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On the menu this week was another request from Daniel: fried chicken with mashed potatoes.

Fried Chicken

1 8 pound chicken cut into pieces for frying
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
oil for frying

Mix together buttermilk, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and Tabasco. Add chicken and cover tightly, refrigerate overnight.

Remove chicken from buttermilk and drain well. Place in a large ziptop bag with remaining ingredients (except oil) and shake to coat.

Heat a large cast iron skilled with an inch of oil until a pinch of flour dropped in sizzles vigorously. Fry chicken in batches until deep brown (dark meat will take longer 10-15 minutes, chicken is done when juices run clear). Drain on a rack and serve warm.

My nephew requested a birthday cake during their visit this weekend and since it was Daniel's birthday the same day as graduation I've done an all-purpose 3n1 cake for the occasion. Max and Daniel have very similar tastes- something strawberry and not all chocolate. I took bits and pieces from several recipes before I arrived at just what I wanted.

3n1 cake

Filling:
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
pinch salt

Crush 1/2 cup berries, add water, sugar and cornstarch and stir until well combined. (it helps to mix the sugar and cornstarch first) Cook over very low heat until mixture becomes bubbly and thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Cake:
8 ounces unsalted European style butter, room temperature (higher in butterfat for better baking)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cake spice

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour three 8-inch cake pans.

Cream butter 2-3 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add sugar and beat another 5 minutes. Beat in eggs thoroughly, one at a time. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cake spice. Beat in flour mixture alternately with the milk and vanilla, beginning and ending with flour. Divide evenly between three pans and bake at 350 F 25-30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Frosting:
8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
pinch salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 pound confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup milk

Cream butter until soft then beat in cocoa, salt,  and 1 cup sugar. Beat in half of the milk and the remainder of the sugar. With the mixer running, continue to add milk until desired consistency is achieved.

To assemble the cake:

Place a layer of cake on the serving dish. Spread half of the berry mixture atop this layer. Place a second layer atop the first and spread the remaining berry mixture over it. Place the third layer on top and frost cake.  Chill overnight for best texture.

Yesterday morning we were on the road bright and early headed for the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival, the star attraction of our visit. We like to get there early and park close to the green gate which was especially important this year since I had to be nice to my shoulder and make frequent trips to the car to drop things off. With time to kill before the vendors were open for business we went to visit the animals and this blue-eyed beauty nervously posed for me. As the clock struck nine we queued up at our favorite fleece vendors and made our purchases. This is the fourth year in a row I've tried to get a cormo fleece but it's the first year I actually succeeded. I know they can be had online but I really prefer to see the fleece in person and this year I was rewarded with two ewe-lamb fleeces, Pumpkin and Pecia. I also bought Tarragon's fleece again (a cormo/romney cross) even though she blew her coat for a month and had a slightly dirtier fleece than usual. Her fleece makes bouncy lustrous yarn that's quite soft and it's become a lasting favorite with me. The big goal accomplished I settled in to watch a good bit of the fleece judging. I really have gained confidence in choosing fleeces because this lady is such a wonderful speaker and thoroughly describes how she's evaluating each fleece.

Throughout the day I alternately watched the judging and then made periodic circuits through the barns visiting vendors. I always make sure to visit Helen's Half Pint Farm. She's got very affordable and interesting bits to spin and this year I bought some silk caps and a little packet of merino/tencel roving. I picked up some very nice leather goods from Shepherd's Flock. On one of my first visits to my sister in New Jersey she bought a hat just like this for $200 at the mall so I felt like I was getting a steal at $42 for mine. Those are eyeglass cases at the top and to the right is a pair of liners for my rainboots that double as snow boots. My feet will be much toastier next winter! I wanted to get a pair of gloves for Jason but they didn't look large enough. Perhaps I'll order some from the website, you trace your hand and they custom make a pair for you. I was also really excited to get some of these lovely stone buttons from Ball and Skein. Having read about the beachy walks on her blog and then quizzed her about how to make them I thought it only fair I buy a few. They have a wonderful lustre and color because they've been sealed on the front. I'll have to save them for a very special project.

