The winter rains, which were in full dress last week, have hardened into ice and cold winds. The extended weather strip in the paper looks consistently North Dakotian—highs in the upper twenties, lows in the teens, little cloud cover, and cold-cold-cold. The soft rustle of the rain became a windy howl during the night and sent everyone searching for mittens, earmuffs, and de-icer. Although Puget Sound is about as far north as our country goes, we don't usually live with ice, snow, and freezy-breezy weather for more than a few days in a row.

Northwesterners adjust to a consistent state of winter drizzle but are never quite ready for icy streets, freezing pipes and shoveling snow. Our cities don't allocated much of their budget for snow removal, so drivers tap their brakes going downhill without much result and the daily commute turns into a crawl. You can live through a winter here without a heavy winter coat and many people scoff at the practice of wrapping their outdoor water pipes, so temperatures in the teens are a cold jolt of Minnesota reality.

Anyways, it's a fine time to read, quilt, and cook—soup comes to mind. We prefer Italian vegetable; but chicken, lentil, and tomato rice also appear on our winter table. Once you understand the soup process, any bit of meat or a few vegetables can produce a mealtime steeped in comfort.

While you're eating you can make up your list of favorite winter songs. Here's mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjK8PrvKlzM

Joni Mitchell, River

Basic Italian Vegetable Soup

Saute in 2 tablespoons olive oil:
2 tsp. fennel seeds
½ tsp. red chili flakes
2-ounces pancetta, smoked ham or Italian sweet sausage—small dice

Stir in:
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Add each separately and stir:
2 cups green cabbage, chopped
2 cups green beans, cut into smaller pieces
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup fennel bulb, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup red or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

Stir in and simmer:
4 to 5 cups chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2-ounces) diced tomatoes
1 cup cooked cranberry, white, or cannelini beans
1 two-ounce piece Parmesan rind
2 tablespoons dried Italian herb blend or 2 tsp. basil, 2 tsp. thyme, 1 tsp. oregano

Add:
2 cups Swiss chard leaves, red or green, chopped

In a large pot, saute the pancetta/ham/sausage or bacon over medium-high heat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil
until crisp. Then add the onion and garlic and cook for two minutes.

Add each vegetable separately, stirring and allowing each to saute a bit before adding the next—starting with
the carrots, then celery, then fennel because they take longer to cook. Use whatever vegetables or
proportion you want.

Simmer vegetables for about 10 minutes and then add the liquids (4 cups of broth, the diced tomatoes and their canned juices).
Stir well and then add the pre-cooked beans, Parmesan rind and Italian herbs.

Simmer over medium heat for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally until the vegetables and beans are cooked
enough for you.

Add chopped Swiss chard and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and basil pesto.


Mary Sue Milliken's Cinnamon Apple Cake is always a favorite, but on a cold, wintry afternoon with a good cup of Chai—priceless.

Cinnamon Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Topping

• 2 eggs
• 1 c. salad oil
• ¼ c. orange juice
• 2 c. sugar
• 2 c. flour
• 4 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. salt
• 2 t. baking soda
• 4 c. small dice Granny Smith apples (It’s important to chop the apples into small pieces)
• 1 c. chopped walnuts

Butter and flour one 10” or a 9”x12” layer pan. Beat eggs until light yellow, add oil in a slow stream and beat until slightly thickened.

Add orange juice.

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda. Add to eggs/oil mixture and mix     until combined.
 
Fold in apples and walnuts. Bake for 1 hour in 325 degree oven or until firm.

Cream Cheese Topping

• 16 oz. cream cheese—room temperature
• 1 c. sifted powdered sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1 T. vanilla 

Beat on machine with whip until light and fluffy