Snow Blitz oh-17 & Recipes

I composed this post back on February 12 and didn't get it published because I was having technical difficulties getting my video to embed, and I had to move on to something else.  Here we are, two weeks later!  Such is life these days.  So the snow blitz is now old news, and we enjoyed temperatures mostly in the 50's and 60's (and even broke 70!!) last week.  Early spring perhaps?  Hard to say.  Anyway, since I put an afternoon's time into writing this post I felt I should still share it, so that time won't have been wasted.  Enjoy!  More current updates soon!

We are in the midst of a crazy weather pattern here... about 4 inches of snow last Tuesday, followed by a foot on Thursday, then another 3-4 inches yesterday morning, and they have predicted another 12-18 inches to fall by tomorrow mid-day.  Last time this happened was February of 2015 but we have had several such "active weather patterns" (as they say on the news) during February in the past five years or so.

(This pic was taken in the midst of Thursday's storm-- I tend to use our mailbox as a gauge for how much snow has fallen.  As you can see it is about 1/4 buried in this pic; by the end of 2015 it was almost completely covered.)

I am actually really enjoying it.  Last week most of our activities were cancelled.  Things are still busy, don't get me wrong-- I mean, feeding, schooling, and clothing six hungry people while simultaneously keeping tabs on an active 1-year-old is no joke, as you know-- but at least we aren't traipsing everyone in and out of the car a couple of times each day.  And we have certainly had some relaxing time enjoying one another...

Homemade play-doh making...

Lots of crazy dance parties...

We have found this is a great way for J to burn off energy... we get her outside sledding (which she LOVES) when we can, but the past few days have been too cold for being outside more than about 20 minutes at a time.  But she has really perfected a lot of dance moves lately and so all we have to do is turn on the keyboard demos or the rockin' dance tunes and she is happy for at least 30 minutes.

I can't even remember if I ever mentioned on the blog that she had what they call a "gross motor delay" and we had Early Intervention come because she didn't crawl until 11 months and didn't walk until almost 15 months.  Well, let me just tell you-- she is delayed no more.  Running, jumping, climbing, dancing... sheesh.  It's kind of mind-blowing to think that she didn't start walking in earnest until about two months ago.  These babies are amazing with their capability for development and growth!!

Anyway, I thought I would take this opportunity to finally share the recipes I promised you WAY back in the fall when I blogged about our freezer cook.  Lots of them are yummy comfort food, so maybe some of you here in New England will find them appropriate for cooking during these few days of being shut in.

Crockpot Baked Beans

(This is a variation on "Basic Baked Beans" from the More With Less Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 lb dry navy beans

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon dried mustard

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

2-4 slices bacon

Instructions:

Rinse the beans and place them in a large pot.  Pour in roughly two quarts of water, or enough to cover the beans with about an inch of water above them.  Cover and soak them over night.  (If you forget to soak, as I often do, just boil the beans in this water for 2 minutes, then shut off the heat, cover, and let them sit one hour.)  Drain the beans and place them in the crockpot.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir.  Add 2-3 cups of fresh water.  Cook on low for 8 hours (high 4-6 hours).  Check on the beans periodically and add more water if needed to bring the beans to your desired moisture level.  Serve with cornbread and a fresh green salad!

When I prepared this recipe for the freezer cook, I just froze the soaked beans and the ingredients listed above in a gallon-sized ziplock.  I added the 2-3 cups of water after thawing the beans and placing them in the crockpot for cooking.

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

1 pound fish (we have used tilapia, haddock, cod, and salmon... our favorite is haddock or the wild-caught "chowder fish" sold at our supermarket for $2.99/lb... it's usually a mixture of cod/haddock/other white fish)

taco shells or soft tortillas

shredded cheddar or jack cheese

toppings of your choice-- avocado, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, chopped cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

for the marinade:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoon honey

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 2 fresh cloves

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon Old Bay

dash of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Combine all marinade ingredients and whisk.  Marinade fish in the fridge, covered, for a minimum of 30 minutes.  Bake the fish in the marinade at 400 for 15-25 minutes.  Cook taco shells according to package directions, or warm soft tortillas.  Stuff tortillas or taco shells with fish, top with cheese and other toppings to your liking!

For the freezer cook, I froze the marinade and raw fish together in a gallon-sized ziplock.  I thawed the fish and then cooked in the crockpot for 1-2 hours on low.

I hope you're enjoying some yummy food and whatever weather has come your way!