Tomorrow someone special will arrive. Meanwhile I'm finishing up my todo list and sprucing up the house. Gabby is inordinately excited about her favorite person arriving and the lilies of the valley have outdone themselves. I whipped up a batch of lotion bars and cuticle cream just in the nick of time.

 
I'm pretty sure I've seen the robins about before now but this is the first documented evidence. My daffodils on the west side of the house are peeking up as well so ignore all that snow fellow New Englanders, spring is on it's way. Gabby's beginning to look a bit like a cat again but the fur bunnies are still nicely at bay and hairballs seem to have been helped as well. Gwen is getting used to the new food and we should hear later this week results on her checkup tests.

Yesterday I finished reorganizing the buttons. I'd been removing them from little plastic baggies after reading that it's not a good way to store vintage buttons. I threaded sets onto yarn or upholstery thread and this morning I grouped them by color in canning jars. Now I've just got to find some shelf space for them and I'll be all set.

So yesterday it was confirmed that the tooth must come out. A consult appointment was made with the next specialist to see and then I went on to get some grocery shopping done for Valentine's Day dinner. I did get in a bit of quality time on the embroidery piece in the afternoon and despite a bit of ripping out it is coming along nicely.

Friday morning Winnie had been morosely sniffing her favorite heater vent seemingly wondering why it wasn't working. Monday morning she cheerfully sat on said vent for a goodly part of the morning. Gwen was content to sack out on her favorite cat bed and bask in the lovely warmth.

We spent our morning restocking the fridge and had this delicious salad for lunch. It's red water cress, red grapefruit, avocado and some delicious Saxon homestead cheese.  It's dressed with a bit of grapefruit juice, a touch of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

After lunch I bit into a piece of praline and lost part of my crown. Ouch! I called the dentist and he kindly squeezed me in for a quickie repair. We have a date in January for a more permanent fix. The bad news is it took three shots to numb the tooth which could mean the nerve is stuck in the on position which in turn means I may need a root canal. Gee, just the words everyone wants to hear at the dentist, right? Ugh.

It didn't really sound alarming on the news Thursday evening but the ice storm sauntered in and knocked out our power about 10:30 Thursday night. I was awoken at 11:15 by the popping and cracking of branches falling. I read most of a book that night because I'm a very light sleeper and branches falling several times an hour kept me awake. Friday morning revealed an icy landscape though the roads were clear of ice themselves. We weren't sure about school so Daniel and Jason drove over to check. That was a feat in itself with all the power lines and tree branches down. No one was there so Jason dropped Daniel home and went off to work where he was able to check the webpage and confirm that school was indeed canceled.

We spent a chilly night in the house Friday night. Saturday morning we emptied out the fridge and the chest freezer downstairs and gave them both a good cleaning. The forecast was for low teens Saturday night so we found some friends to stay with for the evening and had some welcome hot showers. We couldn't bring the cats with us so we left them hot water bottles in the bed in hopes of keeping them warm. It had been 50 in the house Saturday morning and we reckoned it would remain well above freezing so they should be okay.

We returned to the house fairly early Sunday morning to find Gwen shivering uncontrollably. I remembered Gabby's sweater and popped that on Gwen immediately and stood in the sun with her until she warmed up. She's an old girl and the long cold night was tough for her but Winnie and Gabby seemed unscathed. It was 45 in the house that morning.

Sunday we visited the local laundromat to do some laundry and while we were out and about we finally began to see repair work going on several places around town. On our way home from dinner that evening we even saw a truck still working at 8 PM very close to our house. That poor fella must have worked very late indeed because at 3:30 AM Monday morning our lights suddenly sprang to life and the power was restored. Neither of us was able to sleep. Jason set about plugging everything back in and putting  things to rights.