Food Makes the World Go Round

I could pretend that we plan our week around high minded ideas of volunteer service, meditation, reflection, and exercise. That would be a complete line of B.S. In reality we plan our week around food and when we can eat in relation to work. Yes, how lame is that?

The calculation of how much or how well we will eat during the week is a complete function of how well I can plan and pull off cooking for and during the week. This is in turn impacted by how strung out I/we feel about work; whether we're both in the same country; and whether I actually make it to the store and shop for the magical menu I say we're going to consume.

I've also noticed I fail at inserting good food into my schedule when it is compressed. For example, if I am slated to meet my trainer at 7am, I try to figure out what I could possibly shovel in my mouth at say 6:15am with zero effort and then what I will shovel in my mouth between 8:45-9am when I am running out the door to the office having just sprinted through getting ready after the gym. I never think of weekday breakfast as a leisurely activity. Rather, it's a riddle that most days I completely fail to solve.

Bananas. Yep, that's the answer I reach most often. And, really? How many bananas can one girl eat?

I've also realized that if I fail to plan something super tempting, we'll often default to eating out. Total idiot move on my part. Why not revise menu planning to include something more exciting than steamed bok choy and salmon... and not entirely crockpot based.

So this week, I am attempting to just start with the act of actually cooking. Not eating out because we're too lazy to plan and to eliminate throwing food out. More on this in another post, I'm completely mortified and intrigued by how much food we're wasting in the U.S.

Since we've started our subscription to Arganica, it's like Christmas morning on Sundays to find out "what's in the local box." This week we were delighted to not only find the potatoes, turnips, sweet potato and onion we expected to see (based on the time of year)- but also beautiful mushrooms (two varieties); those gorgeous heirloom cherry tomatoes we've had before; fresh rosemary; and two types of fresh lettuce.

Making sure we don't waste our delicious (yuppie) front door delivered produce is certainly an added incentive to cooking regularly as well.

So far this week (and yes I started cooking on the weekend) we've got Split Pea Soup made and ready to go in the freezer; Barefoot Contessa Turkey Meatloaf (we ate one half and I froze the other half to make another day); Hashbrown Quiche (just trust me); Barefoot Contessa Spinach Pie; Weight Watchers Mac & Cheese; fresh greens.

Still to make this week chicken quesadillas, quick beef bourguignon (thank you N!), and a new squash soup recipe. I'm hoping at least the soups will bridge into multiple weeks with some freezing.

Hashbrown "Quiche"

• 3 cups frozen hashbrowns
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup ham steak diced
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper diced
• 1/2 cup onion diced
• 4 oz. shredded cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Press frozen hasbrowns into a 9 inch pie crust, pour melted butter on crust to set hashbrowns. Bake hashbrown crust for 25 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees. Layer in ham, pepper, jalapeno, onion, cheese. Whisk together eggs, milk, s/p and pour over layered items in dish. Bake again for 25-30 minutes until knife comes out clean and eggs are set.  Reheats really well.

Still My Favorite

From Pinterest

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling) i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)  -ee cummings

Blueberries in Winter

The wind whipped through our neighborhood last night so strongly we lost power for a few hours. Luckily the extra down comforters and fireplace kept us toasty as the first proper winter chill plunged the temperature to 16. When the thermostat kicked back on, I reached into the fridge for a piece of blueberry greek yogurt banana bread. Again, mad props to Daily Garnish.

There's something immensely satisfying about this recipe. Moist and full of the familiar banana bread taste, the fresh blueberries put this baked treat over the top. I certainly can't claim they are locally sourced in January, but they are organic and fair trade (baby steps). The recipe says frozen would work as well.

I'm rather particular about my banana bread you may recall, so to say this one is worth making is high praise.

Fresh on the Doorstep

Our first haul from Arganica.

Being more conscious of where our food comes from can be a taxing effort and I'm not even close to pinning down the source on every item I ingest or purchase. However, in an effort to eat more local and support our local/regional farmers we've joined Arganica. A bit of a spin on a CSA, this group gives us what we loved about the easy organic delivery from Washington Green Grocer with a commitment to buying local. 

Oh, and did I mention an awesome list of additional items we can add to our order every week? We did a four week trial run and we're definitely hooked. Yes, we're paying more for vegetables than if we just went to the store. I've read and referred to this myself as a "yuppie tax."

Here is my justification. If we can't increase the demand for locally sourced foods, the supply isn't going to increase and we can't achieve any economies of scale to impact the supply chain in our markets. In addition, it forces me to plan our weekly menus around fresh, seasonal vegetables. This has required me to be open to researching and cooking some veggies I would not readily purchase. No it's not all kale.

