somehow, May 2nd was a non picture day…

May 3rd, I made vietnamese beef cubes over rice!  Oh the yumminess!!

May 4- a weird photo of a creek

May 5 – Nutella pockets make their appearance!

may 6 – Katherine’s birthday celebration

May 7 seems to be pictureless…

More from May later!

Fried rice is my favorite thing to make for an easy to use leftovers and veggies. It makes for a quick and healthy meal.

Fabio is working so much these days, that even celebrating his birthday was difficult.
I managed to make a special dinner the day before his birthday. Brasilian strogonoff over rice–one of his faves. I also made some easy brownies. I wish we could have done more.

Basically none of those things happened.

But two other great things happened.

Fabio finally got a chance to put up our fallen mailbox!

I organized lots of bulk food I bought this week into nice ball jars.

Aren’t they pretty?

I decided to make Pad Thai.  Chicken Pad Thai.

It was delicious, even though I didn’t have tamarind paste.  It was well worth the prep effort, and I will definitely make it again!

Today, toting the whole family and friends.

We made our way thru the boathouse row,  then reading terminal to eat, then some super yummy coffee before eventually stopping by to say to Fabio’s mom, and heading home to make dinner.

It was a great day.

My favorite picture today was this one…

The boys have such fun with Luke.

She was one of at least 2 or 3 other people I saw painting in plein aire.  I was hoping I could do that someday!

Still didn’t make it to the museum.

Willik is “shining”.

These guys were finishing near the waterworks museum.  It seemed like a great spot to be quiet.

Reading terminal was delicious…. as usual.

And very picturesque…

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We did have some salad to offset the fried foods, but we weren’t to concerned about our cholesterol yesterday!

Oh, and for dessert, we had my mom’s carrot cupcake, with my version of a chocolate glaze.  Perfect end to a perfect dinner.

The sun tried, but it just caused a glow behind the clouds.

So, getting creative with the camera.

Here’s my fun attempt at today’s photo…

Today was a very productive day.

I made 2 baby crochet hats, I did a load of laundry, I folded 3 loads of laundry, I had lunch with a friend, I cooked dinner, and I worked on an afghan.

And I’m posting this blog entry before 11pm!

Here’s dinner…

Baked rigatoni– like ziti but fatter noodles!

And here are some starlings.  They might be considered pests, but I still enjoy their shape.  There were maybe 20 or 30 of them gathering around this particular tree right above my car…

For the 4th week now, we’re starting to get overwhelmed by this amount of greens, though I have to say, we’re probably eating the healthiest ever….  I love the convenience of getting super fresh veggies, all in a span of 5 minutes, and not having to pick out anything myself.  It’s all there, already in a box.  All I have to do is divvy with Sue, and then start to plan my meals.

I’m finding that sharing the “whole share” was the best decision we could have made.  It’s just right for our family of four.  If I use one item everyday, or combine a couple smaller items, we pretty much have one thing every week.  Now, if you’re a vegetarian, or you cook 3 meals a day, the whole share would work better, but this way, we’re either having a salad, or a side or main dish made with veggies.  It’s awesome!

This week we had(my half)…

• napa cabbage
• swiss chard
• 2 beets
• 2 endive
• a pickle
• escarole
• romaine lettuce
• and huge spring onions!!!
• snow peas(Sue kept them)
• tiny broccoli(Sue kept it)

I had some cabbage left over from last week, and today I had time for cooking.  So, I decided to tackle a more adventurous recipe.  I found it in Napa Cabbage Gratin, thanks to Slashfood.  You can look there for the recipe.

I forgot to add the nutmeg, but it was de-lish anyhow.  The cabbage gets sweet and tender.  I added a little half and half, because I had a large amount of cabbage, and not enough cream.  My non-picky son really liked it.  It was our side dish, but could easily have been a main dish for a vegetatian meal.

I’m really excited about roasting the beets, and also using the beet greens as I do spinach.  I’ll keep you posted on the results.  In the mean time, go make something yummy.

I hope next week we start getting some veggies with color.   But who knows what will happen with the lack of sun we’re having…

Now that the boys are done with school, I will have a bit more time at home, and will hopefully come up with some other interesting dishes.

The list of goods were:

• strawberries(finished by the next day)
• snow peas
• cucumber
• napa cabbage
• endive lettuce
• red lettuce
• tuscan kale

Finally, yesterday, the last day of week 3, I was able to make something new and creative.

I made Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Soup (Here’s the recipe I came up with after doing a little research…)

Ingredients:

1 medium/large butternut squash

1 large onion, chopped

4-6 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 medium bunch of kale, cut into long thin strips

chicken broth( at least one carton)

1/4-1/2 cup of cream

Instructions:

Roast butternut squash( I did this a couple days ahead).  Cut in half, remove seeds, brush on a little olive oil and roast in a 375 degree oven for 45minutes-1 hour.  It should peel right off the skin and basically look like it’s been pureed. Set aside.

