From Spring . . . to Winter . . . to Spring again . . .

This has been one very strange winter so far. A couple weeks ago, we were having temps in the high 40s. Last week was cold, and then we got snow over the weekend. I just went out to check the mail, and it's in the high 40s again, and muddy. If Sam wakes up from his nap before the sun goes down too far, we may just have to take a walk and take advantage of the gorgeous day.

It's nice to have some quiet time to write here, enjoying the sunshine pouring in the windows, and enjoying the fun sounds of my Dean Martin CD, "Dino," crooning in the background.

We had a lovely Valentine's Day. Actually, Jim and I got to have our own "date" on Monday, as well. Following my appointment with Sherry, we went out to eat at a diner (neither of us was dressed for a fancy place, especially Jim, who was still in work clothes :)). Then we went and did a tiny bit of shopping. We enjoyed checking out the new Lowe's in the same town where we ate, and we found a nice rug for the bathroom there, as well. It's a very nice store! I found a tub I wouldn't mind having (dreaming, dreaming), and of course Jim had fun looking at all the tools. :)

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time straightening up the house and preparing our special dinner, which I will share the recipes for below. I made Herb-Roasted Game Hens, Twice Baked Potatoes, and homemade crescent rolls. For dessert, we made simple ice cream "parfaits" with Blue Bunny "Peanut Butter Panic" ice cream, Oreo crumbs, peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips, and hot fudge sauce. Jim and I each gave each other a nice romantic card, as well. Sam obliged me by taking a 3 hour nap in the early afternoon, allowing me plenty of time to get things ready ahead of time. This really helped cut down on cleanup time after supper! When he woke up from his nap, he was raring to go. I put him to work, "helping" me make the rolls. We made a big mess, but he sure had fun "cookin," as he says! :) Here's a pic:

I also must highly recommend Martinelli's Sparkling Apple-Cranberry juice. We enjoyed it with our dinner and it is super yummy, and 100% juice, as well! A litte pricey at over $3 for the bottle, but worthwhile for a special occasion!

This morning, Jim surprised me with a gift--two 14" deep dish Bakalon pizza pans! Now I can make the deep dish pizza the proper way! I'm going to try out one of them tonight, which I know will make him very happy. :)

Here are the recipes I used for our dinner:

Herb-Roasted Game Hens (from the March/April 2001 issue of Quick Cooking magazine)

2 Cornish game hens (20 oz. each)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Brush over hens. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until juices run clear. Yield: 2 servings.

Butter Rolls (from my bread machine cookbook)

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup water (room temp)
1 egg
7/8 cup milk (slightly warmed)
1/4 cup butter, softened

1. Measure all ingredients into bread pan.
2. Select dough setting.
3. Press Start.
4. When cycle finishes, press Stop and remove dough.
5. Shape as desired.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.

I shaped them into crescent rolls. I just rolled the dough into a 12" circle, brushed it with butter, and cut it into 12 wedges with a pizza cutter, then rolled them up starting with the large end and ending with the pointy end. The book said to let them rise till doubled in size, but I missed that part and just went ahead and baked them, and they came out huge and beautiful, so it was a good thing I didn't let them rise any more. However, I had also had some "fun" with the dough--I doubled the recipe and added too much water, and then I had to add more flour after it had finished its cycle--so that may be why mine came out nice and big anyway. You would just have to see how yours looked, to determine if they needed to rise more or not. Anyway, these came out really yummy and I would definitely make them again!

Twice-Baked Potatoes (from The New Best Recipe cookbook)
(I cut this recipe in half since only Jim and I were eating them)

4 medium russet potatoes (7 to 8 oz. each), scrubbed, dried, and rubbed lightly with vegetable oil
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 medium scallions, sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet until the skin is crisp and deep brown and a skewer easily pierces the flesh, about 1 hour. Setting the baking sheet aside, transfer the potatoes to a wire rack and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. (Just a note: I baked the potatoes for about 1 3/4 hours at 350 instead, since everything else I was cooking had to bake at that temp.)
2. Using an oven mitt or a folded kitchen towel to handle the hot potatoes, cut each potato in half so that the long, blunt sides rest on a work surface. Using a small spoon, scoop the flesh from each half into a medium bowl, leaving 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the flesh in each shell. Arrange the shells on the lined baking sheet and return them to the oven until dry and slightly crisped, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mash the potato flesh with a fork until smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients, including pepper to taste, until well combined.
3. Remove the shells from the oven and increase the oven setting to broil. Holding the shells steady on the baking sheet with an oven mitt or towel-protected hand, spoon the mixture into the crisped shells, mounding it slightly at the center, and return the potatoes to the oven. Broil until spotty brown and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. (I found that even using my low broil setting, it only took about 5 minutes, so watch them closely!) Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 6-8.

Here's a picture of our feast: