Blizzard 2026

Blizzard 2026 curtained our homes and city by the sea with a 34 inch blanket of fluffy snow that became huge snow piles and impeded a lot of our normal day to day activities. Our public schools were closed for the week and business as usual was clearly not ‘as usual. We collectively as a community came together to shovel out our own streets, neighbor’s homes, businesses, bus stops, and of course our own homes until the big front loaders and dump trucks came through to move the mountains of snow to First Beach. Mama Mia, Rhode Islanders are pretty hearty strong stock, however, this was especially a difficult storm and one that will not be soon forgotten. Although, it is only early March and dare I say, “That’s it! Stick a shovel in it, we are done!”

Matt packed a shovel to make a path to collect the sea water.

With Matt and I being home bound, we did get to cook and bake a lot. It was one of those “What do we have in the freezer, fridge and pantry and what can we make out of it?” I emptied the fridge and pantry and made my favorite hearty and healthy muffins from Alexandra Dudley’s cookbook ‘Land & Sea’. It’s my all time favorite muffin. It’s made with shredded carrots and apples, nuts and the over ripe bananas screaming to be used in the fruit bowl. I usually need to have a couple of muffins right from the oven slathered with unsalted butter and topped with our sea salt. I’ll share the recipe below at the end of this post.

Also, my parents gifted us a frozen box of steaks and chicken and we made a chicken parm dish over creamy polenta that was excellent with the addition of our Bella Napoli. And just before the Blizzard of 2026 started, we made a Steak Frites with our Rosemary and Thyme while waiting for the snow to fall. Yes, we needed to shovel extra snow just to help with all the blizzard calories we enjoyed!

Hope wherever you are reading this from it is now sunny and spring like and the blizzard of 2026 is just a faint memory! ;)

Everything Muffins

or ‘Everything from the Pantry’ Muffins From the Cookbook ‘Land and Sea’ (page 24) by Alexandra Dudley

Ingredients:

2 large carrots, peeled and grated

1 apple, peeled and grated

175g spelt flour

100g light brown soft sugar

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp mixed spice

50g pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

20g rolled oats

20g pumpkin seeds

I tbsp poppy or chia seeds

2 large eggs

120ml rapeseed oil or butter or coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

I ripe banana, mashed

Directions:

Line a 12-holed muffin tray with squares of baking parchment or paper cases and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

Combine the grated carrots and apple and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice. Stir in the chopped nuts, oats, pumpkin and chia or poppy seeds.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil or butter and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana until combined.

Pour the banana-egg mix, grated carrots and apple into the flour and fold gently to combine, stirring just until incorporated - a few lumps are fine. The trick to muffins is to not over-stir the batter - as soon as the mix is incorporated, they are ready to go.

Divide the batter between the paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out mostly clean with no more than a few crumbs.

Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then remove them and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack, or eat them while still warm like I did with a slather of unsalted butter and a sprinkle of our sea salt on top!

I’ll be back soon with what we are making and baking in March! Happy almost spring!

I couldn’t wait to take a nice pic and enjoyed a few before layering up to go shovel!