Too warm for chili?

Hiya. I need a good chili recipe for a meeting tomorrow night. anyone got one? Easy is preferred!

-elisa

Citrus × meyeri

I have always had a fascintation with citrus trees. I have early memories of visiting my grandparents for the Christmas holidays and heading downstairs to see the lemon, lime and orange trees basking in the afternoon sun.

I bought my first citrus tree last year from The Tasteful Garden-- the Meyer Lemon (citrus x meyeri). I was so excited about it, thinking about all of the recipes I could make with it's extra sweet, slightly tart flavors. When it began to bloom in January, I could hardly contain myself. I was a bit discouraged when I read that it could take up to a year for the fruit to ripen - thinking this must have been a misprint. Not really.

Ten months later, my tree is heavy with golden fruit. The first recipe on our list, lemon curd. The recipe comes from Nigella Lawson's How to Eat.

MEYER LEMON CURD

Juice and zest from 4 meyer lemons

4 egg yolks

4 eggs

300 grams of fine sugar

200 grams of unsalted butter

We use a double boiler set-up, so start heating your water over medium low heat. Combine eggs, yolks and sugar in a large glass bowl, and mix until sugar is dissolved. Add juice, zest and butter and heat over simmering water. Wisk until curd begins to thicken...this could take a while (20+ minutes). Since you don't want scrambled eggs, be careful with the heat. Your patience will definitely pay off.

Recipe makes approximately 4+ small mason jars of lemon curd. Using standard canning method, simmer canning lids and rings in hot water for 10 minutes, while heating clean mason jars in an oven of 275 degrees. Remove the hot jars and let them cool briefly (no reason to waste your hard work by scrambling the eggs now). Fill with lemony goodness, finish with lids and rings and let cool.

I know you think you might share with your friends, but I wouldn't count on it.

Pollan for President?

A letter written to our future President from Michael Pollan concerning Food Policy. Find it here. Very interesting. I, for one, would love to hear where the candidates stand on Food Policy.

Check it out.

What are your thoughts on food policy and the governments involvement in the food we eat?

Musings on Fall and Food

The time is drawing near for my little honeybee to embark on a new adventure: solid food. (Well, it will be another three months or so, but that's relatively near.) I'm so looking forward to experimenting with butternut squash, avocado, sweet potatoes... It's a big joy, I've learned, to feed things. And not just people, but dogs and plants and birds as well. It must be some innate element of maternal instinct. And maternal instinct, in my opinion, is something you don't need a baby to have.

I'm also dreaming of fall food: pumpkin, apple, squash, wild rice (although why I label that as a fall food I don't know.)

Yesterday, I ate at the restaurant at the Botanical Garden and then took the bee on a stroll. Anyone ever eaten there? Chicken and polenta and barely-steamed haricot vert (oh, how I love a green bean with delusions of grandeur.) It was delicious. And full of little old ladies coiffed like rain clouds with big white poofs standing out from their little pearl-laden ears.

Do it. It was worth it.

Long Gone

Oh, little second Blog, how I have ignored you. Between travelling and illness and moving (yes, Again...it is becoming a hobby!) I haven't been able to think, much less write.

The season is changing slowly but surely. Fall is creeping in and I couldn't be more excited. To me, fall is the season that really starts the year. Maybe it was too long in schools, maybe it is because I abhor hot weather, but either way I always think of Sept as the beginning. This year feels that way especially. My life looks much different than I thought it would, both good and bad. I am hoping that as the leaves change and fall, so too will my sadness and grief. That chilly mornings and brisk afternoons will awaken me. Plus, the culinary possibilities are so different from Spring and Summer. Pumpkins and Apples everywhere! Root vegetables and warm soups. Football and chili.

I am ready.

Zucchini love

I must confess that I don't actually love zucchini. I just love cooking with it. With broccoli at something crazy a pound (for organic) I've been looking for cheaper ways to put green things in the diet. So I've started cooking with zucchini. I slice it for veggie stir fries and soups or shred it for pasta and meatloaf. One of my favorite things to do with zucchini right now is to shred a huge pile of it and add it to chopped onions that I've already got cooking in my deep cast iron skillet. I'll sautee the whole thing up with some grape seed oil until tender then mix in basil pesto, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. I put the whole thing over a plate of spaghetti smothered in sauce full of homemade turkey meatballs. With a side of Caesar salad you can't beat it. The other slightly inventive thing I do with zucchini is grate it up for meatloaf. Sometimes I'll do an Italian inspired meatloaf with plenty of garlic, onion, and Italian seasonings. This time around Allen has requested a bbq version with zucchini, onion, bell pepper, bbq sauce, and chunks of cheddar cheese. Yummy.

For not being a huge veggie person (gasp), I'm learning that there are some very tasty ways to cook up some of our humbler comestibles. The main thing I've learned from all this though is when in doubt pesto, olive oil, and fresh grated parm make just about anything better.

Adventures in cooking

Since David and I have both finished reading In Defense of Food, and returned from Scotland, I've been attempting to make more recipes completely from scratch, meatless, and whole food-ish. My finished products have been pretty successful and delicious, but this week has been pretty dissuading.
First, I made dal. It was horrid. This was my second attempt, with a different recipe, and although I keep telling myself that, although I am not of Indian lineage, it can't be that hard to make good Indian food. Wrong. I'm leaving that to Taj from now on.
Second, I made the peach crumble that Mrs. Hall posted. I completed the cooling process and dug in with reckless abandon and noticed immediately that something was very wrong. I was thinking, why is this supposed to be good. I then returned to the recipe and realized that I missed a pretty crucial ingredient - sugar. Not so good without sugar folks.
Yesterday I took on the task of making pizza. I made the dough and sauce, and got one of those soft mozzarella blocks to shred myself. 10 hours and much scrambling and cleaning later, it came out pretty good, but was it really worth it? Probably not. The dough was not too difficult, but that sauce was a pain.
So, there isn't really a lesson to the story, other than that being a amateur chef isn't as easy as it looks. But it never really looked easy. It just sucks when you slave away, soaking the beans, chopping those one billion veggies into fine chunks, and destroying your home, and in the end what you produce is mediocre at best and I have to call the husband and say "You might want to grab some food on the way home".

Simply Summer

One of our favorite summer recipes is a simple fruit crumble. It is a wonderful way to highlight seasonal fruit - without the fuss of pastry. With peaches at their August peak, our oven has been working over-time.

Simple Fruit Crumble

serves 6 to 8, 10 min. prep, 1 hr. total time

4-5 peaches (blueberries are another favorite)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
5-6 tablespoons of cold butter, cut in small pieces

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. halve, pit, peel and thinly slice peaches
3. place peaches in 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of flour
4. mix remaining flour, sugar, salt and spices in bowl
5. add butter and mix with pastry cutter or hands until butter resembles course meal

6. for extra crunch, squeeze small bits of topping together - yummy!
7. refrigerate crumble topping for 20-30 minutes
8. top peaches with crumble and bake for 20-25 minutes, until bubbling and golden

Enjoy!

