It's Cold!

Wow... it's cold. Sheitoon is sitting in my lap, wondering what happened. Yesterday it was very humid and warm, and by 8 o'clock the wind shifted to coming from the Northwest and here we are - brrrrr!

It always makes me laugh when I remember, but Sheitoon doesn't purr. I believe a better way to express it is to say that she can't purr. She makes these little grunting noises, and I can feel an inaudible "purr" at times, but she certainly can't purr properly. Her vet said that kittens (before I got her,) can have a nerve in the back of their neck damaged, and then they can't purr. He's not sure that is the reason, but it is a possible explanation. There are really only two things that remind me that she doesn't purr: 1. when she makes the little grunting noises (very cute!) and 2. when I hear other cats purring.

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time cleaning (didn't get too far along), walking to the grocery store in the rain and coming back with quite a heavy load, making dinner, and baking an apple pie from scratch. I must say, I was surprised just how time consuming making the pie was... but baking can be soothing, and the final product definitely makes one happy.

Dinner was pretty good - baked chicken thighs (marinated/rubbed in tomato paste, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dried basil), potatoes (microwaved and then sauteed in juice from chicken), and french cut green beans w/ pearl onions (sauteed in olive oil w/ garlic slivers.) We also had a yummy salad to start - white balsamic vinegar w/ garlic and olive oil. I love white balsamic vinegar.

But who am I kidding? The apple pie is what I really want to describe. It was good. I can't believe how good it was... I made it using a recipe from "Cook's Illustrated." It's one of my favorite subscriptions! I love how it explains why you are doing things, as knowing all that info is bound to make you a better cook/baker. I made the "Deep-Dish Apple Pie" and, yes, I made the crust from scratch. I was so happy with how the crust turned out. The pie looked so great that I had to take pictures when I brought it out of the oven. I'm sorry if I'm not being modest, but baking is a whole world that I've yet to really explore. Sara came over for some pie and brought some vanilla ice cream (yum!), but we still have over half of the pie left. We're going to Frances' for dinner tonight (she's making us chicken with pear sauce - can't wait to try it!), so I'll bring it over as dessert.