Gee, I guess it's been awhile........

Well, I guess I've neglected my blog long enough now. I posted a few more food pictures. The squashes were stuffed with a rice/veggie mixture and topped with parmesan. Really quite simple but very yummy! The variety of squash is Sweet Dumpling. Their flesh is very dry and rich tasting. I will stuff them again, but make the filling a little more moist. Very tasty! This brings me to quite possibly my favorite time of year for cooking....fall! (Or, where I live, something sort of resembling fall, only about 20 degrees hotter.) I do love winter squash, my favorite being butternut. I love to peel, cube and roast it with various seasonings, usually of the spicy and always of the savory variety. I'm not a fan of sweetening squash. For years, I would not eat winter squash or sweet potatoes because of the horrible treatment they received at the hands of my (well-meaning) mom. You know what I'm talking about: squash swimming in brown sugar and cinnamon, or (the worst!) mashed, sweetened sweet potatoes covered with melted marshmallows. Disgusting. I was an adult before I discovered the delights of these vegetables given the savory treatment. I like to make oven roasted sweet potato fries tossed with olive oil, salt and cayenne pepper. Tasty!
I also enjoy this time of year as it brings with it the urge to bake more. I have been experimenting more and more with yeast breads. So far, just very simple ones like the Ricotta Dill bread in the picture. So simple to make, yet so satisfying! And what a great grilled cheese sandwich. I do like to bake quick breads as well, and pumpkin bread being my favorite right now. I did, however, substitute some mashed roasted butternut squash for pumpkin in a quick bread recipe with really great results. I liked it even better than the pumpkin.
Well, I think that's it for now. The garden is basically fall ready and I will post a picture soon.

Garden updated

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I posted. Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let some snaps do the talking.

So, I've got bean and cucumber sproutlings now! Very exciting. Green beans (I can't remember the variety) and lemon cucumbers. I've tried to grow lemon cukes once before unsuccessfully, but not this year! I feel it, they will be awesome.

Aww....aren't they cute?

Growth!

Ooh, growth, it's so exciting in the garden. I've taken a new picture. I'll post it. Enjoy.

Snow peas

Well, I just had possibly the best lunch ever. Leftover homemade dal with rice, and stir-fried snow peas with scallions, both picked from the garden this morning. Yum. Nourishing and light, full of protein and energy so I can......finish doing the laundry. :)

That's my garden up there as it looks right now. (It's small, but I love it!)

I have carrots, snow peas, scallions, two kinds of tomatoes, one pepper plant, basil, oregano, thyme, catnip and some bolting cilantro. I've also just planted seeds for green beans and lemon cucumbers. Can't wait to see the sproutlings!

bye

so, i've finally decided to put a post on my blog. (as i am the aforementioned working mom, i have little time to spare for frivolities such as this blog.......) anyway, i wanted to create a little blog for my food pictures, and perhaps have it evolve into something more. maybe a place to share recipes or ideas? or to just fool around on when i have a bit of time....
i guess i'll start with my favorite subject: food. right now is a great time of year for yummy green goodies. it seems that herbs are beginning to be more abundant, both in my garden and at the grocery store (which, by the way, is where i work). herbs can be lovely, inspiring little things. they can be tossed into omelets, pasta or salads, used to make a simple vinaigrette elegant and most definitely eaten with copious amounts of fresh goat cheese. how about a good, old-fashioned compound butter? perhaps some fresh dill and chives with a touch of lemon juice in the ol' processor with a stick of butter? roll it up in a log shape in wax paper and freeze it unitl you have a great piece of grilled fish to melt it on.
some of my other favorite greenies in spring are, of course, asparagus and snow peas. i am a fool for fresh snow peas. i grow them every year, and i'm lucky any of them make it into the house. actually, i love to let some of them stay on the plant until the peas inside start to swell. when they reach this stage, they are excellent for a good stir fry. my new favorite way to cook asparagus is to roast it in the oven with just a bit of olive oil and coarse salt. yum.
well, i guess i'm done waxing poetic about greenies for now. until next time......