Local Harvest: Week 3 Haul

We got a bunch of weird stuff this week.

Sunchokes? Tatsoi, anyone? How about white sweet potatoes? What the heck? This week I learned that just because you don't know something exists doesn't mean it's not delicious. Also included in this week's box was a small bottle of raw honey, a scoop of organic (unpopped) popcorn, (I'm still a little nervous about this... I've never made non-microwavable popcorn before.), a pound of ground turkey, a bag of endive, spinach, a wedge of tomato basil jack cheese, six carrots, a spring onion, five blood oranges, two heads of garlic, one chinese cabbage, a turnip, and an acorn squash. In a pear tree.

I was happy to see the oranges since I've been feeling a need for extra vitamin C as of late. But there were a LOT of greens this week. And unless there's some hearty meat and potatoes alongside it, Todd isn't crazy about salads in the winter. But fortunately, we were having people over for dinner on Tuesday.

I was in the kitchen a good part of the day on Tuesday. I washed lots of salad greens (endive, spinach, tatsoi and the last of the minutina from last week) and prepped the remaining half of last week's butternut squash for my favorite winter salad. Then I threw together the ingredients for a tried and true crock pot meal together at 10AM... only to look back at the pot an hour and a half later and notice that the chicken was still frozen. Stupid dysfunctional electrical outlet! Fortunately, there was still plenty of time for it to cook, but I was in the middle of rescuing our near catastrophic dessert item when I noticed the cold crock pot, so I felt extra stressed out.

Shortly after the dessert rescue, Todd texted me to say that the family who was coming for dinner was sick and would not in fact be coming.

Awesome.

I texted him back. "Well, find somebody else we need to have dinner with. This is not a meal for two!"

I pressed on.

The dessert was a cheesecake. THE cheesecake, really. The recipe was borrowed from Todd's cousin and stands as his favorite dessert of all time. As a final 30th birthday gift, I was hoping to do it justice-- and then, right after pouring the creamy first layer onto the homemade graham cracker crust and placing it into the oven-- I realized I hadn't put any eggs in it.

Mama said there'd be days like this.

And that's exactly who I called. She told me to scrape it out, nevermind whatever graham cracker bits refused to detach, whisk the eggs, pour it all back in the mixer and mix it up. So I did. Then I made a bit more crust, covered the holes and poured the now slightly crunchier first layer back onto the crust. And into the oven it went. 45 minutes + some cooling time later, I added a second layer, cooked it a bit longer and then into the fridge it went to cool.

Todd found another couple to come to dinner. The salad was bright and savory. The chicken and biscuits were warm and comforting. And the cheesecake? No one had a clue that I almost destroyed it. It was perfect. The bearded birthday boy was pleased. :)

We're taking a couple of weeks off from Local Harvest (traveling and birthdays mean less cooking at home) and starting February 11th we'll be sharing our share, which means we'll only get a haul every other week. Still, I'll try to keep you abreast of the cooking/baking adventures... and I'll also try to get better at taking pictures of my food. :)

FYI- white sweet potatoes are just as good at orange ones, tatsoi makes a very pretty salad and sunchokes can be chopped roughly and added to any stew-- they taste like potatoes. I did the same with the turnips. Perhaps not very adventurous, but let's be honest. Ain't nobody got time for that. Not this week, anyway. When in doubt? Slow cook it.

Local Harvestry

I'm reading this book. It's rocking my world. And it's got me paying more attention to what I'm eating and how I'm cooking it.

It's also caused me to jump into the local/organic food game. The world of eating well is decidedly complicated-- so many strong opinions and attitudes. It's also crazy that eating food with less ingredients, handled by less people, is so much more expensive.

Anyway, I'm in the process of searching for a balance between eating healthier, more nourishing food and staying within a budget that also includes having a big community dinner once a week and dinner guests at least once or twice a week. (Not to mention the occasional meal for a new mom or sick friend.)

This quest has led me to join a local food co-op. There's a market about a mile from our house called Local Harvest. They have a weekly grocery program that provides you with all kinds of local, organic and homemade goodies. It's a cool program, but every now and then, you end up with a bunch of stuff that you really don't know what to do with. (example: radish shoots. I know they're usable, but I really don't care to use them.)

I'm going to make an effort to post the haul from the week and then mention a couple of recipes that came from the bounty. To recap, here's are the pics from week one:

Week 1: (all local/organic) Spinach, fair trade mid-roast coffee, jasmine rice, sweet potatoes, cabbage, acorn squash, swiss chard, havarti-esque cheese and ground lamb. 

Week one was a challenge, but I went in with a plan. Half the cabbage, the lamb and about a quarter of the rice became a Greek take on an old Polish staple-- guwumpki, or stuffed cabbage rolls. They came out good, but honestly, I'm just not a huge cabbage fan and lamb is one of the few meats I don't really care for. Oh well. I also ended up making a sweet potato/acorn squash mash. I roasted the squash and boiled the potatoes, mashed them all up and added a tic of brown sugar. Delish. Finally, the chard married some pecans from our Thanksgiving trip to Texas and turned into an incredible pesto. I'll definitely make that again. I also used the rest of the cabbage to make cabbage soup and froze it. It's okay. But it could use about a pound of corned beef. 

The munchkin with a giant head of cabbage.

Week 2: Didn't get a pic of the haul, but it consisted of: locally made fresh whole wheat pasta and organic spaghetti sauce, homemade meatballs made of pork from a local farm, baguette from a local bakery, farm eggs, spinach, butternut squash, radish shoots, *minutina, purple onions and cara cara (pink navel) oranges.

