Here in Michigan we have coasted along the early winter weeks wondering where winter was. (I, for one, wasn't complaining.) True, the skies were gray, there was plenty of drizzle, and it wasn't great weather for something like a picnic, but the temps were adequate (high for the month) and I didn't mind not having to battle snow or ice if headed out.
Then we got our share of the deep freeze.
The day I started writing this, it was three degrees, and soared to ten by mid-afternoon. And, while we didn't get the ten inches of snow predicted, we had enough for Rick to ski. (He was thrilled.)
Meanwhile, inside, my friend Kate came over to paint. I haven't painted since quickly doing a few Christmas cards in December (and I do mean quickly; I'm not terribly proud of them).
I'm not terribly proud of this either, but it felt good to be in paint again. This is for Este Macleod's "coloricombo" challenges where we have four required colors (plus neutral b/w/gray) and a theme -- House. The two shades of blue, the brick red and the yellow of the boat were the colors (I made the sand with the yellow and pale blue).
And, I started a new puzzle. I'm contemplating putting all the pieces back in the box. It didn't seem so hard -- until it was. But I shall persist!
I enjoy cooking in winter months and this salmon recipe over rice with broccoli was a good dish for a cold winter night. I'm putting the marinade recipe down at the bottom of this post. (I may have posted before but you might as well have it here!) It only takes 10 minutes to prep and about 20 in the oven so it's a fairly quick dinner.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mold Inspector came and yes, there is mold in the basement. I'll get the lab tests back this week and we'll see how much (or possibly if) it needs remediation yet. So, all the Christmas is still up. I am kicking myself for having buried the Christmas boxes at the bottom of everything I took downstairs! Much as I hate working in the basement, I'm eager to get it put back together.
And then there is this one.
She is definitely my happy, cozy girl!
In the category of "lovely finds," I was cleaning out the bookcase (sort of) and this holiday journal fell out, begging me to look inside. Beginning back in 1978 when my cousins came from Cleveland to Lansing to celebrate the holidays I forced (yes, forced) everyone to write in the journal.
They could record wishes for the new year, thanks for gifts, memorable moments, whatever they wanted. This continued until we stopped doing family holidays about ten years later.
It was such fun to pour over memories, badly written poems, funny drawings, many of which were written by my dad, aunt and two uncles who have since passed. It is a treasure.
I leave you with another look at the frost on my front door.
It may be cold but at least it's pretty!
Keep cozy out there!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Salmon Marinade
Prep takes 5-7 minutes; baking about 20.
Combine: 1/4 c. brown sugar / 1/4 c. soy sauce / juice of 1/2-1 lemon / about 1/8 c. olive oil (I eyeball it and probably use less) / a few Tablespoons of water (again, I eyeball it) / 2 minced or grated garlic cloves / about 1 inch or more of grated stem ginger.
Pour over salmon (a pound or a little more) and marinate several hours (but if you don't have that much time, no worries. Try to do at least a half hour.)
Heat oven to 400. Spoon marinade over salmon again before baking about 20 minutes (depends on thickness of fish).
Serve over rice with marinade spooned over the top. (It's really nice with broccoli.)
61 comments:
I love the holiday journal! What a treasure! Lizzie is so adorable, as always.
So far, winter is much warmer than usual where I live. Your snow is pretty to look at, but I don’t mind not living in it!
...I love you winter wonderland. Little snow here but it's COLD. Mold is never a good thing, I wish you good luck with that!
Hello,
I make a similar marinade for salmon too, it is tasty.
Love your Lizzie photos. It is great you and your friend are painting together, I think your card is cute. We just had about 4inches of snow, it is going to be a super cold week here. Take care, stay warm and safe. Take care, have a great day!
thank you for the recipe-I love salmon, Larry had so much of it growing up that he doesn't want to eat any more-so I make it for myself when I find nice salmon in the stores-which I did last time shopping. thanks for the recipe.
winter is beautiful, especially when retired and don't need to get out in it.
sorry about the mold, and your journal find sounds like a treasure to read again.
stay warm Hugs Kathy
That salmon looks YUM. I think I will have to try your marinade! Well, my sister got about 8-10 inches of snow in Tennessee yesterday and then freezing rain overnight. We are going to have our 'deep freeze' watch tonight and again Saturday night, but not as cold as where you are!
Dawn P. Albany, GA
I love to see snow pictures. Something we don't have here.
Nice painting Jeanie.
