unspeakable visions

do you take cream and sugar?

2012-01-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

My friend recently scored a rad vintage sugar bowl on Etsy, and it renewed my once-vigorous search for an cream and sugar set. Here's a round-up of ones I like on Etsy. Forgive the mustard & brown color theme; it was, for the most part, unintentional. That's just how I roll. Click on the photo to go my Etsy Treasury page with individual links to each item.

And yes, of course, still on the hunt for vintage Pyrex of all kinds and other ugly-beautiful housewares. Love love love.

Past Etsy round-ups:
All things gold & mustard-colored in Golden Winter.
Capital Region Etsy Round-up by All Over Albany.
Terrarium Love, including a rude little gnome.
Spruce Up Your Workplace, which I shared over at Whole Living last year.
And tic toc, a round-up of clocks.

mushroom mole mini tacos

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Mushroom Mole Tacos. These were planned to be the centerpiece of our New Year's Eve party.* We had other snacks-- chips, salsa, crackers, hummus, sriracha party nuts, a cheese plate-- but we planned just two hot dishes for the night. We made empanadillas with spinach, raisins and veggie chorizo and then we made these tacos. Oh, these tacos. These spicy, chocolate-y, mushroom-y tacos.

Inspired completely by a wild mushroom taco we tasted at Bobby Flay's The Art of the Taco Night, Chris and I furiously searched for recipes to recreate a mushroom taco wonder. We settled on this recipe, modifying it slightly to swap in button mushrooms and leaving out the water in order to get a thicker taco filling. We made it ahead of time and even scoured the interwebs to hunt down the same exact Taco Traps that they provided at the Bobby Flay taco night. Yup, we really like our guests to have a great time and we knew that little tiny taco holders were the way to make that happen.

We used a 3" round cookie cutter to cut mini taco shells out of large tortillas. We bought the fixins. We had it all planned out: it was to be a grand moment of the party, brought out and served later in the evening as a milestone event.

Except, that didn't quite happen. As a tip for you party-throwers out there: don't wait until nearly midnight at a New Year's Eve Party to bring out your best dish. That's a better time for... say, grabbing a slice of pizza around the corner or switching to water for the rest of the night. We brought the tacos out, completely forgot the little Taco Traps, and generally let them get lost and largely overlooked. Son of a jackal!

So we decided to make ourselves our own mini taco meal today, complete with our own Taco Traps. It was awesome.

*Our New Year's Eve party was actually a New Year's WEAVE Party. At our request, all of our guests wore crazy wigs. Mine, if you were wondering, was a hot pink bob.

cheese & the wall street journal

2012-01-18T15:57:00.000-05:00

If you happen to grab a copy of today's Wall Street Journal, go ahead and flip to the front page of the Personal Journal section. There I am! Making cheese! What?!

(Click images to enlarge.)

Yes. Because the world is a crazy place, I am featured in today's Journal story on home cheesemaking and DIY dairy products. Guess I won't be cutting out too much dairy, at least not this month :) After making sure the reporter knew that I was a total novice at cheesemaking, relying primarily on the sangria-fueled cheesemaking party of last summer for my experience, she confirmed interest and sent a photographer to document the making of mozzarella in a less-than-40-square-foot kitchen. I tell you people, if I can make mozzarella in my kitchen, you can make it in yours. I asked Sister to come over and act as my sous chef. With the click click of the camera, we whipped up a ball of fresh mozzarella in under an hour with only minimal nervous laughter.

If you are a WSJ subscriber, you can read the online article here. Anyone can check out the entire photo slideshow, and you are allowed to politely giggle at the funny faces I'm making.

Thanks to Alina Dizik, Erica Beckman & John Francis Peters who made my WSJ debut so comfortable and easy. And for somehow including little ol' me in a story with DIY rockstar Ashley English. Thanks also to the ladies of FSC for throwing that cheesemaking party.

our local bar

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last year, Chris built us a home bar. A gorgeous, from scratch, lovingly-designed and created mini-bar. I am obsessed with it. It was a labor of love that was constructed in the middle of our tiny living room, in the beautiful park across the street, in the back shop at Chris' work and in his parents' backyard up north. He sketched out several design iterations, settling on this one that fits so perfectly in our apartment but is versatile enough to follow us to wherever our next move brings us.

The bar holds four bottles of wine, two shelves of spirits, four wine glasses and a drawerful of bottle openers, cocktail napkins, coasters and knick-knacks. It's nestled in between our couch and our stereo in our living room.

Chris built the bar so that it houses our mini-fridge. We store extra drinks in there (beer, kombucha, seltzer, mixers) and between the fancy bar and the fridge cover, we are somehow able to pass it off as age-appropriate and, dare I say, classy?

Most of the bar is made from white pine, including the bar top that Chris bought as a natural cut from a nearby lumber yard. He spent a lot of time squaring it off and cleaning it up because, in his words, "it was a freakin' mess." The drawer and side inlays are maple.

There are no screws, nails or brackets of any kind in the bar. Just wood and some wood glue. In fact, the only metal in the bar is on the drawer knob, which he found at a salvage store. Once it was constructed, we (yes, I actually helped a little bit) painted it and stained the trim and bar top.

I can't believe I waited so long to show this off to you! It's been finished for a good six months at least, and every day I look at it and am blown away by it. I wouldn't even know where to start if someone told me to build a bar. I'd probably see if there was some sort of kit I could buy and even then I'd still be completely overwhelmed and clueless. Fortunately I'm with someone who is not only a talented designer, but can actually figure out how to build his designs. Neat-o. There are old-school cocktail parties in our future, for sure.

catching up, making cookies & goals

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've been posting 'round the internet this week and thought I would catch you up...

Are you going through holiday cookie withdrawal? Learn my tips for hosting an epic cookie-bake-thon over at ShopRite's Potluck blog! Relax, you don't have to make 40 dozen cookies like we did.

Also, I shared my food-related goals for 2012 over at From Scratch Club this week, which include hosting small dinner parties and making more condiments. Head over and check them out if you like!

the can can sale

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

You guys know I'm a blogger for ShopRite's Potluck blog, yes? Well this will be my first time experiencing the craziness of the famous ShopRite Can Can Sale. Apparently many of you know the Can Can sale jingle already and have fond memories of it from years past. Bring it on. So, basically, ShopRite hosts an annual mega-sale on canned goods and other non-perishables. This year, ShopRite will donate one can of food up to 50,000 cans for each fan on its official Facebook page. Soooo, all you have to do to help raise awareness for the fight against hunger, is "Like" ShopRite's FB page.

The Can Can Sale runs from Thursday, January 5 through Saturday, January 21 but you can "Like" their Facebook page anytime during the entire month of January to help ShopRite fight hunger.

If you are feeling particularly cheesy, you can become a virtual ShopRite Can Can dancer, which is both ridiculous and secretly awesome. You know those dancing elf things that people send around during the holidays? With their heads stuck on a cartoon dancing elf's body? Yes, this is the same idea. You can upload a photo at www.ShopRiteCanCan.com and giggle at it when your boss isn't around.

ps- Don't roll your eyes at the canned goods. We regularly keep a good variety of canned beans and legumes in our pantry (which, if you remember, is actually just a small bookcase in our kitchen). They make it easy and affordable to prepare healthy, whole foods recipes. I mean, I won't be running out to buy Spaghetti-Os, but chickpeas, black beans and kidney beans? Yup.

the top posts of 2011 + my favorites

2012-01-06T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here are the most popular posts of 2011. Some of them are popular because of solid link love throughout the interwebs, some are presumably popular because they're awesome and some of them are are this list for reasons unknown to me.

DIY Kitchen Pegboard. People are always expecting a tutorial. Sorry, folks.
Beet and Brown Rice Veggie Burger. Awesome awesome.
Small Batch Peach Jam. This got some homegrown.org link love.
Hip Girls Indeed. FSC link love.
Boozy Amaretto Pound Cake. I don't know. It wasn't even that awesome.
Our First CSA, Lessons Learned. Dissertation on being a CSA member.
Your first CSA season, tips and advice. Part Two.
A Haircut & a Trip to Atlanta. People also like pixie cuts.

And because the most popular posts seldom reflect my favorite posts, here are a few underdog posts of which I'm particularly proud.

Surprisingly good tempeh reuben. Give tempeh a chance, people.
Frilly aprons and policy briefs. A brief on why I'm fine with kicking ass at work and then coming home and baking cupcakes.
One little egg's journey. I sent a plastic Easter egg through the mail.
Vegetable observations. I think these comparisons creeped people out, but I stand by them.
Ones who are mad to live. This quote still gives me shivers.
A wedding quilt. A quilt for my sister and her husband.
Tales of a food journey, part one and part two. Jointly-authored posts of Chris' experience volunteering on organic farms in Nova Scotia.
Banned book week. I'm a bookworm.
Kombucha what? I know it's weird, but come on, explore kombucha homebrewing with me!
Non-dairy milks, an exploration. This one gets steady traffic, but didn't have enough airplay in 2011 to make the top posts list.

There we have it! Now I can officially move forward from 2011 and jump into the new year. After all, I've got a big blogiversary to celebrate soon and this requires some party planning. Happy Weekend.

2011, looking back & looking forward

2012-01-04T13:34:00.000-05:00

Another year has come and gone. Unlike those anti-resolutionists out there, I love love love making new year's goals and lists and plans. I typically do a lot of that planning on my birthday, but I like the crisp break that a new calendar year brings. Right now, though, I feel like I'm just trying to keep my head above water. Just swimming along, taking it all one day at a time and whittling away at what needs to be done. It took me days just to write this recap, and so the thought of listing out a year's worth of new challenges and projects feels like the wrong move today. I came up with a few ongoing priorities that I want to continue to keep in mind, and that feels good enough to me. Now let's just take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

2011 was a better year for me than 2010. Last year I was featured in Martha Stewart's Whole Living magazine, cut my hair off and got a new job. I spoke at a conference in Atlanta, frolicked around Portland, spent a night in Old Montreal & ate my way through the NYC Wine and Food Festival. I also ran a few races- a 5K, 15K & something around a 10K. Our tiny kitchen came in second place in the rental category in a national Small, Cool Kitchens contest and a few months later I bought a huge, crazy blender to put it in. I saw some great live music. I read 22 books and approximately one million magazines. This summer, I spent many of my Saturdays helping out at a bakery and then napping outside in the park. Though I don't write about it here, a lot of great things happened professionally for me in 2011. Because yes, as I must remind people, I have a full-time job that doesn't involve baking quiches or photographing my dinners.

On a personal note, last September my family lost someone who we loved very much, my Nan. When I finally figure out how to adequately tell you about her and what she means to me, I will.

2011 was a year of food. I sewed, knit & crocheted less and cooked more, although I'm trying to find a better DIY balance this year. We joined a community-supported bakery and a community-supported agriculture program. I became a new contributor to two food-focused blogs, my dear From Scratch Club and the ShopRite Potluck blog. With the support of my FSC soul sistahs, I jumped into the world of food swapping, super small-batch canning, pickling, cheesemaking and kombucha-brewing. Chris volunteered at organic farms in Nova Scotia. I detoxed and experimented with eliminating certain foods in January and again in November, feeling really awesome after each and gaining a new understanding of which foods make me feel good and which ones make me feel... not good. With our deepening interest in food- where it comes from, what it does for us, how to prepare it- came a shift in the focus of this blog. I hope you've enjoyed taking the journey with me and learning along with us as we go. If there's anything you want me to try out so you can learn from my mistakes, just let me know. I'm here for you, peeps.

Last year I wanted to make our own bread, do more yoga, stop whining, floss more, be more patient and relaxed, cut out high fructose corn syrup, run faster, and simplify. I did pretty well at most of those. What are your goals for the year? Big or small, tell me about them. One of my goals is actually to figure out how to start a better two-way dialogue in this space, so I'm not just talking at you all the time :) Cheers to 2012! Later this week I'll share the top posts from last year as well as a few underdog favorites.

infused liquors: making cheap booze classy

2011-12-30T12:49:00.001-05:00

Infused liquor. It's so easy it's almost not worth mentioning, but here I am, buckling under a self-imposed sense of obligation to share this magic with you. I started infusing liquors this year and bringing them to food swaps. Wow, was I a popular swapper. Good lord, they love their booze. I had them fooled for a few months and then people started to catch on to how simple it is to infuse their own liquors. I've infused tequila with strawberries & lime and raspberries & honey. I've made peach-infused vodka with agave syrup. Most recently, I followed these instructions from Martha Stewart for a Cranberry-and-Orange Vodka and gave bottles of it away for Christmas. The best part is, you can just make up your own recipe once you get the basic formula.

To infuse liquor you need:

A) Liquor. The liquor doesn't need to be expensive. It really doesn't. You are dressing it up so nicely that you won't be able to taste that it came from a giant plastic bottle that you had to stoop down to get in the liquor store. This is a place where you can get away with being a bit cheap.

B) An "infusing agent" (I think I just made that term up) & an optional sweetener. The "infusing agent" can be fruit, herbs or something else I haven't thought of yet. I hear there garlic-infused vodkas out there, but that's not really my thing. In fact, it makes my stomach turn just thinking about it. I like to use fresh berries, when possible, but thawed out frozen ones work just fine too. Juicy fruits work best; I would be skeptical of a banana- or apple-infusion but if you try it, tell me about it, ok? Fresh herbs are key in herbal infusions; check out this post on Herbal Digestif for more info on that. The recipe I used for my Christmas vodka essentially calls for making a cranberry simple syrup, which allows the sugar to dissolve and the cranberries to split and release their juices. If you are using honey or agave as your sweetener, you can add it directly to the liquor without heating it, although warming it up a bit makes it easier to mix in. If you aren't heating your infusing agents, give them a light smash with a fork to break up some of the juicy bits. You don't want to make fruit puree of it, but a bit of a crush will help the infusion process.

A few ideas for infusions...

Raspberry & Lime Tequila
Peach & Vanilla Bean Vodka
Cranberry-Orange Vodka
Lemon & Lime Gin
SO MANY MORE...

I let my infusions sit for a minimum of three days and up to two weeks. After a few days, I usually move it to the fridge where it can be safely stored for months. If you keep it in the freezer, it will keep for a very very long time. In a pinch for New Year's Eve? Make it tonight, let it sit for 24 hours & then break it out for a midnight toast. Even though it will be a young infusion, the flavor will still be strong, especially if you heat up your berries and sweetener before adding them to the liquor.

Happy New Year, peeps! See you in 2012 :) I've got some resolutions to think about, a NYE party to finish planning and perhaps another Whole Living Action Plan to start. Even though I tend to do a lot of my annual goal-making and looking-back on my birthday, I still like taking the time each December/January to think about the past year and wrap it up neatly in my mind.

Coming up in January: A very special blog anniversary, if you acknowledge such milestones. I do, so we'll be celebrating in style here on the ol' blog.

the lotion & lip balm

2011-12-29T11:59:00.002-05:00

I made my own lotion! And lip balm! I was guided completely by Christina, who relied on Jillian's beautiful recipe from the From Scratch Holidays e-book. I don't even have any tips to add because I am such an amateur lotion-maker, so just go read it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I just helplessly watched Christina make the lotion, feebly offering help with whisking and joke-making while sipping on Bailey's. Either way, making lotion is actually pretty fun.

Mmm, that lip balm is so soothing. We added a few drops of peppermint in the lip balm and a few drops of lavender in the lotion.

You'll need to whisk it all into a frenzy. The best part about the lotion recipe that Jillian gives is that is it so easily modified to make lip balm, so in one evening you can make yourself a whole array of body care products. The lotion recipe make about one pint, which is perfect for dividing up and giving away as presents. Or for keeping to yourself.

I use mine every morning and it is particularly wonderful for the elbows and other dry spots. It goes on a little greasy and then absorbs in so nicely. By making your own lotion, you can just skip the typical routine of spreading weird chemicals and preservatives all over your skin to be absorbed into your bloodstream. Which, I think, is a nice routine to skip.

Ta da! Aren't you impressed? I certainly was. What other homemade gifts did we give? Well, I've saved the booziest for last... fruit-infused vodka :) We'll talk about that tomorrow, right in time for you to infuse some for the New Year.

homemade gift, sriracha party nuts

2011-12-28T10:56:00.000-05:00

Ouy, holiday cheer hangover, huh? Did you all have a nice holiday? I sure did. Vegetable casseroles & Swiss Colony petit fours & presents & homemade cinnamon bread & winter sangria & Big Moose Ale & family time. Just lovely.

The holidays aren't quite over yet because I want to tell you about the tasty holiday treats we made for gift-giving. Yes, in addition to the hundreds of Christmas cookies, we made a few savory and boozy edibles.

First up, these Sriracha Party Nuts. A few food swaps ago, I got the tastiest batch of sriracha spiced nuts ever from Jenna. With that as my inspiration, I searched high and low for a similar recipe. We found this video showcasing a recipe from The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens and decided to go with it. We made a double batch for Thanksgiving and was encouraged enough by their popularity to make a bunch of them for Christmas gifts.

Yeah, I never actually got a photo of them. Here are the delicious flaky sriracha-sugar crumbs that were left. Trust, these nuts were that good. They are only a little bit spicy (we'd like to kick them up more next time) with a sugary coating. In other words, they are incredibly addicting and awesome.

For those of you that would like the recipe written out instead of watching the video, here it is:

Sriracha Party Nuts
Ingredients

1 lb mixed nuts, lightly salted
1 egg white
1-2 tbsp sriracha
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp fresh rosemary

Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white, water & sriracha. Add the mixed nuts and mix until evenly coated.

In a small bowl, mix together the sugars and rosemary. Pour over the nuts and combine until they are all coated with a gooey, spicy, sweet mixture.

Spread the nuts out into a singly layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every fifteen minutes and tasting as necessary :) Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

More treats coming up this week. Basically, I turned circles in my kitchen, clutching the From Scratch Holidays eBook, trying to make every recipe in there. It's that good, people. So anyhow, check back in to hear about my foray into making my own lotion & lip balm along with a post on the merits of infused liquor and a love note to homemade mustard.

a christmas photo

2011-12-23T18:03:00.000-05:00

For this year's card, we packed up thermoses of hot tea and walked down to the state capitol building and Empire State Plaza. We scurried down there quickly, hoping to catch the good light right after sunset. To our surprise, we chose the same night as the Albany Last Run 5K so we were also treated to holiday music, fireworks and a show of freezing cold runners scooting past us. Bonus! After the bulk of the runners had passed, I laid down on my stomach on supercold brick to snap a few photos because I really wanted you all to have a magical Christmas card. And magical it is, yes?

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas weekend, if that's your thing. (If not, it's still the freakin' weekend so get your celebration on!) My gifts are made, wrapped and adorned with these cute labels. We'll be feasting with family on Christmas Eve and Christmas night and, in between, enjoying a cozy Christmas morning for two :)

For more holiday cheer...
Last year's cards from Rifle Paper Co.
Perhaps my all-time favorite Christmas card.

our epic cookie bake-a-thon

2011-12-21T13:08:00.001-05:00

If you follow along on Twitter or Facebook, you know that this past weekend was one for the history books. Why? We made 40 dozen cookies. Over 450 cookies.

