Monthly Archives: July 2011

Book Review: Coming Home to Eat by Gary Paul Nabhan

I’m sitting in the library as I write this. In my bag is Coming Home to Eat: The Politics and Pleasures of Local Foods by Gary Paul Nabhan, waiting to be returned. On the table next to me is a book I have been unable to read, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. As a direct result of reading Coming Home to Eat, I am resolved to give Kingsolver’s book another shot.

I’m not totally thrilled about this. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is consistently being recommended to me. I know tons of people who personally love it. No one I know personally, except me, has ever had a problem with it. And my interest in food makes it an expected book on the “to read” list.… Continue reading →

Help me out, please?

A little while ago, I realized I had one category called “recipes” and was putting any post that resembled a recipe in that category. However, I felt that category was bulking up and there were a lot of recipes that were not the “main dish” of this blog in there. So I broke it up into “Challenge Recipes” (aka – the main dish), “Wedding Recipes” (aka – the smallest category) and “Our Recipes” (aka – HOLY CRAP I’M LEARNING TO COOK).

However, what do I do with a recipe someone gave me that is in none of those categories? It’s not in the “Challenge Recipes” category because it’s a recent gift (so it wasn’t part of the challenge stash). I’m not serving it at my wedding.… Continue reading →

Everyone’s a winner!

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  • Saturday, July 9, 2011
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Man, that giveaway didn’t get much love, did it?

Well, that’s quite alright. It means I know the people who did enter really love the thought of homemade jam! So, since we had a total of three entrants, Bill & I discussed it and decided to give all of you jam! (Seriously? Especially with the fresh batch of strawberry and the fresh batch of strawberry-vanilla, we have GOBS of jam.)

So, guys, contact me to discuss flavors & collect your winnings!… Continue reading →

Jam Giveaway!

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  • Thursday, July 7, 2011
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I’m making the first jam of the summer! One of my favorite farmers had a TON of strawberries for me to make jam. I’m thankful for this, because I didn’t think I’d manage to make strawberry jam this year – this is the end of the season.

The berries are seconds, which I am still learning how to use, so it’s been an adventure. But the canner’s heating up, and the berries are smooshed and the sugar’s measured, and I’m ready. And I have so many seconds leftover, I might manage to make a second batch. (I’ll need more jars, though.) I’m not holding my breath on that one, though.

The catch, though, is that I get kind of frenzied in making jam each summer. Bill’s forbidden to buy jam, generally, because I can make it and we have a lot.… Continue reading →

Steak Sandwich with Brandy-Glazed Mushrooms & Onions

I bet you guys thought this blog was going to turn out to be all pork, all the time for awhile, didn’t you?

Well, the truth is, I’m expecting the meat in the freezer (I’ve got more than pork in there) to last until we get back from the wedding & honeymoon, with minimal supplementation (mostly from my meat guy at Pilsen Community Market, some from the fish counter at Whole Foods). Some of that will be because we’ll eat out and I hope a lot is because we manage to eat several vegetarian meals.

This sandwich is the result of wanting to try the beef my PCM meat guy sells. He doesn’t sell much else, and as I want to be sure to do much of my shopping from the market, I imagine he’ll see some money from me from time to time.… Continue reading →