Author Archives: Tasha

A few mundane things

Bill & I get married in 19 days. That, I think, firmly lands us in the “HOLY CRAP” area of life.

It’s so exciting. It’s also a little nerve-wracking, but it will be fine in the end. I keep trying to remind myself that we have guests, food, an officiant, a venue and, most importantly, each other. It will be fine[1]. Still, it doesn’t always work that way.

I’ve been cooking some, but not as much as I’d like. Still, some challenge recipes have been made. I’d tell you more about them, but my darling bridesmaid Angelique reads this blog, and at least one is part of her bridesmaid’s gift. So, uh, yeah. Plus I have to remember what I’ve made that’s new.

Which reminds me to pull a couple pork chops out of the freezer for tomorrow.… Continue reading →

Tomatoes

Yesterday, I took a tomato canning course through Slow Food Chicago. I suspected (correctly) that I didn’t really need the course, as between my books and experience with jam I could figure it out. However I also suspected (also correctly) that it would give me a chance to meet other people who are interested in food & food preservation.

Not that I did a great job of getting or giving contact info…

When I signed up for the course, way back a bazillion years ago, I paid for them to purchase 10 lbs of tomatoes on my behalf. I do have a CSA share, and the farm we get it from is “named after tomatoes”:http://tomatomountain.com/ but last year I didn’t get so many tomatoes that I felt I’d have enough for this workshop.… Continue reading →

This year is just not what I expected in food.

A few years ago, I discovered I actually like tomatoes. It took me a few years to totally come around on them (for awhile I thought it was just “orange” ones I liked), and the moment I did is totally my friend Corrine’s fault. (Thanks, Corrine!)

On Tuesday I’ll be taking a class on how to can tomatoes. I’m actually not sure I really need it, since my handy “Ball Book of Preserving”:http://www.metacookbook.com/permalink/ball-book-of-home-preserving.html makes it seem pretty damn easy. However, the class is fairly inexpensive, I’ll get a chance to see Logan Square Kitchen in person, and I’ll get to meet some people who are also interested in canning. So, why not?

Putting up tomatoes was a big goal for me this year, earlier in the year.… Continue reading →

Surprise! Dinner was delicious!

Tonight’s dinner was supposed to be vegetable risotto. I was still just going to throw it together, but I had PLANS.

However, Bill worked late and is about to go work some more. So risotto wasn’t going to happen, because it was going to take too damn long.

So, on the train ride home, I started trying to figure out some faster meal. The worst case scenario, in my head, was that we ate out. We have too many veggies in the house for that to work for me at all. We’ve been inundated by tomatoes, you see.

My train thought process went about like this (truly – all crazy thoughts included):

“We’ve GOT to use up some of those tomatoes. And didn’t we get like a pound of basil in the last share?… Continue reading →