On days like this where you literally can't get out of your house the best thing to do is: cook, eat, read, watch movies (or luckily the Australian Open is going on). My husband recorded last night's Nadal vs. Berdych match so we watched that while drinking a stemming cup of french roast. Now my house smells absolutely fantastic because I have started a pot of "Cleansing Ginger-Chicken Soup". Stay tuned for the recipe but until then just imagine the smell of ginger and homemade chicken broth.
I'm enjoying a cookbook that a girlfriend gave me, MA GASTRONOMIE FERNAND POINT with a lovely introduction by Thomas Keller. What a character Fernand Point, the owner and head chef of Restaurant de la Pyramide was. One of my favorite quotes of his is, "To receive a guest is to take charge of his happiness during the entire time he is under your roof." I whole heartedly believe that and live by that in my own home when I'm entertaining.
I'll be entertaining friends this weekend and may tempt some french dishes after being inspired by this book although coming from Hoboken, NJ that's a stretch for me.
I've been conducting some cooking classes based on a Valentine's theme with menus comprised heavily of aphrodisiacs along with a playlist of love songs to listen to during the evening. I'll post the recipes we made in February.
But for now I'm going to enjoy reading my book by the fire, with the smell of ginger in the air, seeing my yard wrapped in a snowy white blanket and just generally being lazy.
