Bialas Farms CSA: Week 12

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Happy September everyone! Although we’re two weeks into the month, I feel like I’ve been playing catch-up given our late August travel and the start of the school year. Which technically should take some childcare off of my plate, but given school adjustment periods, has actually made things more challenging.

After missing last week’s box, it was nice to get back into the CSA game again, with a brand new delivery from our friends at Bialas Farms. Here’s a quick snapshot of what I picked up this week:

Broccoli
Lettuce
Leeks
Tomatoes
Red Komatsuna
Baby Eggplant
Celery
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Red Peppers
Garlic

In addition to the Bialas box, I got my other box of gorgeous artisanal ingredients from Hatchery.

Lots to unwrap from the beautiful brown packaging this week including: Our Sundae Dates fudge sauce, Red Duck curry ketchup, Bulgogo Asian BBQ sauce, Acala Farms Fresh Cilantro Oil, Liber & Co. Pineapple Gum Syrup, and Gourmegg gourmet seasoning for the well-dressed egg.

A good week for cooking, so let’s talk about breakfast.

We came back from our week of travel feeling thick-in-the-middle from a Summer of gluttony + a jam-packed week of restaurant meals.

Although my Summer wardrobe of bathing suits and baggy shorts didn’t hint at any weight gain, my city clothes sure did. I was shocked when I went for my first post-Summer walk and discovered that my comfortable exercise shorts were now skintight and air-suctioned to every curve. It was like someone had played a cruel trick on me and stuffed my closet full of kids’ clothes. Rodney and I resolved to lighten things up in the eating department. As a result of our determination, our first meal back was this: steak ‘n egg breakfast burritos topped with sour cream.

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Family

Wordless Wednesday: the holidays

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

This year Thanksgiving was a total success. No sickness to take us down, we were a crew of entirely healthy adults and kids, the universe was looking down on us.

I was thankful for many things this weekend….

To my neighbor Mike for keeping his fridge bare so that I didn’t have to store my Thanksgiving dishes on a windowsill.

For the same neighbor for bringing me flowers on Thanksgiving day. Even after I’d banged on his front door and dragged him out of his shower to unlock it. (For future reference, Mike, please don’t lock your door on Thanksgiving day. That episode gave me an ulcer and female pattern baldness all at once. But thank you, as always, for lending me some of your fridge space.)

I was thankful that Rodney didn’t see me jam my butter-lathered hands up a turkey’s rear end while still wearing my wedding ring. I’m likewise thankful that even after all of the butt jamming, I still couldn’t find the gizzard bag. It’s a Thanksgiving tradition for me to cook the turkey with the bag still inside, and as you all know, it’s best not to muck with tradition.

I was thankful for our new thrift store art that makes me so joyously happy every day. Even if the kids keep bumping into it and making it ever so slightly off-kilter. At least it’s less aggravating than the Sharpie line drawing that now covers our faux Eames rocking chair.

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Blog

Thanksgiving leftover bonanza

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Fortunately, in our house, Thanksgiving isn’t a one-day thing. It’s a spirit. A mindset. A way of life that lasts for a few solid weeks. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that my Thanksgiving prep usually starts way back in October when I make the turkey stock.

Then a few days before the big day, I start to prep the other dishes. My counter fills with all kinds of odds and ends: bread cubes drying for the stuffing, my poultry shears, my seldom used ball of twine, dug out from the murky depths of my cupboards.

When people hear that I love to cook, the response is sometimes “I hate to cook – all of that effort, and the meal is over in 10 minutes.”

I get it, and Thanksgiving is the ultimate example. The time spent preparing the meal far outweighs the time we spend eating it together.

But for those of us who love to cook, that’s perfectly fine. Cooking is my therapy. My drug of choice. I’m happy to spend weeks cooking a meal that disappears in minutes.

And for those of you who hate to see it come and go so quickly, I have uplifting news: leftovers.

Was that a letdown? Don’t think of it that way. I used to hate leftovers. I still hate the name. It’s not first date food, that’s for sure. Leftovers need a re-brand. Where are those prune people anyway? Dried plums have never been so popular.

But leftovers can be one of the best parts of Thanksgiving; all of those Tupperware containers stashed in your fridge are calling out to be used in new and interesting ways.

I’ve done a quick roundup of my favorites – some of these (the everything Thanksgiving sandwich, turkey Shepherd’s pie) I make every year without fail. Others (cranberry pancakes) are new to the rotation. Some aren’t recipes at all, but stern orders (make your stock, eat pie for breakfast).

So go forth, make the best of your remaining leftovers while you still have time. The clock is ticking, by Monday you won’t want to lay eyes on any of this stuff again. At least until next November.

If you have questions on how to make any of this, leave me a note in the comments below. If you need directions for how to make pie and coffee, we’re no longer friends. If you throw out your turkey carcass, we are also no longer friends. I’m not kidding. I take carcass seriously.

One last thing….go make yourself a mug of hot apple cider and add a splash of rum. We’re officially into the holidays, Yee Haw.