Sister & I packed up our cookie tins and some baking supplies and drove over to Mom's house in the Berkshires mid-morning on Sunday. We got back home past dinner time. In between? We baked. We baked chocolate mint cookies, molasses cookies, butter cookies, peanut butter kiss cookies, chocolate fruit cake cookies and cowboy cookies. We made a mess. We cleaned it up. We made more messes.

We were a well-oiled machine. Except for, of course, the occasional baking FAIL. Worry not, though: this buttercream frosting was saved and turned out to be absolutely decadent.

We mixed, stirred, whisked, shaped, decorated, baked and cooled all day long, stopping only to... well, stopping to eat, drink, giggle, stretch & generally goof off.

We had to set up a separate cooling and packaging area on a folding table set up in the living room. The cookies began piling up and by the end of it, we were overrun with holiday treats. Which is exactly what I had hoped would happen.

This bake-a-thon will go down in the history books. Even though the northeast is sloshing around in rainy, un-Christmasy weather, this was the perfect way to launch an all-out assault of holiday cheer. Thank you to my lifelong baking partners for yet another set of memories I'll forever keep with me. Also, thank you for ensuring that I'll gain enough weight to survive an upcoming harsh winter. That's so important in today's world, and I'll have 40 dozen cookies to thank for it.

A big shout-out to ShopRite for letting me try out some of their private label baking ingredients! From flour to sugars to spices, we were stoked to test out quality ingredients for our epic, history-making, all-day holiday cookie bake-a-thon.

kombucha what?

2011-12-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

Kombucha. Comb-boo-cha. Ever heard of it? It's the hippie, new age, magical "elixir of life". It's actually just fermented sweet tea, but I prefer "elixir of life", don't you? I'd heard about kombucha maybe a year or two ago and had seen bottled versions for sale at the co-op and eventually at the grocery store. After figuring out what it was, exactly, I bought a bottle of the stuff and gave it a try. Fizzy, light, pleasant. Like a weird little soda.

Then we all started food swapping and everyone brought freaky awesome things like tomato jam and homemade flax crackers and kombucha. I tried a sip of homemade kombucha brew and was hooked. Luckily for me the starter culture needed for brewing kombucha, a SCOBY, is readily available if you have kombucha-brewing friends because every time you brew a batch, you grow another SCOBY. By the way, SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. Mmmm, delicious. Except, it's really weird-looking. When I brought it home, Chris asked me if it was a "pig's ear floating in formaldehyde". It is not.

So, we've got this fermented sweet tea beverage that some people claim can save the world and others aren't so sure about. I think it's tasty, and I haven't felt any negative effects from it and I only have a glass or two a week. Sometimes I put a splash in my smoothies. Read up. Make your own decision about it and then you can decide whether you'd like to homebrew some yourself or buy it at the store. Be forewarned, a regular storebought kombucha habit will get expensive, real quick.

There are plenty of tutorials out there for brewing your own kombucha, this one from Bonzai Aphrodite looks pretty good and so does this one from Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest. I used directions that a friend got from another homebrewer and it turned out magnicently. The basic idea is that you brew a whole bunch of sweet black tea, you add the SCOBY and then you let it ferment awhile. An additional delicious step is to do a second fermentation with fruit juice, like pomegranate juice. That is what I did and what I plan to keep doing because it makes it a fizzy, fruity little drink. From start to finish, my brew took about 3 weeks: 16 days for the first fermentation and another 5 days for the second fruit fermentation. I did notice that the bottles I opened later were even fizzier and more awesome, so next time I'll probably try and wait another week. The longer you let it ferment, the more vinegary your kombucha will be, but mine wasn't vinegary at all after that amount of time.

Kombucha Thoughts:

It's a unique taste, but you'll grow to love it.
It is technically a tiny bit boozy, because of the fermentation, but I've never heard of anyone drinking it for a buzz. Or being successful at getting buzzed from it even if they tried.
There are usually little particles floating around, but that's ok. You remove the actual SCOBY after fermentation so don't worry about that.
The SCOBY is super gross looking. Just deal with it.
SCOBYs are living things so you have to keep it alive; that means keeping it in starter tea (which is really just kombucha itself), keeping it in glass and away from plastic and keeping it in the fridge.
The "starter tea" that you keep your SCOBY in smells nasty and vinegary. Try not to spill it all over your kitchen floor, swearing and throwing things in the sink will surely follow.
Once you get your hands on a SCOBY, you can continuously make new batches of kombucha. After you are done brewing, there will be a new SCOBY (the "baby") attached to the original one (the "mother"). You can carefully separate these slimy things, keep them in a bit of your kombucha and then use one of them again for you next batch. Each SOBY only has 4-5 batches in it, but by that point you'll have saved new ones to used so you'll be fine. You can also let your SCOBY grow into a super SCOBY by leaving the "baby" attached to the "mother". (This is so weird, right?) That's what I did the first time, but I'll separate the new "baby" next time and try to pawn it off on someone.

Super weird, right? Your first step ought to be buying a bottle of it at the store to make sure it settles with you and that you like the flavor. I find my brew to be more delicious than store-bought though, but you'll at least get a basic idea. Give it a shot, try it with a fruit juice second fermentation and email me if you want more specific directions :) I like to have a small glass of it a few times a week and pretend that it is superhero juice.

free holiday printables

2011-12-15T08:12:00.000-05:00

Christmastime has snuck up on me. I probably say that every year, but this year it's insane. We enjoyed warmer weather through much of December and haven't had a significant snowfall. We only just put up our decorations last night and I haven't done any holiday baking, except for the batch of cookies I made for our cookie-themed FSC Swap earlier in the month.

These cutesy Gift & Canning Labels I designed for From Scratch Club ought to get me in the holiday mood, yes? Head over to FSC, download & print :)

And if you are still in the gift planning stages, check out my Nice & Naughty Gift Planner from 2008...

or A Homespun Holiday Planner from 2009.

Enjoy! I'll be heading over to Mom's this weekend for a cookie bake-a-thon and hope to wrap up any last gift-buying too. Next week I'll start on some edible gifts and, with any luck, it will be be smooth sailing until Christmas. But before all of that, I'll share with you my first-ever kombucha homebrewing experience. Stay tuned for a story about fermented sweet tea! Riveting!

maple cream

2011-12-13T08:18:00.001-05:00

Have we talked about maple cream yet? My records indicate that we have not. So let's talk about it. IT'S HEAVEN. IT'S SO DAMN GOOD.

That's really all I have to say. Maple cream is pure 100% maple syrup that is whipped into a frenzy. You can spread it on your toast, on pancakes and on anything else you can think of. I've been known to even spread maple cream on top of cookies. Then again, I've also been known to do the same with Nutella. It's really something special. I even gave a bunch of jars of maple cream as stocking stuffers last Christmas, in order to spread the maple cream cheer. I buy mine from Wells Maple Farm at the Troy Farmers Market. It's worth every penny.

If you like maple things-- and I hope you do-- then you should make it a priority to snatch up some maple cream. I'm not sure that it's available in many grocery stores, but that's ok because it's a perfect excuse to buy some from the friendly older gentleman that sells maple products at your local farmers market.

ps- When I Googled "Wells Maple Farm" to see if there was a website, this 1988 New York Times article popped up about a tough maple season in 1987, when I was a perky three-year-old. Love it. Which got me thinking about something I heard recently on NPR about a new reverse osmosis process that maple producers are using to reduce their energy and fuel costs and to help produce better yields. Something about "science" that reduces the time they need to boil down the sap. Sounds good, but then again what do I know?

non-dairy milks, an exploration

2011-12-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

We've been down with non-dairy milks for awhile now. In fact, we rarely ever buy cow's milk these days, preferring instead to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk for most things. After experimenting with soy milk and almond milk, I decided to get friendly with all the non-dairy milks I could find. Except hazelnut. I didn't even realize hazelnut milk was a possibility until after I set up this little project, so forgive me. I'll try it soon.

Why non-dairy milk? Maybe you have dairy sensitivities. Maybe you are vegan for other reasons. Maybe you are just an adventurous eater and drinker. It's good to try new things and switch up your habits from time to time. At least I think it is. I eat way more things now than I did even a few years ago.

I present to you my unscientific, imperfectly executed round-up of non-dairy milks. When available, I compared the unsweetened, original flavored versions that are available in the refrigerated section. I also chose the most mainstream brand for each milk, in an effort to pick ones that are widely accessible and easy to find. Exceptions are noted below. Generally speaking, I don't pour myself a glass of milk to drink. I bake and cook with it, use it as the base for my daily smoothies and sometimes pour it into my coffee or tea. So if you are a die-hard, drink a glass of milk person, I can't say which non-dairy version might suit you best.

Coconut Milk
In addition to the cans of coconut milk you've probably used for making curries or sweet desserts, you can also buy a coconut milk beverage that has reduced fat and richness of straight-up, pure coconut milk. It's still sweet and creamy and makes a great substitute for coffee creamer and for use in Asian-inspired soups and sauces. For desserts, your best bet is the canned variety of coconut milk.

Notes: Unsweetened coconut milk (for drinking) is really tough to find, and the Original or Vanilla versions are much tastier. My two cents. Available in refrigerated and shelf-stable packaging.

Brands: Silk Pure Coconut (Original, Vanilla) & So Delicious (Original, Unsweetened, Vanilla)

Soy Milk
Soy milk is a popular alternative that is almost as high in protein as cow's milk and is higher in calcium. It's also packed with magnesium and Vitamin D. Soy milk separates less during heating than many other non-dairy milks, so it is great for cooking and baking as well as regular ol' drinking. It's the non-dairy milk most people know about and are familiar with because it's been around for a long time.

Notes: Available in refrigerated and shelf-stable packaging. Unsweetened versions exist, but I couldn't find one for this tasting so I went with Original. Chocolate soy milk is one of my favorite treats, especially right after a long run.

Brands to try: Silk (available in lots of flavors, including seasonals), 8th Continent (lots of flavors, including light and fat-free varieties) & West Soy.

Oat Milk
Oat milk is really tasty. It's sweet, oat-y & creamy. I hadn't tried it before this grand experiment, but I think I'll keep it in the rotation for awhile. Oat milk has more calcium than cow's milk and is also one of the lowest-fat options of the non-dairy milk crowd. I was surprised to note that it ranks second-highest on the protein scale for non-dairy milks, coming in right behind soy.

Notes: I've only seen this in shelf-stable packaging and I haven't seen an unsweetened version.

Brands to try: Pacific Natural Foods (Original & Vanilla)

Almond Milk
Almond milk has a delicious, creamy consistency similar to soy milk. It's great in smoothies, cereal and for drinking. Almond milk has a slightly nutty flavor (as you might expect), is high in flavonoids and Vitamin E (which lower cholesterol) and contains as much calcium as cow's milk. I like to put a splash of almond milk in my tea. Almonds are one of the healthiest nuts you can eat and almond milk is the lowest calorie option of the bunch.

Notes: Available in refrigerated and shelf-stable packaging. Our current fave of the non-dairy milks is Unsweetened Vanilla Almond. Give it a try.

Brands to try: Blue Diamond Almond Breeze (Original, Vanilla & Chocolate in both Sweetened and Unsweetened versions) and Silk Pure Almond (Original, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate & Unsweetened)

Hemp Milk

Hemp milk is super nutritious. It contains the same amount of calcium as cow's milk, is rich in heart-healthy omegas and contains all ten essential amino acids. Bam! It does have a little bit of a grassy or nutty flavor, which I find to be awesome. I've heard it is distinctly "not great" in coffee, but I haven't tried that myself.

Notes: I've only seen this in shelf-stable packaging.

Brands to try: Living Harvest Tempt (Original, Vanilla, Chocolate & Unsweetened Original, Vanilla)

Rice Milk
Rice milk is light and sweet but lacking in many nutrition categories. Your best bet might be to buy a rice milk blend or enriched rice milk product that has added vitamins and minerals. It's good for drinking since it isn't too thick. I rarely use this in my smoothies, though, because I like to add a bit more creaminess.

Notes: Available in refrigerated and shelf-stable packaging. Try a rice-soy blend, like the one from Eden Organic.

Brands to try: Rice Dream (Available in lots of flavors, including crazy ones like Chocolate Chai, Vanillla Hazelnut & Horchata. Also comes in Enriched and Heartwise varieties.)

And because I took the nerdy time to create this spreadsheet, I might as well share it. Click to enlarge.

For full disclosure, I almost always buy vanilla flavored milk. For drinking, smoothies and making desserts, I like vanilla better. For savory cooking though, you'd be smart to stick with original unflavored versions. In conclusion... they are all good for different uses. Rice milk is the least nutritious, hemp milk is pretty much a superfood with its complete protein and omegas, and soy milk rivals cow's milk in terms of protein. I happen to love almond milk, find coconut milk a little too sweet for most things and I think oat milk is a tasty new find. And, of course, all non-dairy milks are cholesterol-free. Just to put aside another myth, you should note that most of these milks actually have as much or more calcium than cow's milk. Surprised?

I know I left out your favorite brand of such-and-such non-dairy milk, so tell me about it in the comments. What is your preference for non-dairy milk? Did you know you can make some of your own non-dairy milk? It's true. If you... say... had a Vitamix blender, it's actually really easy. Stay tuned...

my holiday wish list

2011-12-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

All Over Albany asked me what was on my holiday wish list. I told them tea, movies and apple vodka. Oh and a few other local treats too. Click over here to read my full list.

muesli chocolate chip cookies

2011-12-06T08:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was National Cookie Day. Coincidentally, yesterday was also the cookie-themed food swap! Hurrah. Cookie swaps are a big holiday thing, right? This was my first-ever cookie swap, but there were plenty of pros there who had, I don't know, ten more cookie swaps left this season. Are you a cookie swapper? Yes? Well then send me some of your extra cookies. Do you make really fancy cookies with icing and cut-outs and blood/sweat/tears? I don't. I make wonky little cookies, but they taste good. Especially when you eat them for breakfast.

This recipe borrows from my mom's world-famous Cowboy Cookies, but is modified to include the Maple Muesli mix published in the From Scratch Holidays e-book. So to make these cookies, you'll need to go over there and download your free copy. These are of the chewy and soft variety, because that's the best kind of cookie of course.

Muesli Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups Maple Muesli Mix
1 package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Cream sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla together until fluffy. Stir in the dry ingredients completely, and then add the Maple Muesli Mix and chocolate chips. Drop by a teaspoon on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, removing from the oven when the bottom edges begin to brown. Let cool for 3-5 minutes on the cookie sheet (they also keep baking a little, which is good) and then transfer to wire cooling racks.

Makes three dozen cookies, with enough wiggle room for a few cookie dough tastings :)

And who doesn't love a big glass of milk with a few cookies? I'll tell you who, people who can't tolerate dairy so well. Post-cleanse, I'm finally starting to admit that I may fall in that category. Fortunately, it's not an actual dairy allergy and it's not super severe. This week I'll share with you my Unscientific Non-Dairy Milk Comparison and Analysis! All the non-dairy milks you never knew existed, with taste test results, nutritional comparisons and recommendations for use.

free e-book!

2011-12-02T09:58:00.000-05:00

The ladies of From Scratch Club are offering a FREE E-BOOK to help you create your very own From Scratch Holiday. The free digital book has brand-new edible gift ideas and recipes, never before published on FSC. From limoncello to gluten free pasta and the famous vegan cinnamon bun recipe from All Good Bakers, this handy little download has plenty of ideas for creating homemade, from scratch holiday cheer this season. Ooh, and I share my Maple Muesli recipe, perfect for a hearty yet simple winter breakfast.

You could even download and print this free e-book to give as a gift to your favorite cook. This is From Scratch Club's gift to you this holiday season, so spread the cheer :)

To get your free digital copy of From Scratch Holidays, head over here!

thanksgiving, battleship & happy hour

2011-11-27T22:21:00.001-05:00

I (sort of) promise not to get lazy and just post Instagram photo recaps instead of actually blogging, but it's just so easy and addicting. We had a lovely Thanksgiving up in Plattsburgh; fortunately we avoided driving during the middle of the storm that dumped a foot of snow in the North Country.

We feasted, drank, played Battleship and wove old-school potholders. Many of them. A lovely time was had by all, even on Thanksgiving morning when we snuck out to run a private, two-person Turkey Trot around town. In the cold. With snow on the ground. I was rewarded with my first cup of coffee in over 21 days, so it was worth it.

We were back in town Friday evening so my girlfriends and I could catch a showing of the new Twilight movie. Because isn't that what young professionals in their late twenties do? (Yes, I believe after yesterday's 27th birthday I am officially in my late twenties. Where does the time go?)

We went for a walk Saturday night only to find ourselves indulging in happy hour at a few neighborhood bars. The convenient thing about our neighborhood is that when we finally got hungry, we didn't have to settle for a slice of pizza: we just walked a block home to make dinner. Sliced up, roasted potatoes with a micromix, radish, cucumber and goat cheese salad plus amazing leftover butternut squash soup.

How were your Thanksgiving celebrations? Does it seem strange that I'm now 27 and have been blogging here since I was 22? Yowza. That means my five-year blogaversary is coming up soon. We shall celebrate, friends, we shall celebrate. In the meantime, we will try out a few new recipes, knit a new hat to hide my slightly grown-out pixie cut and maybe we'll make a Christmas terrarium together. Sounds like fun, no?

introducing... the vitamix

2011-11-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

Well well well, look who it is. My new best friend Mr. Vitamix. Yes folks, the Twitter rumors are true: we are proud owners of a brand-new Vitamix. I have been pining for this appliance for a long time, showing demo videos to anyone who would watch. Then I ordered it. And it came in the mail. Now we are inseparable. Classic love story, no?

Before: A mess of berries, greens, avocado, almond milk, cucumber and Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer powder.

After: A smooth, creamy drink.

"So, this thing just makes good smoothies?" No. First, as a point of clarity, this thing makes killer smoothies, not just good ones. It will pulverize almost anything. Kale? Perfectly acceptable. Ice cubes? Crushed instantly. Uncooked vegetables, whole fruits, nuts, rice, etc. The list goes on.

Smoothies aside, though, it can also make nut milks, nut butters, sauces, dressings and dips. "Pretty much standard issue, though, right?" False. This thing also makes hot soups and ice cream. What? I KNOW. You put room temperature ingredients (veggies, broth, etc.) into the Vitamix and a few minutes later you have HOT SOUP. Something about the friction of the blades and 200+ mph and bam! Hot soup. I personally like my soups to simmer awhile on the stove, but still... pretty neat. "What did you say about ice cream?" Oh yes, I can make ice cream in my VitaMix. As in, put some cold ingredients in and a few minutes later you have real, scoopable ice cream.