It's all gone Pear Shaped

I have a large, beautiful tree in the green space behind my apartment. I love this tree. As Spring approached I noticed that it was fruiting. To my chagrin, I could not figure out what these fruit were...crab apples, walnuts? Nothing quite fit, or tasted right (I have a habit of tasting green things). It has been baffling and, honestly, a bit frustrating.

Well, lately the squirrels and birds have been going absolutely crazy over this tree. I see them carrying fruit that is as big as they are to and from the tree. It is like Woodland Creature Land over there. So today I decided to go back and research some more. Wasn't I surprised when the the fruit looked a PEAR, albeit an underripe pear, but a pear nonetheless. So I bit into it...hmmm...tastes faintly of a pear. I went inside and cut it open. Seeds just like a pear, grainy texture like a pear, thick stem like a pear.

1/2 hour of research later I have concluded that they are in fact PEARS!!! I am still trying to figure out what sort of pear it is, but it is undoubtedly a pear tree. I believe it is a Bradford Pear Tree, or an Asian Pear. but I am not 100% sure. This is exciting news to say the least. I am not sure if the fruit is edible, but I intend to find out. The birds and squirrels certainly think so. Now if only they would leave my strawberries and lemons alone and gorge on Pears instead!

How to Eat Supper

In my days in the book world, I am lucky enough to get a LOT of books. Cookbooks are a weakness of mine and I have a hard time turning any down that come my way. Just today I recieved 2 (one about Goat Cheese and Gordon Ramsey's Fast Food).

My favorite these days is The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. The Splendid Table has a weekly podcast that I listen to whenever I can (you can download it for free if you don't catch the show on NPR). Lynne Rossetto Kasper is downright wonderful. She loves food and it shows in every recipe she shares, every story she tells. She and Sally Swift just came out with this cookbook, all about getting Supper to the table. Recipes that don't take more than 30 or so minutes but don't sacrifice taste, good ingredients or health. I have tried about 4 recipes and loved each one.

Today I will share the most recent one I tried (well, the white beans I have actually made twice, but who's counting?!).

Salmon Pan Roast with Garlic Shavings and Basil on Fresh Greens, coupled with Warm White Bean Salad with Fragrant Garlic and Rosemary.

Salmon Pan Roast with Garlic Shavings and Basil on Fresh Greens:
serves 4, 5 min. prep, 10 min stove time

1 5 oz. bag (or 4 handfuls) of fresh Spring Greens or mesclun mix
1/4 lb. Fresh sugar snap peas ( I used fresh green beans from the garden), coarse chopped
12 fresh basil leaves
4 small wild Salmon steaks of filets (1 inch thick), or other firm fleshed fish
Good tasting Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Publix generic!)
1/4 teaspoon salt (sea salt is always best)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 large garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
12 fresh basil leaves, torn into large pieces
2/3 cup dry white wine
lemon wedges

1. divide the greens among 4 dinner plates. Scatter the peas and 12 torn leaves on top.
2. Rinse the salmon and pat to dry. Examine for any tiny bones and remove.
3. Lightly Oil a slant sided 12 inch skillet (I used regular skillet) with the oil, and heat is over medium high. Season the Salmon on both sides with the salt and pepper. Slip them into the skillet and sear for a minute on each side, turning carefully.
4. Sprinkle the garlic and basil leaves around the fish. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover skillet and cook 6-7 minutes, turning fish midway through, or until the fish is just firm when pressed. it should be barely opaque near the center.
5. Remove fish from skillet and keep it warm. add the wine to skillet, turn heat to high and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Simmer until the pan juices are sizzling and syrupy.
6. Drizzle the hot sauce over the greens and top them with the salmon. At the table, squeeze the lemon wedges over the fish and greens.

Warm White Bean Salad with Fragrant Garlic and Rosemary
serves 3 to 4, 15 min prep, 10 min stove time.

I fixed this as a main course once and it fed 2 of us fully.

1/2 slice coarse whole grain bread, course ground in a food processor (2 generous tablespoons crumbs)
3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (NEVER scripm on Parm!)
Generous 1/4 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
5 large garlic cloves, crushed with 1/2 tsp salt and coarse chopped
1/4 cup Good tasting Extra V. Olive Oil (again, I used Publix)
1/2 tight packed tblspoon fresh rosemary leaves, coarse chopped
Two 15 oz. cans Organic White beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed.
1 large handful salad greens
add'l salt and ground pepper

1. In a 12 inch skillet or saute pan over medium heat, toast the bread crumbs until lightly browned, stirring often. Transfer to small bowl and set aside to cool. Once cool, stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese and pepper. set aside.
2. In the same pan, slowly warm the garlic in the olive oil over low heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the rosemary, blending together for another minute or so, taking care not to burn the garlic. It should be very fragrant and beginning to soften.
3. Immediately add the beans and fold them in VERY gently. Turn the heat to medium. Heat the beans through, about 3 minutes, occasionally lifting and turning them as they heat, as stirring with cause them to mush. Add the greens and gently move them around in the pan until the are slightly wilted, 30 sec to 1 minute. Turn into a serving bowl, top with the bread crumb mixture and season with salt and pepper.

These 2 recipes guarantee a great night! With a beer or some wine-Voila!

let me know if you try them and what you think.

welcome!

We have a new contributor-Kristen Hall.

She has a lovely garden and an adorable house and home! Plus a cute husband and daughter...

Yeah growing!

Eat your View

Last night I enjoyed beans from my own garden! Granted, it was only 2...but they were delicious. It was the first food from my own garden that I had grown from sead. You would have thought that I birthed these beans as excited and proud as I was. My garden is going crazy! I have zinnias in vases all over my house and basil out the...well, you know.

I need these things. I need to grow things and create life and beauty.

Now, if only I could get those damn chickens!!!

garden photos to come soon. Also coming soon: thoughts on sugar and ADD and society. they are brewing in me...

For your viewing enjoyment.

Wonderful!

Hey guys, I'm chillin in Edinburgh for a few months, so not much gardening or cooking is happening but there is one thing here that is absolutely amazing/wonderful/fabulous/life giving/etc....no corn syrup!!!! Or corn additives at all. Believe me I've been checking the ingredients and at the first realization I practically started crying. It is wonderful. And also a container of the most delicious baba ghanoush for a pound. I love it here.

Don't get between me and my dirt

This afternoon I was headed out the patio to grab my bag of dirt and haul it around front so I could finish planting my little herb garden. I'd opened the sliding glass door, picked up my very sad begonia to take it out on the patio on my way out there, turned my head to listen to something Allen was saying, and then proceeded to plow down the screen door on my way out. The whole thing just about flew off the tracks which I immediately proceeded to step on. Ouch. Still, moral of the story: Don't get between me and my dirt.

Incidentally I think my garden is about complete. I have five pots of herbs -basil, cilantro, oregano, thyme, and rosemary- along with several more pots full of flowers. Out on my back patio I have an old fashioned rose bush, a dwarf gardenia, and a confederate jasmine. Once my gardenia buds open all three will be in bloom. Mmmm, can't wait to smell that bouquet. I also have the requisite petunias and impatiens. I like to put my plants out on my shady back patio where I can see them from the living room, so I'm pretty limited as to variety. One day though.... When I wander through Lowe's or Home Depot or even Walmart I keep wishing I had the yard and the money to buy two or three of everything and scatter them around.

