alphabet soup winter 2011 menu

"No matter where I take my guests, it seems they like my kitchen best." ~ Pennsylvania Dutch Saying

Happy New Year, friends!

Oh my goodness. How is it possible?

You’re even more good looking this year than you were last year!

Turn around. Now to the side. Yes, that’s definitely an impressive profile. I see a few cookie crumbs on your cheek and a drop of champagne on your chin, understandable after all the holiday festivities. But otherwise, you’re the most beautiful version of you I’ve ever seen, and I’m so happy you’re here!☺

Len and I nibbled, noshed, crunched and chewed our way through the holidays, perfecting an admirable snack-sup-swallow routine day after day. We kept our burps civilized and polite, our starched napkins perennially tucked neath our chins, and are now gleefully lolling about the house all gastronomed and gourmandized. Happy to report we are still cute, and like you, quite good looking. After all, it’s a new year, our slates are clean, and anything is possible.

Santa brought Len new boots for Christmas.

It was fun taking some of our New Hampshire relatives to a favorite local restaurant, where we feasted on Grilled Sesame Salmon, Roast Breast of Duck with Gingered Brown Sauce, and Filet Mignon with Cabernet Wine Sauce & Caramelized Onions. They were out of pecan pie, though. Sacrilege!

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed some French Country cooking, and are still talking about the giant popover that threatened to take over Maryland (it resembled a Neanderthal period drumstick capable of beating back a hairy behemoth with just one good thwack).

Hollow, so hollow.

New Year’s Day, of course, was all about dumpling soup (somebody really should write a book about that). ☺

And now, ta-da! —

THE ALPHABET SOUP WINTER MENU: COMFORT AND JOY

Though I’m not a cold weather girl at heart, I do enjoy the chance to hibernate, stoke the home fires, and cultivate the fine art of simple pleasures. If ever the old adage, "There’s no place like home," is true, it’s during this season of bluster and blizzards, when Mother Nature proves her mettle time and again. I’ll be quite content to watch the snowy landscape from my kitchen window, as I cozy up with my fleece blanket by the fire, read the hours away, compose handwritten letters on real stationery, and stir the soup on the stove.

I’m looking forward to being transported to the kitchens, dining rooms, and restaurants of some remarkable food writers. Food memoirs are an ongoing guilty pleasure — a genre I am exploring, researching, and happily experimenting with, trying to create essays for adults and stories for children. My first picture book, Dumpling Soup, began as a food memoirish essay, and though I’ve written on other subjects, it seems I always return to food. Writing my heart’s desire is all I know, the only thing that makes sense, and I will continue on that path.

Winter also seems the best time to test out a few new recipes from some of the literary cookbooks I’ve recently acquired. I admit I’d rather read my cookbooks than actually cook from them, not necessarily feeling compelled to don a Battenburg lace apron and power up the KitchenAid or Cuisinart to whip up a gourmet meal for visiting royalty. But I think I just might want to dabble with a recipe or two à la Harry Potter, Nancy Drew, or Mary Poppins. Of course, if George or Paul or Bob drops in, I might get really ambitious (a Guinness Cake for Mr. Clooney, a batch of fairy cakes for Sir McCartney, and Jack Daniels Pudding for Mr. Dylan — though he likes meatballs, too).

I will share my exploits accordingly, along with memorable, noteworthy excerpts I come across in my foodie reading. Look for a new ongoing series called, "Tasty Tidbit," a little nosh to brighten your day and whet your appetite.

January is National Soup Month and Hot Tea Month; we aim to generously fill your cups and bowls not only this month, but all winter long. If there’s one thing we know how to do around here, it’s sip and slurp! Soup is THE favorite comfort food all over the world and throughout time. Of course we’ll also serve up our usual smorgasbord of tasty book reviews, Poetry Friday posts, alphabetica, Soup of the Day celebrations, Random Cuppie-o-Grams, food art finds, and quirky ruminations on whatever suits our fancy, as we continue to search for the "Ooh" in the Ooh-la-la of life.

And just for you, I will take on a new challenge: The Quest for Pie. Rumor has it cupcakes have gone kaput, macarons, MIA — but pie baby pie, that sweet friendly down-home appley-cheeked deep dish wonder — is enjoying newfound popularity and has been touted by trendspotters as the food of the year. Looks like a few foodie field trips and serious investigation are in order, so SAVE YOUR FORKS!

dadadreams/flickr

The resident bears especially love January, for it’s the birth month of two authors who created the most famous bears in all of children’s literature — Michael Bond (January 13) and A.A. Milne (January 18). Can you imagine a world without Paddington and Pooh? Stock up on thick cut marmalade and fill your honey pots now. ☺

BTW, have you made any New Year’s resolutions? I’m not one to draw up a formal list, but every January I like to recommit to the beliefs that have gotten me this far: 1) there is only one joy, to love and be loved, 2) no act of kindness, no matter how small, ever goes wasted, and 3) nothing matters more in this world than how you treat other people. It’s how I want to live.

Recently, I read some inspiring words by Jane Lebak at the QueryTracker blog, which I’m going to keep close this year, since they address the crux of the writer’s dilemma: "For Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate, give yourself the gift of believing you have something important to say. Give your message the gift of saying it as well as you can . . . and then pass along the gift."

By MicBDesigns

Self doubt is every writer’s nemesis; I struggle with it every day. The voices that say, "Who cares?", "What’s the point?", "Will I ever be good enough?" and "Does this matter?" clamor in my head all the time, whether I’m writing a book or a simple blog post. You write in isolation, seemingly to a deep, dark void, and it’s very tough to keep believing in yourself. It’s basic, I’ve known it all along, but it’s good to be reminded. So for 2011, this will be my special gift — to myself and to you: I BELIEVE IN YOU!

Finally, I’m looking forward to my duties as Final Round Poetry Judge for the 2010 Cybils. The finalists were just announced on New Year’s Day and the complete list can be found at the official Cybils Awards website. Congratulations to all who made the shortlist! Cybils winners will be announced on February 14th.

Winkler loves Baby Bear’s Bedtime Book by Jane Yolen and Jane Dyer.

Here’s wishing you a great 2011, whatever your dreams, goals, or aspirations may be. When the weather outside is frightful, or anytime you’re in need of a little TLC, do stop in and make alphabet soup your soft place to land. We’ll keep your place at the table ready with ample servings of comfort and joy, soup and pie, warm drinks, and teddy bear friends to feed and soothe your body, mind and spirit.

The more it
SNOWS-tiddely-pom,
The more it
GOES-tiddely-pom
The more it
GOES-tiddely-pom
On
Snowing.

~ The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne

"Getting Ready for a Game" by Carl Larsson (Le Petit Poulailler/flickr).