Clearly I will be recording my own demo videos to share. And for the record, I'm not an employee nor am I getting any benefits from writing this except for the comforting knowledge that I can now blend up every ingredient in my kitchen into a delicious smoothie. I mean, come one, my blender has a two horsepower motor. That's the only time I'll ever brag about how much horsepower something I own has.

Just wanted to formally introduce you :)

ps- Today is the last day of my 21-day cleanse!

a weekend in old montreal

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago we had the chance to spend some time in Old Montreal to celebrate a lovely family wedding. In a wildly uncharacteristic move, I forgot my camera! So we played around with Chris' iPod to capture a few memories from this beautiful city.

Our gorgeous hotel room at Hotel Nelligan.

Occupy Montreal.

I would like to buy a stone house like this one. It would be perfect for wreath-hanging and reading by a fireplace and hosting late-night dinner parties.

Coffee and crepes.

Back to the United States.

Wishing you all a great weekend. I'll be finishing up my last weekend on the cleanse (always the hardest days when you don't have a strict schedule), finding a new pot for a houseplant that has long outgrown its current home and experimenting with lots of new smoothie recipes. I'll explain more about the smoothies soon...

a cleanse before the holidays

2011-11-16T09:05:00.000-05:00

Surprise! I am on Day 15 of a little 21-day cleanse. Yes, I am just ridding the system of some junk and getting it ready for a holiday season full of junk. (Wait, that seems wrong. Let's instead call it a jump-start to a healthier holiday season. That sounds much better.) I've also timed the cleanse to lead me almost up to my 27th birthday and the start of a healthier, more incredible year.

For 21 days, I am not eating animal products (including all dairy), gluten, soy, peanuts, caffeine, alcohol, or added sugar. I'm also staying away from nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and potatoes, and some fruits like bananas and strawberries because they are telling me to. I've been a tiny bit less stringent with that part. So what do I eat? Lots. Every other vegetable; non-gluten grains like brown rice and quinoa; fresh and frozen fruit, beans and lentils; cashews, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts and sunflower seeds; herbal tea, seltzer and mineral water; stevia and brown rice syrup for sweeteners; carob and raw cacao powder for a chocolate fix; and all spices and seasonings. I didn't purchase any of the Clean supplements, but am instead making my smoothies with a scoop of Vega Whole Food Optimizer, which is a vegan, soy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, blah blah blah-free protein powder that also takes care of the fiber, probiotic and digestive enzyme supplements. With some almond or hemp milk, a cup of frozen berries, a scoop of cashew butter and a spoonful of cacao powder, it's a tasty way to start your morning.

This has been a nice opportunity, much like last year's Whole Living 21 Day Action Plan, to clear out possible trigger foods and to see how I feel. And I am feeling really good. The start was rough, partially because of a nasty cold that had me pining for classic comfort foods instead of smoothies and hyper-quantities of leafy greens and brown rice. I stayed on track and by day five, I was feeling much better. Cleaner, lighter, less hungry and more energy. I'm being very intentional with my eating and, for the most part, have strictly adhered to the Elimination Diet as laid out in Clean. My good friends were married last weekend in a gorgeous ceremony, so I planned an conscious departure from the cleanse, because I wasn't about to pass on a delicious dinner and evening of celebration. By that point in time, I had already successfully navigated three work-related functions, quietly and easily skipping the alcohol, coffee, dinner rolls and dessert. You have to remember that it isn't a purity test. You have to live your life and make priorities-- a stale cookie at a buffet lunch? Not worth it. Cocktail hour, a multi-course dinner and wedding cake with dear friends? Worth it. I held back on portions, skipped the extra cheesy hor d'oeurves and had two glasses of white wine. After a few additional nibbles at From Scratch Club's table at the Delmar Farmers Market the next morning, I was back on track.

So. That's that. I'm 2/3 of the way through and feeling great.

your first csa season, tips & advice

2011-11-09T16:38:00.000-05:00

Has an entire season of peeking inside my CSA share convinced you to join one?

No? Well let me try one last time to convert you.

Yes? Well let me give you a few fair warnings to make sure you've really thought it over. We loved our experience and will talk about it to anyone who will listen, but CSAs aren't for everyone. Here's the deal.

A few overly-generalized CSA basics...

You find a farm that runs a CSA program. I found mine through a CSA Fair at the Troy Farmers Market. That's where I first met Christina and Farmer Michael. Those two, they'll get you to buy anything. You can find your farm by asking around at your local farmers market or going to localharvest.org.

A few months or weeks before the season starts, you pay up. That's right, you pay upfront for an entire season of produce. That's the whole point-- you buy a "share" of the farm, helping supply it with capital to make investments for the upcoming growing season. It may seem like a lot of money. It probably is a lot of money. But it's a great place to spend a lot of money. Cut back on your nasty Starbucks habit, stop buying expensive processed foods or pre-cut veggies at the supermarket and reign in your shoe fetish. Reinvest in your health and your community. Yes, it supports local farms and farmers but it's not like you are making a charitable donation. YOU GET FOOD FROM IT. Real, whole, healthy, fresh, local and interesting food. It's a very good deal.

You pick up you produce (or maybe they deliver it) once a week. In a typical CSA model, you pick up a box of veggies that have already been chosen and sorted for you. It's a surprise! As members of a pilot delivery CSA from Kilpatrick Family Farm, this is the model we belonged to,. We had no control over what we got each week. Fun! Scary! Exciting! There are other CSA models where you do get a choice in your vegetables, but the surprise option is the most common and also the most intimidating so that's what I'll cover here.

The veggies you get aren't your boring, run-of-the-mill grocery store varieties. You know that by now. CSAs help farms continue to grow many types and varieties of vegetables, keeping diversity alive out on the fields. That's good for the earth (maybe? seems like it would be), good for farmers and good for eaters. Your tomatoes will be varied and juicy, your onions will also be varied and (surprisingly) juicy.

You get to meet great people. Even though we were part of a home delivery program wherein our food magically appeared on our stoop every Thursday (ha, kidding my dear CSA Coordinator), I still know who the people are that grow my food and make it accessible to me. I went on a farm tour and u-pick strawberry field trip and hung out with Michael, Keith and all of the other super hardworking people that bring me my cherry tomatoes and green beans. If you pick up your share each week, you'll get to know your farmers that way. You're part of a team. Holla! And really, you're the funnest part of the team... you're the part that gets to sit back, relax and eat good food.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You...

If you don't like to cook, a CSA is not for you. There, I said it. By all means, get yourself to a farmers market stat and start supporting the hardworking people who bring you fresh, local and healthy food. Do as much of your produce shopping at farmers markets and farm stands as you can. But you may want to think twice about a CSA. At the farmers market, you'll be able to pick out exactly what you like, what you need and what you know how to cook. A corollary to this point is: it takes time to thoughtfully plan meals and menus with a bunch of semi-foreign vegetables. Even with veggies you know and love, you need to be able to set aside a good chunk of time to sort through cookbooks and the Google to find new recipes and different ways of cooking up all that farm-fresh goodness.

You pay upfront for a season of produce. That season may go very well for your farm, or it may go less-than-perfectly. It's a risk and it's a risk worth taking. Yes, check your farm out to make sure they have the capacity to handle a good CSA program. But know that Mother Nature has a way of meddling in your best-laid plans and budgets. Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee dropped the hurt on our region this year, leaving behind many devastated fields and lost crops in local farms. It was then that we were most happy with our decision to become CSA members. Although the revenue from KFF's CSA program is designated for specific, long-term investments rather than weekly operating costs, we were happy to have made a commitment to support a local farm through a tough season. (I should note that the quality of our shares remained stellar but even if KFF not been able to maintain that level, we would have been ok with that.)

Most CSAs are different than shopping at a farmers market and different than having your own garden. All three are really awesome options. We've tried our hardest to squeeze a little fresh food out of our living space; a Topsy Turvy hanging in the bathroom (fail), a container garden on the windowsill (meh, aliens took it one year) and even a little pepper tree on our window ledge. Not exactly a self-sustaining operation, you know? We love a good stroll at the farmers market, but we were ready to go a little deeper into crazy vegetable town. And seriously, as lame as it may sound, our CSA was a total adventure. I loved peering inside our cooler each week, not always knowing what was in there or how on earth we were going to cook it. You have to be willing to try new things and to experiment a bit with your diet.

Thus concludes my wrap-up of the 2011 Summer CSA Season. If you haven't already picked up on it, we are big CSA advocates and cheerleaders. A warm shout-out to the peeps at KFF that fed Chris & I all season long. We're looking forward to next summer :) Anyone else have CSA tips to share?

our first csa season, lessons learned

2011-11-08T11:51:00.000-05:00

Our first CSA season. The glory of farm-fresh produce every week and, thanks to the awesome folks at Kilpatrick Family Farm way up north in Granville, NY, this produce was delivered right to our door. By my supercool friend Christina, who I was reluctant to become friends with because adding another "Chris" to my life felt like too much. You know her as the Founder/Editor of From Scratch Club and she's also the CSA Coordinator for KFF.Woot!

I first want to preface by acknowledging how ludicrous, unfair and unjust it is that some of the following statements refer to having too much fresh produce and Oh my, I'm so stressed out about using all of this healthy, nutritious food before it goes bad. I know. It's a tragedy that we shook our heads as the tomatoes piled up and the kale overtook our refrigerator while some people in this world starved, some subsisted on pure crap from the neighborhood bodega and some weren't well enough to eat at all. And yet, here I am. One of life's many injustices.

When one person was away, we had too many veggies. There were several times throughout the season when there was only one of us here to enjoy the bounty. One person, standing in a tiny kitchen with a very large cooler of vegetables, trying to figure out how the hell to eat it all. We don't have the space to preserve much, though Lord knows I've tried, and we don't have a "cool, dry storage" place like a root cellar or spare closet. If I'm completely honest, we wouldn't have the space for dozens of jars of preserved produce even if we had made them. They would be stacked next to the couch, in front of my nightstand and maybe a few would have been lined up on our windowsills. Ya dig? So the veggies we got, we ate that week or the next week. On occasion, we gave some away to friends and family or snuck them into "dinner elf" deliveries.

Eating out made me feel guilty. When the urge hit to go to our favorite outdoor Mexican restaurant patio and stuff ourselves with enchiladas and margaritas, we often suffered a twinge of guilt for abandoning the vegetables waiting patiently in our fridge. "We can't go out tonight, we have a bunch of radishes, three onions, a pound of potatoes and spinach here!" Similarly, anytime I lazily settled on a PB&J or a bowl of cereal for dinner, I could feel the Swiss chard glaring at me from inside the crisper drawer.

We also split an egg share with my mom, and I guess I don't use as many eggs as I thought. Splitting the weekly egg share meant that Chris & I kept a dozen eggs every other week and my mom got a dozen every other week. Somehow, this still ended up being way too much despite the fact that I thought I ate a lot of eggs. I'm not sure what happened, but at one point I had about four dozen eggs in the fridge.

Kale still sucks and I haven't found a really good use for radishes yet. Both of those things are true. As long as we're on the subject, I wish I liked pickles more because I would have had a much easier time wrangling all those cucumbers if I did. Instead I smeared cream cheese on slices of baguette, topped them with cucumber and ate them nonstop. I also put them in my water, my salads and my gin.

Nothing is better than a fresh tomato. Sliced up and topped with oil, vinegar and shallots? Divine.

Related follow-up: did you know you can freeze tomatoes? You can. Really. I froze a bunch of cherry tomatoes and a few romas. When I want to make another batch of insanely-good Tomato Jam, I'll just take them out of the freezer and cook 'em down. Easy. (You should read this post at In My Kitchen Garden about being sick of canning & deciding to freeze tomatoes instead.)

We became much more adventurous cooks. You have to be adventurous when you are faced with a refrigerator full of vegetables you were only vaguely aware even existed. Jerusalem artichokes? Bring it. Hakurei turnips? Ok. Onions that come in more shapes and sizes that you ever imagined? Delicious. Some nights I felt like Barbara Kingsolver or Kristin Kimball, standing in my kitchen and throwing seemingly-disparate fresh ingredients together until I produced a masterpiece of a meal. Or a complete flop, which absolutely happened from time to time. Remind me to tell you about the time I made a radish dip that no one ate, and a few people said smelled like feet. For the record, I thought it was pretty good. But also ask me about the chocolate cupcakes that had beets in them. They were legendary.

Speaking of beets... I don't know if this happens for everyone, but becoming part of the CSA world nudged me even closer to the weird hippie food world that I so enjoy. I've made beet & brown rice veggie burgers, am currently in possession of almond, rice and hemp milk and I've brewed my own kombucha. (I'll tell you more about those last two things soon.) Maybe those things aren't directly related to being in a CSA, but my deepening involvement in our foodshed and our own personal food system has perhaps pushed me past the point of no return. I love it.

Well, it turns out that I have a lot to say about my first CSA season. Are you interested in joining one next summer? I've got a few friendly tips and final thoughts for you-- I'll share them tomorrow :)

cough due to cold

2011-11-07T08:10:00.000-05:00

Sorry, folks, I came down with a crappy cold that knocked me on my ass the past few days. I will return shortly with newbie CSA member wisdom, just as soon as I can manage to stop blowing my nose every two minutes. In the meantime, you should check out all of the archives over at Natalie Dee. Girl is hilarious. Thanks to Al, who showed me this site years ago. It took me a few months to catch on, but ever since it's been my go-to source for off-color, sometimes obscure, sometimes simple, weird humor.

inside the cooler, weeks 21 & 22

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Week 21. Green tomatoes! Who would have guessed. We turned those into a green tomato soup that was pretty ok. Not great, but pretty ok. We also got radishes, cauliflower, Jersualem artichokes (sunchokes), Christmas spinach, arugula and sweet onions.

Sad, the last week of the Summer 2011 CSA deliveries from Kilpatrick Family Farm. Sigh. We rounded out our locavore summer with a gigantic bunch of kale, broccoli, shallots, garlic, fennel, salad mix, peppers and a jar of salsa. Went out with a bang, eh?

So that's the end of this season's Inside the Cooler series. Thanks for sticking with me and showing a bit of interest in weekly photos of vegetables in a cooler. Tomorrow I'll share a few things I've learned from my first CSA: veggies I didn't know I liked, ones I'm still not sure with, advice for those interested in joining a farm share program... all of that. Tune in :)

sunday soup, sunchoke, turnip & carrot

2011-10-31T09:36:00.002-04:00

Sunday Soup is back! Or as we lovingly refer to it, Sunday "Throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and cook it" dinners. That's really all soup is. You knew that, right? Most of our soups begin with a bit of oil or butter, a garlic clove or two and chopped onions. Saute them up, add in the rest of your veggies, some veggie stock and herbs and cook. Sometimes we finish it off by sticking the immersion blender in there for a minute or adding a bit of cream. That's it. That is my recipe for just about any soup.

In the interest of offering a more comprehensive recipe, though, I'll make one up below. We had odds and ends of vegetables in our fridge that we were desperate to use up; consequently, the Super Local Sunchoke, Turnip & Carrot Soup was born!

See what I mean? Just throw some stuff in a pot and eventually you might have soup. We were pleased to be able to make this soup from almost exclusively local ingredients: the vegetables, including the ones used in the veggie stock, were all from Kilpatrick Family Farm in Granville, NY. The olive oil comes from Dancing Ewe Farm also in Granville. We ran out of local butter, so that's where the recipe falls short. Oh, the salt and pepper aren't local either, but come on.

Sunchoke, Turnip & Carrot Soup
Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
garlic, chopped
onions, chopped
sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes), cut into 1" chunks
Hakurei turnips, roughly sliced
carrots, roughly sliced
veggie stock
salt and pepper

What? You wanted quantities? I told you can just throw things in a pot. But if I had to guess, I'd say that we used at least a cup of chopped white onions, 2 cloves of garlic, maybe a pound (2-3 cups?) of sunchokes, 3 carrots, a bunch of Hakurei turnips (or one or two big regular ones), and 3 1/2 cups of veggie broth.

Directions
Heat the oil and butter over medium heat, and then add the chopped onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and then add the garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and saute for 7-8 more minutes. Add the veggie stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Let simmer for 35-45 minutes until the carrots, sunchokes and turnips are cooked through. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender (alternatively, you can do this in batches in a regular blender or food processor, just be careful not to burn yourself). Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with a bit of cracked black pepper and Parmesan cheese, if you wish.

No sunchokes? Use potatoes. Never heard of Hakurei turnips? Ok, just use whatever kind you can find. It will work out, I promise. We used a combination of regular and sunny carrots and it was wonderful. The sunchokes give this soup a very earthy flavor, which we love, but just let that serve as a heads-up. It came together really nicely and helped free up some space in our fridge. Speaking of our fridge, we just got our last CSA delivery of the season. Sad. I'll wrap up the "Inside the Cooler" series this week, complete with my lessons learned and reflections from our first summer as CSA members. I'll wax poetic for awhile, make a few corny vegetable jokes and finish the season strong. I may even show you my Halloween costume from this year, which (SPOILER) re-used my costume from last year.

maple-sweetened applesauce

2011-10-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

Do you still have a few orchard-fresh apples lying around? We did, and I was sick of looking at them. I wanted to make an applesauce that was sweetened but didn't use refined white sugar. Why? I don't know. Trying to cut back. Over the past week I've eaten my fair share of Halloween candy filled with ingredients much more suspicious and icky than white sugar, so maybe this naturally-sweetened applesauce thing was a bit futile. In any event, it's completely delicious and just sweet enough without being overwhelming. Use up the rest of those apples and give it a try.

Maple-Sweetened Applesauce
Ingredients

8-9 medium apples
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup water
cinnamon

Directions
Peel and core the apples, then cut into 1" chunks. Or whatever size chunks you prefer, it doesn't matter all that much. In a large stockpot, bring all of the ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and cover; let simmer for an hour and a half or until the apples are cooked down and completely mushy. Your kitchen should smell absolutely divine, and you'll likely have picked up an old knitting project or started some other autumn nesting craft by this point. This is a common side effect of making your own applesauce, don't worry.

Mash those apples up a bit and you have yourself a nice batch of maple-sweetened applesauce. This made about one and a half quarts, I think.

Big news from From Scratch Club! The wonderful Michael Pollan is speaking at Hudson Valley Community College tonight and guess what? The ladies of FSC will be rockin' & rollin' at our community table during the post-talk reception! If you have tickets to this awesome sold-out event, please stop by and see us afterwards. Even if you don't have have tickets, you can stop by the reception and watch the talk via big screen feed in the reception hall. The first hundred or so people to stop by and see us will get some sweet FSC swag. Bring your copies of In Defense of Food, The Omnivore's Dilemma & Food Rules because Mikey will be signing them too. And if he doesn't sign them, well, I'll scribble inside your copy and no one will know the difference. See you there :)

this week on tumblr

2011-10-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile since we took a look at the ol' tumblr page, so I thought I'd share with you some things that have caught my eye on the interwebs lately.

by coscarelli

(via myidealhome.)