General Lee Rides Again

I have to say, I had a somewhat disappointing trip to the Pepper Place Market this Saturday. Well, I did thoroughly enjoy being out-of-doors and waddling around the stalls looking for the best produce I could find. I did come away with some summer squash and zucchini (perfect when roasted together with good olive oil and sea salt), some sad little early tomatoes (wishful thinking this early in the season) and some early Springcrest peaches. The reason for my disappointment, I have to admit, stems from the fact that I might never again get to taste a General Lee peach.

One Saturday several years ago, David and I were at the Other Farmer's Market. Do you know the one? The Alabama Truck Growers Market. I've been going there on Saturdays in the summer since I was a toddler. I dare say that most of my summertime baby food started out at the Alabama Truck Growers Market. Savvy hunters of Southern fruit know to steer clear of the shabby little huts at the rear of the market as well as the permanent-looking buildings where you can buy peppers and tomatoes and fruit—all grown in California. Cheap, yes, but most likely rejects from Publix dumped at the commercial docks on the other side of the market. My mother called these fruit-sellers "peddlers" and we never bought fruit from them.

The place to buy watermelon, tomatoes (green and red!), peppers, field-peas, okra, corn and most especially peaches is from the men in overalls sitting in lawn chairs in front of their trucks. There are even little signs hanging over the trucks stating the names of the growers and where they are from. They take pride in their little operations. And indeed, they should.

But back to the day I met General Lee. A very large man (might I even call him downright corpulent?) stood at the rear of an old Ford F250 overloaded with the largest most beautiful white-flesh peaches I've ever seen. When he found me staring mouth-agape at his bounty, he picked one from a basket, drew his pocketknife from his bib pocket and across his arm a few times and sliced one open. He handed it to me warm and most likely from some God-kissed orchard in Chilton County just a few hours earlier. I popped it in my mouth. I think I said something like "This is the most wonderful thing I've ever eaten and I would like another slice arm-hair and all." But what probably came out of my mouth was some kind of guttural and gastronomical noise of satisfaction most likely to originate in the belly of a mating moose. Needless to say, I bought two baskets. They went too fast and I never saw that man again.

Even now, as I wander around the posh stalls of the Pepper Place Market looking for early-season peaches (and waiting with baited breath for the Elbertas surely to emerge later this summer) I can't help but wonder if my experience with General Lee was only a figment of my imagination sprouted from some genetic predisposition to devour fruit and nurtured by too many Alabama summers and too much sun. I'll never know, but the farmer's market will never be the same.

cooking angst

I'm going to admit something here that just might get me banned from the blog. I don't really like cooking. (GASP!) I'm a pretty good cook, and I do it several times a week. It's just that day in day out I don't really enjoy it. First I have to clear away the dishes that I forgot to do earlier in the day to make room for all the dishes I'm going to dirty up tonight. Then I spend about an hour chopping and stirring. (Have I mentioned this is after I got distracted by my book so that supper is running desperately late?). Then my mad genius husband has a brainwave five minutes before it's ready. Taps foot. Gah! Forgot the broccoli! Another 15 minutes to get some veggies steamed. By now with one thing or another it's a quarter til nine, the kitchen is an absolute wreck, and we haven't eaten yet. It's enough to make me wish for fish sticks and mac 'n cheese. No this doesn't happen every day. There are plenty of times when Allen is the hugest help to me when I'm running behind and need an extra hand. But, you get the picture. It happens enough. Question is what to do about it. I'd say the first answer involves not making homemade potatoes au gratin and meatloaf for the same meal without a LOT of planning first -especially if bacon and fresh garlic is involved. I don't know how you make meatloaf, but in this household there's some serious veggie dicing going on when meatloaf is in the offing. Other thing -be more aggressive keeping the kitchen clean. Clean kitchen = happy cook. Finally though, I'm going to make a point of cooking more things just for fun -bean salad, muffins, homemade lemonaid- anything fun and tasty.

Dresser top nesting

Ok, this has nothing to do with dirt, but I thought I'd post some before and after pics of my dresser.

I should note that I actually did this about a month or so ago, but since pics tend to stay in my camera way too long after they've been taken....

This is my dresser before. Pretty crowded and chaotic.





Here is my dresser after I've organized my jewelry on my pretty new rack. All my pretty little doilies (all four of them-three in that pic) are grouped on top of the dresser. The mirror is thumbtacked to the ceiling. I wanted a tiny little mirror just to check my earrings and such. I was going to put it on the wall, but since my dresser is positioned at a slight angle it worked out better to hang it from the ceiling.


And here's a close up of some of my favorite earrings hanging in their new home.

By the way, that bigger, square doily on the right I got from my great-aunt Kathy who actually is Allen's grandmother's sister, but since they don't much care if you're in by birth or marriage it's pretty much all the same. That's a place mat that her mother-in-law hemstitched from a larger piece of lace. The amber earrings Allen gave me on my first married birthday. The fan earrings my cousin Rhoda gave my Christmas one year.

The time is right

I love this time of year. I am not sure I have loved it with this sort of intensity until this year. Eating is so wonderful! Yesterday, I went to Jones Valley Urban garden after work to pick up some (more) fresh produce. I am on a special diet that mainly consists of fresh vegetables, meant, some beans and nuts to try and cure a digestive issue I have. At JVUF, I picked up 2 sorts of radishes, leeks, greens, strawberries and the spiciest arugula I have every tasted. Plus, my CSA box every week, weekly trips to Pepper Place and the things growing in my garden (although, my vegetables are having issues...). It is quite a bounty.

I have never eaten this well, or enjoyed food as much. Each day I look at the veggies and wonder what I can whip up with them for dinner. Yesterday it was stir fry. Today I am snacking on homemade tzatzi sauce with cut up radishes, beans, carrots and cucumbers. Wednesday night was baked amerjack and fried Kohlrabi leaves. It turns out Kohlrabie is amazing! The bulb is a mild, crunchy veggie, but it the leaves that really get me. They do not wilt when sauteed! instead, they turn a deep green and crisp up. I love crisp greens so much, so this has been a real treat.

Each week I am picking up a new veggie from Pepper Place and experimenting. I can't wait to see what it will tomorrow!

Oh, and check out the Botanical Gardens soon...the roses are in bloom and gorgeous.

Holy Crap!

My family and I have joined the Growing Alabama Co-op. I am beyond excited! In preparation I have become a vegetarian. No meat or eggs, er, well eggs are still debatable. Is that not meat? I don't know, bit it is fun finding alternatives to eat. My garden has grown so much it looks a bit in disarray- all the tomatoes are bowing low and the beans are taking over the greens. Poor garden. We are deciding rather to move or not so i am not as committed to it. If we move i see chickens and large raised bed gardens in sight!

I love Alabama in the Spring

My garden

I'm FREE!!