In a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pan, cook the bacon.  I like to cook it til it just starts to crisp up.  Remove the bacon to a bowl with a paper towl to absorb the excess grease.  Leaving the rest of fat in dutch oven, add chopped onion.  Cook for about 7-10 minutes til onions are soft and translucent, on a medium heat.

Add kale, let it cook down and shrink and soften.  This will also pick up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

When the kale and onion are soft and gooey, add pureed squash.   Stir it around a bit to get it incorporated with the other ingredients.  Add chicken broth.   Cover, and let it simmer.  After a few minutes, check for thickness, add a good bit of salt and pepper, and taste.  If it needs more liquid, add water.  Let it simmer for a few more minutes, and at the last minute, add the cream.  You can even use milk, or half and half,  if you have no cream on hand.  Give it a minute, for the cream to heat up, taste one more time, and serve.  Garnish with fried bacon.  Yummy!

The kids liked it!  The roasted squash is really sweet.

It’s been raining on and off, every day here!

I brought my cardboard box back for the farmers to re-use it, and I was told I was the only one who brought the box back.

This week there were some of the same things from last week, and some new veggies

• spinach
• swiss chard
• endive
• pac soi(sorta like bok choy)
• handful of snap peas
• napa cabbage
• red lettuce
• pickles

Because there were more pickles, and I had yet to use my pickles from last week, I decided to look for and make a batch of refrigerator pickles.  I did lots of research, and decided to make my own spin on it.  They turned out good, but a little too sour.

If you don’t  know what a CSA share is, it’s when you “buy” into a farm, and help support the local farmer, and then every week, throughout late spring, summer and early fall, you get a weekly share of vegetables, herbs, and maybe fruits from whatever is harvested that week.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting the start of our shares.   One of the funnest aspects to me is the surprise.  I won’t know from week to week, what the share will bring.  I am splitting a whole share with a friend, that way we’ll see what it’s like and see how it works for our families.

Last week we received several things:

• mizuna
• bok choy
• tat soi
• red lettuce
• swiss chard
• pickles
• cucumbers
• mint
• sage

It was so exciting figuring out what to make.

We’ve had brown butter pasta with swiss chard and tatsoi and sage.  We’ve had sliced cucumbers.  Yesterday we had shrimp mizuna with thai rice noodles.  And today we are gonna have the lettuce in our salad.  I will also be making refrigerator pickles.

I can’t wait for this week’s share!!!

• The only thing I’d planned to do and didn’t make, was the pumpkin pie. I ran out of time, and figured one pie was enough for 6 of us.
• We had the turkey, 5 sides, cranberry sauce and gravy.
• We had Manhattan meatballs, bread and apples for appetizer.
• We had an apple pie and mulled cider for dessert.
• A good time was had by all.
• Phoenix ate most of his meal without too much fuss.
• Willik love the corn casserole and turkey.
• My mom’s sweet potato with marshmallows was a big hit.
• Fabio thought the turkey was dry, but no one else did.
• We have tons of leftovers, and I’m really glad I made it all.

Here are a few pictures..

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Soon after, we started also adding Michelle and family, but then their plans were up in the air, and without a dining room table, it would be hard to serve that many people.

Then last sunday, Jill had to go to Oklahoma immediately, since her niece who has cystic fribrosis, and had a double lung transplant a couple years ago, has not been doing well.

So then we went back to asking Michelle about coming, but she also turned us down, cause she would be hosting Fabio’s dad.

So, after starting to plan for 6, I was asked by Fabio’s cousin if she could come.  So then we have a possible 8.  At this point, Michelle called and invited us to come down, but I told her we already had ordered a fresh turkey from the nearby farm, and I had purchsed most of the ingredients for our meal, so we would have to pass.

So, we’re back to a definete 6, with the possibility of 2 more, on a whim. 

Here’s what I’m making…

• Fresh Roast Turkey with a Orange/Onion/Sage infusion
• Mashed sweet potatoes casserole
• Sauteed Green Beans with Pine Nuts and Walnuts
• Chestnut Stuffing
• Two potatoes Au Gratin
• Cranberry Sauce

 Appetizers: Manhattan Meatballs and homemade bread and cheese platter

Dessert: Classic Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie

Drink: Mulled Apple Cider

What are you making?  Or, who doesn’t have a place to be?  Let us know and we can sneak you into the Mir plans.

This will be the first thanksgiving in which I’m doing a traditional Thankgiving meal all on my own.  I am very excited!!!