A glorious tree-house for grownups.

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via nawasaka

This is blowing my mind. Did we seriously get all of these phrases from Billy Shakes?

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via What Possessed Me: The Mali Magillah: The Day is Done

A real photo. Isn't it incredible? I've linked to her travel stories before, but if you still haven't gotten the chance to read them, please do. They are inspiring and beautiful and raw.

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While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks.

My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.

"Stop Coddling the Super-Rich" by Warren Buffet
(via nytimes.com)

Well-said, sir, well-said.

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by Samatha Hahn

(via {frolic!})

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…because having faith in something is a very good thing, if only because it provides a rest from over-thinking and indecision…

heatherross - blog

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via A Visual Guide to Fresh Herbs at Epicurious.com

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Have a great weekend, folks. I may work up the courage to try a hip-hop yoga class tonight, and then tomorrow we head up to Montreal for a wedding. In the meantime, I'm choking down a less-than-delicious version of the TGIF green smoothie. I will not make this one again.

inside the cooler, weeks no. 19 & 20

2011-10-19T08:53:00.000-04:00

We are getting down to the end of the summer CSA season, folks. Ugh. I will miss these coolers filled with produce. For week 19 we had lots of goodies, including one of those funky pieces of ginger, two skinny eggplants, red onions, arugula, colorful peppers, thyme, micromix and a huge honkin' bunch of celery. We made curried eggplant, lentil & quinoa veggie burgers just last night, and they were amazing. The ginger is in the freezer (thanks for the tip, CSA Coordinator) and the celery is being used in veggie stock as I write this. I didn't get to it before it lost its crispness, so the rest of it is going in the freezer where I keep veggie scraps for future stock use. That micromix is killer, it adds such a nice texture to a green salad.

Week 20 saw the return of hakurei turnips! Potato, Sweets & Turnip Gratin, anyone? We also have two little stalks of broccoli, green peppers, garlic, spinach, salad mix and Chinese cabbage.

We have a good amount of cherry and Roma tomatoes waiting for us in the freezer, ready to be made into a delicious tomato soup with our fresh batch of veggie stock. I'm savoring these fresh produce deliveries, knowing that they will end and the farmers market bounty will dwindle a little. But we can make it through, right? Even in our miniscule kitchen with our easy-bake oven, we've managed to put up a few extra jars of local goodness, which makes me laugh and feel proud all at the same time. Despite my wistfulness for the romanticism of prairie life, I am completely and utterly grateful that I do not have to can and preserve summer's bounty in order to survive the winter. For now, I'm satisfied with having made a few jams, preserved a few veggies and stocked up on frozen berries. That's all my schedule, our space and my set of priorities allow for and that is fine with me.

Looking for a quick, easy meal idea? You know how much I love a good rice bowl, so head over here to get my basic recipe for a Buddha Bowl! I've included my super-secret Buddha Bowl Sauce recipe, which I completely hacked from my favorite food cart in Portland.

tgif green smoothie

2011-10-14T10:20:00.000-04:00

Giving the ol' green smoothie another try today. A different recipe than the one I tried during Whole Living Action Plan 28-Day Challenge. I've been reading about green smoothies and green juice and have been dipping my toe into that world a handful of spinach at a time. This was the first smoothie that I didn't add a pound of frozen berries to, although it does still have fruit in it. It's not bad. I wish I had used a frozen banana to get a colder drink, because at room temperature it's not great. I tossed a few ice cubes in and let it sit in the freezer for a few minutes. The colder you can get this smoothie, the better. Consistency was good and because I blended it for about 3 hours, most of the leafy greens were chopped up small enough not to notice them. The flavor was good too, although next time I might sweeten it up a bit with stevia, honey or maple syrup.

TGIF Green Smoothie
Ingredients

1/2 avocado
1 small banana
1 small apple, cored and cut into small pieces
handful of fresh spinach, torn into pieces
almond or soy milk

Blend it up. Drink. Wonder what your life has become now that you drink green smoothies in the morning. Decide you will raid your office's Halloween candy bowl later to make up for such a healthy habit. I'm reading a lot more about amping up my smoothies and making fresh fruit and veggie juice, so expect to see some weird concoctions 'round these parts.

Are you a green smoothie drinker? Green juice? It's been tough for me to try to switch the ratio in my smoothies from mostly fruit and sweet delicious things to... green vegetables. The thought of juicing green vegetables and then drinking that juice... well, I'm just not there yet. Let me know if you are, and we can talk about whether or not you are a genius or insane.

root vegetables, chocolate milk & vodka

2011-10-12T10:30:00.001-04:00

Even though we've been rolling with beautiful, almost summer-like weather here in New York, autumn is definitely here. After a nice bike ride and ridiculously clumsy & slow run, we set out for some fall adventures. (Have you ever run right after biking? I don't know how triathletes do it. It's like running through water or mud. Horribly embarassing.) Roots and other hardy vegetables were in full force at the farmers' market. We grabbed a few tomatoes and shallots from Cornell Farm (Hoosick Falls, NY), some artisan cheese from Gillis Acres Farm (Greenwich, NY), and two pints of the best chocolate milk in the world from Battenkill Creamery (Salem, NY). It's the best chocolate milk I've ever tasted. It has the flavor of a chocolate milkshake from Stewart's, if that means anything to you.

We still had apples leftover from when I went picking with friends in the Hudson Valley a few weeks ago, but we were all out of our Cornelius Applejack. This time on our trip to the Golden Harvest orchard and Harvest Spirits distillery, we picked up a bottle of their Core Vodka. They make it right there on the apple farm with nothing but apples and filtered water.

We brought back our applejack bottle and they rewarded us with a little Harvest Spirits shot glass and a free tasting. Chris tried the pear brandy; it barely touched my lips and I already felt woozy so I held out and saved room for cider doughnuts. I'll always choose cider doughnuts.

Another no-crust apple pie, a few apple-cheddar muffins and lots of soup are on the kitchen schedule for the next week. During super busy weeks like this one, I have to remind myself to take a time out and enjoy the season. An hour spent baking and filling the apartment with scents of cinnamon and spice are worth it. Fitting in a walk or a run, that's worth it too. I'm trying to savor the dark autumn mornings (not easy) and shorter days (almost impossible) and to prepare myself for the upcoming winter. It feels good to hunker down and roll with the seasonal calendar sometimes. And sometimes, well, it sucks. That's life.

a day at the nyc wine & food festival (part 2)

2011-10-10T09:30:00.001-04:00

You celebrity gossip junkies, I knew you were just waiting for the famous people photos. Well, here they are. Enjoy them in all of their blurry glory. I kept hoping for a sneak peak of Ms. Martha Stewart, but I think she only popped into the New York City Food & Wine Festival for the Tribute Dinner honoring His Royal Highness Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Jacques Pépin. Figures. Trust me, I checked every food table and booze table in the whole joint, just in case she happened to be lingering around.

There were chef demos all throughout the day at the Grand Tasting. Among them: Giada de Laurentis. Pretty! Kind of like a bobble head, but very pretty and personably. I feel bad only commenting on her looks, but I didn't catch much of the demo so that's all I have to report. This demo was crazy packed so this is the only semi-decent photo I have.

And here's Alton Brown. I like his style. The professorial look never goes out of fashion, not in my opinion at least.

My bro Jacques Pépin, legendary French chef, pal of Julia Childs and aforementioned honoree at some super-fancy dinner at the NYCWFF. Lots of fun. Believes in drinking wine while you cook. We watched his whole demo and then I stalked him a little outside during his book signing.
Look who showed up! Ms. Paula Deen, Queen of Butter, made a surprise appearance during his book signing! Isn't she a trip? Lordy.

Ok, not a celebrity, but it ought to be. After the Grand Tasting, we went to Patron Tequila's The Art of the Taco hosted by Bobby Flay. This was an awesome taco. A wild mushroom taco with white truffle and queso fresco from Gotham Bar & Grill.

My camera batteries died right when Bobby Flay made his appearance at The Art of the Taco event, so it is with great pleasure that I present to you a string of creepy, close-range videos I took of him with my Flipcam. Enjoy.

Thus concludes my recap of the 2011 NYC Wine & Food Festival. I have a few more photos and videos over at flickr if you are interested. Thanks to ShopRite for inviting me to be a part of the Potluck blog team :)

a day at the nyc wine & food festival (part 1)

2011-10-07T12:40:00.000-04:00

Are you wondering about that NYC Wine & Food Festival we went to last weekend? I thought so. The bad news is that my photos aren't great. Super-crowded venue, weird lighting plus an abundance of wine, beer & liquor. You know how it is. I was part of the ShopRite Potluck blogger team that went to the Grand Tasting (presented by ShopRite, as evidenced by the one million ShopRite signs all over the venue).

The Grand Tasting was held at Pier 57 in the Chelsea neighborhood. Fun. We took the train down Saturday morning, checked into our futuristic hotel (and arrive to a welcome gift bag from ShopRite with sparkling mineral water, almond biscotti and wafers in it... cute, no?) and then wandered over to the festival. We were given a tasting notebook, a swag bag (foodie swag bags are the best, think wooden spoons and olive oil samples :) and then started in on the tasting. So much food, so much booze. Tasty samples from NYC restaurants, food distributors, wineries, breweries and distillers.

Hi, this is me about to go the NYC FREAKING WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL.

I won't elaborate on the booze, except to say that I wasn't expecting beer and liquor to be involved in addition the wine. That's crazy. Also crazy? The Swedish Fish Vodka I tasted.

Wine! Lots of wine.

Lots of food, like this roasted artichoke dish from brio.

Oh hey! I was kicking it with the Potluck team and mingling with the Grand Tasting peeps. We handed out info about the blog and these cute little spatulas. People went nuts for them. I walked around, chatted and handed out free stuff. A pretty sweet deal, indeed. Some people really love their ShopRites. I was expecting most people to just grab the spatula and resume drinking, and plenty did just that, but there was a surprising number of folks who wanted to tell me which ShopRite they go to and why it's so awesome. Interesting.

I'll be back next week with crappy photos of my celebrity chef sightings! Exciting!

tomato jam

2011-10-06T09:06:00.000-04:00

I made a few jars of tomato jam last week. I had never heard of, nor considered, tomato jam before this year. Before the last swap, Chris suggested I bring a jar of this and I was like, "Noooo I can't bring tomato jam because EVERYONE is making tomato jam these days and their jam is probably SO much better than mine and I have to bring something ORIGINAL." And then I stopped and thought, "What the hell kind of social circle am I in that tomato jam is so very popular and widespread?". Whatever kind of circle it is, I am very happy to be a part of it. Old-fashioned preservation, weird hippie foods, creative cookery... I'm pumped to know such people. Granted, I also grew up with and was raised by such people, but it's nice to expand the circle a bit, no?

Anyway, this tomato jam. Super good. I was at a loss for exactly what to put it on, and then Becky's marvelous post inspired me to try it with grilled cheese, cornbread muffins and egg sandwiches. You can use as a classier ketchup or substitute for fresh tomatoes. It's awesome. I made a grilled brie sandwich the other night with this and it was out of this world. It's sweet, tangy, spicy... all rolled into one little jar.

I used this recipe from Food in Jars. Becky's Tomato-Basil version on FSC looks divine. Punk Domestics even has an entire round-up of Tomato Jam. If I had a mass quantity of tomatoes to deal with- and I'm glad I don't- I would make a ton of jars of this and give them out as Christmas presents.

inside the cooler, weeks 17 & 18

2011-10-04T07:40:00.000-04:00

Week 17 of da veggies. We can't get enough of these fresh peppers and tomatoes. I'm trying to remember how wonderful they taste so I can remember it during the dark days of winter. We have red onions, radishes, lettuce mix, tomatoes of all sizes, peppers and the green tops of something. I'm still not good at identifying veggie tops.

And week 18! I was surprised to see raspberries in our cooler this week, I thought we were past that season but was thrilled to find out I was wrong. We also got some tasty micromix, onions, broccoli, spinach, Swiss chard and a turnip-y, carrot-type root veggie. I'll probably roast it or mash it up with butter.

I'm finally accepting the new season. I love fall, but it always takes me a little while to mourn the loss of summer and move on into sweater weather. After a fall weekend in NYC, today's Local Harvest Fest featuring the bad-ass women of From Scratch Club (I could only make it for the end, but I hear the ladies ROCKED the demos and samples!) and now a cold, dreary night curled up on the couch, I'm embracing the season. My good friend Vanessa shared a no-crust apple pie recipe with me, and now I'm sharing it over on FSC. Head over there and see how easy it can be to whip up a quick apple pie with just a few minutes of prep and no crust to roll out. Happy Autumn. (And yes, of course, I'll tell you all about the NYC Wine & Food Festival soon!)

nyc wine & food festival

2011-09-30T09:17:00.000-04:00

We're going to the New York City Wine & Food Festival tomorrow! How and why, you ask? I'll give you the long-winded version. I've teamed up with the ShopRite Potluck blog to share recipes and tips for creating delicious meals on a budget. You know I love my CSA deliveries, farmers markets and co-ops, but I know that a lot of folks still head to the grocery store each week to stock their kitchen. I joined the Potluck blog to create recipes and menus that can help link people of all incomes and backgrounds to healthier food choices.

To be honest, I've been completely surprised by the quality and variety of ShopRite imported and specialty products. My area hasn't had a ShopRite store in a long time, but now that ShopRite is back in the picture with the grand opening of their Niskayuna store, I'm genuinely excited to see what it has to offer. I've had the pleasure of tasting quite a few of their products from their new Specialty Imported Pasta to their Mango with Peach Salsa and, my favorite, ShopRite Hazelnut Spread. I'm genuinely excited to see what else the new Niskayuna store will offer and what other natural and healthful ingredients I can get my paws on. (Yes, I know the Hazelnut spread isn't exactly a health food.)

What does this have to do with the NYC Wine & Food Festival? Well, for the fourth consecutive year, ShopRite is the presenting sponsor of the festival and the Grand Tasting, which is a two-day crazy event full of the best food and wine in the city. We're telling people about the Potluck blog, and we'll be stuffing our faces with food and wine. Yup, yes, sounds lovely. So Chris and I will be hopping a train to the Big Apple to pig out and stalk celebrity chefs. I really wish we got the Food Network so I would be better able to positively identify all of the famous TV personalities. Just going to have to play it by ear :)

From the press release:

The Grand Tasting Presented by ShopRite is part of the New York City Wine & Food Festival hosted by The Food Network, Food &Wine and Travel and Leisure magazines. As one of the Festival’s most popular attractions, The Grand Tasting will not only showcase ShopRite’s premier line of limited edition specialty products, but will also offer attendees signature dishes from the city’s most respected restaurants and world-renowned wine and spirit makers in a deliciously designed two-day gastronomic experience.

You can read about what I'm most looking forward to in the new ShopRite right here. Feel free to chime in, leave a comment and check back for new recipes, reviews and cooking demos. Like 'em on Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Chris & I will be getting back in time for me to scoot over to the second half of the 3rd Annual Local Harvest Festival in Washington Park! From Scratch Club is making their debut festival appearance-- we'll be sharing recipes, samples and a food swap intro so stop by the booth from 11am-3pm.

banned book week

2011-09-29T08:58:00.002-04:00

I'm an avid reader. So avid, in fact, that Chris and I have sometimes joked that it's my not-so-secret bad habitat that could ruin us. As in, "Well, Christine's a great gal but I just couldn't handle her reading all the time. She hides books, stays up all hours of the night... she neglects friends and family. I really think Christine has a serious problem." I blame my parents. Actually, I blame my entire family tree. Coincidentally, Sister posted this link yesterday on "How to get your kid to be a fanatic reader". I have vivid memories of bringing our backpacks to the library so we could manage to carry home all of the new books we checked out.

Gratuitous cute kid picture. We were born to read.

This week is Banned Books Week. It is a national celebration of the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. It was launched back in 1982 in response to a ridiculous surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Yep, people are still challenging and trying to ban books. Today. In 2011. In the United States. That blows your mind, right?

From the American Library Association:

Intellectual freedom- the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular- provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them. [...] Imagine how many more books might be challenged- and possibly banned or restricted- if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.

Among the most frequently challenged and banned books in recent years are the Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling), Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) and The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins). Good old-fashioned Young Adult fiction. I'm not ashamed to say that I've read each of these series. I read so much non-fiction that sometimes I just need to relax with a little teenage sci-fi. Is that so wrong?

Lest you think it is all about wizardry and vampires, have you heard of these obscure and wildly controversial books?

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Yep, and those were on the most challenged books in the last decade. Not just 50 or 60 years ago, but from the period 2000-2009. You may also be interested to know that Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickled and Dimed is on that list. Why? Challengers say that it presents a biased view of capitalism. Do you know the premise? The author takes a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of America's working poor. She takes on low-wage jobs in various communities and describes the difficulty of subsisting on poverty-level, service sector wages and the lack of support for low-wage workers in this country. Biased? Only if you mean that her "bias" is that of an average, low-income American. Of someone who works two or three jobs just to keep a roof over their head, who earns too much to receive public benefits but not enough to survive, who struggles to afford childcare and food and health services. I guess I call it reality, not bias.

A few other personal favorites from the frequently challenged book list are: any and all Judy Blume books (especially Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret), Beloved (Toni Morrison), Bridge to Terabithia (Katherine Paterson), Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut) and The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini).

I will say that, if you are a parent, I'm totally down with making sure your kids are reading age-appropriate material. Having just finished the whacked out trilogy The Hunger Games, I'm not so sure how comfortable I would feel if my pre-teen was reading it. That storyline is insane. Insane. It's a parenting decision, and that's valid. To challenge the very existence of the book, though, to call for it's removal from public libraries, to argue that it ought never to have been written... that is censorship, pure and simple. It's an attempt to take away the freedom to write, the freedom to read and learn and the freedom to make your own decisions. To call for censorship in public libraries, which in many communities are relied upon more by lower- and middle-income readers, is to perpetuate gaps in education and achievement. When you take away the rights of certain people to read certain books, you disenfranchise entire communities and prevent the spread of knowledge.

Celebrate Banned Book Week by picking up a copy of your favorite banned or challenged book and revel in the freedom you have to read it. Better yet, go support your local public library for standing up to challengers and for protecting the freedom of speech. Have you read this declaration of support for intellectual freedom? Hallelujah.

fundraiser for amanda

2011-09-27T09:36:00.000-04:00

There's another fundraiser over at From Scratch Club and I'd like to tell you about it. A long-time FSC contributor, Amanda, recently lost her house in a fire. Amanda, her husband and their three young daughters were able to escape with literally the clothes on their backs as the fire swept through.

(Amanda's three daughters in the kitchen! Photo from one of her posts on FSC.)

