Saturday, January 25, 2025

Snow and books and comfort food

This week we saw unusual snowfall in northern Florida.  See post and more photos HERE.  Below is a photo of our field.  I grew up in Pennsylvania and Michigan so I experienced snowy winters but this is so very unusual for Florida.


Foodie stuff /   JoAnn posted about Chicken Tortellini soup HERE.  So I have made that, very hearty.


I also made a Curtis Stone recipe which is always satisfying. Chicken and Sausage Paella.



Reading

Upcoming for one of my classics is Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, a buddy read with JoAnn for February.  Currently reading The Thorn Birds with Deb at Readerbuzz, also for my classic club list. 

For Mailbox Monday I picked up the following - Orbital by Samantha Harvey, Pastoral Song by James Rebanks and the final season of Madam Secretary.

James Rebanks has a farm in Cumbria England and may be found on IG at Herdyshepherd1.  The photos and videos are fantastic and I am looking forward to his book.



Finally, here is Loki soaking up some sun from his bedroom.  I think about moving the furniture around but the placement of this bed near the window allows him to get a good view of the field.  Spoiled...just a bit.



Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Vicki for Mailbox Monday



48 comments:

  1. I have a table right in front of a window that the kitties love! Anything for the animals!

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    1. Nan, I usually accomodate him as I can. Why not spoil them :-)

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  2. Love the photo of Loki near the window. He's happy there looking out. And look at that snow in FLA, Wow! I can't believe you got snow there, lol! Looks serene in the field. I will look for James Rebanks Insta account - love seeing farms & animals. And the soups look like just the right thing for a wintry week. I was sort of thinking of maybe trying our next Ferrante buddy read (book 2) for April? Would that be a good month for it? Tax day, ha.

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    1. Susan, Loki likes his comforts and after his first three years living outside he really appreciates being with us. April would be great for the next book, count me in!

      We still have some snow, mostly thicker on the saded side of the field. Crazy.

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  3. That snow is astounding for Florida! Armchair travel to a farm in Cumbria, England looks like a perfect winter activity, especially when you have real winter weather.

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    1. Joy, I am very much looking forward to the armchair travle to Cumbria!

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  4. That is quite a snowfall you had! Go ahead and spoil Loki. He looks so content. Have a great rest of your weekend.

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    1. Jodie, it was a surprise as when we heard snow was forecast I thought maybe a dusting.

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  5. Everyone I know seems to have had snow lately! My area in the UK wasn't very well prepared for it, even though it's not that unusual for us to get some snow. It was mayhem!

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    1. Nicky, trying to drive or get out in snow covered roads can indeed be a nightmare.

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  6. Chicken of all sorts and recipes hits the spot in cold weather. Sorry you got the cold, but the view is nice.

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    1. Harvee, I don't mind the cold...for a bit anyway. I always thought I'd end up back in Pennsylvania and expected a season of this. But this is unexpected for Florida. I agree, chicken is such a diverse thing to cook with, so many options.

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  7. It has been so crazy to see all that snow down south! I am sure it is even stranger to live there and have it! Stay warm and have a good week!

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    1. Erin, thanks! I tried to build a snow creature but waited too late and the snow was too hard. Alas...

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  8. I LOVE the photo of the snow. I wanted to drive north to see it but everyone was working and I didn't want to go by myself. I grew up in Ohio and really miss it. I did see it a while ago when my son surprised me with a day at Snowcat Ridge.

    I love soup and have made JoAnn's Chicken Tortellini before. It's really good. Now I want to make it again.

    I hope you enjoy Orbital more than I did. It was a DNF and I was surprised with how many other people didn't finish it either.

    Loki looks like he's enjoying the view. My 2 cats have their favorite windows to look out. Boots likes the living room window and Jaspurr likes both of my bedroom windows.

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    1. Vicki, I knew yuo'd like the snow photos as you've mentioned missing it from your Ohio years :-) We will see on Orbital. If it doesn't grab me I will also DNF. Too many other books I have and am looking forward to.

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  9. The snow looks lovely, I hope it doesn’t make too much mess when it melts though!
    Orbital has been very popular

    Wishing you a wonderful reading week

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    1. Shelleyrae, the melting part of the snow process can be messy. Do you ever get snow in your winter? We will see how much I like Otbital, there seems to be a mixed bag on folks who liked it and DNF it. Still planning to give it a try.

