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.