Amanda was the generous host for the Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking party & mini food swap last spring. (It's worth noting that this party was where I first officially met the From Scratch Club and was the inspiration for our now-thriving food swap community!) After the pickling & fermentation demo this month, I had a chance to chat with Amanda and other FSC peeps over drinks and I was struck with how upbeat and awesome she was. I don't know Amanda well, but in that short time I was totally blown away by her strength and ability to carry on and create as much stability for her family as possible. She's also an avid runner, and I always marveled at the group runs she posted through the Albany Running Exchange at some unholy early morning hour. That's a tough cookie.

In addition to the farm fundraiser, FSC is hosting a fundraiser to help Amanda and her family through this transition. And there are gift baskets! Oh, there are gift baskets! With your donation, you are automatically entered to win one of these goodies:

a signed copy of Kate Payne's Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking;
a set of custom canning labels by Kaela of Local Kitchen Blog;
a basket full of "swap" goodies... homemade canned things, jams, baked goods, etc, or;
one of my demi-aprons (!) with other assorted kitchen things.

That's right, you can get your paws on this Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Reversible Demi Apron! Made with love by yours truly. Surely you remember these aprons hanging around now-on-hiatus Etsy shop?

Click over to the fundraiser and give a little, will you? All of the info and details are over there and feel free to comment here, there or email me if you have any questions. The fundraiser runs through October 15 and gift basket winners will be announced on the 17th.

the pickle bandwagon

2011-09-22T12:13:00.001-04:00

So, I'm not really surprised that I used the only recipe in the world that calls for brown sugar in a bread and butter pickle. What did I think it would look like?! Could I not foresee that these sliced cukes would be sitting in a dark brown liquid?! Ick. Zero points for presentation. Incredibly, these taste fine. If you like bread and butter pickles, that is. I guess they are controversial in the pickling world, right? I want to get it right out on the table that I'm not a huge pickling person. I don't love them. If we are out to lunch and my sandwich comes with a dill pickle, by all means, it's yours. But for someone who isn't in love with pickles, I sure do try them a lot. All the time, it seems. I'm so curious how everyone else in the world swoons over these fermented vegetables (and other things) that snap and pop and release a vinegary explosion. Everytime someone near me swoons over how awesome a pickle is, I try it in the hopes that maybe I just haven't tasted the right one yet. But... no. I gave these bread and butter pickles a shot only to see if I preferred them to a crunchy dill. Meh. They are fine. Tucked away in a sandwich, they are not offensive. But straight up, out of the jar? Not yet. Which is too bad, because I'm hanging with a group of peeps who make some really killer pickled and fermented food. I would have so many awesome pickles at my disposal, if only I wanted them. Last week I even went to that Pickling & Fermentation Demo hosted by FSC with the lovely author Kate Payne up at Spoon & Whisk in Clifton Park. (She has good small-batch pickling tips here & fermentation tips here.)

Whilst on vacation in Portlandia, I made my host Al some fridge pickles using this Food in Jars recipe. I've been told they were good. Recommended by one out of one doctor. I'll keep trying to jump on the pickle bandwagon, but I can't make any promises.

Unrelated, but do you have summer produce leftover that you need to use up? Try these super-simple Locavore Veggie Fajitas. Marinade veggies and toss them all in a skillet. Hold onto summer just a little bit longer. Full recipe here.

inside the cooler, weeks no. 14-16

2011-09-20T08:23:00.001-04:00

We have some catching up to do with my cooler sneak peeks, eh? Here are the past three weeks of CSA deliveries, quick and dirty in one convenient post. Week 14 was all the way back on the 1st of September. Look at those gorgeous cherry tomatoes. I thought of doing a whole post on them and their colorful diversity, but decided against it. You're welcome. And look at that Siamese twin summer squash? You can't tell as much in this photo, but it was the craziest squash. I also thought about doing a separate post on this cute conjoined pair but, again, reason and sanity got the best of me. We hadn't been going through our cucumbers fast enough, so I snuck a few of them into my checked luggage to haul out to Portland for pickle-making. Because I am the sort of houseguest that will make you ciabatta and fresh dill pickles, if that is your kind of thing. All I ask in return is a reasonably comfortable place to sleep, a veranda with a view (if possible) and the freedom to have vacation drinks and snacks without judgment.

Week 15! Colorful peppers! This delivery came while I was away. Chris had been waiting all season for some colorful bell peppers, so I'm hoping this cooler full of them made up for my absence. Somehow I'm sure it did. We used the chard and some of the onions in quiches, including a ton of mini-quiches that I brought to the last Albany food swap, which we hosted Locavore-style.

Finally, week 16. I had no idea we could still get fresh raspberries! Treat! Those are already gone, of course. We were both pleased to see a bag of spinach, as that has become one of our favorite leafy greens. And more cucumbers! Ay. I shall have to better develop a taste for pickles and put to use some of the skills I picked up last week at Kate Payne's Pickling & Fermenting demo. (Head here for a great recap of the event!) I still never told you about my jar of bread and butter pickles. I don't... I just don't know if you want to see them. Maybe I'll do a post on pickles for people who aren't super in love with them but are trying really hard to jump on the pickled foods bandwagon. Sounds exciting. Lastly, look at that little bag of Benjamin Buttons in the corner of the cooler. I'm not sure if I'm alone on this one, but I really love those things.

From Scratch Club is hosting a fundraiser for Denison Farm (Schaghticoke, NY) and Kilpatrick Family Farm (Middle Granville, NY), two of the biggest certified naturally grown farms in the area. Both farms suffered substantial crop loss during Tropical Storms Irene & Lee. I am a member of the KFF CSA and frequent customer at Denison's stand at the Troy Farmer's Market. They put food on my table and on the tables of so many in the area; please support them by heading over to From Scratch Club and donating. You will be entered to win the most incredible gift baskets I've ever seen-- a "grilling basket" featuring sustainable, ethically-raised meat from West Wind Acres, a basket with homemade pancake mix and tons of cute kitchen stuff, and a "swap basket" filled to the brim with incredible homemade treats that have been cooked, baked, canned, jarred, preserved, etc. by the ladies of FSC. More info about the farms, the gift baskets and the fine print can be found here.

my new job

2011-09-15T08:41:00.000-04:00

I don't usually talk about my work here because, you know, there are lines to be drawn when sharing things with the world and my day-to-day work is generally off-limits. But since you've already heard about my new employer a bit around here, I wanted to let you know: My new job is with our local Habitat for Humanity affiliate! I am transitioning from long-time volunteer and board member to staff person and looking forward to it. The opportunity presented itself and sometimes you need to make the change, right?

Maybe you've heard of Habitat? (Hint: here, here, here, here, here & here.)

PS- No, I was not hired to work on the construction site. They have more sense than that.

portland postcard... books & a vacation round-up

2011-09-13T10:49:00.000-04:00

When I wasn't busy running for wine, wandering into magical hair studios or exploring town, I spent a bit of time right here on Al's patio. Some days, I ventured further out onto his building's shared "eco-terrace". I just chilled. After a few days, I gave into the temptation of Young Adult popular fiction. It was bound to happen. I had packed only serious spiritual find-your-path sort of books and just couldn't make it through a perfectly good vacation week without diving into a juicy page-turner. Have you read The Hunger Games? I'll admit that I'd only heard bits and pieces about it, noticed it at the airport bookstores (a sure sign of a fun vacation read) and then saw it at the top of Powell's Fiction Bestsellers list. That was enough to convince me. I bought myself a copy and summarily read it over the next few days, barely tearing myself away to get to MusicfestNW. The book is so good. Get over the fact that it is technically in the Young Adult section. Just get over it. It doesn't matter. It's fun, suspenseful and thought-provoking. It's also super-disturbing, so don't say I didn't warn you.

After alternating between reading on the patio and watching the U.S. Open, we did get out to see some great bands in downtown Portland and then grabbed food and drinks at Andina, a Peruvian restaurant with the best atmosphere of any eatery I've ever visited. Throughout the week I took a bunch of classes at Yoga Pearl, including my first-ever heated Vinyasa class, during which I basically melted into a whimpering puddle on my mat. And to think that the room was only heated to 95 degrees instead of the scorching 105 degree temps in a standard Bikram class. Blech. I believe it was after this very class that I rewarded myself with The Hunger Games purchase.

It was a wonderful week with a great friend and perfect host, with uncharacteristically gorgeous weather and with time well-spent in a city of books, beer and bikes. Good thing I got this trip in when I did, because I start a new job this week. That's the big news! Tease tease tease, I'll fill in the details tomorrow.

Catch up on my other travel postcards and see more photos on Flickr:

surprise! i'm in portland
portland postcard... a haircut
portland postcard... puff pancakes & food carts
I wrote about the local foodie scene in Portland as part of this month's NOFA-NY Locavore Challenge over at From Scratch Club. Check it out here.

portland postcard... puff pancakes & food carts

2011-09-09T10:40:00.001-04:00

From our nine-mile walk. A view of downtown from one of Portland's many bridges. What are those on the left? HOUSEBOATS. I found the houseboats. I always find the houseboats.

A puff pancake with berries, of course.

I visited the food carts again. In a demonstration of incredible restraint, I did not go back to The Whole Bowl. Instead I got about four servings of chana masala for $6.50. Deal of the century.

Farmers markets!

I'll pop back in for one more postcard and a round-up early next week and then I've got big news to share with you. But first, I'm soaking in the last bit of my summer vacation at MusicfestNW: Markéta Iglová of The Swell Season and Iron & Wine tonight, then The Antlers and Explosions in the Sky tomorrow night. Woot!

portland postcard... a haircut

2011-09-08T08:42:00.000-04:00

Before I left New York, I stumbled across the website for a whimsical, magical little hair studio and thought that since I was due for a haircut anyway, I might as well add a bit of whimsy to the whole ordeal. I made an appointment at Holiday Hair Studio. Robin, the lady behind this one-lady hair studio, has transformed a cute little trailer into a seriously magical and adorable hair studio.

And yes, she also gave me a really good haircut, so it's worth the hype. I get nervous now with the pixie cuts; one slip of the scissors and you can have yourself a real freakin' disaster. We listened to some tunes and she snipped away while I soaked in the magic of this tiny salon.

It has a smaller kitchen than we do. I like that in a place. Ok, so it's a trailer-turned-hair-salon, but the kitchen is still smaller and that's what counts.

Thanks, Holiday Hair Studio :)

surprise... i'm in portland!

2011-09-06T11:08:00.001-04:00

Yup, I'm in Portland, Oregon right now. I know I just told you a cool travel story, so forgive me for this. The timing of these posts make it look like Chris & I are ultimate jet-setters, but there was really a bit of a time lapse between his trip and when we told you about it. So don't hate. I'm in Portland, of course, visiting the Doc and finally taking a summer vacation! In a dramatic departure from my visit at the same time last year, it is sunny and hot here this week. As in, it's supposed to reach 95 degrees tomorrow. Everyone laughed when I said I was packing my swim suit. LOOK WHO'S LAUGHING NOW.

I will likely pop in here a few more times this week with little postcards. I intend on doing some sunning, some reading, some yoga (I brought my mat as a carry-on :), some eating, some wandering and a healthy dose of just hanging out. I'll also be kicking it at local farmers markets and making tasty Portland dinners for a Locavore-style vacation.

First up: we ran the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon Relay Sunday! You may be noticing a pattern about the type of races I'm signed up for lately; this one ended with a big wine tasting. This year I've run races where they gave me either a box of cookies, beer or wine at the finish line. Now I really can't imagine signing up for one where you just get a water and pat on the back. Al & I split the half marathon distance and trotted along a gorgeous race course in perfectly crisp weather. The wine tasting at the end almost made up for our 4:15am wake-up call.

Then yesterday, we accidentally took ourselves on a nine-mile walk along the Willamette River. Any suggestions for Portland-area fun that does not involve running or walking for hours? I've got a streetcar pass and the keys to Al's car, so I'm extremely mobile and will have lots of time on my hands while he's working at the hospital. Otherwise, you can find me at Powell's, Voo Doo Doughnuts or out on the eco-terrace of Al's building :)

tales of a food journey, part two

2011-09-01T14:28:00.000-04:00

Continued from Tales of a Food Journey, Part One...

What was in Nova Scotia, you ask? Chris went to volunteer at a few organic farms! A food pilgrimage, if you will. We'd been researching farm volunteering for some time now, and for Christmas I bought him a membership to WWOOF Canada-- a chapter of World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. They hook up organic growers with interested volunteers. In return for their help, volunteers are provided with food, lodging and the inside scoop on organic farming. Chris divided his time between two farms in Nova Scotia, hitching a ride with a half-baked lumberjack from Alberta who drove with a road soda to get from the first to the second.

He did a lot of weeding. The amount of labor that goes into maintaining an organic farm is incredible and very much accounts for any price difference between organic and conventionally farmed food. Those of you maintaining organic gardens know all about it; now imagine maintaining a commercial farm! When you are lovingly (or begrudingly) weeding through entire gardens and fields, you enter into a much more intimate relationship with that food than when you throw it into your cart beneath the glare of fluorescent lights. Or as Chris says, "when you are wiping that baby's ass until it's big enough to defend itself from weeds, you begin to care about it a lot more". Well-said. When things need to be done on farms, they need to be done. They don't wait until the morning or until next week. That's why we see tweets from our CSA farm or from Kristin Kimball's Essex Farm about hosting weeding parties or pushing to get the hay baled by the end of the day. It just has to get done.

He helped the farms prepare for market days and deliveries to local restaurants. The day before, volunteers and workers spent all day cutting, washing, culling, bagging and weighing salad greens.Chris went to markets both in Truro and Halifac, NS. How glorious is the indoor section of the Halifax market?!

Chris also got to hang out with these adorable, gross little pigs and some chickens.

Chris cooked, ate, cleaned and lived communally with others. He worked alongside two Jamaican helpers, Monk and Palmer, at the first farm. The made him traditional "rice and peas", which is actually what we call rice and beans. The three of them built small fires to keep away the bugs out in the field and listened to slow Motown jams while weeding and harvesting. I have a really great mental image of the situation, for the record.

At the next farm, volunteers, workers and the host family all shared in cooking meals together. They took turns preparing a dish of their choice for the others and everyone pitched in with the preparation and clean-up. There was no microwave or dishwasher, but plenty of cast-iron skillets. No one started eating until everyone was sitting at the table and had served themselves food, when they would then pause in appreciation of the bounty before them. They had a rotating schedule of cleaning and chores to keep the big farmhouse in tiptop shape. Raw food scraps went to the chickens, cooked scraps went into the compost pile. At the end of the work day, they would crank up the US3 on the stereo, open a crappy Canadian beer and relax. The German workers drank shandys instead, a cocktail of beer and ginger ale.

I love the simple structure of their workday and their meals. Someone would sound this conch shell (seriously) to call the troops in at each meal. Around 7 in the morning, everyone had a bit of light breakfast to start the day, maybe a piece of toast with peanut butter. Second Breakfast came around 10, when they came in from the fields to a huge pot of hot oatmeal and freshly-brewed coffee. Lunch happened around 2 or 2:30 and could be anything from pitas with hummus and veggies to grilled cheeses or egg salad sandwiches. The typical workday finished with a dinner feast. There were always vegetarian and non-vegetarian options available. Chris dined on culinary masterpieces like stir-fries, lettuce wraps with Asian peanut sauce, carrot salad, breaded haddock and miso soup.

This is the magnificent Bay of Fundy. Looking through all of Chris' pictures, I think I will save them for another time altogether. They are breathtaking and deserve a post of their own.

If you are a commercial farmer, this isn't news to you. If you are a home gardener, just imagine the scale of what these family-owned, organic growers operate. The recent flooding of so many farms in the Northeast is gut-wrenching, precisely because we all understand the level of commitment, hard work and painstaking care that goes into growing a diverse range of healthy, organic food. Chris and I have been committed to learning more about our food system, nutrition and from-scratch cooking. In doing so, we've made a few lifestyle changes that we hope better reflect our ethics. Personally, I'm hoping to live a bit more thoughtfully and consciously. But I still have fun. Lots of fun, when possible :) Because, you know, it's about having a good time too. Taking care of ourselves and our bodies, crafting things when we feel like it, buying things from better sources when available, understanding the impacts of our actions and then trying to take it all in stride and aim for being better, not being perfect. Sometimes, I'm still going to want a big plate of cheese fries. Ain't no shame.

While I stayed busy with food swaps, cheesemaking and listening to Beyonce's new album without judgement (oh, and work), Chris was getting a first-hand glimpse into the world of organic commercial farming. He walked the walk and put his beliefs into practice. He brought back information for the both of us to use in our ongoing food journey. He also brought back a bunch of dried herbs to make our own tea blend, which was pretty awesome too. I'm full of admiration for his decision to hop an overnight train in a different country, stay at farms he had only read about, work and live alongside complete strangers and remove himself from our comfort zone. All while having to constantly explain and defend it to others and deal with the occasional guilt trips I threw his way. Like I said, it was bad-ass.

How apropos... today is the kick-off of NOFA-NY's Locavore Challenge! The challenge is "a month-long campaign aimed at engaging consumers across the state in eating local organic foods." You can sign up for a bite-sized, meal-sized or feast-sized challenge depending on which level of commitment matches your schedule and interest. The challenges fall in three different categories: Grow, Cook Eat; Join the Movement; and Take Action.You can earn Locavore "points" by indulging in a local beer, attending a potluck or volunteering at a community garden. Fun! Free! Local! To learn more and register for the (fun, free, local) Locavore Challenge, click here. I'll be playing along here and over at From Scratch Club, which happens to be the official blog sponsor of the challenge.

tales of a food journey, part one

2011-08-31T09:25:00.002-04:00

As promised, let me tell you what Chris was up to earlier this summer. He left town, drove up north and hitched a ride with his parents over the border to catch the Montréal-Halifax train. Final destination: Nova Scotia. From the Via Rail Canada website...

As the train departs from Montréal in the evening, you’ll watch the sun set over fertile farmlands carpeting the southern shores of the St. Lawrence River and the Matapédia Valley. The [train] covers hundreds of kilometres while you slumber so that upon waking, your eyes alight upon Chaleur Bay in all its misty, early-morning glory.

I want to book a train trip all the way across Canada and have one of those sleeper cars and bring a hat box and vintage luggage and wear sheath dresses and... I don't know, have a murder mystery dinner party. Fake murder mystery, obviously. I like to think that Chris has paved the way for such a trip with his rail travels this summer. I'm sure that I'm romanticizing his twenty-one hour train ride a bit, considering he was riding coach and only slept a few hours, but I still like the idea of train travel very much.

But why was he taking an overnight train to Nova Scotia in the first place? Chris and I identified a few compelling reasons and we would like to share them. To be clear, though, this trip could have been taken to almost anywhere and the reasons and goals would have remained the same. But why not go to a beautiful maritime province if you can?!

