"rainy weather" news and stories

Monday was cool, overcast and rainy here in Philadelphia. I know that some people hate that kind of weather, especially in summer, but over a decade of living in the Pacific Northwest during my formative years left me conditioned to think of it as cozy and comforting. It just so happens that I've been re-reading Laurie Colwin's book Home Cooking over the last few days, which is the perfect accompaniment to cozy weather.

Towards the end of the book she has an essay entitled How to Make Gingerbread. I finished it right around dinnertime, and being that I had nearly all the ingredients necessary (I didn't have buttermilk, but I followed her tip to stir a little yogurt into milk) I figured fate was telling me to whip up a batch. It turned out well, except that for that fact that I made a very poor choice in pans and so had some overflow that accumulated on the already dirty bottom of my oven. Despite that minor disaster, it turned out well and has left my apartment smelling of warm spices and the coming of fall.

Laurie's recipe is after the jump.

photo by Marisa McClellan