I finished my final exam last night! I am so extremely happy! I am leaving for Scotland in one month, but until then I will be relaxing - baking, gardening, knitting, reading. It is going to be wonderful.
An update on my garden: I have beautiful strawberries that are beginning to blush red. Unfortunately the birds have noticed, and I have yet to get a strawberry for myself. They decided that the little red tips are just as delicious and a completely red strawberry, so they are destroyed before they are pickable. I must build a cage.
I also have blackberries. I thought it would be a year before fruit developed, but I was happily mistaken. The birds have not found these little gems yet; I hope it stays that way.
In other news, I am having a bake sale this weekend! If anyone is interested in getting a mother's day gift, or something sweet for themselves, there will be lots of delicious goodies. I love love love baking, and most of my creations come out pretty well, so I hope none will be disappointed. I am making a blueberry gingerbread cake with mocha cream frosting that I am excited about. It sounds so strange it must be good! It's this Saturday at Lucy's Coffee and Tea near the corner of University and 20th street south from 11-2. If you're free you should stop by, and tell your friends!
Since I'm having this bake sale I won't divulge any baking recipes just yet (muahaha), but for my own homage to the wonders of grits, I will post this shrimp and grits recipe that I just made care of Cooking Light (with my own slight variations). It is VERY good (according to Jimmy)!

Cooking (slightly) Light Shrimp and Grits Casserole

2 c milk
3/4 cup chicken broth (calls for fat free less sodium, but I used regular)
***i will note here that I used more liquid because I used regular grits instead of quick grits - I used the whole can of chicken broth and maybe added some water, I can't remember exactly how much more I needed. I checked the grits bag and used how much liquid it said to use
1 c grits (I used stone ground grits, but the recipe calls for quick grits)
1/4 tsp salt (omitted because I used full salt broth)
1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese
2 tbs butter (I used 1 because of the full fatted chicken broth)
1 3-oz package less fat cream cheese
3 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tbs chopped fresh chives (I used green onions because that's what I had)
1 tbs lemon juice
2 large egg whites (I used one full egg)
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, coarsely chopped (I used little frozen shrimp)
cooking spray
hot pepper sauce (optional, I didn't take advantage of this option)

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Combine milk and broth in a medium have saucepan; bring to boil. Add grits (and salt) to pan, stirring constantly. Cook 5 min until thick, stirring constantly (or according to package directions). Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan, butter, and cream cheese. Stir in parsley and next 4 ingredients (through shrimp).
3. Spoon mixture into a 11x7-in baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 until set. Serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings

much needed dirt time

I just spend some much needed time in my garden. I have been out there every day, watering and checking on things, but today I got good and dirty. I finally got some of the flowering plants that I bought at the Botanical Gardens into the ground.

I am having so much fun watching my little garden bloom. My lemon tree has lemons, my strawberries will probably turn red and ripe this weekend (when I am out of town!), and my beans are just ready to come out. It is a new experience to grow some of my own food and I am hooked. I have always had a few little herbs, but nothing like this. I think that I will be able to put my tomatoes outside in a week or so. Then things will really be going! I can make an entire salad out of things that I have growing back there. My vases are also going to be full of cut flowers come summer. Brown eyes susans, columbine, Cosmos and Zinnias...so pretty!

How is your garden coming?

Thoughts on Grits

Grits are God's gift to Southerners
Oatmeal was introduced by Yankees who were jealous that God gave us grits.
Yankees worry that God gave us grits because He loves us more.
We don't worry about that because we know it's true.

Grits must be stirred with a wooden spoon. Embrace your heritage and stir -they will taste better.
Putting sugar in your grits is weird. Grits should be salty.
Cheese is optional. Who am I kidding. Cheese loves grits like fire loves air.
Black pepper loves grits too. Also butter.

Don't bother with instant or quick grits. If you don't have the 15 minutes to cook grits don't bother. Eat some toast.
Don't eat grits in a hurry. Sit down and savor the creaminess.
If you need fiber go get an apple.
When the directions say 4 generous helpings they lie. You may get 2-3 servings.

Always, always lick your wooden spoon. If you don't lick the spoon and scrape out the pan you are just kidding yourself. You don't really love grits.
When putting leftover grits away there should be regret mingled with excitement for tomorrow.
If you already ate the leftovers there will satisfaction mingled with sorrow for your scale.

Grits connect me to my past.
Grits are women stirring up pots of warm goodness for husbands and children -feeding the generations.
Grits are God's gift to Southerners.

A tiny shopping spree

After an afternoon of shopping I have two stores for you- At Home in downtown Homewood and Ann Taylor Loft. If you have never been to At Home it has some of the neatest stuff I've seen any place that doesn't have to check your credit before allowing you in. They have door knobs and glassware and some of the neatest little bowls I've ever seen. There's always something I wish I could buy by the dozen there. Today I found the most adorable jewelry organizer. It's a sort of shabby chic, cream painted iron stand with hooks on it for jewelry and a little bird perched on top. Since I did enjoy having the mirror in my old jewelry box I popped over to Hobby Lobby to buy a tiny mirror I could hang over my dresser since it's really too tall and narrow for a conventional mirror. I can't wait to organize all my jewelry onto it's new home and relegate that box elsewhere.

Ann Taylor Loft has been one of my favorite stores for a couple of years now -ever since I walked in off the street and found silk blend sweaters for something like $10-15. Today I was walking around trying to find a shirt that said, "responsible, nicely dressed, not punched out of cookie cutter young woman well suited to teaching small children." (My resume generated action from the hiring committee.) I also wanted a shirt that didn't say "I am your food budget for the week. Buy me instead of carrots." Let me tell you, by the time I got out of Macy's I was ready to swear it couldn't be done. The $70 shirts didn't attract. The $20 shirts didn't flatter or fit. Then (smacks head) I remembered Ann Taylor. In. Out. Twenty dollars the less and happy. Note to self. Always try there first. Their sale racks are wonderful.

So, what are your go-to places when you really need that one thing you can't find anywhere else?

Weekend round-up

Anyone cook (or eat) anything good this weekend? Any garden or house news?

For me it was the fresh summer squash with heavy cream, cheese and breadcrumbs (courtesy of Giada), and the Buffalo meat spaghetti. Ground buffalo ranks up there for my favorite red meat. It is by far my favorite ground anything!

I would like to put in a request for a recipe of one/some of Anna's cookies and/or muffins...they are the best

To a lovely week, Ladies

Blog freecycle

My love for gardening has spread around the office. The Garden book buyer left me a big surprise on my chair...books!

However, she has already given me a copy of most of them. So....they are up for grabs!

Here is what I have: (1 copy of each)
The Complete Compost Gardening Guide
The Gardeners A-Z guide to Growing Organic Food
the Veggie Gardeners Answer book
Incredible Vegetables in Self-watering Containers

Let me know if you want any of these!

First come, first get.

Happiness is just a stock pot away

As I sit here, I have a free range chicken roasting in the oven and a "Mineral Miracle" vegetable stock simmering on the stove. It smells like I imagine Heaven smells like...warm and comforting and nourishing.

