a hill of beans

we had fresh garbanzo beans in our csa box last week. it was first. and a surprise.

somewhere between a pea, and edamame. we ate them raw. they tasted like spring.

they'd be great in a salad. and i imagine good steamed in their pods too.

any favourite recipes using fresh garbanzos?

pause

a few moments of quiet found with treasures from our CSA box.







the week went by in a whirl, punctuated by a weekend catching up on chores and finishing little projects, and having my 'big girl' nieces over for dinner. love them so.


count down to spring break is on.

late at night

i seem to end up unpacking our csa box late at night. after everyone else has gone to bed. i unpack, and wash, leave to dry or pack for the week ahead as the case may be. then i start to menu plan for the week ahead.

this past week: lacinato kale, parsley, broccoli, celery, cilantro, carrots, arugula, romaine lettuce, collard greens, french breakfast radishes, green cabbage, lemons

our week's menu
S: chili and cornbread with salad
M: bangers and mash with collards and brocolli (i love collards. k loves broccoli.)
Tu: chicken enchiladas with salsa verde and romaine and radish salad
W: grilled salmon with wild rice and celery
Th: school restaurant night
F: split pea soup with ham
S: all i know so far is we will be having braised cabbage... maybe with poached eggs.

rain in the forecast! happy friday.

'za on the grill

i have thought about making pizza on the BBQ many time. i have various recipes torn out of various magazines and shoved in binder to inspire.

it has been in the triple digits all week. hottest day of the year yesterday. (at least 104.) everything we do is on the BBQ when the weather gets likes this.

thinking of a vegetarian grilling option that would appeal to the girls - pizza immediately came to mind.

i love you mark bittman.

all the toppings (except the cheese and olives) came from our CSA box. e prepped them all and lined them up and played sous chef while i worked the grill. on a base of pesto (basil walnut), we had: summer squash, leek, arugula, turnip (!), spinach and tomato.

we really should have done this sooner. yum!



(has anyone tried baking pita on the grill?)

labour day

we harvested tomatillos (and snacked on heirloom tomatoes) at "our farm"







tonight... my favourite salsa verde. (and baked black bean taquitos to stock the fridge for back to school!)

these muffins are delicious

Doughnut Muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

For the coating:
1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
Shake muffins out of the muffin tin while the muffins are still hot.
Dip muffins in the melted butter and then into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool.

from How to Simplify

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also on the to make list this weekend:
basil-walnut pesto
kale chips
something with all these beets (brownies? maybe beet hummus? perhaps inspired by our trip to england, i am renewing my love affair with my river cottage cookbooks.)

Giving Thanks

we are in full prep mode. we are in charge of desserts this year and the girls and i are busy. we made pumpkin puree with the beautiful long island cheese pumpkins we had been saving from our CSA deliveries. we threw in some candied pecans to nibble on while we work.



rosemary and thyme candied pecans

on the menu:

chocolate pecan pie


pumpkin banana mousse tart




and of course... pumpkin pie decorated with pastry leaves and served with fresh whipped cream.



Happy Thanksgiving!

back on the farm...

we returned to "our farm" today. the girls had the day off for the holiday so we decided to lend a hand and drive out to pick-up all our neighborhood subscribers boxes and save the farm staff a trip. while we were there we weeded. for two hours.

they love it there.

we love it there.

a perfect moment.

we spent the afternoon at our CSA farm. it was a perfect afternoon. and watching these kids plant sunflower seeds into this perfect soil under a perfectly blue sky was, well, perfect.

life is full. the sewing machine. idle.

i have to say first off - i am loving our csa. more than i expected. and i expected it to be good. our meals are bringing me more pleasure than ever. and right now - are the heart of my day. a time to pause together, that we all seem to need.  (that, and i could spend my days taking photos of our bounty.)

i hate to admit - but i absolutely flaked on this. i haven't given up all hope. (though almost.) 

the school gardening gig i have taken on has taken me out of the house more than i expected. it is good. it is exciting. but it is also exhausting me. (alongside my "real" job that is also good and exciting right now.)

life is full.  we are blessed.  so it goes.

thinking about sewing.

but showing pictures about food.





i am so pleased with our csa venture. while our garden is still producing - it is a treat to receive crops we don't (can't) grow in our backyard. kohlrabi. avocado. three different kinds of carrots. turnips. (what do you do with turnips???)

our adventure in eating less meat - and less wheat - has been greatly aided by the bounty we are receiving each week. and by the wonderful eggs we collect every morning. so very good.

but what i am really thinking about is sewing. and this challenge. of which i had tossed my name in. i am trying not to put too much pressure on myself. to be reasonable. i will be very proud if i pull off two pairs of summer pjs for the girls.

ahhhh summer pjs.

we joined the farm

and have our first amazing CSA bounty. we have been talking about doing this for years. surprisingly, it took some time to find a local, organic CSA that was within a reasonable distance of us. the farm is about 37 miles from our home - with a drop off about 15 miles away. we are working on having enough subscribers in our 'hood to bring drop-off to our school. we are very excited about eating seasonally (which really is so easy in socal), expanding our palatte - and learning to cook a few new things.

the CSA is "Join the Farm", in Oxnard. With their Abundant Table project, they are part of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. every Sunday evening they host worship and a pot-luck dinner at the farm house. with strong ties to social justice and food access (their chaplain comes from south central farm), I feel a connection to our school gardens project, and hope to develop a closer relationship. we are looking forward to a visit.



this week: artichoke, turnips, ruby lettuce, lacinato kale, chard, onion, chantenay carrots, beets, white carrots, leeks, haas avocados, cilantro, spinach, celery, arugula and broccoli. yum.

still working on a post about the school gardening...