Not spring: Risotto withshrimp, procuitto, lemon

It looked like spring for a minute—really.



But then the rain smacked down my daffodils.

And I noticed my fruit trees are bare.

And my husband has turned into a phlegm monster. No picture of that (you're welcome).

So it must still be winter, which is FINE because I've still got business to take care of in the mountains. In the snow. At Squaw. On Headwall and Granite Chief, to be exact. Stuff, you know.

But winter also means time for more winter dishes cooked as a slow simmering pace, using ingredients that do not require me to leave the house. Using my standard risotto recipe, I modified using some prosciutto, shrimp, and chicken broth, all of which I usually have a stock of in my freezer.

And I found one of my backyard trees that is not bare—my Meyer lemon. So that went in too.

The salty prosciutto balances nicely with the sweetness of the shrimp. This risotto is rich enough that just a sprinkling of parmesan at the end is all that's needed.

RISOTTO WITH SHRIMP, PROSCIUTTO, AND LEMON

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 shallots, minced

2—4 ounces prosciutto, diced
1-1/2 cup of arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups of stock

1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled and chopped coarsely
zest from several lemons

1/4 cup Parmesan, grated

Saute the shallots in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter until translucent. Add the rice, stir to coat and saute for 2 minutes. Add prosciutto and saute until slightly crisped. Add the wine and cook uncovered, stirring often until liquid is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of stock, simmer until absorbed, and repeat until until the rice is tender.

Stir in shrimp and lemon zest and cook until shrimp is just pink. Sprinkle and cheese and serve.

Very tasty but not particularly colorful. I served with sauteed chard and roasted orange cauliflower, which helped.

A commentor was asking about about ski house dinners. This would be a great one—it's warm, rich, and manageable to prepare even when you've stepped out of your hot shower and would just as soon do a face-plant into bed. And it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day, handily beating out expensive sucky lodge food.

Lindsey who?

Lindsey Vonn Lindsey Vonn Lindsey Vonn Lindsey Vonn. You've heard of her, right? Obviously the media has as well. Eyes rolled in our house at the New York Times front-page article title that read

Vonn crashes out of super combined

U.S. teammate Mancuso wins silver

How about a rewrite on that:

Julia Mancuso wins silver to become the first woman Olympic skier ever to medal the three different races

Vonn crashes and does not finish race

Ok, that's probably too long, so how about this:

Mancuso wins silver

Vonn biffs

Julia Mancuso has three—count 'em, three— Olympic medals: a gold in Turin and two silvers so far in Vancouver. And lots to say and a great attitude. Listen to the two and tell me who you'd rather hang with. So maybe the media can switch their focus from Lindsey Vonn talking about Tiger Woods (the man plays golf for christsake—and sleeps with a bunch of skanky women) and listen to the woman who skis for fun, designs underwear, and before heading to Vancouver spent her weekend with a bunch of kids on her home mountain at Squaw.

Yep—including my kid, fourth from the left in the bright green pants. She poses for pics and took a run down the mountain with the Mighty Mites (the little guys) on Saturday and since the Tahoe League was away racing that day came back on Sunday for more pics and helmet signings. She was friendly, accessible, and a great example for all the Squaw kids. The Mighty Mite boy in the house we share observed "She was very nice. And I think she is a little bit prettier than Lindsey Vonn." She's the whole package, and while we root for all the U.S. skiers, we save the loudest cheers for Julia Mancuso.

Concerning big

After being told by Sophie that they would have time to make their valentines in class and that I need not worry about procuring supplies and setting aside time at home for this (hooray!), Sophie came home from school with a few pieces of colored construction paper and NO VALENTINES (crap). Thanks goodness she was able to resolve this on her own. She was telling me the other day how she sometimes wishes she were little again. I observed that whereas she was really cute and very funny when she was little, I mostly prefer her being big. I think.

A good part about her being big is that she could make all the valentines for her classmates by herself (yah!):

What I'm not so sure about is that she also made one for an older boy (11!!) on whom she has had a crush for going on three years.

To put this in perspective:

The word "disproportionate" comes to mind. But her feelings are big, so I guess it's appropriate that the valentine should be as well.

I'm working to remember that they're her feelings, not mine. And I have to admit, this is a fairly reasonable and appropriate way for her to express them. She does not want to embarrass herself or the boy and so plans on having a third party discretely slip the valentine in the boy's desk. Then we're going to hightail it out of town for a week. I assume by the time Sophie's back at school all will return to blushes, stammering, and giggles. Right? Right???

All the good

While I'm stressing out about the mad scrambling pace of my life these days (pack, unpack, repack, drive, drive, drive), I'm trying to focus on what is good. There's a lot. Here it is.

Good: Heading to the mountains with a few friends and a lot of skis.

Good: The heated boot bag Husband and Sophie got me for Christmas (a surprise late present). This bag plugs into the car while we drive up, and when I put on my boots, they are warm. At the end of the day, wet boots and gloves go in here to dry, significantly reducing stink.

Also good: The new boots I bought to replace the ones that were stolen out of my car the other weekend. They're the same model as I had before, but the current model is much improved and came with a custom, heat-molded liner—super comfy, plus no more cold toes. They rock. Husband thinks I hid my old boots so I could buy these.

Good: Sophie looking good while waiting for her times at last weekend's race at Sierra-at-Tahoe. (Not good: Sierra-at-Tahoe. Besides having a stupid name, it is the lamest ski area ever. Most of the runs are so flat, you should really bring reading material for going down them.)

Really good: The great new friends Sophie has made on her team. We couldn't ask for a more welcoming, supportive group of girls. No mean girls here!

Good: The fact that feminine protection is including in the price of a Squaw lift ticket. Is that awesome or what? So much better than fumbling for lip balm on the lift and dropping a tampon on the head of someone down below. No I haven't, but almost.

Good: Snow, snow, and more snow. Keep it coming!