Week in Review: Lots of snow on New Year's Eve and Day. The kids went back to school here on Thursday and I subbed Thursday for second grade and part of Friday. Maddie, The Amazing Barking, Snow-Eating dog didn't mind the weather one bit. She has a very easy life.



The Brad Miller Snowman

Yes, my snowman (although it's missing its arms) is significant because it was, indeed, handcrafted by NBA superstar Brad Miller. He made it back when he was just a boy, a long time before he signed his 68 million dollar contract with the Sacramento Kings. I gave him fifteen bucks for it. Hey! I've got an idea. Maybe I could call his mother and the next time he's in town, visiting, he could come by and sign my snowman and then I could try to sell it on Ebay. I probably shouldn't have divulged this information on the blog. Somebody might possibly drive by and steal my Brad Miller snowman. Me and my big mouth.


Corned Beef and Cabbage

We serve it up twice a year here, New Year's Day and St. Patrick's Day. It's yummy alright, but it sure stinks up the house. As Katie, the cook (played by Marjorie Main of Ma Kettle fame) said in the 1944 movie, Meet Me in St. Louis, "Cabbage has a Cabbage smell!" We didn't see Rob for three days.





We took down all our Christmas decorations on Sunday afternoon. It was very depressing. I felt like that guy on the Verizon commercial who pulls the plug on his outdoor display and all his inflatables go limp. Now I'll have to turn my attention to our Biggest Loser contest. That's right - five people (who shall remain anonymous on the blog) - 100 dollars each - 10 weeks. WINNER......TAKES....ALL. I even went out and bought a scale, because I had not looked at my weight in ten years. Truly. At the doctor's office, I would just look away. You know, that was really stupid.


Recipe of the Week: Is my favorite salad recipe. I got this one from the internet. The dressing is delicious. One piece of cooking advice - if a recipe tells you to toast your nuts, I recommend that you do just that. For years I ignored those instructions, but honestly, toasted nuts are tasty nuts, so, again, like with the weight-denial thingy.....me, being stupid.


Apple, Dried Cherry & Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing

Maple Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or other white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salad

1 - 5 ounce bag of mixed baby greens
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into match-stick size strips
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, TOASTED

For Dressing: Whisk mayo, syrup, sugar and vinegar in a bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil until mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

For Salad: Toss greens, apples, cherries and 1/4 cup walnuts in a large bowl to combine. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Divide salad among plates and top with remaining walnuts.



And, I close this week with one more picture from Christmas. Landon Kutscher in the Rudolph hat his mommy made him.