Long-time readers may have noticed a shift in the focus of this little blog. What started as an outlet for me to share sewing and craft projects has transformed into a place where I share my experiences of creating meaningful traditions and connections with the greater handmade, homegrown movement. (Ok, and sometimes I tell you about my nail polish and purses. Deal.) Over the last few years we've started cooking more, buying fresh fruit and vegetables, easing up on processed junk foods and thinking a lot more about this food system of ours. I've met up with an incredible group of women at the From Scratch Club and worked my way into a thriving local food scene. Also, I've become a bit compulsive about photographing my dinners, though for everyone's sake, I'm trying to wean myself off of that.

Food is hugely important, right? Food sustains us; it can keep us healthy or make us sick, it's often the foundation of social gatherings and can provide comfort in times of need. So why not try to understand the food system better? To try to understand where food comes from, who grows or produces it, how it gets to the market and then to your kitchen. From seed to dinner plate, farm to table. Food is real, tangible and essential. In all societies, throughout time and across cultures, humans depend on food for survival. And, if they're lucky, for enjoyment too. Getting together to cook and break bread is one of the best reasons I know of to get together at all.

We owe it to our present and future selves to be more connected to our food system and to understand what we are consuming. So where do you start?

(Stay tuned for Part Deux coming soon...)

inside the cooler, weeks no. 12 & 13

2011-08-29T11:25:00.000-04:00

And we're back with a few CSA delivery updates! We've been feasting like kings. Two weeks ago we got a bunch of zucchini and summer squash, arugula, lettuce, tomatoes, skinny red onions, broccoli, raspberries and a snow leopard melon! I didn't even know that thing was a melon for a few days, but now that I look at the picture it is pretty obvious I guess. We sliced up the squash and sauteed it, then used the zucchini in this dish from The Kitchn.Raspberries were eaten immediately. The broccoli went into a pasta primavera Dinner Elf dish.

Then this past week, we got BASIL. At first I glanced at the bag and was like, "Oh, spinach!" and then when I opened realized that we are now going to crank it into high pesto-making gear. In the meantime, though, I'm putting fresh basil on everything I eat. There is nothing better than fresh basil. We now have a cushy collection of potatoes, so we plan on making a few batches of creamy potato soup with carrots, onions, garlic and mushrooms to freeze. CSA soup! Our best laid plans for freezing soup always fail because we end up eating it all right away. We'll see what happens this time. I'm excited about that yellow tomato. Slice 'er up into a tomato salad.

We were very lucky this weekend in that we mostly escaped the destruction of Hurricane Irene. Friends and neighbors along the East Coast, however, have been terribly impacted by the storm and we hope for safety and recovery in the aftermath. Fortunately the human loss from this storm was much lower than it might have otherwise been, but please don't dismiss the extensive damage that Irene did wreak on many families and communities. Help out where you can :) Farmers in need of post-Irene help can contact NOFA-NY (info@nofany.org) to be connected with recovery assistance and resources. More info at All Good Baker's Facebook page.

Update: The wonderful farm that feeds us each week, Kilpatrick Family Farm in Granville, NY, has posted photos of the flooding and damage to their fields caused by Hurricane Irene. See photos here. Another wonderful local farm, Denison Farm in Schaghticoke, NY, posted a heart-breaking video of their flooded crops. Watch the video here. Leah the Nosher wrote a wonderful post about how the flooding has redefined community-supported agriculture. Daniel B. wrote about the effects of Irene on local farms and food businesses. Read up and then start brainstorming, because our region is going to need all of the creative ideas and support it can get to recover from this storm. And hey, if you spot a farm stand or farmer's market this weekend, stop by and buy something.

guest post: homemade pierogi

2011-08-26T10:53:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! You all remember Sister and her super-popular homemade sweet potato gnocchi? You guys freaked out all of the internet about that one. Well, get ready, because today Kate is going to teach us how to make homemade pierogi! I know. I KNOW. My mom, sis and I got together one night to make them (Kate made the fillings ahead of time) and then got together another night to eat them. They are one of my favorite foods and, if you have a food processor, not as difficult to make as you might imagine. So take it away, Sister!

Ice is back with my brand new invention. Any Vanilla Ice fans? No? Dang. Anyhoo, I’m back but it’s not with a new invention. (Editor's note: Kate and I met Vanilla Ice while he was on his weird rap-metal comeback tour. Just thought you should know.) I’ve loved pierogi for as long as I can remember. As a kid I called them ‘okie-dokies’ which I think is absolutely precious. (Editor's note: That IS precious.) I even made a mobile about them in third grade…my teacher thought I was nuts until my parents translated for her. After years of eating Mrs.T’s Pierogies, then discovering Millie’s Pierogi at The Big E and most recently actually making pierogi with a friend, I decided to give it a whirl myself. If you have the time, handmade pierogi are absolutely worth the effort.

For those unfamiliar with pierogi Wikipedia says, “Pierogi are boiled, baked or fried dumplings of unleavened dough traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit. Of central and eastern European provenance, they are usually semicircular, but are rectangular or triangular in some cuisines.” I’m lucky enough to come from a Polish background so pierogi have always been around my kitchen.

Here’s the deal: gather your ingredients, roll up your sleeves and grab a couple of friends. Ply them with food and beverage if the concept of homemade pierogi isn’t enough (then promptly re-evaluate said friendship…trust me, pierogi are worth it). Extra hands make the filling and pinching go by quickly. Which is exactly what went down a few weeks ago at our weekly Goddess dinner...

The night before I made two fillings—potato-cheese and cabbage. I’d never had cabbage pierogi before I made them with my friend. I was ~~shocked~~ pleasantly surprised that they were delicious.

Potato-Cheese Filling

1.5 lbs of russet potatoes
1 package (7oz) farmer’s cheese (ANY cheese would work)
Salt and pepper
Splash of milk

Peel and dice potatoes. Boil under very tender. Drain well, empty into large bowl. Mash potatoes well. Add cheese and mash/stir to combine. If very thick, loosen with a splash of milk. Should be mashed potato consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

Cabbage Filling

Head of cabbage
2T butter
Salt and pepper

Remove outer leaves. Quarter and core head. Using the use slicing blade in your food processor shredthe cabbage leaves. Melt butter over medium heat, add cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate.

Pierogi Dough (Recipe from here.)

2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces

To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor* with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.

*I made this in my food processor with the regular blade. Worked perfectly and made for quick dough-making. This is a see-how-it-goes kind of process. Make some dough, use it, and repeat until fillings are gone. I used about 3 doughs for pierogi plus I also used the fillings to make this fun snack from WW. If you’re just making pierogi, you’ll probably need about 4 doughs total.

Pierogi Assembly

Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut dough into squares/rectangles.

Lay a dough square in your non-dominant palm, place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough square and fold the dough over—edge to edge for potato and cheese; corner to corner for cabbage (A neat trick stolen from my friend. Makes it easy to identify potato and cheese vs. cabbage for those anti-cabbage folks.)

Pinch to close in filling, squeezing air pockets out.

Place on cookie sheets and put into freezer. Once partially frozen (15 minutes), move to plastic storage bags and return to freezer.

To Serve

Add frozen pierogi to boiling water, careful to not overcrowd the pot. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Drain well. Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then, add pierogi and pan fry until lightly crispy. Enjoy.

You are totally making Hurricane Pierogi this week, aren't you? Not a bad idea, if you are stuck inside and hungry. (Seriously though, check the maps and take the necessary precautions if you are in Irene's tracks. Other parts of the country are used to these storms, but if you are in the Northeast like me you are probably thinking, "Hurricane?! WTF?")

PS- Not to give away any ideas, but if Kate brought her homemade stuffed pastas to a food swap, she'd be the most popular swapper there.

dinner elves

2011-08-22T11:43:00.001-04:00

When you provide food for others, you aren't just providing a meal. You are adding a few extra minutes to their day, crossing off a line on their to-do list and hopefully offering at least a tiny bit of comfort. So sneak over to your grandmother's house or your best friend's apartment and leave them a dinner. Be a dinner elf. To help get you started, I've shared a few things to keep in mind over at From Scratch Club. Head over there and then get cooking!

Posting has been and may continue to be a bit light here, but stay with me. I made my first ever jar of pickles, even though I don't love pickles, so you'll be hearing about that just as soon as I work up the courage to try one. I need to show you Chris' latest incredible creation plus share a few tidbits from what he's been up to this summer, because it's pretty bad-ass. So hang in their during the radio silence, because there are good times ahead.. Remember to soak up those late-summer rays; my walk to work this morning felt suspiciously autumnal and I'm not quite ready for it.

to sit and be quiet

2011-08-17T10:59:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we camped and hiked in the Adirondacks. We stayed at Round Pond, then woke up and hiked Round Mountain and Noonmark Mountain. After I stopped huffing and puffing, I had a lot of time to sit and be quiet at the summit. And that is just what I needed. To sweat it out, gulp down fresh mountain air, stretch my legs and think about the people I love, the memories I carry with me and the opportunities that lay ahead. I left exhausted, rejuvenated and full of gratitude.

(First photo is mine, our friend took the last two.)

inside the cooler, week no. 11

2011-08-16T08:14:00.001-04:00

Green peppers, jalapeño peppers, onions, salad mix, red potatoes, cukes, zukes, summer squash, kale, tomatoes and broccoli from the farm. I'm putting that broccoli on a pizza, or I'm covering it with cheese. While it may not be a popular opinion in the foodie/veggie-lover world, I think those are the two best uses for broccoli. Just straight up... doesn't do it for me like it does for other people. We breaded and baked slices of summer squash and ate them with a tomato salad for dinner the other night. And then we realize that all we freaking ate was half a squash and three-quarters of a tomato each. Ridiculous. 'Tis a good thing we've been having ice cream just about every night, or else we would be wasting away with dinners like that. I think I was still full from eating my weight in delicious Mexican food earlier in the weekend.

small batch peach jam

2011-08-11T10:21:00.003-04:00

I made some peach jam last night while listening to The Be Good Tanyas and drinking a cranberry seltzer cocktail. (If you like folksy bluegrass, check 'em. They are the perfect soundtrack for peach jam-making, among other homesteading activities.) I adapted a recipe from Ms. Stewart for this no-pectin peach jam. I was drawn to it primarily because it bypasses the hours of stove time time that would crank up the temperature in our place to unpleasant levels. Even though it's cooling down outside, our apartment is still holding steady at HOT and I wasn't inclined to bump it up with a slow-simmering pot of peaches. Although, yes, I made a peach cake in the oven this week but that seemed worth it. Because it is PEACH CAKE. As a freezer jam, this can be kept in the fridge for up to one month and in the freezer for way longer. You could definitely process this too, Martha says so. I am not equipped for home canning, though, so into the fridge it goes.

"We Live On the 3rd Floor and It's Hot" Small Batch Peach Jam
(Makes about 1 pint, maybe a little more if you don't overcook it like I did.)

Ingredients

3 pounds of fresh peaches, peeled
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 1/2 cups sugar

Directions

Half and pit the peaches, then cut into small 1/2" chunks. In a large bowl, coat the peaches with lemon juice and then add in the sugar. Toss to coat. Cover the bowl and let sit for 3 hours, stirring a few times an hour. I know this a really long, possibly inconvenient amount of time, but it saves you from standing over a hot stove for too long. For me, that was completely worth it. I just started it when I got home from work and finished it before bed.
The sugar should now be completely dissolved and it should look a bit like those fruit cups you can buy of peaches in syrup. Because that is pretty much what it is. Transfer to a large, wide pot.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 25-30 minutes until liquid is syrupy. But not too thick! Even if it looks a bit thin, it will gel up over time. Trust me. I didn't realize that and now we have super-thick jam. C'est la vie, no? Skim off the foam with a slotted spoon and transfer jam to a storage container. I let it cool and then poured it into one of these Ball Freezer Jars.

And that's the story of my first-ever peach jam. When I made it, I let it simmer on the stove for closer to 45 minutes and that was way too long, considering it already sat in the syrup mixture for 3 hours. 25-30 minutes should be about perfect. Spread it on your English Muffin with a bit of butter. Or glop it on some vanilla ice cream. I bastardize all of this fresh fruit, "nature's dessert", by pouring it on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream. I can't help it. It's so freaking good that way.

a peach grows in new york

2011-08-10T09:48:00.001-04:00

We went peach picking on Sunday. We were prepared for the cold and rain, as per local weather reports, but when we got to Fix Brothers Fruit Farm in Hudson, NY it was sunny, hot and humid. The rain from the night before made everything feel a little swampy and I swear something about the clouds and the light refraction (?) caused me to get a smidge sunburned in record time. So as magical as peach picking sounds, I was happy enough to hurry along so we could get back to the air conditioned car and off to eat some Mexican food.

We tried not to go overboard, since we aren't planning on doing any canning. One things leads to another, though, and we walked away with 13 pounds of them. Which is insane, since I never even realized that peaches grew in New York. I always assumed they were more of a southern crop. Georgia peaches and such.

Peaches are on the brain this week. Last night I made another awesome peach cake and tonight I'm making a batch of peach freezer jam. We're considering making peaches and cream yogurt popsicles, peach salsa, peach bbq sauce and/or a peach pie. Of course, we've been gobbling them up as-is and slicing them for our cereal and vanilla ice cream. Any other ideas for our little harvest?

After peach-picking and lunch at Mexican Radio, Chris and I wandered around downtown Hudson for a little bit until the muggy-ness won out. What follows is a conversation we had with an antique dealer:

Guy: What brings you to the area?
Me: Oh, we just went peach picking!
Guy: (Pause) And why would you do something like that?
Me: So we can... eat peaches.
Guy: You know you could just... go to the store and buy them. It's much easier.
Me: But now we know where they came from and that they are super fresh.
Guy: Ooookay. So then do you also do that for apples and cherries and stuff?
Me: When we can!
Guy: (Rolls eyes)

(As we are leaving...)

Guy: Are you looking for anything in particular?
Chris: Yeah, do you have any peaches?

inside the cooler, week no. 10

2011-08-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

Taters, garlic, cherry tomatoes, swiss chard, green beans, lettuce, basil and a Japanese cucumber. 'Tis the farm share for this week. So far we've had cucumber, cream cheese & homemade baguette appetizers, salads with basil vinaigrette and a scrambled egg & sauteed chard breakfast-for-dinner wrap. This weekend we also picked 13 pounds of peaches, so... yep, you'll be seeing some peach recipes soon. And if you live in the area, you'll probably be eating some peach recipes soon. Get ready.

this week on tumblr

2011-08-05T09:59:00.002-04:00

A few things I'd like to share that I've collected over on tumblr...

(via amanda wachob tattoo | Design*Sponge)

Even though I've heard these kinds of tattoos don't hold up well over time, I think they are just beautiful.

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But better to be scared and moving

than scared and standing still.

(via What Possessed Me: A pair.)

I kept returning to this quote all this week, reading and re-reading it and adapting it as my mantra. We all have to keep on moving, keep on reaching upward, keep on chasing down dreams and taking risks.

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Sesame Street breaks it down (by Wonderful Creative)

(via Erika from Our DIY Life)

Tell me this video didn't make you chuckle. Tell me it didn't brighten your day. YOU CAN'T.

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(via myidealhome)

Reading nook. I'd very much like to lounge here in the mornings and catch up on my books and magazines and daydreaming.

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“Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything,” says Bloom. “I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are…It’s our culture’s standard talking-to-little-girls icebreaker, isn’t it?”

-How to Talk to Little Girls by Lisa Bloom, which encourages adults to ask little girls about ideas and books, instead of complimenting their looks.

(via A CUP OF JO: Motherhood Mondays: How to talk to little girls. Photo by Charles Gullung)

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(via honey of a thousand flowers)

Isn't this blog header absolutely gorgeous? I wish I were an illustrator, or even just a mediocre enough artist to eek out some drawings every once and awhile.

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I am trying to be more conscious about what I put up over at tumblr, instead of using it as a catch-all bookmarking site. So you should be seeing a stronger focus on topics I don't talk about as much here, with a glimpse into what motivates me and what fuels my own passion. And of course, pretty pictures and Sesame Street videos.

Also check out:

10 Ways to Be a Feminist from Ms. Magazine
The differences between the buy local, organic foodie movement and the social justice movement.
A rainbow over Lark Street.

cinnamon-sugar ricotta toast

2011-08-04T09:41:00.000-04:00

So simple, yet so good. Try spreading homemade ricotta on your morning toast and then topping it with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. Decadent. Homemade ricotta is creamier and a bit sweeter than store-bought, especially when made with whole milk. Yum.

on making cheese & partying

2011-08-03T08:04:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I haven't elaborated on this yet, but I went to a CHEESEMAKING party! I think it fulfilled a previously unacknowledged lifelong dream of mine. Liz of Brown Betty Farm graciously offered to host a bunch of up-to-no-good amateur cheesemakers at her house. Jillian, Alexis, Chris, Dianna, Erika, Ashley, my blue cooler of sangria and I showed up, ate great food and made some cheese. From scratch. Is that blowing your mind?

I'm not going to pretend that I know how to teach you about cheesemaking. We relied on library books, my copy of Home Dairy by Ashley English, a cheesemaking kit from The Homebrew Emporium and a few experienced cheesemakers. I just timidly followed directions and made a gigantic batch of ricotta while housing the incredible snacks everyone brought. Basically, though, you heat up some milk (not ultra-pasterized) and add in a little citric acid or rennet, then the curds and whey separate out and then you drain it. Voila! Ricotta! I ate it up with a spoon, I ate it on my toast, I ate it on crackers and on sandwiches and on pizzas. It is so creamy and delicious and nothing like store-bought ricotta. The mozzarella was might impressive too. I mean, it actually looked and tasted just like mozzarella. For some reason, I didn't think that would happen. Cheese used to be one of those things whose origins I didn't think about too much. Like peanuts or almonds. I never think about where those come from or how they grow somewhere and need to be harvested. I just imagine them appearing in the store when I want them. Sad, isn't it?

I've been waiting so long to show you what cheese looks when it's draining. Imagine a kitchen full of these things, hanging off the cabinet knobs.

Here we are, so proud of our tubs of ricotta. These two beginner cheese are ones I could actually make myself at home, because they don't require much space at all. Just enough room for a big stockpot to heat the milk and someplace to drain the remaining curds. Don't forget to save your whey! You can use it to make rice, bread, oatmeal, biscuits... and maybe other weird things. By-product reuse! Sounds gross, but it isn't.

