Here's to a smile for my 10 year blogging anniversary!

 Even though I've blogged for twelve years at Across the Way,  it was ten years ago, January 27, 2014, that I first published Dewena's Window. 

We had snow there at Valley View that day and RH caught Katie Belle crossing the barn bridge. 

Here at Home Hill this past week there weren't many paw prints in our beautiful snow. Our dachshunds said No thank you when asked if they wanted to go potty.

But I loved the beautiful and rare 8 1/2 inches of snow we got here. From the first day it started falling, I couldn't keep away from the windows...

until the pond froze solid...

and even when we had to keep faucets dripping and doors under sinks open.

Of course I'm not the one who had to go outside and feed the birds.

Or climb ladders to thaw ice dams or to shovel paths clear.

And you already know that I'm not the one who spent hours outside when the salt truck ran over our water line.

But I loved every minute of our snow and was sad to see the rain melt it yesterday. 

What I did do, always do when it snows, is cook. Not the grilled cheese, tomato soup and Rice Krispie Treats I always made when I had children at home for snow days but what we were craving; salmon mousse with dill sauce for me, pinto beans for RH, and strawberry shortcake for both of us.

The Salmon Mousse was from one of my favorite cookbooks, Helen Exxum's Cookbook, 1987. and it was from The Gordon Lee House in Chickamaugua, Georgia, served at charity fundraisers with celebrity guests attending. 

You might remember that I'm that rare person who loves anything with gellatin in it, aspics, mousses, jello molds, you name it, if it slides down the throat as smooth as gellato, serve me a bowl. 

Unusual for me, my Christmas decor is 90% packed away now but I've kept out a few things I can't part with yet. Which is better than February 2nd when I usually pack it all away. The china above is one of two patterns I love to use in January and February. 

And here's the pinto beans I fixed, Rancho Gordo's that are the creamiest pinto beans ever.

I soak them overnight in purfied water, in the fridge if I have room, and when I cook them until tender the next day I follow Rancho Gordo's advice and never add anything like vinegar to it, or salt as they toughen the beans. I know some cooks say that vinegar in it solves the problem some people have with gas but Rancho Gordo's advice to that problem is to just eat more beans. 

Normally, my pinto beans have a whole bunch of chopped cilantro added to it but we weren't running to the grocery store on our snow day. I do add a bottle of Guiness Stout to mine after the beans are tender and lime juice, chicken or beef broth, olive oil, bay leaf, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper. And sometimes a ham bone goes in the pot after the beans are tender when I have one in the freezer. 

No cornbread with our beans this night because I had my buttermilk biscuits as the shortcake for our Florida strawberries.

Thankfully I had some heavy cream in the fridge so we had whipped cream with our berries too. 

What's your favorite thing to cook when it snows? Do you ever crave something weird like I do? Has anyone ever eaten Salmon Mousse? I bet not, thus no recipe here. 

January is almost over. How has it been for you, on a scale from 1 to 10? Compared to some years, I'll give this one a 10. That's right, a 10. And this is from someone who always used to agree with author Abbie Graham:

I am not wholly committed to January. I do not entirely trust it as a month.

God bless you, dear family and friends. In January and always.  

"When it snows, ain't it thrilling?"