No Asian Chicken For You! and Winter Beauty

I made an Asian dish for dinner last night. It is my own recipe, or rather, a combination of some of my favorite Asian chicken recipes (that makes it my own original recipe, doesn't it?). It has a rich, satiny sauce infused with the flavors of garlic and onion. It's spicy, but not too spicy. The chicken is incredibly tender and delicious. Vegetables round out the flavors and make it a complete and healthy meal served over steaming rice. I made it just so I could share it right here with you. I even photographed all of the ingredients and preparation of this masterpiece. You know what I forgot to do? Take a picture of the finished dish! So, while I had planned to post the recipe today, it will have to wait until I make it again. No Asian Chicken for you!

Winter is still going strong here in Michigan, as it will be for another month or two. The temperatures have remained well below freezing since mid-December and the snow remains nearly a foot deep anywhere that hasn't been plowed or shoveled. Quite frankly, it's depressing.

Everything looks so dead this time of year. I miss spending time outside. I miss the flowers and the green grass. I miss the leaves on the trees. I miss having the windows open. After the novelty of the first snow wears off, it's hard for me to find anything beautiful about winter.

Saturday was the first day that the sun appeared in quite a while and I did find something beautiful. Almost sculptural, in fact. I was looking out the living room window and saw some spectacular icicles contrasted against the brilliant blue sky. I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures.

It's not enough to make me stop counting the days until spring, but it does make me appreciate the beauty of winter just a little bit.