What an amazing wood pile…. the symmetry is extraordinary.  If I had a wood burning fireplace this is how I would store my wood, wouldn’t you!!!  Photo credit unknown.

I have always loved wood, got that from my Father,  I adore wood burning fireplaces, wish I could have one, but since I can’t I like to visit my friends who do and sit as close as I can to enjoy the warmth and the flickering flames.

A friend’s wood pile by their backdoor. My photo.

In addition, I do love to look at trees especially in the winter when you can see the shapes of the branches and look at all the different colors and textures of the bark.  One of the best places to observe this is, of course, our wonderful Chicago Botanic Garden, http://www.chicagobotanic.org!

Chicago Botanic Garden, love seeing my favorite weeping willow tree in winter silhouette. Photo from Chicago Botanic Garden.

I took a couple of photos last weekend, when I was in Harbor Country, of bare trees and a bit of falling snow…it was 0º at the time so I shot them from inside the car.  I was trying to find birch trees to no avail, saw them while I was on the South Shore train but the windows were too dirty to do them justice!!!  Oh well, I shall do them in the near future.

Look at frozen Lake Michigan from the Michigan side with the windswept conifer against a truly magnificent blue sky.

In one of the walking “parks”, I found this lovely shaped tree against a background of a grove of trees, you can see what I mean about different shapes and shades of gray, brown, taupe, etc.

Today’s recipe is from Margaret Buckman’s http://www.maragetbuckman.com recipe box…it is her specialty, Cheese Souffle, truly a delight, don’t wait for company to serve, do it on a regular basis.  All it needs is a green salad and more white wine, beer or champagne, of course!

MARGARET BUCKMAN’S CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUFFLE

PREHEAT OVEN 400 DEGREES

6 EGG WHITES

2 CUPS FINELY SHREDDED WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE

3 TBSP. SIFTED FLOUR

3 TBSP. UNSALTED BUTTER

¼ TSP. CREAM OF TARTAR

½ TSP. SALT

1-1/2 C. SKIM MILK

ROUX

3 TBSP. UNSALTED BUTTER

3 TBS. SIFTED FLOUR

1-1/2 C. SKIM MILK

PREHEAT MILK IN THE MICROWAVE FOR 1 MINUTE

MELT BUTTER IN A SAUCEPAN AND WHISK IN FLOUR WITH A WIRE WHISK.

WHEN SLIGHTLY BROWNISH IN COLOR, WHISK IN WARM SKIM MILK.

WHISK UNTIL MIXTURE IS THICK WITH THE CONSISTENCY OF CAKE BATTER.

REMOVE FROM HEAT AND COOL.

IN A MIXER WITH WHISK ATTACHMENT, BEAT 6 EGG WHITES WITH ¼ TSP. CREAM OF TARTAR AND ½ TSP SALT.

BEAT UNTIL MEDIUM DRY PEAKS APPEAR.

FOLD IN ONE SPATULA OF EGG WHITE MIXTURE TO THE ROUX.

FOLD IN THE REST OF THE ROUX IN SMALL BATCHES INTO THE EGG WHITE MIXTURE.

ADD 2 CUPS OF FINELY SHREDDED WHITE CHEESE

POUR THE MIXTURE INTO AN OILED SOUFFLE DISH AND PLACE IN THE OVEN FOR 40 MINUTES IN A PREHEATED 400º  OVEN.

WHEN THE SOUFFLE IS A GOLDEN BROWN ON TOP, REMOVE FROM THE OVEN AND SERVE IMMEDIATELY WITH YOUR FAVORITE SALAD!

SERVES 4

It is the BEST cheese souffle you will make or eat…give it a try, don’t be nervous it will turn out just beautifully.