More cheesemaking photos here and at the FSC Flickr Group.

inside the cooler, week no. 9

2011-08-02T09:24:00.000-04:00

A sunflower! Too wonderful. This week's bounty was plentiful and delicious. The shortest, fattest little eggplant I've ever seen, a bunch of red onions, yellow cucumbers, green beans, salad mix, zucchini, summer squash, basil and even a jar of spicy pickles. We brought those to a little gathering the night we got them and they were a huge hit. The zukes have been made into a delicious egg-y casserole and into carrot zucchini muffins, the green beans are on schedule for tonight with a lemon dill vinaigrette, the onions are being used almost daily and the cukes we've just sliced up to put in our water and in our gin :) A little basil, some diced onion, oil and vinegar on top of slices of fresh tomato... just perfect. Oh, and the zucchini also went into these "latkes". I put that in quotes, because I'm sure that making "latkes" from zucchini, carrots and beets is offensive to someone out there. They were really good though!

bbq tofu & rice bowl

2011-07-29T08:13:00.002-04:00

I had a few things to use up last Friday and the heat had broken just enough that I could bare to think of cooking over the stove. Plus, my end-of-week reward was a trip to the theater to see Midnight in Paris had me motivated to cook up something nice instead of having buttery popcorn for dinner. As I may have done when I saw Harry Potter the week before. Can't quite remember. (Midnight in Paris, by the way, was wonderful. It was one of those movies that as soon as it ended, I was tempted to buy a ticket to the next showing just so I could keep absorbing it all in. The synopsis on IMDb sells the film short, so have a look at this movie cheat sheet from The Atlantic instead.)

I needed to use up a package of tofu, half a jar of homemade swapped BBQ sauce and leftover whey (from the cheesemaking! Ouy, let's schedule that recap post right now, shall we? How about... next week. I will tell you about making cheese next week. Tuesday.) The result was much better than I anticipated, and I credit the rice-cooked-in-whey and the BBQ sauce with that. I'd never cooked rice in whey before and to tell you the truth, was a little skeptical because boiling leftover milk remnants sounds a little strange. The resulting rice was so smooth and flavorful, though, that I was completely won over. Of course, you could follow this recipe and just cook the rice in water or vegetable broth without a problem. And the BBQ sauce! At the June food swap in 'Toga, I had traded the lovely Sarah Without A Blog For Me To Link To some strawberry-rhubarb muffins for a jar of strawberry-rhubarb BBQ sauce. (Super seasonal, eh?) Her strawberry rhubarb BBQ sauce was phenomenal. Unless you can persuade her to make you some, you may have to settle for regular ol' run of the mill sauce. Still delicious, but maybe not quite as delicious as what I had on hand.

BBQ Tofu Bowl with Peppers & Onions
Ingredients

1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 1/2 cups whey (water, or veggie stock)
one package extra firm tofu, sliced into one-inch chunks
olive oil for sauteing
1/2 onion, sliced into thin strips
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
salt and pepper
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce*

Directions

Start your rice! I always forget this part until too late and am waiting forever for it to finish cooking. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups whey (water, or veggie stock) to a boil. Add in the uncooked brown rice, return to a boil and then simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes or until water is completely absorbed. As always, watch it carefully in the last few minutes and stir to avoid scorching. I cannot even tell you how many times I've scorched rice. Like really badly. Keep an eye on it.
Dry-fry that tofu in a skillet (see step 2 in this post). Once much of the liquid has been pressed out, set aside the tofu on a plate.
Using that same skillet, cook the onion in a bit of olive oil over medium heat for about ten minutes. Add in the green pepper with salt and pepper. Cook for another 7-8 minutes until the pepper is softened. Next, add in the cooked tofu along with the BBQ sauce. Reduce heat to low, stir and simmer for about five minutes so the flavors can absorb.
Serve tofu and veggies over rice. Yields about four servings.

The beauty in this recipe is that ingredients in the BBQ sauce were local, the whey was from local milk and the pepper & onion were from our CSA. Not too bad for a dish that, at first glance, may not seem completely seasonal. This tofu bowl makes for a great lunch too because I have no problem eating the leftovers up cold. If you wanted to kick up the tofu, you could dredge it according to these directions from my sesame tofu recipe. It takes an extra step, but the result is a crispy, crunchy tofu that tastes like it's been decadently deep-fried, but isn't actually all that bad for you.

Update: This recipe was a winner in the 2011 Homegrown.org Cook-Off!

cut those jeans up

2011-07-28T10:13:00.004-04:00

Another pair of cut-offs. If you have old jeans that still fit alright around the waist but you don't really wear, CUT OFF the bottom. You know, authentic style. Don't buy cut-offs. I made these longer cut-offs a few years ago from consignment store jeans and I still love 'em. A few weekends ago, my two favorite pairs of shorts were dirty, it was stinkin' hot and I had a party to go to. I took this pair of jeans, which had already undergone a transformation from boot cut to skinny and were now sitting sadly in the donation pile, and I hacked them up. This was a real haphazard job, surely careless enough to make a normal seamstress cringe. With nary a ruler in sight, I eyeballed the length and went at them with scissors. Yes, they were a little wonky when I wore them that first night but I fixed 'em up the next morning. Cut up your jeans. Breath a little life into those clothes at the bottom of your closet. Another favorite of mine is cutting up pants to make a skirt, a la this super crazy old post. Maybe I'll revise that tutorial soon so I don't have to link back to awful hand drawn sketches anymore.

(Cut-off shorts made Deanna's list of summer essentials! Get on it!)

win some, lose some

2011-07-27T08:37:00.002-04:00

Well, our wee kitchen was not a finalist for Small, Cool Kitchens 2011. We came in third and the top two of each category advanced. I loved being able to show it off proudly instead of mutter about how small it is and throw stuff around in a tizzy. It helped me to appreciate its charm and be okay with having a 40 square foot kitchen with 10 square feet of walkable space, at least for the time being. Thanks to all who voted and commented here and elsewhere. Our kitchen has gained a little bit of celebrity, which must have been weird for Chris to come home to. He left a tiny box of a kitchen and came back to a famous tiny box of a kitchen. Ta da! Welcome home!

However, in a really freakish turn of luck, I won two other contests last week! My Summer Veggie Wrap with Spicy Mayo post was a Brown Bag Challenge winner over at Small Kitchen College (small kitchens are so en vogue!) and I now have a Mini Gourmet Getaway and a Spicy Relish Lunch Tote from BuiltNY. Neat.

I was also named last week's "Chef-Herdess" at Homegrown.org for my garlic scape pesto recipe, originally posted at From Scratch Club. They host a weekly Cook-Off of recipes in which at least half of the ingredients come from a CSA share, farmer's market or garden. I got the cutest package in the mail from them with how-to cards, a mixed Homegrown Summer cd and a pretty rad t-shirt that actually fits. So in terms of online contests, I really can't complain.

Stop over to The Kitchn today to vote for your favorite finalist! I've got a personal favorite, can you guess which one it is? And if you can't get enough of our small kitchen, read my tips for surviving in such a tiny space here and take an extended virtual tour of the kitchen right over here.

inside the cooler, week no. 8

2011-07-26T08:15:00.002-04:00

SUMMERTIME! Look at this bounty. Carrots, tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, herbs, greens, lettuce, bell peppers and even a little jalapeño. I've been trying to work my way through these veggies by myself the past few weeks and I am so very glad my partner-in-crime is back to help with this one. Chris had been volunteering on an organic farm in Nova Scotia since the beginning of the month so I valiantly tried to eat my way through three entire coolers of fresh produce. I ended up giving away a few summer squash, cukes, beets, scapes & cabbage that I just couldn't polish off. I used others in dishes to swap, share or pawn off on friends. It all worked out. He came back in time to celebrate our anniversary last night with a fancy dinner and a stroll around the neighborhood. Now we're soaking up the rest of summer and enjoying a break in the heat wave. And eating our vegetables. Always.

Bonus: We got our CSA member shirts last week! You can see a glimpse of it above, but I'll be modeling it real soon. Promise. I can't promise that we'll both be modeling our shirts, but you know I'll try.

july food swaps, plus a few tips

2011-07-22T11:54:00.000-04:00

Swappity swap. We had our first FSC Swappers: Albany event on Sunday. Our generous host, All Good Bakers, provided a great spread and location for our first "go" in Albany. The place was packed with swappers and tons of new faces. So for any swap-curious folks out there, know that it is 100% awesome to show up by yourself. You will leave with good food and good friends. I got to meet so many people that I follow online- it's so nice to have an actual face to associate with a blog or Twitter account! Check out this Flickr group for WAY more photos of the swaps, including some particularly excellent ones from Renee, our quasi-official photog at the Albany swap.

Yup, I made it a booze swap. I brought strawberry-raspberry infused tequila with honey and a twist of lime. JEALOUS? I also made some biscuits using fresh dill and the leftover whey from the cheesemaking party that I still need to tell you about. The tequila was more popular than the biscuits. Guess that should have been obvious.

The spread! Salads, slaws, croissants & quiche.

Swapmaster Chris lays out the ground rules and sets the swappers loose.

Albany Swap Scoreboard

Brought: Strawberry & Raspberry Infused Tequila, Whey Biscuits with Dill
Scored: Corn salsa, beet hummus from Sarah, samosas from Liz at Brown Betty Farm, lavender tea cookies, hom-a-rah (Syrian red pepper dip) with pita chips and I even snagged Leah the Nosher's sample jar of pickles.

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And then we had the Saratoga swap at The Common Thread on Wednesday...

These FSC 'Toga swappers BROUGHT it. There was challah, English muffin bread, pear butter, homemade sour cream, fermented half-sours, garden veggies, Asian slaw, quiches, granola, zucchini muffins, strawberry sauce, pull-apart cinnamon bread, ginger simple syrup, whole wheat hamburger rolls, avocado-feta salsa and lots more. It was really incredible. I felt like a kid in a candy store.

'Toga Swap Scoreboard
Brought: Strawberry-Infused Tequila.
Scored: sweet potato & zucchini muffins, a kombucha SCOBY, asparagus and goat cheese mini-quiche from Ashley (owner of The Common Thread), ginger syrup (for homemade ginger ale!) and pear butter from Jen. Boo yah.

Now that I have a few swaps under my belt, here are some thoughts. In bullet point form, because it's been a long week.

Label your swap items! It's helpful to write out a list of ingredients so peeps know what's in 'em, but I think it's really nice when items are also labeled with the person's name and blog/twitter/whatever, if applicable. That way when I get home with my goodies, I'll remember exactly who I got things from and how I can track them down to get more.
Don't be afraid to bring some "weird" stuff. These swaps tend to draw a happy, foodie crowd that loves experimenting. Meals that are ready-to-go are awesome... almost every one of my lunches this week was a swap item. But keep in mind that a lot of people (though not all!) are pretty creative home cooks, so jars of homemade ingredients are also a big sell. Think jams, sauces, dressing, starters etc. Personally, I tend to go after savory stuff versus the sweets. Which is crazy, because I have an insane sweet tooth but even I recognize that it's not a very smart idea for me to come home with a dozen cupcakes, a batch of cookies, three pies and a ray of brownies. I like to stock up my pantry or supplement my planned meals for the week.
Finish strong and don't give up. Even if it seems like the swapping has wrapped up, I guarantee there are people out there with some swap items yet. Maybe they'd like to take them back home, but maybe they are looking for a swap buddy! Stick around, chit chat and scope out the scene for closing call swaps. And if you aren't able to trade all of your items, that's actually pretty great because you get to take them home and enjoy the fruits of your labor! I couldn't get rid of my last set of biscuits at the Albany swap but they happened to be delicious so I didn't mind bringing them back with me.
It's ok to bring a lot of different things. I haven't done this, but I love when one person lays out this crazy spread of things. Also, it seems to be easier to swap when you have some variety rather than 40 jars of jam. Then again, if your jam is crazy awesome or you have a famous recipe for something, go ahead and bring 'em all.

Phew, what an insane few days it's been. Meetings before work, meetings after work, swap prep, kitchen voting, my Facebook giveaway and to top it off, we're rocking near-100 degree temps here. I will admit to hiding out at the mall last night for a bit of heat relief and walking away with four or five new dresses. They were on super-sale! Couldn't help it! Blame it on the heat.

I've shared a few tips for surviving a tiny kitchen over at From Scratch Club today so if you are also lacking some cooking space, check it out. If you are so inclined, you can vote for my 40 square foot kitchen at the Small, Cool Kitchens contest! It would mean so much to me. Chris has been away on a little trip and I'm excited to surprise him this weekend by welcoming him back to a now nationally-famous kitchen! Ha. "Ta-da! Strangers everywhere have seen inside our apartment! You're welcome." I think it would be a better surprise if I could announce that we were at the top of the Rental category... we shall see :)

kinfolk magazine

2011-07-21T09:16:00.005-04:00

(Styling and concept: Chelsea Fuss

Photo: Lisa Warninger)

I know this has been blogged a million times over, but it's such a beautiful project that I wanted to share it here as well. A group of mega-talented people have gotten together to create Kinfolk: A Guide for Small Gatherings. It takes the shape of both an online magazine and limited edition print edition filled with inspiring stories, gorgeous photos and a thoughtful manifesto that shouts directly to me, daring me not to get swept up in the simple magic they've captured. Even their promo video is breathtaking.

(Photo: Lily Stockman)

From the Kinfolk website:

Kinfolk is a growing community of artists with a shared interest in small gatherings. We recognize that there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us. We have come together to create Kinfolk as our collaborative way of advocating the natural approach to entertaining that we love.
Every element of Kinfolk – the features, photography, and general aesthetics – are consistent with the way we feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived. Kinfolk is the marriage of our appreciation for art and design and our love for spending time with family and friends.

(Photo: Carissa Gallo)

When the project was announced, it was like I had suddenly been let in on a secret gathering of so many of my blog crushes: Kinfolk founders Nathan & Katie of Hearblack, Youngna Park, Chelsea Fuss of Frolic!, Lisa Warninger of Urban Weeds and Ryan Marshall of Pacing the Panic Room.I felt the same way when I saw the speaker lineup for last year's Alt Summit; just overwhelmed by awesome. How did all of these brilliant people find each other?! When I first heard of Kinfolk, I almost bought a print copy (for now they are limited edition, but the online magazine is completely free) but hesitated and it was sold out before I knew it!

(Photo: Nikole Herriott and Tara O'Brady)

The entire publication is spot-on with incredible attention to design, typography, layout, photography and the written word. And best of all, it celebrates the role of small gatherings with friends and loved ones. It even celebrates very small gatherings of one. You should really check it out. For a quick fix, the creators also maintain an online journal frequently updated with real parties, tips and inspiration.

fb giveaway reminder

2011-07-20T12:59:00.002-04:00

Today is your last chance to enter my FB giveaway. You could win a copy of the incredible summer read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and a set of homemade drink cozies! The book is so very awesome. No need to be bashful. Just wander over to my Facebook page and leave a comment on the giveaway post :) Contest closes at 11:59pm EST tonight and I'll announce the winner on my page tomorrow morning.

small, cool kitchens 2011

2011-07-19T08:00:00.005-04:00

Want a sneak peek into our infamous wee kitchen? Scoot on over to The Kitchn for a virtual tour because our kitchen is in the running for the Small, Cool Kitchens 2011 contest!

From the contest website:

The smallest kitchens are often the ones that work the hardest, yet get the least attention. At The Kitchn, we know that terrific food can be cooked up in the smallest of spaces. Small Cool Kitchens is a chance to show off those tiny yet creative kitchens.

If you are so moved, will you "favorite" our teeny kitchen? You can choose your favorite entries through Monday, July 25 in the Own, Rent & International categories. You have to create an account in order to vote, but you really should have one anyway because about 70% of my recipes and meal ideas are inspired by things over at The Kitchn :)

It looks like ours is the second smallest kitchen in the entire contest! Ha! And the smallest kitchen shared by two people. It's been a real challenge to spruce up this little nook. We are renters with an almost non-existent budget set aside for making major improvements to a property that we don't own, ya know? Longtime readers already know about our kitchen pegboard, but you have to see the hilarious (to me, anyway) pulley system that Chris rigged up so I can lower our three-tiered hanging basket to within reach and then hoist it up out of sight afterwards.

Vote for our wee space in the Small, Cool Kitchens 2011 Contest here.

Updated: Thanks, everyone! Our wee space came in second in the Rental category :) Not a prize-winner, but not too shabby :) If you'd like to take a virtual tour of the space, head on over here.

inside the cooler, week no. 7

2011-07-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Greens, rosemary, summer squash (I will never get sick of summer squash), beets (At some point I'm sure I'll get sick of beets but it hasn't quite happened yet) and cucumbers! You know your CSA delivery rocks when your delivery gal sends you a text notifying you that not only are your veggies there, but that your Zappos order came too. Fresh produce & new shoes! Perfection.

I had a nice four-day weekend. Did some stuff, did some more stuff, laid around outside, went to a barnside movie party & swapped some infused tequila for really awesome things. More about the food swap later. Albany swappers really brought it. It's a crazy double-swap week for me, with Albany's yesterday and the 'Toga swap on Wednesday. Yowzas. Will report back... say, Friday? Yes, Friday will be a food swap round-up. If you aren't on board yet with strangers swapping food, you will be soon. It's so fantastic. Actually, if you are a local reader, just sign up for the Saratoga Swap and see for yourself. You don't even have to swap anything if you don't want to, you can just chit chat and check it out.

Don't forget about my giveaway on Facebook! Click here and comment on this FB post for a chance to win Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle plus two homemade beverage cozies! So easy. You have until Wednesday night...

a giveaway for my facebook buddies

2011-07-15T10:13:00.002-04:00

I'm hosting a giveaway for my FB buddies and thought you might want to know. In celebration of hitting 100+ Facebook fans, I'd love to give away one of my favorite summer reads plus two homemade beverage cozies. Grab a beer/sode/whathaveyou, a blanket & head outside to dig into Barbara Kingsolver's awesome tale of eating locally with consciousness.

All you have to do is wander over to my Facebook page, "LIKE" it if you haven't already and then comment on that post. Not THIS post, but the one over on FB. I mean, absolutely say hi here if you'd like (I always love the company!) but in order to win you've gotta be part of FB frenzy. Enter to win right over here.

Don't be shy! All are welcome... friends, family, strangers, etc. Contest will close on WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 at 11:59 PM EST and I'll announce the winner the following day. Good luck and thanks for sticking around this place with me :)

PS- If you are so inclined, you can also join this site by clicking the button at the top of the right sidebar. That will automatically add the blog to your Google Reader so you don't miss a single post! I think that might also integrate with the new Google+ thing, whatever the hell that is. I'm so cutting edge over here.

my big blue jug of sangria

2011-07-14T15:05:00.002-04:00

I feel like I've been dragging a jug full of sangria around all summer. Like a kid with her teddy bear. It's been to the lake, to last night's cheesemaking party (I KNOW. Recap to come next week.) and all around town. In the past, it's been brought downstate for Spring Fever Festivals and other such events and came along for the ride to Mystic for a gals weekend. If you see me carrying this blue cooler, you can be assured that good things are on the horizon.

And if you see this (10 gallon) cooler coming, well, hold onto your hats people. Things are about to get wild.

brown bag challenge: summer veggie wrap with spicy mayo

2011-07-12T10:39:00.001-04:00

I've been looking forward to a good summer veggie wrap for months. I'm guilty of occasionally buying out-of-season, non-local, crappy produce at the grocery store during the winter months, hoping to recreate favorite summer meals. It's not worth it, it's not rational and so I cut back this past year. Now that I have farm-fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash and greens... I had to wrap it all up.

