We all knew it would hit sooner or later, but the first snowstorm still caught me with my pants down. I hadn't lined up my snowplow man for the winter!
Kim needed to get down the driveway early this morning, so I did a whole lot of shoveling. I built myself a grand Sunday morning appetite. Usually I go to Perkins for their "55 Traveler" but decided since Kim was leaving, I would cook in at the office.
I'm glad I did. I prepared homemade buttermilk pancakes and "Eggs Ala Alice". Looked so good I took this picture. I have always felt that the key to great cooking is starting from scratch and staying away from ready made mixes. Here are the recipes for this morning's breakfast:
Buttermilk Pancakes (for 2)
1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
sift the above ingredients together in a small bowl
Separate one large egg, dropping the yoke into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk (I use a bit more to thin it), one tsp melted butter. Stir the ingredients together thoroughly.
Using an electric mixer set on high, beat the egg white until it is stiff and forms peaks. Fold the egg white gently into the prepared mixture. (beating the egg white until stiff and then folding it in makes the pancakes very light and fluffy)
Bake the pancakes on a cast iron griddle with the stove set at medium high. Be sue to wipe the griddle down with a vegetable oil saturated paper towel each time before you pour the batter on the griddle.
Note: you may ask why I insist upon using a cast iron griddle. I like what cast iron does to the browning of the pancake. Look closely at the pictured cake. it is an art work.
"Eggs Ala Alice" (named in honor of my lovely mother who developed this recipe for her boys when they came in hungry from milking cows)
Eggs Ala Alice for 2
fry 4 slices bacon, turning frequently, until crisp. Chop the bacon into bits, set aside
In a bowl, break four large eggs, beat them thoroughly
ada the chopped bacon, salt and pepper and chopped fresh chives when available (otherwise freeze dried work)
cook the eggs, scrambled-style, in a small skillet. serve with the pancakes.
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Last night was my first Christmas party gig. So, of course, the snow started about 11:30 in the morning. I gave my client, All-ways Transit of Bloomer, a quick call to make certain they weren't ging into the panic mode over a snowstorm and cancelling. No sense in loading all the sound gear if I wasn't actually going anywhere.
Hats off to All-Ways Transit for having the balls to party hearty, storm or no storm!
The drive up, which ordinarily would take me about 35 minutes to transverse, took me a good hour as whoever was ahead of me pretty much set the pace. I wasn't about to go out in the snowy passing lane and end up losing the gig in the ditch. Semis however plowed right by, leaving momentary whiteouts in their wake.
I was (outside of the cooking staff) the first to arrive. By the time I got there we had a good four inches on the ground. Later their snowplow came through and I had to play tag with him while he cleared the lot.
Although I hadn't worked in quite a long while, I had spent the morning organizing a tight 45 minute set and the show ROLLED!
One of the employees, a driver with a goodly sized beer gut, was wearing an elf's hat, complete with pointy ears. I had a line all set in my mind to use on him if he "opened fire" on me during the show -- and sure enough, he blurted something out mid joke to which I replied: "This from Santa's helper, who I would judge by the size of his belly, has had more than his share of "hamburger helper".
I think that exchange got the biggest response of the night. Work companions love it when you nail one of their own.
The drive home was just as hairy as the drive up but for other reasons. the temperatures were on the rise and hovering right around freezing. It began raining, snowing, and sleeting all at the same time -- my very favorite combination -- and my wind shield wipers started looking like popsicles; at the same time becoming less and less effective. I finally had to pull off at the Tilden exit and crunch the accumulated icing off by hand.
Every time I drive that stretch of road and see the Highway Q exit to Tilden I have to laugh. A hundred years ago I had a band that played at The Lamplite bar in lovely downtown Bloomer.
One night there was an extremely lively group of women, out dancing with one another as they do in Wisconsin, and I asked one of them where she was from. She said: "We're from Tilden." I said: "Tilden? Where is Tilden?"
She replied: "you don't know where Tilden is? You just come on Q!"
I said: " Lady, if I could come on Q do you think I would be working in a band?"
She didn't get it.
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