From the couch

On a holiday from blogging this week (perhaps you've noticed), and this evening I'm flipping through the online pages of the Julie/Julia Project.  You've heard of it, of course.  It's the blog/blogger that the movie "Julie and Julia" was based on.  Winter always brings out the cooking and baking spirit in me.  Perhaps it's the cold, perhaps it's the cozy, thick clothing that can hide an extra pound or so, or perhaps it's just that, come January, I don't really want to commit myself to much more than being at home and doing whatever I want.  Looking up new recipes is a natural part of this process for me.  This Christmas I got a set of four white ramekins, and I'm planning on tackling the famously daunting souffle recipe this January.  Lemon or chocolate, I can't decide.

My Sunday-before-Christmas plans did not go, well, as planned, mostly due to the fact that after all that hype, we got no snow.  Not a single cold, white flake.  SO.  I am fully looking forward to the calm, quiet weeks of January, before the campus is again flooded with activity.  I used to hate January:  nothing to look forward to, short chilly days, going back to work or school.  Now, I've found I can't wait for those empty days when I can go to yoga and cook and clean and craft all I like, with no big holidays or such to prepare for.  My hope is that, on any given weekend in January, you can find me sitting at the (dining room? kitchen?) table, blogging from my laptop, sipping tea or coffee and snacking on whatever goodie I baked that week.  Maybe I'll occasionally go for a walk, or drive to the Barn Sale, too, but let's not get too crazy.