Warm Sunshine Sausage Pasta Salad

As promised, we’ll update you as we eat our 1/7th of a hog. There’s two recipes + photos coming, once I can get my camera & computer to stop acting up. However, I figured I’d post Sunday night’s dinner, as I’m pretty sure I didn’t take any photos of it. After all, I was just throwing it together to feed three people (Bill, a last-minute guest and I).

So, here’s the deal. Saturday Bill and I were trying to vacuum seal all our pork up. Vacuum sealing really helps keep foods a great deal longer in the freezer, in my experience, and so I really wanted to get on it. Unfortunately, my vacuum sealer is acting like a jerk, so we only managed to vacuum seal a few things.… Continue reading →

Tasha’s (attempt at) Asparagus Risotto

Cover of How to Pick a Peach, by Russ Parsons

One of the first things I wanted to do upon arriving home to Chicago was find some asparagus. I love asparagus utterly, and could probably eat it until I turn into an asparagus spear.

Luckily for me, asparagus season isn’t that long.

“Asparagus season isn’t that long” was actually my biggest fear upon arriving home too. I was terrified that three weeks gone from home, and a couple weeks of not shopping prior to that meant I’d missed out completely. Which would have made me quite sad.

So, of course, it only makes utter sense that we would get in about 8:00 pm on a Friday, and I’d be prepared to go to a Saturday morning farmers’ market. Where, thankfully, I found asparagus. I also found a couple of tomato plants, an amazing tamale (that isn’t New Mexican style at all), and some eggs.… Continue reading →

[2] & [3] A dinner from Better Homes and Gardens, circa 1962

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1962)

Tonight’s dinner was inspired by the fact that Bill and I hadn’t done much shopping this weekend, in anticipation of our CSA half share arriving. Also, it was inspired by not wanting to leave the house today. The final inspiration for it was realizing we have committed to cooking nearly 2500 recipes before we can ever buy a cookbook again, and we want that to be the shortest possible time.

I have to admit, we’re both a little nervous about tackling the Better Homes and Gardens “New Cookbook”, because it’s huge and so many of the recipes seem to come from a cooking style rather different than our own. Still, my grandmother gave it to me when everyone had good reason to believe I was going to starve in undergrad (I was not so much a fan of cooking back then).… Continue reading →