No longer will I fret over what to do with veggies that are almost past their prime. Some water, seaweed (really!), spices and a stock pot is the answer! With herbs from my garden. Yummy. Gone are the days of buying the 'original recipe' rotisserie chicken from Western. I am a changed woman.

Hope you all are eating well this evening too.

She no longer needs you

I registered for the Kitchen Cure, on thekitchn.com, despite the fact that my kitchen is mostly organized. I wanted advice that will enable me to maximize that little space. So far, assignments have included taking photos of the entire room, de-junking the junk drawer (or in my case, the utensil drawer) and tossing expired food. (I was surprised that my cilantro had expired—and that my unopened jar of cilantro expires in six weeks. I’m also surprised that I have jars of cilantro. I’ve been buying fresh bunches of it, never using the jarred stuff.)

But the most interesting task so far was to eliminate processed foods, plus anything with MSG or high fructose corn syrup. I was startled by how much I found with those ingredients, but more surprising still: I almost never use any of those products.

The way I eat has changed radically, even though it’s been unintentional. I’ve always teased friends who filled their cabinets with health food. So much of it is bland, a pale imitation of the fatty snacks it emulates. When looking for a quick meal, I preferred staples like fish sticks.

But now my fridge is filled with green—broccoli, lettuce, spinach, zucchini and bell peppers all wait to be used. I found two jars of pasta sauce to give away. High fructose corn syrup was the culprit, but I must admit I wasn’t bothered by the waste. I can’t recall when I last used premade sauce instead of preparing my own.

I don’t know how to explain it. My taste buds have matured, sure. But this time last year, I lived with my grandparents and ate heavy Southern food at every meal. (It was good, too!) When I moved out, my diet quickly evolved into one filled with produce. I bought ingredients at the grocery store, skipping over shortcuts like pre-prepared chicken and steak. I’ve always had a high metabolism, and I do wonder if this is my body’s way of accounting for its inevitable slowing as I age. (I have no idea if my weight has been affected, positively or negatively, by my produce and heavy cream diet.) I can’t even claim to feel better or more energetic than when Friday night supper was frozen popcorn chicken and French fries. It was such an unconscious change that I don’t know the difference.

All I can tell you is I enjoy what I eat. It turns out that eating well doesn’t mean depriving yourself after all.

Going au naturale

Hand sanitizer that is. I just don't like that alchohol stuff they sell. It tries out my hands and who knows what all's in it. For a girl trying to go herbal/green with her home and body care products that's not really inviting. So, for months I have watched my mother-in-law going around with this myrrh based hand sanitizer, and today I finally made some of my own! I was trying to make me up some jasmine body spray (since perfume is another thing I don't really do) and discovered anothre spray bottle I must have bought and then promptly forgotten. I didn't really use a recipe for either one. I just sort of scouted the internet and saw that most recipes consist of water, essential oil, and grain/rubbing alchohol. I believe you can use witch hazel in place of the alchohol if desired. I just used some smirnoff that hasn't been seeing much action since...well since we bought it actually. I did add a few drops of massage oil to my blends though just to try and counteract alchohol's drying effect. For the body spray I just added a couple of drops of massage oil, one drop of pure Jasmine essential oils, probably just under an ounce of vodka, and a generous ounce of water. Then I just shook it up really well. Hope I didn't make it too strong. That jasmine oil is very strong. Well just see if anyone besides Allen will sit by me at church tonight :D For the myrrh blend I did about the same thing, but I added more oil and used less vodka. The recipes I saw indicated that for non-perfume type stuff you don't need as much alchohol. Oh yeah, I also put some colloidal silver in with it for even more germ kicking awesomeness. So yeah, 6-8 drops myrrh essential oil and about 1/4 oz silver along with a tsp oil for moisturizing. Vodka for stabilizer. Water to the top. In my purse and ready for the next all natural germ kicking opportunity. I feel like such a granola girl now. It rocks.

New Link

A friend of mine sent me this link. Eating Alabama. It is really cool, check it out. I am leaning toward what they are doing, but can't be as hard core as these folks. Yea Local Living!!


Have a good weekend

Feather my nest with Count Basie

I should have posted this weeks ago, since the Birmingham Lindy scene will be soon be switching gears for the summer. BUT! If you are interested in lindy. Come on out the the Bashinsky Fieldhouse at Samford University for some truly swinging fun. Allen and I had been doing the whole "who wants to bother going out" thing for awhile until we found out about a lindy instruction series being held not five minutes from our door. So....

If you give a lindy-hopper lessons, they will learn new moves.

If you give a lindy-hopper moves, they will want to practice.

If a lindy-hopper wants to practice, they will defy all normal urges to sleep, wash dishes, or just not bang their feet against floor.

Therefore, you will find us, tonight, at the Bashinsky fieldhouse, probably sometime after or around 8:30, completely wearing ourselves out with cool moves. If you come, we will teach you. Or someone will. Try to bring guys if humanly possible since there's often a dearth of the creatures. The guy/girl ratio is completely in the guy's favor. Stress that point with rum laced drinks if necessary.

If you don't know what lindy is, here's a fairly accessible example.

Just Can't Get Enough!

Just felt like sharing images. Here is part one of my mini gardens. The neighbors wanted to take them down so they could put a path of pavers in the back of all the condos on our row. Well to bad, they have been gardenfied!


Here is my strawberry pot. I put a birdhouse above it on the tree because it looked so cute! Not a good idea. I want to invite the birdies but not to eat my food. They can have the Japanese maple to live in...

My name is Elisa and I am an O.G

Obsessive Gardener. I was repotting things last night and putting out my new Dwarf Meyer lemon tree when I looked back at my little stoop. It was covered almost completely. I had to bob and weave my way back to my back door. it is getting bad. I did some rearranging and moving and things are looking better. However, I still have 2 tomato varieties, tomatillos, lemon balm, more lettuce, bee balm and coneflowers to find homes for. They have almost outgrown their seed homes. Where are they going to go? I am accepting my fate of being 'that lady in the apartment complex with the jungle out her back door' to the kids in the complex. I love it. I love it so much! Today as I was driving to work I realized that I had left my seedlings outside to get some sun and they may get rained on. An internal struggle ensued about whether to turn around and bring them in, or get to work on tim. I went to work, but have been fretting all day, running to the back door to check the weather (no windows in the building!). If it pours on them, their little stems are not strong enough to take it and they may perish. Very upsetting.
Everyday when I arrive home, I drop my handbag and go straight out back to see the progress. Yesterday I had beans sprouting up! And little red sprouts of red from my Rainbow Chard. 3 new blossoms on my strawberry plants and more mint than I can handle! What is a girl to do?

Get a goat and some chicken and resign herself to fate.

It's Catching On

The garden bug seems to have bitten a lot of people this year. And gratefully so! my mom came over and scolded me for not tying my green bean plants (I'll get to that...soon enough.) I, too, racked up at the Botanical Garden Sale. I got one blue berry bush and found out you need two different kinds for them to cross pollinate and produce fun berries. They had run out by the time I realized that so I went to Whole Foods to check out what they had. Twice as much (and on sale!), but not twice as big. It was a different kind so I am sticking with the new plant. Lesson learned...the Botanical Garden Sale rocks my face off!

