Leftover Pie

I've discovered that eating seasonally means you can rarely follow a recipe exactly. Most cook books and web cites suggest combining ingredients that don't usually grow in the same season. As a result, any "flexible" recipes I come across inevitably end up getting used again and again.

I got this great recipe for vegetable pot pie from http://earthgirlknits.blogspot.com/2010/03/pot-pie.html . As I read the directions, it occurred to me that this pie can be adapted to include pretty much anything, any time of year. I decided to try it out the night before the farmer's market as a way to get rid of all the leftover produce I hadn't yet eaten this week.



(Yes, it looks a little weird. I ran out of dough for the top of the crust, but I promise, the flavor was not affected).

Leftover pie is destined to become a regular in my kitchen. It was so much fun to make, and since the leftovers in my fridge change every week, I don't think this dish will ever be boring.

Local ingredients in my pie:

• flour
• butter
• butternut squash
• mushrooms
• white beans
• parsnip
• swiss chard
• onions

We Have Worms!!

My boyfriend is an environmentalist; he understands why composting is good. Still, the idea of sharing his living space with 2,000 creepy crawlers took a little warming up to. Actually, a lot of warming up to... 3 1/2 years to be exact. But this weekend, he finally broke down. It took a lot of pleading on my part and a written contract stating that he would never, ever, under any circumstances have to touch the worms, but he finally gave in.

So without further adou, I'd like to introduce the newest members of the Solstice farm family, Sam...


I named them all Sam because I am of the opinion that every living thing (and some inanimate objects) deserve a name. We chose "Sam" for practical reasons (it's gender neutral, and thus applies to all the worms).

(The rest of them are somewhere in here)

Since I'm a novice composter, any tips on how to properly care for Sam would be greatly appreciated.

In-Between Meals

My new favorite end of winter/start of spring meal: Zucchini pizza with mashed chilean squash (both recipes from Moosewood).


Local ingredients in the pizza:

• zucchini
• whole wheat flour
• eggs
• portabello mushrooms
• tomato sauce
• rosemary
• goat's milk ricotta

Local ingredients in the squash:

• butternut squash
• green bell pepper
• onion
• yogurt

Happy Spring!!

The In-Between

I love this time between the seasons...

Days when we can hike without jackets on trails still covered in snow.


Days when I can cook summer squash and winter squash in the same meal.


Days when my seeds are planted, but not yet sprouting.


Spring officially starts tomorrow, and I couldn't be more excited about its arrival. But tonight, I'm savoring the last few moments of the in-between.

Bakers

I've been told that there are cooks and there are bakers. I am a cook. I substitute ingredients based on what's in the fridge, I measure amounts by eye-balling how much more will fit in the pan, and when I take notes on a recipe, they usually include such insightful comments as "next time it needs more flavor." These traits make for some creative and varied meals, but baking? Baking is different. Baking requires precision.

I have very few baking success stories.

Still, despite my past failures, tonight's meal compelled me to try again. Now that parsley is finally available at the market again, I spent the week perfecting my falafel recipe, and I needed some pita bread to go with it. So, armed with a stocked pantry and the greatest vegetarian cookbook I know of (Mollie Katzen's Moosewood), I attempted to bake.


2 hours later I had some very respectable pita. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good for a "cook".

Local ingredients in my pita/falafel:

• Whole wheat flour
• Honey
• Corn meal
  
• White beans
• Onion
  
• Parsley
• Garlic
• Yogurt cheese
• Lettuce
  

It's that time...

My seeds have arrived!! This year I'm planting almost exclusively from Seed Savers Exchange. It's this amazing organization that allows you to trade heirloom seeds as a way to promote biodiversity. My seeds include such unique plants as purple beans, black tomatoes, red carrots, heart shaped squash, star shaped ochra, and watermellons with stars (not to mention the curiously named "strawberry spinach"). I can't wait to see what grows.

For those of you interested, Seed Savers Exchange can be found on the web, and they do offer more normal fruit and vegetable varieties (but where's the fun in that?)

Just a Little Bit of Spring

Snow Day Rules

I thought it'd be warming up by now, but that doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. Since it looks like my city might have a few snow storms left to look forward to, I thought it might be time to share my snow day rules.

1. No work is to be done on a snow day. This includes office work, school work, and house work. If you're stranded at home, this is not the time to send emails to your boss, get a jump on the term paper, or tackle that mountain of laundry. Those things can wait. Snow days are nature-mandated mental health days. Your "job" for the day is to relax.

2. Do not assume a snow day is coming until one has been announced by your school or office. Doing so inevitably results in disappointment.

3. Wear your pajamas inside out. I'm not sure why this is, but dozens of schoolchildren (and teachers) swear by this rule, and I am not one to argue with dozens of children.

4. Hot beverages must be consumed. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate all qualify.

5. Snow creatures should be built. Snow men. Snow women. Snow families. Tiny 6 inch snow gnomes. Do what you can. If you are unwilling or unable to build any snow creatures, then at least take a walk to search for creatures made by others.


These rules are non-negotiable. Any violation of said rules will result in an a long and cold, but snow-less winter.

The Bird Obsession is Growing...

My favorite thrift store find of the day.

Cooking with Help

In my opinion, cooking was never meant to be a solitary activity. Yes, it's good for the occasional moment of quite time, but the best meals are always a collaboration.


This weekend I had the pleasure of trying a new popover recipe with 2 of the most enthusiastic soux chefs I've ever had the pleasure of working with. These little guys not only measured and stirred with the best of them. They also kept a very close eye on the "popping process."

(See? Kids really can survive without a TV)

Kids are excellent reminders of what cooking should be; messy, creative, and most of all, fun.


Local ingredients in the popovers:

• flour
• eggs
• butter
• milk

My Resolution

Happy New Year!!

This year, my boyfriend and I made a joint resolution. We committed to learning 1 new recipe each week. Although I love to cook, we all need that occasional push outside of our culinary comfort zones. I'll be posting some of my success stories here, along with where I found the recipe and a list of the ingredients I was able to obtain from local sources.

We started off with polenta pie from Mollie Kazten's Moosewood Cookbook (a much loved Christmas present).

(It looked and tasted better than the picture suggests)

This was a great winter recipe because the filling can be adapted to include whatever vegetables and herbs we have available at the time. My boyfriend and I used onions, swiss chard, tomato sauce and garlic. We were very happy with this recipe, but I'll make a few changes next time. I'll use a thinner polenta crust and add a little more seasoning to it.

Local ingredients:

• cornmeal
• onion
• garlic
• swiss chard
• cheese
• tomato sauce