Rainy Day Farmer's Market

The idea seemed so comforting at the time--the rain was light, on and off, one block heavy, the other a sprinkle. Why not walk the 34 blocks to the Farmer's Market? Perhaps because by block 16 the shoes were soaked, the pants were drinking water like a neglected houseplant (a marigold perhaps), and my umbrella was leaking. Yes, leaking. But I had failed to pick up anything by the market near closer to my apartment and after a few days of cakes, sweets, and lots of bread in each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert), I wanted a collection of veggies that would help to make me feel clean and nourished and light. Tomorrow will be a heaving day of work and the gym and now laundry (darn rain!) and so there would be no time for any visit to the market. Today was my only option. So I walked. And then I perused. And this is what is now mine to work with this week:


The possible menu:

Carrots--to be chopped and used with some remaining hummus for snacks during the workweek. These will also be chopped and added with the potatoes, onions, and the yellow squash (looks sort of putrid in the photo) to stew a little as a side dish for some chicken I plan to bake.

Potatoes--see above. ;-)

Yellow Squash--in addition to the veggie mash I'll also slice a bit of it to add to some salad greens in my crisper drawer and to also add to lunch sandwiches (gouda, salami, squash, onions, yummy!).

Onions--Various and multiple uses. The veggie mash. The lunch sandwich. In breakfast omelets. And, if I'm really adventurous, a focaccia that will incorporate some goat cheese already in the fridge and ...

Tomato--A little slice into a salad or a lunch sandwich. Half of it sliced into the possible focaccia ... if I'm feeling adventurous.

Sunday Morning

On most mornings I wake up a little groggy. No matter how much or how little sleep I get in an evening it seems as if my eyes want nothing more than to open as soon as the day hits 7am. Most of the time I wake up and hardly think about what to do for breakfast. A sad reality to face since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. When I lived with my parents I would wake up early on weekends and prepare a feast for them. And some days I would extend that invitation to my uncle and his family across the street or to my brother and his family a few blocks away. Breakfast was, and is, and always will be my favorite meal to prepare and to eat. Which is why I usually find myself saddened on those days when I wake, wipe the sleep from my eyes, and exert no more effort than what is involved in finding a bowl, a small spoon, the cereal, and milk. As much as I might like the idea of indulging in experimenting with something more than a bowl of Pumpkin Flaxseed Cinammon Clusters, I make the mistake of packing too much into the mornings I have before work. There is the gym to go to. A blog to try to keep up with. Friends to email. Articles to read. Laundry to do. Etc. etc. etc. etc.

But. On some mornings. Be it Sunday or Wednesday or Friday or whatever, I am blessed to wake up with someone to cook for. The sun starts to peep through my bedroom curtain, my eyes open, I stretch and yawn a little tune, and my mind turns. The first obvious question. Sweet or savory? Once that is answered I can really let my mind free and allow it to go where it pleases--through the articles of my pantry, fridge, and counter space. Nothing stays simple in my mind since I always aim to challenge myself in some ways. Will I go the sweet route? Okay. Let's try waffles. Do I want whole grain? Some flax seed? Perhaps some toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans. Yum. And, if I do that, do I want to saute some apples? Or maybe carmelize some bananas. Or maybe simple maple syrup is the way to go.

This morning I woke and my taste buds screamed SAUSAGE! Yes, I admit. I am a card-carrying, proud member of the Breakfast Sausage Adoration Society. What to go with them? Perhaps some slices of that loaf of Black Olive bread I procured from the bakery. What else. Well, obviously, sausage and bread calls for eggs. Scrambled I was tired of. Enough of it already. I didn't have enough to do an omelette I could be proud to serve (no more cheese in in the fridge, the swiss chard? Been there, done that. And, wouldn't you know, fresh out of garlic! How could I allow that!?!?!). A simple solution--poach. I will waive my right to plead the fifth and will admit wholeheartedly that I have yet to poach the perfect egg. In fear of gifting salmonella with a tasty loaf I tend to overcook the egg. I have never achieved that most beautiful state of breaking into the yolk and having it ooze and soak into the toasted bread beneath. (Perhaps a subconscious doing since I am actually not a fan of a runny yolk?) This morning no different. How could I continue to wow in the face of that hardened yolk? And then the final touch hit me in those moments before he could even lean and further take over my side of the bed--asparagus. The first bunch purchased this season. A little pricey but a beautiful addition to my plate. Judge for yourself.

A Return to the Market

Perhaps I need another trip to the Farmer's Market. I went this morning. Resisted the strawberries and rhubarb but snagged a few apples. There was asparagus to be had. Finally. Sitting on my counter now waiting to be devoured. Perhaps for breakfast? Perhaps for dinner? Perhaps sliced, diced, cooked, and pureed into a filling for some ravioli. That sounds delectably divine. An onion and some swiss chard. Nothing crazy. Nothing over the top. I looked at the radishes and kept walking. I did the same with crate after crate of peas. The first time viewed this season. A new color to the ever growing palette of goods waiting to be experimented with. And now this article to taunt me.