I (heart) Plant sale

Just got back from the Botanical gardens plant sale, where Emily, CJ and I met earlier. I cannot say this strongly enough...GO! They have all kinds of great plants at great prices. I walked out with a box for $28. The plants look healthy AND they had people there to help me. People who actually know about plants. It was a madhouse, and not for the faint of heart, but well worth it. I am going to make this an annual event.

I am now sitting in my windowless cubical smelling fresh sage and rosemary (I just couldn't leave them in a hot car all day!). My co-workers think I am a hippie, but I think I lost them at Hot Yoga and my CSA membership...

To a good, green weekend!

Reading, writing and ...eating?

This is for you, CJ!

This article from The Kitchn on the best food to eat while reading. I thought it was cute and I know that we all love to read, so I thought I would share.

btw-MORE little plants sprouting up every day. Oh how the rain of late has been good to me and my little green friends.
This weekend-botanical gardens Plant sale-old Bruno's at Brookwood-CJ, Emily and I are going at 11 on Friday. Come join us! We are meeting out front. I am hoping for some fruit trees and plants. Lemons and berries. Which leads me to a question: What is it your dream to be able to grow? For me, it is probably berries and avocados. and grapes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

To one of our very own! ANNA!

I am glad that you were born today. And that we are gardening buddies!

Hope it is just lovely!

Potted bliss

Not having a garden proper (and being singularly afflicted with shade on/around my patio) I'm pretty much sticking with flowers at the moment. I have a lovely blue flowering Jacob's Ladder in a pot out back along with a brave potted rose and some bright red petunias that I just bought yesterday. Sick and tired of my boring, empty, dead flowerpot sitting out front I also bought some very pretty little portulacas. Yeah, I'd never heard of them either, but they look sort of like old-fashioned roses except that they're small little plants like impatients or similar and come in the most luscious colors. I found them cheap at Home Depot alongside the petunias and other annuals.

Maybe if I can keep my flowers alive I'll try branching out a bit. We'll see.
'

Life Bueatification

Yesterday I went to Yucatan Trading Company and bought a giant ugly strawberry pot to put the communal strawberries in. After I put it under the crepe mertle and put the plants in, it looked so good. Out back yard is becoming an oasis after long days at work. Now all I need is a hammock!

Buying green is occasionally dirt cheap

Inspired by the recent arrival of my diamond in the rough bentwood rocker I thought I would throw in a good word for green spending. I know the whole resuse, recycle, "for heaven's sake keep it out of the landfill" is pretty trendy right now, but more than being a fad, it makes really good sense. Or cents. Depending on how you look at it. Freecycle means free stuff (clever what?). That means the bentwood rocker costs me exactly gas+time. Yeah, so it needs a little work. It's still way cheaper than buying new (or even at a thrift store). Speaking of which, I adore Salvation Army Thrift stores. I currently have 4 pieces of thrift store furniture in my apartment plus another dozen or so decorative items. It's great. The furniture is all mostly higher quality than the stuff you get in the stores nowadays (yes my dad once took be aside and explained dovetail joints to me), and a lot of it (being older) isn't as bulky as the furniture they try selling you today. Plus, Salvation Army is the awesomest Christian charity ever. Forget giving money to Red Cross. If you want to give distaster relief/help somebody out money. Give it to the Salvation Army. If you do the research and listen to the stories they really do get in there and stay in there and help out the people in a way that Red Cross just doesn't. That's one reason why I tend to donate a lot of my clutter there. But you could also put it on Freecycle if that's your thing. Either way, free/cheap + helping people out (and getting stuff you really want) rocks.

Oh yeah, that's not my rocker above. It's similar except that mine it very badly upholstered in some sort of dark green stuff that decided if it couldn't be tassled it would darn well well have tonal pictures of tassles scattered all over it. Hideous. I'm pretty sure I can fix it with some fabric in my stash though.

Oh Happy Day!

Yesterday I got home from work and, like everyday, I went to my garden first to check on things (yes, I am a dork). I peered into all of my little pots to make sure they were moist enough for some good germination action. Then, in my arugula pot, I saw it...SEEDLINGS! A patch of tiny 2 leaved green goodness. I actually shouted my glee aloud, yelling "their here, it's happening!" to Carrie, who was visiting. We both got excited (obviously me moreso). I was unsure of growing anything from seed, especially anything that I may want to eat, but so far...success! A summer of fresh greens. I am keeping my fingers crossed for my little seeds germinating indoors, all warm and moist in their miniature plastic greenhouse...and for my beans and other greens trying to make it outdoors as well.

My herb garden is spreading like crazy! I may have to transplant my mint, as I think it is crowding out the oregano and thyme. The damp weather has been so good for the little guys.

I feel like a proud parent on talent show day! Soon I will be inviting everyone over to pick up some veggies.

Commitment to Loveliness

I came across this challenge today (Thanks Trina!). The basic premise is that you choose five ways you can add loveliness to your life. I'm not sure if it's a week or a month challenge broken up into weeks, but it looked worth doing. Of course I know some of us are all busy with Script Frenzy this month trying to churn out plots, and this might not be the best time to start making even more commitments. I, however, am going to give it a shot. So here's my list.

1. Shave my legs more often. I am a lazy blue-jeans girl by habit, but smooth legs means I can have spontaneous sundress moments without hunting up a razor. And sundresses are just plain prettier than blue-jeans.

2. Take the time to actually take care of my nails. (Are you seeing a trend here? I'd much rather be reading than doing my nails.)

3. Start clearing the clutter out of my bedroom so I can have a peaceful space in there.

4. Guilt-free cleaning: just one small thing at a time when I have the opportunity -the toothpaste, my apple core (yummy), my car keys etc.

5. Get up and move. I'll feel better.

Did you know?

April is National Gardening Month! As well as Earth Day month. Speaking of which, the Botanical Gardens has a festival type thing on the Sunday before Earth Day....and it's free! I am going and would love for anyone to join me. their plant sale begins Friday (it is at the old Bruno's by Brookwood). I may go and peruse their offerings.

It looks like rain tonight. Good, my new strawberries can dig into their new home! (Thanks Anna).

adios

Strawberries

Hello ladies, I am here to invite you all to come by and get some strawberry plants today! Emily Spear asked if she could come over after work to get a few plants, so I thought that if anyone else wants some and has some free time at any point today, they should come get some too. This is the perfect time, as they are just flowering, and will be bursting with strawberry goodness very soon.
BUT A WARNING FOLLOWS:
I have pink eye...in both eyes. I have no idea where this came from, but I went to the doctor this morning and was diagnosed. I have started my ointment treatment, so all should be well, but be wary and don't get too close to me. Cost benefit analysis...GO!
But it should be fun anyway, right?

Take to the world

I've got lots brewing--thoughts, projects and tea--and will share more later. But I wanted to pop in for a second and share this post from The Kitchen, a meditation on food, cooking and belonging.

Planted and Ready

I finally got the garden planted. Through process of careless elimination the weak seedlings died, so now I am positive I have the best ones. They are like my babies. After it rained I had to go out to make sure they were okay. There was rain holes everywhere so I covered the bare areas with mulch.

