Theoretically, I'd love to sleep in on weekends. However, I possess a really annoying cat, and thus I am stupidly awake before dawn on yet another Sunday morning. Of course, now that he's bitten me into submission, the big jerk is enjoying a comfortable nap on the back of the couch. Oy.

I guess I'll stop grumbling now.

It's hard to tell how much snow fell last night: several inches anyway. Under the streetlights the secret gardens are sleek and glittering, each driveway a fortress walled in by the city plow.

I have a bit of book-review revision to do this morning, and shoveling of course, and some housework. Later, a chicken to roast.

I should tell you about last night's semi-German-ish dinner, which came out really well and was pretty too. I marinated pork chops for an hour in salt, pepper, sage, garlic, Meyer lemon juice, and olive oil. Meanwhile, I boiled down two cups of hard cider, reducing it by half, and (in another pan) sautéed half a fat onion, a handful of chopped shiitake mushrooms, a pinch of sage, and salt. Then I browned the chops, poured in the cider reduction and the vegetables, and braised them, covered, at low heat for 40 minutes, turning the chops once.

While the chops cooked, I slivered half a small red cabbage and sautéed it in olive oil until tender, eventually adding a splash of red wine vinegar, some salt, and a few caraway seeds. I tossed some lettuce in a plain vinaigrette. I toasted two slices of homemade bread made earlier in the day (a rye and pecan loaf). When the chops were done I laid each on a slice of toast, arranged the cabbage and lettuce in a ring around the edge of the plate, poured the cider-mushroom sauce over the top, and added a few slivers of fresh basil. Easy, pretty, and delicious, with a lot more vegetables than carbs, but still comforting.