dutch breakfast and a long-awaited fo.

Dutch marzipan stollen for breakfast is an idea I wholeheartedly support. I found this bread in a little dutch store in Helen, Ga, on our New Year's eve daytrip.

We got whacked with a ferocious storm this past Sunday, snow falling hard and fast and then a heaping helping of sleet, ice and freezing rain - the dreaded wintry mix. It's all conspired to close school for 4 days (I'm hoping for a 5th) and bring Atlanta to a screeching HALT! which of course is just fine with me. All this shut in time has enabled me to finish my long-languished Central Park Hoodie:
I knit it with 12 skeins of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, purchased from Acornbud's stash. Acornbud, who enabled this sweater big time by hooking me on the Silkroad crack a couple of years before, just by ooh-ing and coo-ing over it in my presence. I gotta say, I adore this sweater, and its buttery colorway, Vermouth. It is warm and soft and squishy. It is a scoach too big, and I am having some misgivings about gauge, but everytime I put it on, it immediately cheers me and restores that "I am a knittah!!" feeling. Which is something, in the dark days of winter, let me tell you. The buttons are a grey and yellow vintage button donated by my knittah friend, Debbie.

So I've been off for a few days, with little else to show. I made some Guinness braised shortribs from a recipe I got from my brother in law, via Facebook. These were so good that I neglected to photograph them, but I assure you they aren't pretty, and they will be made again here at the Atomic Lodge. I played a bit in the snow and ice, and have been spending quality time with the dogs:
It remains seriously cold here, in the 20's, and so we really aren't outside that much, just to feed the birds and putter around in the yard. Our street is still iced in and our driveway remains treacherous, though of course we're taking the CRV out for necessities like pizza and milk. It's all supposed to melt away tomorrow.