Walking in a winter wonderland...

Yesterday, the East coast braced for yet another snowstorm. For us in New York City though, yesterday was the blizzard that wasn’t. Old man winter didn’t come to the party like I had secretly hoped for. The snow came, but not so much of it and it was cold wet snow wrapped in a ferocious wind. The kind that feels like little pin pricks on your face. Mean snow, not the fluffy floating snowflakes that land lightly on your hair and face and can be easily brushed off your coat. I must be a California girl at heart, because I really don’t care for the cold weather that comes every winter. Dan teases me that when the seasons change and the thermostat plunges, I always act surprised, as if it’s my first winter here in New York City. I just always wish the fall could last a little longer. He likes the cold. It’s refreshing, he says. No, refreshing is an icy cold drink on a hot sticky summer day. Not 23 degrees. 23 degrees is just cold. He did manage to drag me out for a walk last night, after the snow was winding down. I ventured out in the cold, long enough so I could get some fresh air and take a picture or two. It’s hard to see, I realize my camera skills are lacking, but the picture posted is the front door of our building. I was tying not to shake from the cold as I took it.

Tonight, it’s back into the cold, headed to school. Yesterday, the lucky Wednesday students had a snow day. Not often you get one of those as a grown adult! Tonight is my last night at the canapé station. On the first night, I had to come up with what to serve. We presented a goat cheese, roasted red pepper and radicchio salad mix on a homemade potato chip with a basil reduction sauce. The sauce was a beautiful green swirl on the plate. It was a simple colorful dish, but quite tasty. On Tuesday night, Jim made a gorgeous and sophisticated Thomas Keller creation. A hollowed out egg, filled with savory custard topped with a veal reduction sauce. Into the custard went a homemade potato chip with a chive center. The egg sat perfectly perched in an egg cup. It was a canapé to be proud of, it was decadent and rich. Tonight is Joe’s night. He has yet to share his recipe, so it remains a mystery. I’ll make sure to take a picture of it and to share tomorrow. I’ll also get back to my usual blogging too…it was a crazy week of school, studying, tests and work. Those are my truthful, if lame excuses. Like I have said before, I am a work in progress!