Complaining Winter Random Bites

Warning:
This post contains mostly complaining.

Is it almost spring yet?

I feel a little nuts stuck inside with this long stretch of cold weather.

It's my least favorite season here in NJ.....winter (in case you haven't noticed).

Cold, grey days and nothing growing in the garden.
No fresh herbs in my pots and no local produce in sight.

My rosemary bush died in these freezing temps and I actually had to BUY rosemary yesterday for the first time in years.

15F degrees is not for me.

I know everyone on instagram thinks the snow is so pretty.....but I don't ski, and I shovel my own walks and driveway, so I am mostly miserable.

My skin is dry, my hair is flyaway and I miss being tan.

The older I get, the more I hate it. I see why old farts move to Florida and Arizona, at least for the winter.

I live in the Northeast, so I guess the only thing to do is travel somewhere warm and drink a lot of wine.
(no wonder alcoholism is so rampant in Alaska and Russia).

You might want to click out now, so I don't bring you down any more.

So what's a girl to do?
I make the most of the season by going out to dinner a lot ;)

Bundle up warm and take day trips to NYC and fun places to keep my spirits up and maybe a trip to Miami if I am lucky.


Some local NJ restaurant bites:

We tried the beautiful new biergarten in Jersey City HUDSON HALL.

What a great space and even better food, with a real chef turning out amazing short rib goulash and the best hot pretzel I have ever had.

Truth.

and I loved the roasted cauliflower with apples! This place has great cocktails too, so if you are not a beer lover, there are plenty of options.

I make a lot of stews and soups during the hibernation months.
One for me, one for the freezer.

I made this delicious chicken artichoke soup with some leftover thighs. The original recipe is for a slowcooker (which I don't have).....so I adapted it for my Le Creuset Dutch oven. Pretty simple. So good.


I also do a lot of baking in the winter (as you know by now).

I made a delicious Normandy Apple Cake from Sophie Dudemaine's Sweet & Savory Loaves.

Really nice with the creme fraiche and Calvados.


and I must have a vitamin deficiency, because I CRAVE spinach in the winter.

I must have it everyday.....usually in eggs, but sometimes in this salad w/ citrus and feta from Nigel Slater's beautiful book TENDER.

I also made this beautiful spinach and artichoke frittata with chorizo and mozzarella....it's my new favorite.

Ok, this girl will stop bitching now.

52 days till spring.

Stay warm.