All posts tagged: winter

potato-leek soup: perfect for a rainy day, plus some project ideas for the new year

Published by fairfaxhill

Happy new year! Like a miracle, the sun came out on January 1 and we welcomed 2023 with sunshine and delicious, homemade pizza made by Patrick.  By Monday, though, we were back in winter mode, with rain and heavy fog, the kind of weather that makes you want to stay in your sweatpants all day reading books under the covers.  The office was super quiet (I think some people thought Monday was a holiday, as it was for many), so I came home a bit early to make myself something warm to eat. I was craving potato leek soup, and was too hungry to look up a recipe, so I just made it up as I went. My goal was to make a hearty soup, with chunks of potato and bits of leeks you could actually see, not like my last attempt when I used the immersion blender before I served it and accidentally ended up with a gooey mess. This time I loved the result.  This is the simplest potato soup you will ever …

longer days, camellias and a new book

Published by fairfaxhill

It’s starting to look like spring around here and believe me, it is a much-welcomed change! Winter is great for staying indoors, knitting lots and all things cozy, but I have a hard time dealing with fewer hours of light in my days. My biggest complaint is that it’s too dark to go on a walk with my dog before going to work. And later after work, it’s also too dark. Yes, I know, I could use a flashlight or borrow Patrick’s headlamp, which he uses to go fishing in the wee hours of the morning on weekends – but it’s tough to go out there when it’s dark. So, every winter, I tend to not exercise enough and inevitably end up gaining a few pounds. It doesn’t help that I love food and that my appetite seems to quadruple during this time of the year, either! (Kudos to my friends that are on diets now. Whole 30? No way! I could never do that.) There’s a lady that must be about my age that …