Your holiday journal is a sweet find! Talking about sweet, your dear Lizzie certainly is. I thought your artwork was lovely! So nice to share a favorite pastime with a friend. I enjoy doing puzzles on days like these, any day really. Thanks for the salmon marinade recipe. I am fixing one this week and yours looks delicious. Beautiful snow and frosty photos! We have about 4 inches here and happy to stay home until it clears. Have a great day Jeanie!
A frosty window is a throw back in time to thoughts of magical creatures painting the windows at night. Your windows could be notecards waiting to happen in one of your lovely paintings.
Stay warm and cozy!
Thanks so much for the marinade recipe; I love salmon, but sadly DH doesn't. So on a night when we each do our own thing, I will definitely make this
"pour moi";))))
Lovely photos of frosted windows...we only have had 2.5" of snow but it has been followed by freezing rain/sleet and crusted the top...ugh!!
Hugs and stay warm Julierose
The salmon looks delicious. My most recent salmon was croquettes, which I thought were nice. I buy the frozen kind that comes in single-serving packets, which works well for us.
Good luck with the mould!
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
That journal is a priceless treasure! How lucky you are to have those memories. Love the marinade recipe, sounds perfect.
We only got a dusting of snow, but it has been very cold. Today we had somesunshine, too! Glad Rick is happy with skiing and that you had time to paint1. Have a great week, hugs, Valerie
You're one of those mythical people who start putting together the middle of the puzzle before you have all the edge pieces together! I had no idea people like that actually existed in the world!
That journal is a treasure!
The salmon...I'll be right over--lol!
Sorry about the mold. :(
But so glad you had a fun painting session with a friend!
Me--I love the snow! Even when I used to have to shovel the car out from under it. But ice storms--no thanks! And we have had a lot of ice this year due to it being warmer than usual for a good while. Now winter is making up for it--not with much snow, but with dangerously cold temps.
Stay warm and safe, Jeanie! :)
lovely painting, with yellow and blue as dominant colors!
The color of Lizzie's eyes is very special and makes her look even more cute!
Jeanie, your journal is a treasure written by cousins and such, and especially the note from your dad. I bet that was such a pleasant surprise for you to read again. That puzzle does look a bit tricky to put together, but it's nice that you are tackling it. I love the snowflakes on your front door. Well, even though you're not terribly proud of your painting, I think it's terrific. I like all the blue you used. And you got so much snow! Three degrees is oh, so cold. Try to stay warm, Jeanie, and I love your posts of "this and that."
~Sheri
What a way to live seeing through your photos. Love the journaling.
The salmon looks delicious! We got 5 inches of snow and record-breaking temperature, but it won't last. It's rare here, so I'll enjoy it while it does last and hope our power stays on. I'm sorry about the mold nd hope you get good news from the lab tests.
3 degrees is sick and wrong. The journal was a lovely find. Ack on the mold.
Lovely pic of Lizzie.
Your snow crystals look fabulous, only the cold winter can do that.
The snow is wonderful here too. I can only be happy and I will use it with my skis every day.
What a treasure your vacation diary is,
It's so much fun to reminisce.
Your cat and the great quilt are cute. Very nice.
Many greetings from Viola
What a great find your holiday journal is.
The salmon looks delicious, it is often in my menu plans.
I always think snow, frost and ice can look pretty in photographs, I enjoyed seeing yours.
Take care, keep safe and warm.
All the best Jan
Life seems to be good even though it's cold. It's cold here, but not as cold as most of the country including you in Michigan. But even though it's cold, it seems like you are doing the best things at home. Cooking in the winter is always good because it's part of staying in and cozy, isn't it? I hope it warms up for you soon. hugs-Erika
Jeanie,
We are in the arctic snap to...A high of the mid teens is predicted for the next few days and we just got about 3 inches of snow...Winter is definitely here...Thanks so much for stopping by!! Try and keep warm...
Hugs,
Deb
I'm excited to try your salmon! Maybe this week!
Jeanie, the frost on your door is beautiful..It reminds me of a poem which I can't remember but along the lines of something came down last night and painted something on my window pane..I think, but I always wanted to have a situation like yours so I could use it! Haven't had one yet. Sorry about the mold. Hope you find out it isn't too bad..xxoJudy
your salmon dish sounds marvellous. I love salmon and i love broccoli! That snow and ice looks amazing. We are having a hot humid summer so a bit of that cold would be nice!
Yeah we are having the same weather on this side too, but no snow. BRRR Any of your paintings are better than what I could do. Dont be so hard on yourself. It looked wonderful. Janice
That journal is a really nice keepsake. I wish my family had thought to do something like that.