Now about compost. I had it in the corner of the our tiny yard but it was smelling pretty bad (not as bad as the neighbors dogs they never walk!). So I wanted to get a big plastic garbage can with a lid. Apparently it's better have it aireated so I go two big planters to switch the compost in and out of weekly to make it compost faster.

Somehow i feel like right now i am doing the maximum benefit health-wise for my husband and I by growing my own food (or a portion of it). Really it's the beginning to a long excited journey of being a conscience eater.

Weeds

I hate weeds! They are awful. My garden would be so beautiful now if it were without weeds. Well...maybe not so beautiful, but more leaning in that direction. I have lovely oregano, thyme, mint, lemon balm, and rosemary; all are thriving. I have a bazillion strawberry plants on the cusp of blooming little white flowers which will then turn into succulent strawberry deliciousness. And then I have the cursed dandelions and other weeds that I do not know the name of. Some of them, I confess, are pretty easy to just pluck out of the ground, and I will put my lack of plucking down to laziness. But there are others, such as dandelions, that are just impossible to get out of the ground in one piece! The roots end up firmly on the ground with all of the leaves crushed in my fingers, and mere moments later there is new growth - teasing me, taunting me.
ARG! I AM SO ANGRY!!!

OK. Enough of my rant.
If anyone wants a strawberry plant, let me know. They will soon be taking over my whole plot, me thinks.

I hope I always, always feel this way

I went to look at my little garden space today and, after looking close, I found them...LITTLE GREEN SPROUTS! My poppies are starting to come in. I was worried because after all the rain, my soil was beginning to again resemble clay. I was sure that the little friends would not be able to push their way through. I misjudged them. Like me, they are stronger than they look. A little difficulty was not stopping them from basking in the sunlight of spring. I almost cried.

My seeds came in today. Some of the veggies say to sow outdoors in early spring, so I guess that is now?! The tomatoes and tomatillos need some indoor lovin' first, so they are going to be set up on trays in my bedroom (the best light in the house). I am hoping to get dirty this weekend.

Amy, my Amaryllis is just about to bloom. She is in the phase where she has 3 distinct leaves, pink and green and vein-y just waiting go burst. Her stalk is so green and solid. I love it. Maybe tomorrow.

I love Spring. This year seems especially special...life after death. Green after so much brown. I keep mentioning this, in my personal blog, to everyone I see...it is on my mind a lot. I feel like I am maybe opening up again as well.

**Stay tuned to hear about CJ and my first week as members of a CSA. What veggies will we be enjoying this week???

Cast iron heaven

Allen's grandmother recently passed on some of her cast iron that she's not using/doesn't have room for anymore, and I'm in cook's paradise with them. I don't know what it is that makes using cast iron so enjoyable. Maybe it makes me feel more in touch with my past; maybe cast iron is just more fun. I couldn't really say. It's certainly more picturesque. Last night I sauteed up some shitake mushrooms with green onions, garlic, and lots of butter to go with Allen's steak, and those mushrooms surely did look wonderful resting in that small black skillet with a wooden spoon poised ready to serve. Almost made me want to eat some too. lol. I'm not a mushroom purist. They're wonderful with cube steak simmered in gravy or in marinara sauce but not so much alone.

I'm still getting used to how cast iron cooks though. It holds and tranfers heat differently from stainless steel. I found that out while cooking some steaks on my griddle pan last night. Since I was tired of making a mess of my everyday pan I decided to go ahead and try my griddle. First, I've smoked up the apartment more than once, but that perfectly seared surface is still barely eluding me. Second, what might be medium rare in a stainless steel pan is more like medium well on a cast iron griddle. If you're good you're supposed to be able to tell doneness by the resistence when you poke the surface of the meat, but I'm not quite there yet. I still tend to go by the clock. Hint, if your cast iron pan is smoking hot, 1min 30sec per side is a tad long for medium rare steaks. They were still good though thanks to a little help from Jaden at Steamy Kitchen and her wonderful instructions for turning cheap steaks into outstanding steaks. Yummy. I can't wait to do some more practicing in the upcoming weeks.

Great Article

In light of CJ and my new CSA membership, I found this article particularly interesting. It is from Time Magazine on eating locally. Also see The Eat Local Challenge here. Looks interesting.

My seeds are in the mail!!!

I am hosting Easter Dinner at my house Sunday. Mom, sister, brother (6 years old), grandma and her 'friend" (boyfriend!). In my TINY apartment. Yikes! I will let you know how it goes. I am planning on making a lot of it outdoors if weather permits, and it looks like it will.

Have a Hoppy Easter!!!

When it's good, it doesn't seem so bad

I didn’t have to get far into Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, a book by Thomas McNamee, before I began planning my own pilgrimage to the Berkeley restaurant. Now, only days after completing it, Elisa and I have have subscribed to a community-supported agriculture farm and are looking forward to cooking with locally-grown, seasonal vegetables ourselves.

OK, I can’t give Alice Waters all the credit. Elisa and I started talking about this weeks ago. And honestly, I may never have done it if she hadn’t done the research, the phone calling, the math. But I am very excited that she and I will be splitting this local produce without increasing our grocery bills!

We’re joining Grow Alabama, and our plan (which we’ve been told is just enough for two single people) works out to just $11 per week. I spend about $100 on groceries monthly, and half of that is produce, so I feel good about this new venture.

Cooking seasonally has also been on my mind lately. I’ve slowly started to attempt figuring it out, just by paying attention to cost. (Did you notice that Publix’s asparagus recently dropped from $3.99 a pound to $1.99?) And The Cook and The Gardener, a cookbook by one of my favorite food writers, Amanda Hesser, focuses on seasonal recipes divided by months.

Bring on the leeks, the cabbage and the snap beans. I’m ready.

Organic fuel

I promise to stop now.

This is dedicated to a book on Elisa's coffetable

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post this

I just bought my first round of heirloom seeds! From Seed Savers Exchange , a non-profit which sells heirloom seeds at a great price. Here is a blurb from their mission statement:
"Seed Savers Exchange is a nonprofit organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations. When people grow and save seeds, they join an ancient tradition as stewards, nurturing our diverse, fragile, genetic and cultural heritage."

um, YES! I bought kale, tomatoes (2 varieties), tomatillos, arugula, beans, lemon balm, flowers. And all for $33 including delivery. that is way good for heirlooms.

I still need to figure out a way to test the ground, otherwise it will be container love for me! I am anticipating a great, challenging, hopefully somewhat rewarding spring and summer full of learning and eating!

I am planning on starting them indoors. Martha Stewart has great ideas for how to do this (in eggshells!) and DIY growing lamps. As does You Grow Girl (incidentally, I use this book every single day) Where on earth are growing lamps going to go in my apartment? Looks like the cart in my closet is going to get another use!

Now I need to figure out how to get a chicken, cow and goat in my backyard area...

I heart real butter...or how does Giada stay so darn skinny?

