Boil Them Cabbage*

We are members of a CSA, and all summer long we have gotten weekly drop offs of local, organic produce.  On top of that, we hosted the CSA at our house (so people picked up from our place), which meant that not only did we not have to go pick up our produce every week, but we got a discount for hosting, and if people didn’t pick up their shares… we got to keep them.

I looked around for places that I could donate extras to, but I was wholly unsuccessful at finding somewhere that would take fresh food (unfortunately).

This week was the last week of the season, and after it was over, we had a ton of fresh greens.  There was spinach, there was kale, there were beet greens (which, for the record, are AMAZING on homemade pizza).  And there was so much of all of it that there was no way we’d be able to eat it all before it went bad without actually turning green.

So, I looked up how to preserve greens.  It turns out that you can freeze them if you blanche them first.  So, last night, in a fit of nesting energy, I washed:

 

blanched:

Blanching Spinach

and froze almost all of our greens.

Freezing Greens

The question I had while working was, of course, what kind of music should I listen to while doing this?

The answer seemed obvious–bluegrass!  So I set up Pandora, and let the banjo, fiddle, guitar, and other strings keep my mind off the fact that standing around boiling and cooling greens for a couple of hours while unreasonably pregnant made my feet hurt.

And this winter, when you’re looking for a fix for your cravings for teeny baby toes and fingers and soups and stews with organic, local greens… come on over!

*No, there was no cabbage.  The title to this post is a reference to a common fiddle tune called Boil Them Cabbage Down.

Chilly Anyone?

Ahhh, I’m so punny. No, really. Because jokes about cold are always funny when you live in Chicago, I had to go with this title.

Anyway, I hate chili. I have always hated chili. I don’t like kidney beans, I don’t like spicy foods, I don’t like chili powder, I don’t like the texture, the taste, the anything.

However, last week when my in-laws were visiting, my father-in-law wanted to cook us his chili. And they’re my in-laws. So I couldn’t very well say no, especially since I have such a terrible reputation for being ridiculously picky about food. (For the record, I’m not picky about food, and I will always try a bite, but I’m not going to eat a ton of food I don’t like, and if I have a say, I like to be the one cooking (so I can avoid things like chili) or helping to decide what to make.) So, I made rice on the side and determined to eat a small helping and fill up on rice and never, ever complain.

Here’s the thing though–it was really good! He used pinto beans instead of kidney beans, and didn’t use chili powder at all. What a difference! I guess one might say that those changes make the dish not chili at all… but who cares?! I didn’t have to lie when I said that I enjoyed it!

It also meant that when I came across a chili recipe in a magazine (Real Simple), I actually looked at it. And then I bought the ingredients. And then I cooked it. And it was delicious! I liked changing the ground beef to ground turkey in the recipe. The turkey adds extra flavor while providing a similar texture. There was a generous amount of cumin in the dish, but not so much that it overpowered it. And while I still omitted the chili powder, I did substitute some chipotle hot sauce from Kullervo’s Christmas hot sauce gift set. And, like my father-in-law, I also replaced the kidney beans. In this case, I used a can of pinto beans and a can of navy beans (both drained and rinsed well, of course, so that dinner didn’t taste like a can).

I served the chili with rice and with a French loaf, and basked in the praise as Kullervo raved all night about how delicious dinner was. All in all, culinary success!

American Idol – the short version

I drove all day on Friday to the Boston auditions for the next season of American Idol.  I will give a blow-by-blow later, but I’m still exhausted from the whirlwind trip, so suffice it to say for now that, at least right now, I am unlikely to be the next American Idol.  There’s a cool story, including really cool people, Ryan Seacrest, someone getting kicked out of the stadium…

But I’m still tired, so I’m getting ready for bed.

Audition

This evening, I auditioned for a part in a local theater’s production of Hello Dolly!

I am trying not to get my hopes up, for a number of reasons.
1. They didn’t have me sing any scales, which implied to me that they weren’t really interested in my range.
2. I closed my eyes while I was singing.
3. I didn’t do a very good job during the dance (I don’t think).

However, just going to audition was a big deal for me. So, even if I don’t get a callback, or even if I don’t get a part, I’m proud of myself for doing something difficult. I was so nervous during the audition that my teeth were chattering and I was shaking and freezing cold.

Boogas

In the last few weeks, I have made two Booga bags and one Mooga bag.

A mooga bag is a mini Booga–I wanted to make a smaller bag, and so I shrank the number of stitches required for a Booga. I haven’t felted it yet; pictures to follow when I finish felting them all, and send the one that is a gift to the recipient.

FO – A Hat for Hazel!

I made this hat–twice actually–for Hazel. I didn’t have a pattern; I just kind of knit, using a stitch I really liked (from the most recent socks I made for Conner). I had to knit it twice because the first time it was too wide and too short (so much for swatching…). However, since it was cashmere, it was yummy to knit with. I think it turned out well, especially since it’s really the first thing I’ve made without a pattern.

Hazel likes to touch it too! (It’s soooo soft!)