Sweet Hearts

It's Valentine's Day.  At our house, we don't make a big deal out of Valentine's Day.  Oh, we have our traditions but they have nothing to do with store-bought cards and gifts.  Our philosophy is that, honestly, every day should be like Valentine's Day.  It feels like that to Paul and me.  However, we do like a little celebration just as much as the next couple so we celebrate the day of love with some lovely rituals. 

The first is that we always make each other a Valentine.  Sometimes they are goofy, sometimes serious but, always, made by hand.  

The second is that I always make shortbread hearts.  Shortbread is a favorite around here.  Maybe it is partially because Paul has Scottish heritage.  Maybe it's just because it tastes so darned good.  Either way, I make them as a Valentine's treat.  This year is no different.  This year's batch looks just like every other year's.  Big shortbread hearts drizzled with a little pink glaze.  There's no better way to say I love you than a good cookie!

Winter harvest

It's winter on the Palouse.  This means cold temperatures, rain, snow, and wind.  It means snowy, icy roads and bundling up before heading out anywhere.  It's wool socks and sweaters and a fire constantly burning in the woodstove.  It's certainly NOT gardening weather, that's for sure.  Well, except for this.  The carrots and parsnips we left in the garden bed last fall finally got dug up today.  I was afraid they might be mushy by now after all the hard freezes and snowy weather but, they were beautiful!  

It sort of amazes me that we can still get something from the garden at this time of year, especially here.  When I lived in warmer climes, winter gardening was not unusual at all.  Lettuce in December?  No biggie.  But here, not so much.  That's why digging up these root vegetables is kind of a thrill.  They look great and taste even better.  Homegrown carrots have a flavor unknown to those store-bought carrots.  So good.  

Now we are brainstorming about what wonderful carroty things we will make in the next few weeks.  Some will get roasted, along with those few parsnips, with either a roasted chicken or a pork roast.  Some may become part of a risotto with carmelized carrots that I like to make.  Paul has requested some be set aside for him to make Zanahorias Picante (a Mexican spicy pickled carrot salad).  Yep, we'll have no trouble at all eating up our winter harvest!