Am I the only one who notices that as I cook more and really enjoy eating more, my waist gets larger? I thought that cooking good food and really enjoying food, not eating just to eat is not supposed to do that?
Once I realized that regular cream cheese is 167 times better than reduced fat, and "I can't believe it's not butter" pales in comparison to real, rich butter...well, the weight has come too. Now, don't misunderstand me, I realize that I am not overweight. But, if I keep gaining like I have been the past few weeks, I soon will be.
Yes, I am eating more vegetables. Yes, I am eating more whole grains. I just happen to be adding avocados to my salads and tons of olive oil to my grains. Then there is the muffins I can't stop making, and the cookies that cry out to be tested. Plus all the pasta dishes that I discover every day.

Is this a phenomenon that others have experienced as well? I have even started walking or riding my bike to the grocery store, so as to stave this off (plus, walking really limits what I can by as I have to be able to carry it all home).

I am not planning on changing my eating habits...I am cultivating a love for food, and if that means a size bigger, so be it. Women are designed to be soft and rounded. We really are. It is just our stupid culture that has Lindsey Lohaned this out of us (Yes, I just made Lindsey into a verb!).

I don't want my posts to be about weight, but as I was preparing for my shower to rinse the dirt that was coating my knees, feet, hands, ears (how? how?)from my gardening, i took a look in the mirror and was surprised at what i saw. Maybe it wasn't the dryer that made my jeans too small. Maybe it was the creme fraiche on my morning muffins.

Link love?

This is more an internal, blog admin thing, but don't we really need a link list for all the cool stuff we find? Maybe also a tag list?

The girl who cried freezer! (or the awesome thing that is Grow Alabama)

Having just found out about this wonderful program called Grow Alabama I must admit that I'm particularly bemoaning my lack of freezer space. Grow Alabama is a program that works to make in-season, locally grown, all-natural/organic fruits and vegetables available on a weekly basis. If you look on their website they have a harvest chart of when certain fruit and veg will be available throughout the year. Their boast is that every delivery is 48 hours away from the field. My challenge with this sort of program is learning to eat seasonally. Being a former hamburger second helper I'm still learning to eat my veg. Tomatoes better be in a sauce. Squash better be hiding under a lot of something else. If I had to pick three vegetable to live off they would be onions, carrots, and broccoli. However, Grow Alabama wants to tantalize me with freshly picked bok choy, ripe eggplant, turnips, persimmons, and okra. My ideal solution? Load up on vine ripened tomatoes, just plucked apples, fresh leeks, and delicate mushrooms and start prepping them for the freezer. Imagine. My own diced tomates with chilies. My own apple butter. My own sauteed mushrooms waiting in the freezer for the perfect steak dinner. My own pasta sauces. Unfortunately my freezer is small and would never stand for it. Never. I'm already storing beef in my in-law's freezer as is. Still, if you have a freezer, or you enjoy the challenge of eating in season I really sugest you check Grow Alabama out. It's local, healthy, and a thrifty (or so it seems) alternative to the various Whole Paycheck establishments popping up across the nation.

Hmmmm, I wonder how much a freezer really is.....

Hi. It's me. What's for supper?

I ask myself that a lot -often when I've spent too much time with one of my Rex Stout novels and should have started supper half an hour ago. Yeah, that's me. Love to do everything, but usually don't get around to it 'cause I'm too busy reading about doing it. Oh well, back to supper. I grew up with approximately two recipes under my lovely vintage cloche hat: Granny's chocolate meringue pie and an honest to goodness best pound cake ever. Apart from those two I couldn't boil water (or so it was said). Then I got married, and OH MY GOSH no one's mom was around to do the cooking! Since man cannot live on pie alone I closed me eyes, whispered a desperate prayer, opened them up again, and opened a can of spaghetti sauce. I haven't looked back since. Not only can I open a can of spaghetti sauce with the utmost style and confidence, but I also know something I bet you don't know about cooking the perfect steak. My soups are brother-in-law approved, and Grandmom commended my clean, subtle approach to mashed sweet potatoes. Seriously, I enjoy cooking. I also enjoy reading, which is why I enjoy making meals with lots of leftovers to maximize my reading to cooking/dishwashing ratio (Allen is my dishwashing king). I love reading half a dozen recipes, doubling the veggies, and coming out with something completely my own. if you want a classification for my kind of cooking think healthy comfort food. Spaghetti with extra sauteed onions and bell peppers. Baked chicken with mashed sweet potatoes. Steamed broccoli galore (with plenty of melted herb butter). Italian pasta soup with spinach and zucchini topped with freshly grated mozzarella. Lots of free range meats and organic veg. If you are what you eat then I'm a quality lady. Either that or green and drizzled with butter. Did I mention we eat a lot of broccoli? I also like to experiment with tasty alternatives to sugar and gluten laden recipes. There are plenty of options out there for those who are interested, and I'd be happy to share with anyone who's interesting...err...interested. Inquiries from interesting people are welcome too :D

I'm really excited about the opportunites to share and learn with the women of Birmingham. I may try to do anything (domestic that is, no roller coasters or huge bungy cords), but I readily admit that I sure don't know everything.

Lets get to gardening!!

I began my gardening career in our front yard two summers ago, and it has been frustrating, exciting, and just plain strange. I have tried all manners of vegetables, flowers, fruit, and herbs. Some have been surprising successes, others have been absolute failures. By the end of the summer I really just want to bulldoze the whole thing and can't wait for winter so I don't have to deal with it anymore. However, spring soon returns and I begin to frequent garden shops, dream of beautiful foliage, and can't wait to get my hands dirty. I am very exciting about this upcoming season, especially because I have Elisa to commiserate with this time around!
As I was contemplating my gardening tactics, I ran across this old post from the you grow girl blog that Elisa mentioned, and it opened my eyes to the risks I am taking with my street garden!
I definitely have dog shit issues, and trash issues (including used condoms, ew), and unknown chemicals, but I had never really thought about the impact that these elements might have on my well being. I guess the fact that I have grown and consumed many things in this plot and survived is a good sign, but I might stick to porch containers this year for my new edibles and keep flowers on the street. But, I have strawberries (of which a few have started flowering!) and I am not giving those up!
So so much more could be said, but I'll leave that for next time...and the next I suppose.
Here's to this new gardening season and to community! Chink Chink!

Welcome!

Hi All,
As i was messing around in my garden (or spots of dirt outside of my apartment!), I started thinking about You Grow Girl, a gardening blog that I love. This let to my thinking about Apartment Therapy, a home blog that I love(see also The Kitchen). I was wishing that we had something like for Birmingham...a place to share our triumphs, trials, experiments in all things "Nesty", like gardening, cooking, decorating, baking, entertaining, etc.

So...here we are! I am hoping that this will be an online community of women who are trying to figure out life and beauty and what they mean to us and to The Kingdom and our relationships to each other, our families and our communities.

Blog as little or as much as you like. I chose the title "Like as a Garden" because all that we do for our homes, our gardens, our families and friends are sowing seeds and hoping that they grow.

If you would like to be a part of this blog, let me know and I will get you added. My vision is women of all ages and walks of like sharing and learning and encouraging.

So, welcome!