front to blast through this evening, and will have a warming supper of spaghetti and garlic bread. Not a very exciting start to the new year, but it's been comfortable, and I guess that's good enough.

We put away the tree decorations and tree today. I had already put away the rest of the house decorations and DH put away the outside stuff yesterday. We are under a tornado watch most of the day today so haven't done anything else outside. I do have a fairly large box of random Christmas stuff to donate. I had given some away back around the first of December so I guess I did pretty good this year in getting that downsized.

I had a tough day today - I just couldn't decide whether to take the decorations down today or tomorrow. Tomorrow won!

Maire

A good day here. a little cleaning up from last nights activities, alot of lounging 😄and some cooking. A bevy of appetizers! Happy New Year!

I watched a movie, believe it or not, I'd never seen before. What a good one! Fiddler on the Roof.

We don't put up our decorations until later and we take them down later, usually for the epiphany...

A whole lotta nuthin going on here. Took a walk, ran into roadblocks on a couple of projects with dried up paint or missing elements and no desire to go to the store. Finished a book, organized the pantry. I know you're all jealous about my exciting life!

Gloomy, rainy, foggy day here. Husband and I made a cheescake this morning. I "cleaned" the oven and "vacuumed" while I did a crossword puzzle. Automation helps me multi -task.

I don't know what our weather will bring tonight. It's supposed to start with more snow, then freezing rain overnight and then rain tomorrow or maybe more snow. Mother Nature is leading a balancing act of temperature and precipitation. I did go out and clear the snow off the branches of my son's Japanese split-leaf maple bushes to lessen the weight in case we get freezing rain. They are both older large and beautiful bushes so hopefully there will be no broken branches.

I'm staying in tomorrow and putting the decorations away.

I made Hoppin’ John (with separate pots of blackeyed peas and rice so people could combine it on their own), two pans of cornbread, Melissa Clark’s ratatouille recipe (absolutely out of this world!), ham glazed with mustard, boiled apple cider, cloves and brown sugar, kale, and Yuletide scones with added brandied fruit and an orange glaze.

We then went to my mom’s new house and made up the beds, came home and spent the rest of the day in a stupor. My singular accomplishment besides all the cooking was to get my 171st consecutive Queen Bee this morning in the NYT’s daily spelling bee game.

Epiphany is TOMORROW!! A week early in many ways...-14 here so after Mass hunkered down, did some ironing,,,It will be above zero in time to go back to work.

Arcy, how can Epiphany change dates? Mind you I need no excuse to eat King's Cake throughout January, but still, Epiphany is the 6th.

In Flirida we used to heat our pool so the kids from our church yourh group could “dive” for crosses like the Greek kids in Tarpon Springs. This year we wouldn't have even had to heat it….What a different twenty years has made in the climate! It was 78 here today 🙁

I spent a lot of the day yesterday repurposing holiday food. Big vat of turkey soup, as I still had the thanksgiving carcass in the freezer. Combined with the Christmas one, there was a lot of stock. Chopped a ton of veggies, then split the soup in half; noodles in one half, barley in the other.

Then I made fromage fort from all the leftover bits and bobs of cheese. It's a simple Jacques Pepin recipe; a pound of any cheeses you like, 3 or 4 garlic cloves and 1/2 a cup of white wine. Whirl it all together in the food processor and pack into crocks. I freeze it in 1/2 cup crocks for an easy impromptu appetizer. Serve with crackers or veggies or you can also spread it on toasted baguette slices and stick it under the broiler.

Then I ground up all the leftover crackers to freeze and use to top veggies or pasta or...

Then I collapsed with a glass (maybe two) of wine and watched Perfect Storm which is one of my all time favourite movies. We had turkey soup and cheese toast for dinner.

^^^^I admire your diligent use of resources, nekotish. Truly. Thanks for the Jacques Pepin recipe and tip-sounds great!

Nekotish, wow, that is a lot of work. That fromage fort is really good. And I feel very guilty reading all you did to make the most of your leftovers. Although, in my defense chopping veggies, which is step one in almost any cooking, is no longer doable for me. My right hand hurts after gripping a knife for even a short time. Complete rest is the doctor's order for a few months (!) so I'll be learning to use a mandolin and my FP better. For now, I have children at home from school, so sous chefs are available.

I wish I had leftover cheese! But I do have an abundance of crackers that I'll never eat. Thank you for the tips, Nekotish.

Zalco, I hear you on the chopping. I have good hand days and bad hand days. I do try to use either ny regular or my mini food processor when possible, but I like the veggies is soup to be kind of uniform - just a strange quirk of mine. Good that you have sous chefs - take advantage while you can!

Springroz One touched down near us in central Kentucky, too. Buildings damaged and destroyed, but no injuries, which is the most important thing. My niece lives in Bowling Green and when I checked on her, she told me about those stores and said a Kroger was also damaged. Thankfully, they were traveling and not at home, but she thinks her house is okay.

Just thinking of you Zalco. Maybe get your helpers to chop a bunch of onions and celery, maybe some peppers and freeze them. I've done that when cleaning out the crisper and they are great for soups or sauces. I hope your hands feel better soon.

Thank you, nekotish. That is a great idea. I would not have thought of freezing veggies. I really appreciate the tip and the concern.

We have sooo much random leftover cheese….thanks for that tip, neko! What kind of crocks do you use to freeze the cheese?

Sueb20 - just little cheap ones from the Dollarama, that say they are freezer/oven/microwave safe. Have had them for a few years and never had an issue. I let them thaw on the counter. Pyrex "custard cups" would work too.

Also, I usually just let it sit in the fridge in a mixing bowl overnight and then taste and adjust the next day when everything has had a chance to meld. You could at that point, just feeze it in "blobs" on saran wrap and dump it into a ramekin or something to thaw when you want to serve it.

Love your suggestions for leftover cheese Nekotish! in my effort to reuse leftover cheese I made an Instant Pot Mac & Cheese from leftover cheddar, raclette and parm. Delicious, but I love your freezing recipes even better!

That's what I like about the fromage fort. We can freeze it until we feel justified in eating cheese again. We try to be moderate with cheese throughout the year but go crazy at Christmas. I didn't mention it, but I usually give my husband 2 or 3 nice cheeses in his stocking. He is very much a cheese lover. Obviously I didn't use any of his "stocking cheese" in the fromage fort. There would have been h*** to pay if I had.