Walking in a Winter Wonderland

So, it's snowing here in Chicago. In fact, we're having a blizzard. I mean a full blown balls to the wall blizzard. They shut down Lake Shore Drive. Part of Wrigley Stadium's roof blew off (the press office). And we've had thunder and lightning. They are telling folks to stay inside. You think? That just maybe that it might be a bad idea to go outside for any reason?
My apartment faces the lake. And my blinds are knocking. The cupboards in the kitchen are rattling and the whole apartment is shaking. There are gusts of wind that are so loud it sounds like it take a couple of windows out.
So what to do when you can't go outside, and your cable goes out? Why, you make soup! What could be better fare during a blizzard?
I had gotten a rotisserie chicken yesterday, so after I ate my meal yesterday, I stripped the carcass and tossed it into a pot with water. Just enough to cover it. I had to let it simmer for 2 to 4 hours (I really don't remember how long I cooked it for), and froze it.
Today, I figured that I could add the leftover mashed potatoes from the other day and then puree it some more. I added shallots, garlic and some green onion too. Oh, and milk and sour cream. Topped with white cheddar, more green onions, crispy onions and of course BACON.
I didn't have a recipe to work from, so mostly this was just winging it. All in all, it was pretty good!

---Little Bird is trying to stay warm.

Red, Red Wine

Happy New Year Everyone! All four of you that read this. I hope a good time was had by all!

So yesterday was interesting. I woke up to tornado sirens in St. Louis. Where I am visiting my bestie, Whirly Bird. We spent a fair amount of the noonish part of the day cowering in the basement. It was 65 degrees. On December 31. Tornadoes in December are just plain wrong! And while there was no damage to Whirly Bird's house or even her neighborhood, there were several tornado touchdowns not too terribly far away. Of course, five MILES away is far too close for my comfort zone.

While we were sitting in the basement we decided that this summer I'm coming back to help her clean her basement and set up a "Preparedness Corner". Cooler, comfortable seating, first aid kit, that sort of stuff. If you have to be in the basement, it doesn't have to be uncomfortable!

Once the weather died down we got ourselves calmed down and ran the few errands we needed to to get ready for the evening. I'll go ahead and tell you, there was dancing last night. So that should tell you how I feel today.
We went to a bar/restaurant that specializes in vodka, burgers and sushi. It is not as gross as it sounds, and no, I did not partake of the vodka. If I had, I would have been down for the count by ten PM. I had wine. Red wine. So that should give you a hint of what the evening was like. Despite the hangover, I had a great time.

So now we recover from last night and prepare for tomorrow night. My birthday. And Whirly Bird's is a few days after that, so we are having a joint party tomorrow. I hope I survive it.

--Little Bird's liver is crying