My Apartment Smells Edible

Yes, another post. Three in one day. This must be a record. But I woke up early. I could not fall back to sleep. There was nothing to wash. No bill to pay. No apartment to clean or tidy. My clothes were already picked out for work and the gym bag was already packed. All of this done and I still have so much time in my day. So much time before I even have to think about getting on the train to drop off some banana coconut cupcakes at work before running over to the gym. So much time left and I already have lunch and dinner taken care of.

This is what I had:
chicken
plenty o' spices
some pine nuts just sitting innocently on my shelf
garlic. hmmmm. yummy garlic
left over spinach from another few experiments (breakfast and other dinners)
spinach focaccia (purchased from the local Farmers Market and always something I seek out)
other helpings in the fridge

And what did I make? Well, I ground the pine nuts and two cloves of garlic together to make a sort of paste (I didn't think to stop pulsing). I took the piece of chicken breast I had thawed (large enough to cut in half and make two servings out of) and cut small little strips and bits and pieces and coated them lightly in the paste. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little thyme (obsessed with it) and put in a pan with some olive oil already heated. The other piece I butterflied and filled with more of the garlic pine nut paste and spread a good helping of spinach on top of that, rolled it up, and put that in the same pan to start to cook (I love the smell of garlic cooking in olive oil and could probably eat that completely alone). I could eat that alone. And my stomach is nodding in agreement.

For the strips of chicken breast, I sliced the focaccia in half, toasted, and set it on the counter and added a slice of gouda cheese to it. The chicken, steaming from the stove top, was placed right on top of the gouda (the best way to really get it to melt and to absorb so much of the flavor from the chicken). The second slice of focaccia placed gingerly on top and now cooling before it becomes sealed in my portable tupperware.

The butterflied and stuffed chicken breast was sliced and is now cooling so I can place it on a bed of simple greens for what I hope with be a tasty salad.

We shall see.

Yummy, Tasty Smelling Lasagna

A week ago I took on a new challenge: I would be limited to the contents of my fridge and pantry for the span of seven days. Not so hard or challenging you might argue? Well, I like to bake and cook on the fly and as my mood or finding of a new recipe calls for. How could I limit myself to what was left in my paltry pantry? Drama queen I know I am because my pantry and fridge are full of vegetables (frozen and fresh from the local farmer's market), nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, almonds), coconut, milk, eggs, butter, turkey meat (also via the local farmer's market). There is a wealth and world of possibility within my pantry and fridge so of course I could limit myself. But, of course, this would also be the week I craved the blueberry pomegranate tea I spotted at Trader Joe's and this would be the one week I would not be able to cave in to the self-induced pressure to purchase. Besides, I have a jar full of jasmine, peach, green, and lemon teas--do I really need more? (I could argue yes but I won't).

Opting to make it easy of a Saturday morning I slept in somewhat later than usual (not setting the alarm and allowing my body to naturally wake up at 7am is sleeping in and later than usual, trust me). I woke up, turned on WNYC, and got to work making pecan pancakes (my mornings are usually rushed with taking just enough time to pour the milk into the cereal or the granola over the yogurt). I also relished my last cup of coffee until April 1 (what is it with me and all of these self-imposed challenges).

The pancakes turned out wonderfully and I resisted the urge to make the cook the entire batter (figuring I could play around with it tomorrow morning and bake waffles for another easy Sunday morning). On to the next challenge: making something healthy, tasty, and that made use of my most recent farmer's market purchases for at least 2-4 meals this week. In comes the idea of lasagna. I had the cheese (I think I had another week before some fungal guests would move in and make a meal of them) and pasta, the tomatoes (not fresh, sadly, but canned and perfectly decent with all of the spices I threw in), the spinach (also not fresh but frozen and sitting in my freezer long enough to contribute rent), turkey (purchased at the farmer's market; delectable in smell); onions (also via the farmer's market), some garlic (I wish from the farmer's market). I went about destroying my kitchen: tomato sauce everywhere, more grated cheese on my floor than the pan, remnants of garlic and onion stuck to the cutting board and knife, about 5 pans dirty and laying about the sink, the stovetop, the counter space (teeny tiny), and my dining table (also teeny tiny but a gal makes do in this city). A mess yes. But a deliciously smelling one. The lasagna is in the oven. I popped open the door to take a look and my stomach made little happy flips knowing it would be ingesting and digesting all of it shortly.

The next project today: to make use of the can of pumpkin puree I have left over. I think there is enough distance between a Thanksgiving season of pumpkin cake, muffins, and cookies to make the pumpkin walnut loaf I plan to bake quite welcome.

Until then ....