The Sun Came Out!

If you do or ever have lived in Michigan you know how precious the sun can be in the months of January and February. And in a winter where the sun has not been much in evidence two whole days where the sun came out and the air outside wasn't quite as frigid might just mean that winter will end eventually. Not that this cook is holding her breath. So with a shred of hope I am starting to incorporate more veg and greens into the menu. Just a little bit here and there, but it may be time to come out of the brown food days.

Monday: White Beans with Sausage and Kale
Tuesday: Beer Braised Venison Chops with Smashed Potatoes
Wednesday: Maple/Ginger Squash
Thursday: Carrot & Fennel Rice Pilaf
Friday: Slumgullion
Saturday: Homemade Corned Beef Hash with Backyard Eggs
Sunday: Leftovers

Saturday has become a bit of a non-day around here. Donald and I usually work closes that night and Ash has game nights out usually so I've been planning bigger brunches for us at home and we all eat packed dinners or eat out that night.

CSA Goodness

It's that time of year again! The abundance of fresh veggies and other surprises in a big box every week. Last year we got a 1/2 share from Valley Family Farm in Milan. This year we decided to upgrade to a full share so that we had more to play with for preserving and putting up in addition to the weekly numnums (yes, that is a technical term people.). At the very beginning of the season our box is heavy with greens. The first week we had a couple of kinds of lettuce, green onions, garlic scapes, and assorted herbs. This week the box was overflowing with even more goodness. We added broccoli, red potatoes, collard greens, lemon balm, garlic chives, and kale to the list from the first week. With the abundance of lettuces it seemed like a good time to turn to the "salads" section of my cookbook (my preferred book is the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook as it has great technique sections in addition to pretty fail-proof recipes). Last week it was pretty straightforward with Caesar salads (we had a whole head of romaine). And this week it was Cobb salads. Nothing dramatic, nothing too in depth. Just simple, wonderful salads. I can't wait until next week to find another one I love!

I might have a green problem...

Everything I find myself knitting lately has been shades of green. Green hats, green socks, green sweaters. Green just about everything. Lovely grassy shades, bright almost lime colors, and the soft mossy shades have taken over my knitting. I'm not sure where this little obsession came from..






And don't get me wrong. I love green (damn good thing, otherwise I would REALLY have a problem). But I'm beginning to realize that I may have a bit of a hangup. Someone might need to stage an intervention. Or just send more green yarn.. I'll get sick of it eventually right?

Green Beans Even Kids Love

Tonight's dinner was so typical of the dinners that happen around here on weeknights. Meat, potatoes, and something green. I have a pretty all purpose way of cooking the something green, but tonight it was green beans and turned out kind of awesome. So when you read this keep in mind that the "green" part of this is pretty flexible. I like it with beans or mixed greens (collards & mustard usually), but you could use it with a range of vegetables as long as they have a little heft to them. This is not what you want to do with your delicate greens. Save those for the salads and such people!

Green Beans for Everyone

2# fresh green beans - trimmed and cut to about 1" lenght (you can use frozen here if you are in a hurry)
8oz bacon - diced
1 medium onion - chopped

In a large skillet (I use my wok so there is enough room for everything) cook the bacon until it has given up most of it's fat and is starting to crisp up. Add the onion and cook until slightly soft. Add the beans, stir to coat with the bacon fat and saute until the beans are slightly soft and warmed through. Be careful not to overcook, if they start to turn "army green" they are close to being over done. Take out of the pan with a slotted spoon so you leave most of the fat in the pan (you can pour this into a container and put in the fridge for later use). Serve warm.