I think the painting turned out well, considering the restrictions! Clever to mix the paints and stretch the color palette.
It’s pretty cold here too, Jeanie - minus seventeen as I type this note. It has been sunny though, perfect weather for winter walks. I will be leading a day-long outing for a group of students from the University of Waterloo on Saturday. They have formed a club called The Society for Ecological Restoration. Who wouldn’t want to help young people committed to that goal?
Oh that journal:)Frozen tundra here also with lots of snow accumulation= work and not fun like gardening..but invigorating.
So fun to have a painting friend!Hope the bmt doesnt cost an arm and a leg..Here ..when I worked if mold was detected at an inspection..It had to be remedied..Mold grows so easily.. even in really dry basements..Fingers crossed! My Christmas is still up also..It lights up teh evenings;)
The snow is beautiful. I always love to see snow...from afar!
How fun to have a painting day! I've enjoyed having my writing friends this past year join me for a day of writing (and other adventures). I signed up for a drawing class at a local college. I am eagerly looking forward to taking it, too.
Jeanie, thanks for the recipe. That meal looks and reads like a really good one. I hate this deep freeze, we're in it too. And though it's supposed to warm tomorrow, it won't be enough to melt what we have, and Indigo promises to bring another 5" Th/Fr. Here's hoping no one has unmanageable weather emergencies.
And here I am in Hawaii, hating our 55F weather! Brrr. Imagine keeping a journal sine 1978. That's the year I gave birth to Maria. If I asked my guests to write in my journal, they would say, "No thanks." Haha.
Hope the mold situation can be remedied soon.
Nice salmon marinade. I will try it for sure.
Brrrrr! That is cold anywhere. Stay cozy inside
and enjoy painting and puzzles.
I just got up and it is 29 degrees here with what I see as ice on everything.
It's FROZEN..out there in caps...for sure. Your marinade would be great on pork or chicken also...!! Sandi
Loved seeing the holiday journal. I came upon a birthday card from my mother yesterday. What a sweet moment. My mother has been gone for almost 35 years. Today is the coldest in quite awhile, but happily no snow or worse, the dreaded sleet. Enjoying my coffee and keeping cozy this morning!
love your posts as always, Las Cruces NM is mid 50's today and sunshine. I trimmed a few bushes (usually do in Feb); just could stop myself from being in the sunshine yesterday. will try the salmon recipe; sounds yummy. Take care and hugs to you.
Love you paintings.
Sorry about the mold..I think most basements have mold unless they are totally dry and heated..
We are cold as well...not above freezing for the last 2 days..going to be in the 50's next week..
The salmon looks yummy..
I suppose we shouldn't complain about our weather here is Central Alabama, although we can't drive on the ice and snow here (yikes!)...
The journal must have been a joyful find! I know you enjoyed reading through the entries.
It's nice seeing that you're painting. I like your subject matter, and how you painted it. I think you nailed the challenge!
Stay warm, and thanks for posting the recipe. I love salmon :D
Now that we've had a few below-freezing days, I'm even more sympathetic to your dislike of the cold. It's easy to forget what it's really like when we live without it! The salmon marinade sounds wonderful. I've already written it down and will give it a try the next time I have salmon. That journal is a treasure. It's such a good idea: like a family scrapbook, but even more personal.
Your salmon dish looks wonderful! I have a couple of pieces in the freezer that I need to use this recipe on. Yummy. Your weather is quite cold and so is ours. We have 3 or 4 inches of snow that's not going anywhere with our cold weather. I hope Rick enjoys skiing. Your paintings are nice in my opinion, Jeanie. Darling Lizzie in front of that great quilt got my attention. Stay warm and cozy!
Salmon is one of our favorite repeat meal as there are so many ways to prepare and we also have a similar recipe, but plan to give this one a try as well, Jeanie. What a great find in that journal and thanks for sharing the story. Sorry to read about the basement mold issue.
Ah yes, your cold weather made it down to WV, but certainly what we got could not compete with Michigan! Funny about your painting...I was just thinking about trying some watercolor pens. I have never painted except walls and furniture but would love to try. I really like your little house. Quirky and colorful!
I cannot have a jigsaw puzzle in the house, lol. I get so obsessed I will stay up til 4am working on them!
