Um, at least it's sunny? Yeah. That's about all I can say, on the coldest day of the year, which here in Minnesota is a very cold day indeed. I'm trying to keep my spirits up, plying all the old, cozy tricks, and they most certainly help. What's not to love about baking bread and taking baths? But I think it was the warm break on Monday that did me in a bit, I got a good, long taste of fresh air and it's been hard to go back to being so, so housebound. Oh, I'll hang in there, like we all will, dressing in layers and sipping hot tea. But the next day that tops 10 degrees, I'm so out there for a long walk. Woo hoo for above zero weather!

Despite my complaining, I had a lovely afternoon out and about yesterday, a birthday lunch with my stepmom Susanna at Luci Ancora in St. Paul. I totally indulged in comfort food (hey, it was for my birthday!) and it was pretty incredible. Homemade fettucine as pillowy as Angelina Jolie's lips, tossed with a shower of truffly cheese, a nice amount of butter, a few pretty peas, and freshly ground black pepper. Simply. Perfect. I could have stopped right there. But no, I also had a crispy romaine salad, and split a berry fruit tart with Sus, served alongside a pile of softly whipped cream, with clever little swirls of chocolate around the plate to smear each bite through. Uff. Fullness. I think I am, now, officially done celebrating my birthday? It's been a most enjoyable ride, all eight weeks of it. Nice!

Tonight (actually, this afternoon, since we have to eat so early on Wednesdays) I'm pulling out the Chicko and roasting me a chicken. (The Julia Child method is fabulous too.) More long-cooking, kitchen-warming comfort food, yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, I'm doing the best that I can...