In fact there's a delicata squash waiting for me to figure out how to cook next week. Luckily it has a long shelf life so I can tackle the familiar butternut squash this week.

Also, having a magic delivery person leave a box on your front door step on a Sunday morning is a great way to kick off the week. The double smoked bacon, Belgian chocolate milk and local butter we added to our order last week didn't hurt either. It may just be the best bacon we've ever had. Full stop.

Quinoa Risotto

For awhile DH has talked about the "super grain" quinoa and wanted me to cook more of it. For whatever reason the super bag sat in our pantry for a good while half used until I had to put together a vegan-friendly dinner. Enter one of my new favorite sites, Daily Garnish. I hit her up for the veggie burgers I made over the summer as well.

The asparagus and mushroom quinoa risotto is delish and not in a "this is pretty good for vegan" kinda way. I mean like, make this instead of a regular cheese-filled risotto good. Yeah, I know that sounds crazy, but I promise it is worth passing on the dairy.

Yes, it was the first time I've purchased earth balance, and no I'm not putting it on my toast in lieu of the yummy local butter that was delivered last week by Arganica, but it totally does help finish off the risotto.

So in honor of 2012 and more healthy cooking, I give you Emily Malone's (love her recipes and story) Asparagus and Mushroom Quinoa Risotto:


Ingredients (4 servings)

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 small yellow or white onion
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or butter)
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Start by pouring the vegetable broth into a sauce pan and bringing it up to a light simmer. Having hot stock or broth is an important step in making risotto!
2. Next, dice the onion and mushrooms and sauté in olive oil over medium heat. This is one instance where you definitely want to use stainless cookware rather than something non-stick. You want the onions and mushrooms to create some fond and browning on the bottom of the pan. Color = flavor!
3. One the onion and mushroom are browning, add the dry quinoa and stir to coat in the olive oil. Continue to stir and cook over medium high heat for about 3 minutes – just enough to coat the quinoa and toast it a bit.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to deglaze the bottom of the pan, and then begin adding the hot vegetable stock to the quinoa one ladle at a time.
5. Add stock and stir continuously over medium heat until most liquid is absorbed. Once absorbed, add another ladle full of stock, and continue to do so for 25-30 minutes total, or until quinoa is cooked and risotto is creamy.
6. In between ladles and stirring, cut asparagus into bite sized pieces. Make sure to trim the woody ends!
7. When you only have 3 or 4 ladles left, add the raw asparagus to your mixture and stir to combine and cook. Continue to cook and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed. Finish by adding 1 tablespoon Earth Balance for a touch more creaminess, and season to taste with salt.

I've Developed Decorating ADD

As in, every time I think about going to write something I get distracted by something for the new place. Seriously, I have to stop. Right after I get the images printed and framed for that wall...

The good news is, my self control is making a comeback and my compulsion to decorate should be satiated by breaking out the holiday decor.

That and I really do need to tackle those last boxes in the guest bedroom and the new yellow curtains make me happy enough to just forget about the long list of other things I was going to do.

Oh and the new couch was totally worth it. It seats a small team with ease and I'm pretty happy with the DVF pillows I found too. As you can imagine, Mason is not allowed on the first floor when we're gone. Proper pics soon. I just have to compulsively clean first, now that the floor isn't covered in cardboard boxes. (See, every time I pretend my inner Martha is under control, she makes a come back.)

Home Sweet Repair

Home. Six weeks with a proper roof over our heads and I have developed a specific sigh for when I think of what a friend said to me after we closed. "Welcome to home ownership where every week is a chance for something new to break."

Oy to the vey.

Day 1: Roof leaks causing damage to master bedroom ceiling. (ah but it's a condo, so we don't own the roof, but we have to deal with the red tape of repairs.)

Day 2: Microwave begins strange perpetual buzzing. Pay for repairman to tell us motherboard is fried, but we can still cook with it if the buzzing doesn't drive us crazy. Will be cheaper to buy a new one than repair.

Day 4: Wood floor boards begin to pop up near balcony. 

Day 7: Dog breaks mirror on door.

Day 10: Dog crushes first door handle.

Day 11: Dog pulls eye hooks out of door from opposite side.

Day 15: Dog begins destruction of door and frame.

Day 20: Switch starter for gas fireplace stops working. 

Day 27: Water damage appears on first floor new floors.

Day 25: Dog crushes second door handle.

Day 33: Leave for Paris.

Day 40: Discover repairs not completed while gone. Summon contractors who begin at least phase one of repairs. At least 2-3 more weeks before other work done. Told 9 foot wall of glass doors and windows will need to be replaced in the next 1-2 years for sure.

Thank God for Paris. Weim anyone?