Snow much fun!!

It was snow much fun!!! There, I said it. I loved the blizzard...the snow was fabulous. The Category 3 hurricane winds blasting my mom's house were a bit much, especially as day 3 wore on but all in all, it was really fun.

While not a big New Year's reveler, this year's fete was a blast Catskills-style...the most fun New Year's yet since India where we all danced to the disco beat with people half our age. ..well, at least half my age. I don't remember having ever been to the Catskills and it was fun to be in the land of the legendary Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle, Last of the Mohicans. It is truly beautiful...gorgeous mountains, streams, birch trees, rocks, ice, snow...you name it. Well, even kale was there, but I will get to that in a moment.

Close as I ever want to come to the native wildlife. I have serious bear issues!

Part of the fun was that Hunter Mountain was right across the street from us. The call of the wild beckoned. I felt the urge to wax up and hit the slopes until I saw that a few things had changed since I had last been skiing...about 30 years ago. Let's start with the clothes...more zippers and pockets that you can imagine and waterproof. And the boots. Goodness...so high tech. Then the size of the skis...what happened there? They are so short!!!! And then, snowboards...how cool to see them up close. Jon even had a really clever board that split into two cross country skis! Gosh...where have I been?

Thoroughly Modern Lissa

Lissa trying to update Mom with borrowed gear

Wanting to find my ski legs before actually putting them to the test, I found the perfect slope sport for me. Take a look...

I already have several trial runs in and I am ready for this to be the next Olympic sport. Forming a team? I'm in. Mastered that tube. Rocked the 3-5 session.

You all know by now how kale crazy I am and can find it anywhere. While still in NYC, I had several fab kale salads and even found a shirt with my name on it.

And so, it came as an extra delight that as part of the wonderful New Year's Eve feast Jon and Melissa  prepared Catskills-style, there was a delicious kale salad. It was just as delish for breakfast the next morning!

When I got back to Little Rock, I had to take a dish to a Gal's Night Supper and natch, chopped up a kale-ish salad...kind of a morph of some of the salads I tasted over the last two weeks. Here it is...

Unpacking the Suitcase Kale Salad

Herb salad mix

Kale

Fuji apple (or your fave)

Organic cheese of choice, optional

Hazelnuts, toasted

Slice kale leaves into little ribbons. Dress with Tangerine Vinaigrette and let rest for a few minutes. Then, add in salad greens, diced apple, grated cheese of choice and toasted hazelnuts. Toss with extra vinaigrette.

Tangerine Vinaigrette

Zest rind of one juicy tangerine and set aside. Squeeze juice to make about 3 tablespoons. Add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste (sometimes I add in a little natural sweetness but the tangerine this time was really sweet enough for me). Blend in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and reserved tangerine zest. Mix well and taste for seasonings.

This salad is very fresh tasting. You can always deepen the flavor by adding in a shallot or onion but I didn't have any on hand. Have a great weekend!

Last Call...It's Twelfth Night

With hundreds of pictures, it is a little hard to squeeze them all in without going into overload mode. Today is the "official" end of Christmas...Twelfth Night and so I thought it would be fun to show you the holiday dressings in New York. Last call. Most will be gone tomorrow. Then, I am ending this post with a few fun literature and wine pairings I got from a friend.

Little (?) Drummer Man setting the beat

Ice skaters at Rockefeller Center and a tea party at Anthropologie

I guess one puts the entire Cartier building...contents and all on the list? Anyone got a pen?

Beautiful ballerinas at Henri Bendel

Always whimsical Mackenzie Childs

Foodie holiday antics at Barneys

Lovely simplicity

Believing in sugar (plums) at Macy's

My pictures from Bergdorf's did not turn out but the windows were spectacular. Maybe they are online somewhere...you should have a look at them. The creativity of all I saw was beyond words.

Sherry Lehman's

The last stop of that stroll leads me into the thought for today. Sherry Lehman is a wonderful wine store on Park Avenue. It served as the model for the wine stores my great uncle Jurgen opened up in Cleveland, Ohio. He came from Germany right before the war and was largely responsible for introducing Ohio to fine European wines and his wife, Burrie, for introducing gourmet cooking with a fresh European flair. Julia Child would have loved her. They had an amazing shop...gorgeous windows, incredible wines and cooking goodies to make Williams Sonoma envious.

