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Saturday, August 16, 2008

Farmer's Market Produce Conlcusion


The gorgeous bounty

Chopped up and lovely

Artwork cooking

Yumm!

I just had an incredible dinner! We took the veggies from the market and made a symphony! This is, by the way, after going to the polar opposite of the farmer's market: Costco. We got some plastic baggies and 4 lbs of brown sugar and a giant thing of parmesean (my new favorite cheese) and a 4 pack of my bagel cheese. Yumm!

Anyway, back to dinner! I cut up half the onion for sauteeing and half for the chicken (it was potent, but once I was done cutting I stopped crying), along with about 5 cloves of garlic to hit the oil with the onions. Andrew dipped thawed chicken breasts in "Cherryaki" marinade and then rolled them in crunched up apple orchard chips. I arranged the onions on the breasts and popped them into the oven. Then I cut up the adorable mutant summer squash, a large carrot, and Andrew had to help me cut up 3 potatoes (purple viking which is white on the inside, the blue one, and one that was red on the outside and pink on the inside). Those went into the frying pan with the onions and garlic. I cooked those while the chicken finished, adding salt, pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, and garam marsala. It was FABULOUS! So tasty! AND I actually ENJOYED squash. This is a first. I am not a big fan of those little yellow or green things...but this time I gingerly popped one in my mouth and went "yummm." I still have a handfull of taters left (2 big and some little fingerlings), a bunch of carrots, and the zucchini destined for yummy bread. With dinner we had some lovely apple wine. All in all, extremely delicious!!

Produce Love

So I have fallen in love. I recently read a book by Barbara Kingsolver called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" about her family living for a year entirely off of local food (plus fair trade coffee and spices) and it inspired me. I want to grow a veggie garden filled with heirloom plants. Part of me wants to raise chickens for eggs but I think that may be taking it a little far for a novice...But the most immediate effect has been a desire to visit the farmer's market in Moscow ID. We went this morning and it was fabulous! There were tons of stalls and tons of locally grown, organic produce. It was packed. We had to park illegally at a restaurant :). I was gaga as we wandered amongst the stalls, ogling onions the size of our heads, mountains of peppers, baskets of herbs, flats of tomatoes. With no real plan in mind (except the plan to make a plan), I purchased: a pound of tiny heirloom potatoes in fabulous colors, blue, purple, red and pink, for $2; two zucchinis and a yellow and green squash with a mutant siamese twin; a bundle of carrots (some of which with mutant fingers) for $2; and a big red onion for $1.50. If you were keeping track, you can tell that I spent $7 and some change for all of that! I am so excited to figure out what to make, and of course to taste this local produce. I am hoping local squash is less disgusting than normal squash from Safeway...but that's why I only got one small one. Just to try it. The zucchini is for zucchini bread. Yummm! And Leslie got us a big braid of garlic as a housewarming gift. It fit nicely on a hook above the stove and looks gorgeous there! I took pictures...and Leslie apparently got a shot of me buying the potatoes. I totally plan to scrap book the market! Next time I am bringing a big basket to carry things in (I saw a bunch of people holding them and I was mad jealous) and wear a hat. It is hot out!!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

We're moved!

Well, it took us 24 solid hours of work (literally: the first day was from 9am-9pm and the second day we worked from 6am-7pm). But we are in the new house! Out of the apartment and nicely in the new house! Still unpacking, but I wager that will be happening for a while. Especially since Andrew has to go back to Poulsbo for work this week. Sad times. Jen and Justin came out for the weekend and helped us get the unpacking started. We now have almost a full kitchen, and two almost offices! Now time to do some litterboxes and switch over laundry. Hoorayyyy...