on the arrival of 2013

Especially after spending several days with my father's side of the family in Georgia and North Carolina, we had to bring in the New Year with Hoppin' John and the basic cornbread recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  After grabbing some exercise at the YMCA and a small afternoon date at the Galaxy Cafe, we had a quiet night at home.  The bigger boys enjoyed watching basketball and car shows on TV.  The youngest became totally engrossed in one of his books he got for Christmas, The Mark of Athena.  And I indulged in a little House Hunters watching, and reading, falling asleep way before the ball dropped.  (No surprise at all to Lyman.)

Starting the morning and 2013 in a quiet house while everyone else sleeps.  Setting the intention to care for myself this year with time with family and friends, adventure, good healthful food, good work, and light, in all its wondrous forms.  It has been quite the year, and this coming one holds much promise.  Blessings in 2013.

summertime tomato goodness

I'm so glad tomatoes are in season.  Easy dinner tonight - Ciabatta from Happy Vegan Baker, picked up at the SFC Farmers' Market East on Tuesday, a little olive oil and seasonings, fresh basil from my backyard, beautiful tomatoes from Tecolote, and some goat cheese (sorry Happy Vegan) to top it off.  A few minutes under the broiler.  Delicious summer dinner.  Maybe some peaches for dessert...

watermelon radishes

3 months...where has the time gone.  I will start playing catch up soon.  But for today, simple food photos.  Watermelon radishes, courtesy of Tecolote Farm's CSA

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colors of the rainbow - on my plate

Last night wonderfully colorful veggies to accompany my turkey burger. English peas, golden beets, and purple (!!!) cauliflower. Beautiful and yummy! If I'm not mistaken, beets and cauliflower are from Johnson's Backyard Garden, purchased at our wonderful local co-op, Wheatsville.

And once the florets were trimmed off, the cauliflower looked like a creature from the deep. How cool is that?

this Thursday - Mirazozo

No catchy title, no breaking news. Just a day well lived and enjoyed. Beautiful weather; beautiful art; good friends and good food; good work.

Morning field trip to see Mirazozo by Architects of Air. It was simple and beautiful and moving and not stuffy art.

Lunch with homeschool friends at Sandy's Hamburgers. Lovin' the $3.89 Thursday special.

Quick dinner at home with jerk (thanks Lisa!) tilapia, coconut rice pilaf, and chard from my backyard. I love that chard is so hardy. Mine is totally neglected and just keeps producing through all kinds of crazy weather.

true friendship

sign of a true friend:

someone who will call to tell you that the cupcake store has a buy 1 get 4 free deal for Mother's Day. (thanks, Aimee!)

my child, really??

Me: Thanks for getting the mail. Would you like one of the double chocolate chip cookies for a snack?
Child: Can I have a yogurt instead?

summer comfort food

It is still full blown summer here in Texas. And there's no sign of waning heat yet. Even though we like to pretend it's fall, what with public schools starting back, pools closing and the calendar about to flip to September, those of us in Texas know better. The website of the local paper says it's 98 outside today, but feels like 106.

What with the heat, I've been boycotting the kitchen for the most part all summer. I know I should just stick with menus of salad, yogurt and fruit, and anything that can be made without creating heat. It's daunting to turn on the oven in this kind of weather.

But last night I couldn't help myself. I had tried a couple of recipes for sweet potato biscuits last week when we had company over. Both recipes were very tasty, and I found myself with leftover sweet potatoes, and a craving for biscuits. I followed this recipe except I used buttermilk. They did not get big and fluffy, but they are delicious. Sometimes, even in the heat of summer, you just have to bake, in order to have things like fresh biscuits and chocolate chip cookies.

I love to bake, so now I'm just waiting for cooler weather, say in the lower 90s, to really get going. I can't wait for fall.

eating local

I have yet to get a garden going in our new home. It's been over two years since we moved, so I guess it's not so new. I've got herbs mixed in a flower bed, and this summer I did get some tomato plants going in pots, but the one tomato every two weeks certainly isn't going to sustain us. I got some help this week clearing out grass, and I've got a vision of a couple of beautiful raised beds tucked away in a corner of our small backyard.

But in the meantime, we are lucky enough to have an amazing CSA farm not 1/4 mile from our house. That's right, we live in a brand-new suburban subdivision and there's an organic farm a 1/4 mile from my house. If I walk up to higher ground in our neighborhood I can even see it. And on top of it all, the farmers are great people! http://greengatefarms.net/

And so even without my own garden, I get to have beautiful summer meals like this:

tomatoes, corn, & chard courtesy of Green Gate; basil from my backyard

Happy summer dining, local style...