Spring Has Sprung

The time has come the walrus said to think of all things Spring.

Crocuses are the harbingers of warm weather - even when they're covered in snow. While daffodils and tulips are, undoubtedly, the most recognizable of all spring flowers, the tiny, hardy, oft-eaten-by-rabbits crocus is the very first flower to push up through the leftover leaves and the bits of morning frost. All hail the crocus!

Dead leaves and yard-waste pickup are the first spring-time stress inducers. There's always a layer of debris left because we get tired of trying to keep up with all the raking in the fall. How can one oak tree drop so many damn leaves? Really. And, unfortunately, the streets department won't give an exact date for yard waste pick up so you have to suss it out based on your garbage pick up day and how many houses are in a particular neighborhood and whether the crow flies at midnight. If you're lucky, you'll get your yard waste out before they come to pick it up but not, like, two weeks before because then the wind just blows the crap back up onto your lawn. *sigh*

Seed catalogs, garden centers, and (if you live in Madison) chicken catalogs bring the thrill of anticipation. There's nothing more satisfying than planning your summer garden. Planning. Not doing. Plans are grand and ambitious. The reality is usually less so. But the pouring over catalogs or meandering through the garden center fills your heart with inspiration and anticipation. Grandiose visions aside, the process of planning, buying, and creating a garden is an absolute joy.

Sunshine makes everything better. Warm, comforting, energy-giving, life-affirming sunshine. The days are longer and the desire to be outside is overwhelming. Fresh air, exercise, seeing neighbors who have been hibernating for months - these are all a result of sunshine. It's a powerful, wonderful thing. The sun rocks.

http://bit.ly/gp7HEY

 Breaking out the bicycle is a sure sign that spring has sprung. If it's warm enough to comfortably ride a bike, winter is officially over. Of course, it's possible that you may wait until the actual day you WANT to ride your bike to realize that it needs to go to the shop for the spring tune up. The tires are flat, the gears need greasing and you're stuck waiting until the next weekend to enjoy the freedom of tooling around town with the wind in your hair.

The bike of my dreams

And, finally, the best sign of spring are those occasional days when it's warm enough to open the windows in the house and air out the months of closed-up stuffiness. Madison was blessed with a couple of those days this past week and, for the first time in months, the house felt light and airy and free.

Happy springtime everyone. Revel in the beauty. Soak up the joy. Feel GREAT about the coming months.

- Alex

Hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'?

This has been a very hectic week of sickness (note the absence of a Monday post) and frantic little holiday-sweater knitting. I have a sleeve and a half left and I hope to have them done by the weekend. Then comes the seaming and collar finishing. Hopefully that will go quickly. Since both sweaters are the same, I opted to finish them at the same time. Ford-factory style. With the below-zero temperatures and snow in our future it should not be a problem to muster the ambition to sit and knit. This is the icy view of our yard this week:

Aside from the knitting, I haven't had too much time for anything else in my crafty world. I do have daydreams about upcoming project ideas, but I promised myself not to make any plans until after the new year. For now, I have to focus on sweaters, shopping, food and family... and those darn holiday cards that won't mail themselves!

Because we all have so much entertaining to do this time of year I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes. Deceptively simple, unbelievably tasty. Trust me. We used to have this dish quite often when we weren't as vegetarian as we are now, but it still gets trotted out for meat-eating company. Enjoy!

–Cassandra

Chicken & Basil Cream

4 chicken breasts without the bone

stick of butter

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

plain breadcrumbs

milk

pepper

salt

small container of heavy cream

¼ cup fresh grated parmesan

1 cup chicken bullion

1/8 cup fresh basil (chopped)

small jar of pimentos (diced)

Step 1: Clean and rinse chicken in cold water. Slice into smaller pieces and put in a bowl of milk.

Step 2: Dice the onion and garlic and sauté in hot skillet with about ½ stick of butter until the onions are soft and translucent.

Step 3: Put the breadcrumbs into a shallow pan about 1” deep. Add pepper and mix well.

Step 4: Take the chicken out of the milk and toss it in the breadcrumbs to coat. Then fry it in the pan with the onions and garlic until golden and juices run clear. If you need more butter in the pan…go ahead and put it in. Salt the cooking chicken lightly.

Step 5: Take the cooked chicken and put it in a serving bowl and keep warm.

Step 6: Take the cup of bullion and deglaze the pan. Then add the heavy cream and pepper to taste. Let that simmer for about 2 minutes. Stirring often. Add the grated parmesan, pimentos and chopped basil. Simmer for another minute and then remove from heat and let sit for a couple minutes until thickened.

Step 7: Pour cream sauce over cooked chicken and serve.