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  10. I heard about the snow in Florida, but I’d never have guessed this photo was taken in Florida! Loki is a lucky puppy. I understand. I have a spoiled one too. :D

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    1. Olivia, they all deserve to be spoiled for sure!

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  11. Those snowy pictures in Florida are unbelievable. My part of Florida has been cold but no snow. I'm originally from New York and have only been here for five years. I'm familiar with snowy cold winters too. This is just crazy for Florida.

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    1. Yvonne, I was enjoying some cooler temps early in the month as I have never gotten used to Florida heat/humidity but then it turned brutally cold! Can't we have a happy medium! haha

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  12. I, too, have made that soup recipe that JoAnn shared with us. Soooo good! I have some leftovers in the freezer and it will be interesting to see how the tortellini holds up after freezing. I hope you're enjoying The Thorn Birds. I've read it twice and the second time wasn't as good as the first. I'll share a link to my reviews once you are finished. Lucky Loki! I'm sure he loves his view from the comfort of that bed. :)

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    1. Les, some things freeze well and I usually have that question about some meals....where we end up with waaaay too much. Loki is living the good life that's for sure.

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  13. That is a lot of snow for Florida! So crazy! Glad you didn't have to go out in it. Have a great week!

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    1. Cindy, it was a real surprise I'll tell you!

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  14. That snow picture looks amazing. We still haven't had snow yet. The rest of the UK has, but we seemed to miss it. I don't mind though as it would make the school run interesting!

    Have a great week next week!

    Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
    My post:
    https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2025/01/26/sunday-post-sunday-salon-36/

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    1. Emily, thanks. Which part of England are you located? I agree, a school run with snow makes it interesting!

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  15. I still can't believe how much snow fell up there... that's just crazy!!! Glad the chicken tortellini soup was a hit. This was the perfect week for it. We didn't get snow this far south, but it's been way too cold. I made chicken noodle soup this time. Looking forward to reading Testament of Youth with you!

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    1. JoAnn, we were surprised! I was happy with cooler temps earlier and then - brutally cold air set in. Damn. I will make the soup again, I also have another tortellini soup recipe I have used. It's soup weather.

      Gearing up for Vera Brittain!

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  16. The chicken and sausage paella and the soup both look great!

    Have a great week

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    1. Marg, it was good comfort food and while it was nice for a cold day, I would eat either in summer.

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  17. The soup looks delicious.

    We had snow and freezing temperatures last week - warming up a bit this week.

    Enjoy this week and your books.

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  18. You have more snow than I do in Southern Wisconsin!
    Mary @Bookfan

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  19. So much snow! My daughter wishes it would snow where we live, but the chances of that happening are next to nil. The chicken Tortellini looks really good! I hope you have a great week!

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    1. When you don't see snow often it's a treat of sorts. I never thought much about it growing up because I didn't have the adult responiubilities of shoveling, or winterizing the car, etc. But this was a fun event here! Hope your week is great!

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  20. We measured four inches of snow here, if we measured correctly. I've heard that parts of Florida got up to nine inches. That's a lot of snow.

    I often make tortellini soup during these cold days. I made soup in bulk before the storm came through, just in case the power went out. Not sure how I was planning to heat it if it did so!

    What happened to the comment I made earlier? Did I forget to hit Publish? Apologies, in any case!

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    1. Deb, that's a good amount of snow you all received. What an event for the south. If you have a camp stove with those litte green gas cylinders you can heat soup. Outside of course but we have done that before.

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  21. Loki!!! So cute. It's fun to get snow like that once in a while! So pretty.

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  22. Loki is so cute! My pup loves to nap in the sunbeams too.

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    1. Ti, it has to feel good for them. He's always wanting to go outside but won't stay there if I need to go in a minute.

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  23. Loki looks so cozy and I can't believe you got snow! I'm saving that Tortellini soup recipe. It looks so good.

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    1. Katherine, the soup was great and warming. I couldn't believe the amount of snow either!!

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The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks

This memoir starts with the author's early life and his distain for the educational system. At age twelve the school sorts the children ...