Orlena, hush! People are trying to sleep

Remember my tater tot concoction from the last post? Yep. This is it. SO good. Tots that are hot and slightly over-baked and heavily salted; a slice of pepper jack cheese; and one over-easy egg, runny yolk, please. 

I’m trying to write this post, but apparently, we are in the path of winter storm Orlena, and it’s distracting. She is SO stinking loud. The wind is having a field day. I was woken up super early this morning when a huge, noisy gust blew through and sent what I can only surmise as tree branches and other small-ish projectiles dancing across our rooftop. This is how snow gets ushered in around here, almost always involves wind, but I guess it's like that everywhere. I don’t dislike snow, but I’m not an overall fan of big weather systems. They usually start with barometric pressure headaches and end with yard cleanup.

I have to keep reminding myself that it’s still winter, especially if the sun is peeping out at me. Nothing like the sun coming out and my thinking that it's warm, only to step outside and it is 22 degrees. Soon enough, it'll be warm, then hot, then too hot. That will give me new weather reports to rant over. But with that heat comes fresh tomatoes and Sonic drinks, so . . . . . it's worth it. Plus, every now and then, we get the perfect summer storm, where the rumbles of thunder, the balmy breeze, the scent of garden flowers and veg and freshly-mowed grass fill the air. You open wide a couple of windows in the house just to get that smell inside and to watch those curtains blow wildly a few minutes before you begin racing around, trying to close them as quickly as you opened them because the deluge just hit. I LOVE that game.

Speaking of winter, it’s been all about the comfort food. Last night it was roasted potatoes, carrots and onions, topped with salt, pepper, shredded quesadilla cheese and a giant glob of sour cream. If I had been thinking, I would have roasted those veggies, then topped them with chopped up hard boiled eggs and a béchamel sauce when they were half finished, then popped them back in the oven to finish baking. That is SO good, and it is comfort food dressed up a bit fancier. But I didn’t think of it until I was eating the less-fancy version of roasted veg. Still very good, though, and good for you.

Here we are, staring at the last day of the first month of 2021. Isn’t that CRAZY? It’s going to be a good day to stay inside and do a project. It’s nothing but a soggy mess outdoors, and we don’t switch over to snow until Monday in the wee early hours of the morning. It’s a paint project, which offers fairly quick gratification! Fresh paint always looks good and is very forgiving.

We’ll wake up tomorrow to see what February 1^st brings us, a blanket of snow or more soggy mess. The snow goes on through Tuesday morning, so whatever happens, I think we’ll see some more of the white stuff.

In the meantime, buttermilk waffles topped with cheddar cheese, vegan sausage and heated maple syrup are calling my name. I put the cheese and sausage right on top of the waffles, then drizzle the whole thing with hot maple syrup. Tastes and smells like soooo many good things: autumn, the county fair, and a winter day. Funny how some foods just cross so many lines in the comfort food department, isn’t it?! Happy last day of January to you. Here’s hoping February is good to all of us.