I think it was the anchovies

Isn't this lovely? I didn't have enough broccoli to make a dent in the Pecorino Fried Bread recipe I was going on about yesterday so used what I had and then added a bunch of radishes.

I enjoyed this with a glass of red and the newspaper, and everything was positively great. Until it wasn't. I hadn't been asleep more than an hour when I awoke with a start and hurtled to the bathroom. Nausea had enveloped me like a sunburn that comes on fast. I think it may have been the anchovies because my tin had the slightest rise in the top. You know, that dreaded aluminum can puff that signifies something is decidedly off. It was so slight though and though a daub of oil spurted onto my pants (not usual!) when I popped the tab back, there was no smell of warning, no discoloration or funk inside.

I've (re-)learned my lesson and sadly do not feel I can even fathom making this recipe again. Too much baggage as boy do I feel like crap now. Thank god T is finally coming home tonight.

It's a beautiful day out so I'm going to attempt a walk with Percy and then return to my couch and blanket.

The NOquester cake

People, today was the most overrated, underwhelming "storm" of which I've ever been part. Even the kids were totally baffled, and Jack was extremely disappointed that he had to miss chess class because of a wildly nicknamed and anticipated weather event that, for us, just did not come to pass. I said it before, and I'll say it again, ye weatherpeople out there, reeaally...download Angry Birds or something. Here is the extent of our hit.

We decided to make a cake, and naturally, the boys wanted vanilla and chocolate. So, I suggested a "marble cake in a castle pan" which sounded extremely fancy and appealing to them but which involved nothing more than making vanilla cake, pouring half into a nice bundt pan, mixing cocoa into the remaining batter and then spreading that on top. They went nuts. While it cooled, we decided to walk to Crate and Barrel for an item I needed and then to a little spot they like to get some take-out dinner. Crate and Barrel was closed, for pete's sakes. I do believe my friend, NLF posted it best: "In DC, we stock up on 3 weeks of groceries, secure an alternative heat source (as we are likely to lose basic utilities), count on extended office closures, and generally prepare for armageddon. This is where the seat of our government is. I will never get it."

Precisely.

Anyway, the cake turned out well and afterwards the boys chased each other for a full 30 minutes. Finally, cheeks blazing red, they attempted to out-dive-into-bed each other before I basically just shut them in their respective rooms.

Aah. Wine for me, and I'm definitely going to make the pecorino fried bread recipe with which Melissa Clark graced us today.

"Snow day", cooking

Yet again, I find myself wondering if weatherpeople nationwide needed a boost, a hint of excitement that just cannot be derived from doppler radar. The storm that slapped the Midwest yesterday (interestingly, none of my friends there reported school-closings) has arrived on the East Coast. I think. I can't speak for the suburbs, but all we've accumulated is a vague muddy slush in our yard and snow-plows idling with ennui on the streets. In the five minutes of earnest come-down we did receive, I went outside and stood my wiper blades up like sentinels, just in case; presently, they look a bit silly.

The boys and I have played Twister, Sleeping Queens and Spanish Bingo, have watched an entire season of Super Friends, they're pretending to be devoured by the quicksand of death right now, and I just finished up a slow-roasted cauliflower, leek and prune dish scented with cinnamon, cardamom, garlic and pimentón because all that just sounded good and comforting. I roasted some almonds, chopped and tossed them in for a bit of crunch. I might eat this warm but I might let it come to room temperature and eat it alongside some ricotta.

Do you know what I MUST make and eat soon? Melissa Clark's recipe in today's NY Times Dining: Pecorino Fried Bread with Broccoli. What? That sounds off the hook ridiculous.