Day Two

The alarm went off, and so did several snoozes.  I made it to CancerFit on time.  Went with hubby to his rheumatologist check up and a lunch at Roly Poly, one of the few places in Macon to have many vegetarian sandwiches on their menu.  Came home to work on making my blogs look less stark and scan in old photos.

Today is grey but pleasant in Macon.  A little bit of sun broke the winter day, but it is back hiding now.  One of the pleasures of living in the south is the nice winters.  I have blooming plants in my yard in January, in fact all year long.  The pool service substitute guy is sweeping out more dead leaves from our pool.  We could only swim into November, it is too cold now for us.  While winter is not as green here as summer, it still is much greener than other places.

The first winter we moved to Macon I rarely wore a coat, now my blood has thinned out and I am wearing a fleece turtleneck and it is 65 degrees outside.  Those who know me know I have have been cold often in weather others find warm.  Too bad I am also miserable when it is hot here in the south.  Having lived out west, it is the humidity that gets me here in Georgia. 

Highlights of my day include switching from my Christmas purse to my emerald green leather handbag.  Nothing earth shattering here.  My son is taking down our outside solar Christmas lights and by Epiphany all Christmas will come down and go to its home for eleven months of the year in our storage room.  I am looking forward to dinner this evening, we are using a gift certificate my husband bought at a holiday charity auction and going to the Back Burner, Macon's French restaurant.  Ever since Didier Poulet had me make croissants for French class in high school, I have loved French food.  I recommend French Food at Home with Laura Calder if you have the Cooking Channel.  She does many things that look wonderful.  I will admit I have yet to cook any of them.  I would recommend Ina Garten's French Lentils recipe, which I have made.  My daughter, Mairin, did not like the dijon vinegar dressing, but I like mustard dressings.  Here is the recipe from How Easy Is That?

WARM FRENCH LENTILS (4-6 servings)

 

What you will need:

• 2 Tbsp plus ¼ cup good olive oil
• 1 leek, white and light green parts, sliced ¼ inch thick
• 2 carrots, scrubbed and ½-inch diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup lentils
• 1 whole onion, peeled and stuck with 6 whole cloves
• 1 white turnip, cut in half
• 1 tsp unsalted butter
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the leek and carrots, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute and set aside
2. Meanwhile, place the lentils, 4 cups of water, the onion with the cloves, and the turnip in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the leek and carrots, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender. Remove and discard the onion and turnip and drain the lentils. Place them in a medium bowl and add the butter
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the ¼ cup of olive oil, the mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add to the lentils, stir well, and allow the lentils to cool until just warm, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve. The longer the lentils sit, the more salt and pepper you’ll want to add.