If I had a grill, I would have grilled these vegetables, but alas I do not. I sauteed a handful of sliced mushrooms and summer squash in a splash of olive oil and added them to a wrap with a few quartered cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, arugula, a chopped hard-boiled egg, sprinkle of shredded cheddar and a dollop of spicy vegan mayo, the idea for which I totally ripped off from All Good's Bakers incredible Sriracha mayo.

The result is an easily-transportable, protein- & nutrient-packed wrap that will keep you full and alert throughout the rest of your work day. This is one of those "no-recipe" recipes, because you can add anything you'd like to it. A few slices of turkey, bell pepper or sauteed onions, a completely different dressing, swap the egg for a handful of chickpeas... anything you like. Just wrap it up. If you are traveling to work, package it up tightly in plastic, foil or a small reusable container and wait until lunchtime to cut it in half. Bring along a piece of fruit and a bottle of unsweetened home-brewed iced tea with a squeeze of lemon and you've got yourself a satisfying midday lunch break.

This post is part of the Small Kitchen College Brown Bag Challenge. All this week the ladies from Big Girls, Small Kitchen/Small Kitchen College are celebrating the brown bag lunch and all of its nutritious, convenient & money-saving glory. They are partnering with BuiltNY to share recipes, tips & giveaway goodies for brown baggin' your lunch. If you've got a tasty homemade lunch-on-the-go to share, head over there and enter the challenge! I'm always on the prowl for new lunch ideas that travel and will keep well in the refrigerator for a few hours. Which reminds me, I still need to recreate that delectable lunch from Portland's The Whole Bowl food cart :)

More lunch ideas:

Beet & Brown Rice Veggie Burgers
Pita with Veggies & Roasted Garlic Hummus
Simple Rice & Veggie Bowl
Recreate this Delightful Smorgasboard
Cornish Pasty with Butternut Squash, Parmesan & Sage
Tempeh Deli Salad
Salad with Feta Vinaigrette
Summer Orzo Salad
A PB&J with Homemade Peanut Butter
In the winter, leftover Sunday Soup

And check out my post up on From Scratch Club today for a kicky Garlic Scape Pesto recipe. It's garlic scape week over there with garlic scape info, recipes and growing tips!

inside the cooler, week no. 6

2011-07-11T08:27:00.000-04:00

Well, what do you know... another look inside the cooler! And summer veggies are here, big-time. I was surprised to see cherry tomatoes already! Summer squash & cucumber too, along with lettuce, garlic scapes, cucumber, dill & beets :) I'm going to make a loaded vegetable pizza, some fresh dill bread and a few wraps for lunch stuffed with the rest of this beautiful haul from KFF.

Part two of the cooler & running posts: Yesterday, I woke up nice and early to drive out to Utica for the Boilermaker. You run 9.3 miles and then they give you some food and beer. There are bands and radio stations and entertainment all along the course plus thousands of rowdy spectators. Not so bad as far as races go. After I got back home, I laid out in the park for awhile and then ordered celebratory Indian food. That's how I roll.

choco-beet cupcakes

2011-07-08T11:05:00.004-04:00

Yup, I put beets in these cupcakes. And they were awesome, so stop rolling your eyes. There are only so many ways you can eat beets before you start wondering how you can make them into a dessert food. I'd heard rumors that beets (mandrakes, anyone?) could be put into chocolatey things without disaster, and I do love chocolatey things, so I started looking around. I found this great recipe, originally concocted by Straight from the Farm and then adapted slightly by Eggs on Sunday. Unfortunately, my baking process wasn't as whimsical or magical as in this gorgeous video.

I've gotten really lazy about frosting cupcakes recently. That leads some people to believe that they are muffins, but no, they are just unfrosted cupcakes. I sprinkled a little powder sugar on some, but that only lasts for a little while before it melts right into the cake. I'm trying to make things from scratch these days (even though I love store-bought cake mix and frosting!) and making frosting after making a cake usually seems like an unnecessary bit of extra work. These would be great with a whipped cream cheese frosting, though, if you are so inclined.

I didn't change this recipe much because it was pretty great as is. I used about 4 ounces of chocolate because I like chocolate. I made cupcakes instead of a cake because they are easier to share. I used Straight from the Farm's genius space- and dish-saving method of mixing the dry ingredients in a plastic bag, instead of dirtying another bowl.

Choco-Beet Cupcakes
Ingredients

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
4 oz dark chocolate
2 cups pureed beets (for me, this just took 2 gigantic beets, but 4-5 medium beets should do the trick too)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour or all-purpose
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

Note: To make the beet puree, first you'll need to trim the stems and roots off of the beets and quarter them into smaller pieces. Place those beets in a medium sauce pan filled with water, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes. As I write this, I'm realize that you could absolutely just microwave those beets in a bowl, because I've microwaved beets before and it's fine. Especially since you will just be pureeing them and baking them into a cake. Once you've cooked the beets and let them cool a bit, peel off the skins and add to a blender or food processor. Pulse until a puree forms with no large chunks. It's ok if there are small chunks though, they will melt when baked. This step can be done a few days ahead of time.

Using a hand- or stand-mixer, cream 3/4 cup of the butter together with the brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate with the rest of the butter. I set my microwave to "low", kept an eye on it and it took about 45-60 seconds for the chocolate to melt a little. I took it out and stirred it rapidly to mix the butter and chocolate together. Don't over-microwave it! Just get the chocolate softened a bit and when you mix it up it will continue melting.
Stir the chocolate mixture, beet puree and vanilla into the creamed mixture.
Next, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a separate bowl (or a gallon-sized plastic bag, to cut down on dishes!). Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well.
Fill greased or lined cupcake pans about 2/3 full with cake batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Let cool (really, it helps the flavor of these) and serve to people without telling them the secret ingredient. When they are begging to know how these cupcakes could be so delicious, scream "mmmm I'M DROPPIN' BEETS YO!", throw a few beets on the ground and then walk away with as much swagger as you can muster. Let me know how that goes for you, by the way.

Makes about 16 cupcakes, which is a strange number. I filled them fairly unevenly so maybe it should have made 18. Who knows.

You don't taste the beets at all in these cupcakes, and nothing else about them is hippie-healthy so don't be nervous. Beet-phobes, take a deep breath. Just know that you are getting a healthy serving of beta carotene and veggies with your dessert tonight. As a sidenote, I just googled "droppin' beets" and there are a lot of hilarious vegetable-eaters out there. You can buy this t-shirt, this needlepoint, and this other awesome shirt. I love the internet. One day I found a website where you can type something in, and it will spit it back out to you in LLAMA FONT. Which is just what it sounds like. Like I said, I love the internet.

albany (& saratoga) food swaps!

2011-07-06T14:06:00.016-04:00

What?? I thought people might want to know what the muffins looked like that were hidden inside the paper bags. So I took a picture, printed one out and taped it on.

Food Swaps are taking over the nation. What were at one time isolated, underground happenings are now spreading to a slightly less underground (though still subversive) and highly-connected audience. At the Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking party, I participated in a lite version of a food swap. Then last month, I went to an all-out swap hosted by From Scratch Club (FSC). I brought some muffins and walked away with strawberry rhubarb bbq sauce, a vegan cookie sampler, garden-fresh radishes, garlic scape pesto, banana scones and a few new super cool friends. Pretty good bounty, no?

This swap was held up at the wonderful local yarn shop The Common Thread in Saratoga Springs. Ah, pretty pretty yarn. There were drinks and potluck snacks and swaps and giggling and a general vibe of excitement and friendliness. And the swap itself? Easy peasy. I was worried about feeling rejected every time someone opted against swapping with me, but that was not the case. At all. Since I am so enamored with this swapping idea, I asked FSC Chris if I could show up early & learn the insiders' secrets. And since Saratoga is so very lovely but a bit of a drive from my homebase in Albany, we decided that I'd help host an Albany FSC Swappers event! Squee! So, you awesome locals, here it is:

FSC Swappers: Albany!

Date: Sunday, July 17

Time: 4-6pm

Location: All Good Bakers (160A Quail Street, Albany)

Space is limited and interest is high so reserve your spot RIGHT NOW! Only 14 spots left.=-

And here's the info for the monthly Saratoga event:
FSC Swappers: Saratoga!
Date: Wednesday, July 20
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Location: Common Thread Saratoga (55 Beekman St, Saratoga Springs)
Reserve your spot today!

Never been to a food swap before? Let me walk you through it.

First, go register right this second. (Info & registration are here.)

Then, think about something awesome to bring. Swappers trade everything you can think of... muffins, bread, homemade jam, ready-to-go meals, sourdough starts, kombucha SCOBYs, homemade sauces and dressings, garden-fresh veggies, desserts, etc. Anything that you make or grow yourself is fair game.

Show up & sign in. If you've brought an additional item for the potluck (optional), you can put that on the potluck table. Make some new friends. Say hi to me.

Next you claim a spot for your swap stuff and start setting up! That can mean just throwing your muffins on the table, or maybe you have a more elaborate display for your goodies. Keep in mind that space will likely be tight at your swap. The first 30 minutes are devoted entirely to settling in, setting up and mingling so don't worry, you'll have plenty of time.

After the set-up period, everyone will have some time to walk around and casually check out what is available for swap. You can keep a little list for yourself of things you like, if that strikes you.

After everyone has a chance to check out the treats, you go around the room and when you see something you'd like to trade for, you just write your name down at their table and tell 'em what you can offer. For instance, if I see some cookies I'd like, I'd go to the swap sheet posted near their goods and write my name and say that I can swap a loaf of ciabatta. Easy.

Don't worry if someone turns down a swap with you- it's nothing personal, they just didn't need your chicken stock that night :)

Now the swapping actually begins! You can take a look at your swap sheet and get a sense of who is interested in swapping with you. You aren't obligated to swap with anyone you don't want to; the swap sheets just offer a good starting point. You can also go up to anyone at all and ask if they are interested in swapping. It's a totally practical, business-y, non-personal exchange though... if someone doesn't want to swap for your cupcakes, maybe it's because they have a food allergy or special diet or maybe they just made a huge batch of cupcakes at home! No worries, move onto someone else. Also, all swaps are on a one-to-one basis so package your goods accordingly. You might swap 4-6 muffins for one jar of homemade jam. Or you could trade a big bag of freshly picked garden salad greens for a quart of soup. So if you would feel screwed by bringing a gigantic veggie casserole that serves eight and getting just a small batch of cookies in return, think about resizing that casserole into two or three swap packages. Ya dig? You can bring as many things as you'd like to swap: just one item or maybe a whole slew of them. If you bring four things, you can swap for four things. Bring 12? You can try to swap for 12. One last tip: it's a great idea to list all of the ingredients on your swap item so that those with food allergies or sensitivities stay safe and happy, plus everyone likes to know what's in their food anyway :)

Swap Resources

FSC has an amazing recap of the June swap in Toga, complete with hints & insiders' tips on food swapping. The post also made me a little teary, as I love being part of this new food-based community. Go read it.
The always-fabulous Kate Payne, aka the Queen of Food Swaps, has a collection of resources and swap ideas right here.
An article on food swaps from Eating Well.
The New York Times wrote an article about food swaps.
The Kitchn hosted their first food swap and offered some tips.

Going back through the archives, m y post about the Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking swap party has a few more resources too.

I can't wait to see you all at the Albany swap! Or at the Saratoga swap! Swap-curious? If you aren't so sure about this swap thing, or you'd like to see how it all works first, register and just come to hang out! I guarantee once you see it in motion you'll be brainstorming ideas for the next one. To stay up-to-date on the latest local swap news, like the FSC Swappers page on Facebook. Have questions? Get at us at the FSC Swappers page or right here in the comments. Think your question is silly? I assure you it isn't, but you can still email me privately if you'd like at christine[at]unspeakablevisions[dot]com. I researched like mad before my first swap because I didn't want to show up looking like a dweeb, but I didn't even need to stress because swapping is all done in fun with awesome people.

can i tell you about my nails?

2011-07-06T09:58:00.004-04:00

Sorry, menfolk, this post just isn't really for you. Though I appreciate you stopping by & welcome you back later in the week.

I tried those nail polish sticker things by Sally Hansen. And they are pretty awesome. They took about thirty minutes to apply, not including a little bit of nail prep beforehand, and it was easier than I thought it would be. You find the strip that fits your nail shape the best, stick it on, stretch it out so it covers your nail and then file away the excess. I think mine look really badass, if I can be so bold as to say so. They are supposed to last longer than regular polish too, though I did end up applying a clear top-coat as an extra buffer against chips. I'm not dainty at all with my hands, and so far they've held up for four days with nary a chip to be seen. That's already an all-time record for me. I just wanted to share, because at first I thought they looked like a scam, but then Cup of Jo and Amy from Angry Chicken and a friend of mine were talking them up so I gave it a go. Fun summer splurge, if you ask me.

PS- They are called Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips by Sally Hansen. I got mine at either Rite Aid or CVS, I can't remember.

PPS- It's harder than you'd think to take a good picture of fingernails. My hands look crippled and arthritic in every single shot. Well, not true, in one my hand looked like a surgical glove blown up like a balloon. So puffy. I figured I'd try a one of the most natural poses in the world: holding a plastic Solo cup full of sangria.

inside the cooler, week no. 5

2011-07-05T09:30:00.002-04:00

We were excited to get some fresh herbs in last week's CSA delivery! This is the first year that we haven't had a window box herb garden so the basil and rosemary were very much welcome. We were also totally pumped about the honey we found in our cooler... I hadn't even known that was an option! For the past year or so we've been getting all of our honey exclusively from local beekeepers and you can really taste the difference. Have I already mentioned here that local honey is supposed to help ward off allergies? Because the bees visit common allergens, grab the pollen and then it goes into the honey, so it's like you are getting a dose of inoculation with every spoonful. This household goes through a lot of honey, so I hope we'll be all set with the allergy treatment this year.

And yes, if you were wondering, I did make chocolate cupcakes with beets in them. And yes, of course, they were completely delicious. I'll post the recipe later this week for all you beet freaks out there.

smashed rutabagas & roasted radishes

2011-07-01T10:38:00.003-04:00

There are nights when I just want dinner ready and I want it ready now. I don't want to think about it, don't want to plan it and don't want it to take too long. On other nights, though, I love searching my pantry and fridge for ingredients to throw together and somehow mold into a complete meal. One night I looked around and saw that we had rutabagas, potatoes, spring onions, and radishes with their greens, all fresh from the farm. A glance in the fridge confirmed that we had butter and cheese. So we made this. Did you even know you could cook a radish? My mom remembered that author/farmer Kristin Kimball of The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food and Love and of Essex Farm in Essex, NY cooked up some radishes once but I had completely forgotten about that by the time I was staring down two week's deliveries of radishes and had no idea how to use them up. Fortunately, Epicurious.com came through for me, as it usually does. Once roasted, radishes lose some of their spiciness and take on almost a sweet flavor and slightly creamier texture.

Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter
(adapted from Bon Appétit, April 2011 via Epicurious)

Ingredients

radishes, one bunch
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
course sea salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and brush a baking sheet with olive oil.
Cut off all but 1/2 inch of the radish tops and set the greens aside for another meal of your choosing. The recipe call for adding them on top of the roasted radishes raw. I find radish tops to be a tad bitter, so we sauteed ours in the skillet after Step 4 and ate them on the side. Truthfully, they were still pretty bitter. So do what you like with them but don't say I didn't warn you.
Cut radishes in half lengthwise and place in a bowl with olive oil. Toss to coat and then place radishes cut side down on baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt, cracked black pepper and a bit of rosemary.
Roast for about 20 minutes or until radishes are crisp and starting to brown. When they are done, remove from oven and set aside. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat and add a pinch of salt. Swirl the skillet continuously to prevent scorching and remove from heat as soon as the butter browns. Add in the lemon juice and drizzle over the roasted radishes. Serve warm. Makes 2-3 servings.

Smashed Buttermilk Potatoes and Rutabagas

(Adapted from Bon Appétit, November 1998 via Epicurious)

Ingredients

2 medium rutabagas, scrubbed and cut into small chunks (1-2" is fine)
2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small chunks (1-2" is fine)
4-5 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
chopped green (spring) onion tops or chives, for garnish

Directions

Cook the rutabagas and potatoes together in a large pot of boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes, and drain.
Add butter to the pot and mash, then add 3/4 cup buttermilk and keep mashing until smooth. Next, add in the shredded cheese and stir until combined and melted. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with sliced spring onion tops and serve. Make 3-4 servings.

Do you have any delicious menus ready for Independence Day weekend? Doing a bit of grilling? Making a few potato salads? I'm whipping up a giant batch of sangria, a few deviled eggs and maybe a radish dip (more radishes!) to celebrate the 4th. If you need ideas for your own party, check out this cute "July 4th Stuck-in-the-City Picnic Brunch" from BGSK. Because you can, and should, party anywhere regardless of whether or not you have a perfectly set-up rooftop deck or spacious yard with a grill! This time last year, Chris & I were fleeing the country and missed the 4th of July celebrations so I'm happy to be home to celebrate it in 2011.

miniature delights

2011-06-30T08:06:00.000-04:00

I have this new little pocket-sized camera and one of its shooting features makes everything look like a miniaturized version of itself. Like a little dollhouse or scaled-down model. Can you tell? I hope not to abuse it, but I can't make you any promises. Get ready to see a whole lot of pictures of miniature coolers of veggies and miniature quiches. Bare with me as I get this out of my system.

(Photos from top to bottom of Albany, my mom's dining room table and our bathroom sink.)

inside the cooler, week no. 4

2011-06-28T08:14:00.000-04:00

Lettuce, frozen squash, radishes with their greens, baby beets with their greens, garlic scape, micromix (the sprouts of a mesclun mix) and arugula. The lettuce is being used, you know, as lettuce is generally used. The squash is in the freezer; perfect for your morning smoothie or just about anything else... I love squash. The garlic scape will turn into garlic scape pesto, the micromix is topping off our salads and sandwiches, the arugala went over to Sister's for the dinner she made us and the beets... Well, those beets are probably going to go into a chocolate cake. And then I'll feed it to people and not tell them the secret ingredient until after they declare its deliciousness. Love that game.

now that's a smoothie

2011-06-27T09:38:00.001-04:00

You remember that green smoothie from the Whole Living detox. I'm sorry to say that while our smoothie consumption is still going strong, that particular recipe has not survived in our repetoire. I usually stick to frozen berries, a banana, almond or soy milk, ground flax seed, spinach and sometimes a dollop of peanut butter but Chris has now convinced me to add frozen peas and butternut squash to the mix. In the right quantities, you actually can't tell they're in there and you get some bonus nutrients like... well, whatever peas & squash bring to the table. Give it a try.