So, one of my resolutions is to read more books and a couple of you have shared that is yours as well. Here are a couple of fun wine pairings I got from a friend to help you turn those pages. Happy Twelfth Night! Happy Thirsty Thursday!!

Read these classics with these pairings:

Wuthering Heights- a brooding Shiraz.

Scarlet Letter- Pinot Noir

A Tale of Two Cities- a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Pride and Prejudice- Rose

Read modern tales with these pairings:

Fall of Giants- Malbec

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest- French Sryah.

The Sentimentalists- Riesling

Back on track

Two weeks, umpteen suitcase moments, a monster blizzard coupled with a three day nor'easter, two huge holidays, lots of delicious food, lovely family and company... and yes, very limited internet gave my blog its own holiday! Like the cheeks on my mom's overfed chipmunks, I have so much to share.

Here are a couple of pix...I have scads!

Little stovetop tree decorated with shells, crab claws, driftwood and pinecones gathered and returned to the beach

Santa's in the house!

Family smiles

Some of our food 

Thar she blows! 

and blows!

Peace returns for a day

And now, on to other things for a minute...While not much of a football fan (I grew up with soccer) there was a very profound comment during last night's Sugar Bowl. Lou Holtz said this: "If you have a poor self image, be certain...you will live up to that." Got me really thinking.

This is a new year. "Higher" resolutions are always in order. What self-fulfilling image am I putting out there? How "high" can I go? What does it take...really...to keep getting better, stronger, fuller? For me, it boils down to this...knowledge. I always want to be learning something, learning how to apply that "something" to my life and then learning how to share it with others who are interested.

There was a beautiful little stream on the property of my daughter's MF. Deep in the Catskills, there were so many beautiful images, but the stream caught my eye as a special "New Year's moment".  Water rushed down the rocks and there were rocks of all sizes and shapes. I imagined each one had a story to tell, perhaps even with another chapter of the tale hidden beneath the moss or in the near-frozen mud.

This is the message I got...I have to keep turning over rocks. To see what's there...to see what story each rock holds, how they all fit together, how all the pieces of rock make up the peaces of life. I have "put it out there" that I am on a journey to peace. According to Lou Holtz, I am certain I will live up to that.

To give my body a little peace, I am back to my morning shakes. They are a certainly a rock solid foundation for each day of this fabulous New Year! I got a new blender for Christmas...the mother of all blenders and this is a recipe that came with it, rocks and all.

Nutty Fruit Smoothie (from Vitamix)

1/2 cup spring water
1/4 cup yogurt of choice 
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 medium banana, frozen
2 tablespoons walnuts ( jagged rocks!)
1 tablespoon blanched almonds (smooth rocks!)
1 tablespoon local honey or 2 dates
1/2-1 cup ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until consistency desired.

Roots and Wings

I just got back from two weeks in my "root" land...New York. My children and my mom are there and I always leave a big chunk of my heart rooted there, too. I dearly love New York not only for the family ties but also just for itself...its "New York" state of being. A magnificent state with everything from small, quaint seaside villages to Big Apple creativity and excitement to wondrous mountains and lakes. This time I got to the Catskills...fabulous and more on all of this later.

But first, because some of you may still be flying or have loved ones dashing through airports this winter, I have some good news to tuck under your wing. There actually is decent food available for hungry travelers and this Red White and Food post is a tribute to some edible airport grub.

Here is what I found available at various food court restaurants...all veggie and actually pretty healthy. These suggestions were also written up in American Way magazine:

Burrito Beach: wonderful Black Bean Burrito with Fresh Guacamole (I ate there in O'Hare)
Starbucks: Perfect Oatmeal (I would top with the available almonds and fruit)
Uno Chicago Grill: Steamed Seasonal Veggies and Whole Grain Brown Rice
Smoothie King: Pomegranate Punch
Sbarro: Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Au Bon Pain: French Moroccan Tomato Lentil Soup
Subway: Veggie Delite
Wolfgang Puck Express: Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato, Basil and Garlic
California Pizza Kitchen: Grilled Vegetable Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing

I also always pack Yogi Detox Tea and drink it after flying. It helps me get rid of some of the "sitting too long" swelling. Hope this helps you travel well whenever you take flight!

Happy days

Wherever you find your inspiration, your sense of wonder and sense of  being, I wish it for you. May your new year be magical.