The snow is beautiful, we didn’t get snow but it was 8 degrees here this morning! That is very cold for us. The salmon dish looks wonderful and perfect for dinner. I love the journal, it must have been wonderful to open it and read the entries, especially your Dad’s! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Stay warm, Jeanie!
I’ve already copied your recipe! We love salmon and I can’t wait to get what I need to make it. I love the journal you showed us. The closest I have is a special small silver album with Christmas photos throughout the years. I think your journal would be more priceless to have.
I love the deep freeze and frost pictures. Beautiful.
Stay warm. It's cold here too. Brrr. Not as cold as where you are, but cold.
Your frost photos are very artistic and I think you should be proud of your paintings. They are beautiful. Like you, I can do without winter so winter delayed is fine by me. Except when it comes in with fury like it has here. Oh my! I hope your 'mold report' doesn't come back so scary. Lizzie is looking lovely as ever and your salmon dinner looks delish.
We had really mild winter weather up until last week too and now it's been lots of snow and ice and cold. I wasn't minding the mild winter weather at all... while the snow and ice look pretty I do wish it was easier to get out in it. Your salmon looks delicious!
Glad there was enough snow to make Rick happy. Nice to see you're filling the dreary Winter days with fun activities like puzzles. Sorry about all the work you've had to be dealing with in the basement.
Beautiful photos.
Being in WI I can certainly relate to the cold and snowy theme. Wish I couldn't but there it is! It's wonderful that you can keep busy thru these frigid days. I stay busy, too...and it does help.
Have a wonderful rest of the week. xo Diana
That journal is so lovely! We had something less pretty for my grandpa when he was in the nursing home. Since he had dementia, he couldn't tell his kids who had visited, or didn't remember for his own benefit, so we had a visitors log. Some would just sign it; some would write more, knowing my mom and other siblings would read it. But what you have is much prettier and more of a keepsake!
It's been horribly cold here, too. Things are looking up as next week we'll be in the 30s which will feel tropical! It was too cold for much snow to develop, though! We were supposed to get a decent amount last Friday but it dissipated when it hit the arctic front. Phil was happy about that; the boys were not as they would like to go sledding. I would take snow over extreme cold!
Even here in Northern California it is quite chilly, but of course far from the degree of your freeze. I'm ok with that! That holiday journal is such a treasure! Wonderful that you found it, I'm sure it brought back a lot of memories. I recently found a little notebook that I had during my first year of university when my friends and companions wrote in there. It actually brought tears to my eyes when I found some entries from people who were pulled out of life way too early.
How nice to enter your cozy winter world! It's very inviting and colorful. Sorry to hear of your mold, I probably have some too in my basement. I'm glad you are painting again, and what wonderful cooking you are doing! We've had 2 "real" snows, the powdery kind on which you can ski. But the first one got washed away by rain very quickly. Stay warm!
Snow looks so magical in the photos. But according to my husband who grew up in Michigan, it's such a pain. Lol! Stay warm, you guys!
Seeing the snow on the trees looks so pretty. I don't miss it though- we are in South Florida enjoying 70 degree weather. I've been looking at the temps back in Philadelphia ( where we are from and live all summer) and it's 14 degrees! Brrr....I think the journal was a genius idea and now you have such wonderful memories to look back on! Hope you can get rid of the mold easily. Your cat is precious and she posed so beautifully for your photos. Have a great week.
We got snow in Alabama this week! No school for 2 days and our city was shut down! Things are more normal now but it's still extremely cold and I'm hibernating! Sorry about the basement, hopefully you can get things put away soon. How nice to have that journal to look back through and enjoy the memories. I haven't been painting much either, it's nice to know another artist like you feels a little rusty like me :) Hope you get to do more painting soon.
Jenna
That salmon looks delicious!
And I really like your painting!
This winter has been crazy. No winter at all, then all of a sudden, it's Dr. Zhivago out there. Stay warm and safe Jeanie!
I am so sorry about your mold.
You are keeping busy, puzzling and all! We'll get through winter...
What a find that book is! And a great idea of yours in the first place. I have a couple of books others wrote in, about their likes and dislikes and at this distance in time they are fascinating!
I can't tell you how timely your salmon recipe is: I have nearly 10 pounds of it in our freezer. Definitely time to be using it! I may even eat it for breakfast!
And, yes, the cold has been frightful. Between the cold and the snow, we've barely been out of the house.
I'm sorry about your mold problem -- that sounds like an expensive challenge to eradicate.
Finding that family holiday journal, though? Priceless treasure. So glad you "forced" it on everyone!
Take care -- welcome to the New Year!
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