Woooo! This week was awesome. :) You can probably infer that we made the most incredible spaghetti of our lives using the pasta, sauce, meatballs and spinach. I should've taken a pic of it, but it was too delicious to waste time photographing it. I also grabbed the cheese from last week and some Trader Joe's avocados along with the spinach and minutina to form a magnificent omelet. Twice.

And the best discovery of the week? Cara cara oranges. Wow. I mean, my first bite of that orange turned my whole afternoon around. I have since purchased 19 more. (Five of which were to give as a gift.) No lie. I'm hoping they will help me fend off the flu season. I recommend you try them immediately.

I got this week's box today and it's full of weird stuff. :) I'll keep you posted.

*a cold weather salad green prized in Italy for its mild nutty flavor and crunchy texture. Grown in IL, it looks like grass, but is excellent tossed in salads.

Best of 2012: Pinterest Recipes

Well, here we are! 2013.

I thought about doing a 2012 recap... but to be honest, the majority of my 2012 was monopolized by the adventure of new motherhood. I didn't see a whole lot of movies. I wasn't particularly impressed with much popular music and I didn't go to many shows. I did finish Harry Potter in March! It was so great! But then I didn't pick up another book for the rest of the year, ha! So I wouldn't have much to report as far as a year end review...

However, I was exceptionally hungry in 2012. And subsequently, made a LOT of recipes from Pinterest. While Todd would probably be content to eat the same 7 meals a week-- I get bored, or moreso, curious. I like buying new groceries. And life is to short to eat the same thing all the time. :)

So, without further ado, I present a few of my favorite Pinterest Meals from 2012: a collection of links to recipes that have all become staples in the Genteman house over the past year:


BREAKFAST
I'm a carbs for breakfast (or lunch. or dinner.) kind of person. I just realized that these are basically three variations on the same thing. But they're all delicious. Take your pick-- and if you've got the time, add eggs and your favorite breakfast meat for a more balanced breakfast:

• Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
• Berry Breakfast Cake
• Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

LUNCH (VEGETARIAN)
Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans- as the linked blog says, if you've never had quinoa (say KEEN-waa, not Kin-NOAH, like I did when I asked for it at the grocery store), this is a great way to try it. These will keep for a few days, and still taste good reheated and topped with fresh cheese.

Superfood Scramble (Quinoa, Edamame, Egg, Avocado)- I'm brand new to the whole runny egg yolks thing, but lately, I'm really into it. This was the gateway recipe for me. It's super healthy and filling. Even my carnivore husband loved it-- but in this house, avocados cover a multitude of meatlessness.

Sweet Potato Burgers- This recipe takes two of our favorite (healthy) things and combines them into a burger so yummy, you won't care that it falls apart while you're eating it. White beans are are more aesthetically pleasing in this recipe, but black beans will work just as well! Yum!


DINNER
Angel Chicken- creamy and delicious. I serve it over brown rice with a side of broccoli and pretend that doing so cancels out the use of a can of condensed soup. I also used lowfat (neufchatel) cream cheese and usually sub chicken broth for white wine, because I rarely have the latter on hand.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta- This is a great one for company. I like to put the toppings (Tomatoes, avocado, etc.) in bowls and let people add their own as desired. If you need some greens to combat the pasta, try this White House Salad-- the vinaigrette is divine.

Southwest Salad- I can't even explain to you how yummy this salad is. You don't even need chicken on it. There's enough going on that you don't even notice it's not there. The dressing makes this salad, for sure. (I assemble mine in a mason jar and shake it up. I also add a considerable amount of water to mine, unless you like your dressing REALLY thick.) It's the perfect summer lunch or dinner. Thanks again for introducing me to this one, Laura. :)


SIDES & DESSERTS
Salsa Avocados- If you like avocado, this is a scrumptious, simple appetizer, light lunch or side dish. And it couldn't be easier. If you happen to have homemade salsa on hand? Even better.

Zesty Italian Potatoes- Cube some red potatoes (leave skin on), drizzle with olive oil, coat with a package of zesty Italian dressing mix and stir to coat. Add a bit of minced onion for flavor, then salt and pepper to taste. Cook in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until tender. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. (You could also wrap them in foil and throw them on the grill-- equally good.)

Chocolate Mayo Cupcakes- Mayo haters, get over it! You WILL NOT find a better chocolate cupcake-- and believe me, I know. I've looked. You can ask my roommates. Anyway, even if you hate mayo on sandwiches, you could argue that mayo was intended for such things as this, as it's made mostly of eggs. I'm legitimately obsessed with these cupcakes and therefore only make them on special occasions. I recommend the addition of chocolate icing, and if it's your birthday? Dunk the top of that iced cupcake in mini chocolate chips. Then put them in the fridge to get chilly. Annnnd my mouth is watering.

If you liked this list, you can click here to follow my food board on Pinterest. Enjoy!

Design Group Website

Oh y'all.

It's DONE.

www.bwdesigngroup.com

I can now begin to move forward with the rest of my life. :)

So Close...

2.5 more weeks of office work, y'all.

And a flurry of projects on the horizon that are completely un-work-related.

We just got back from an incredible thanksgiving vacation in Texas, during which we consumed roughly 4 gallons of Blue Bell ice cream and Violet grew two teeth. Eventful!

Anyway, I'm beyond excited to enter this new season of life apart from Corporate America. And I plan to kick it off in the following ways:

1) Finishing the task of decorating the Genteman casa for Christmas. There are a bevy of Pinterest items clamoring for my attention.

2) Keeping my sweet friend's adorable 3 month old son one day a week while she works. Violet will have a bestie and once they're a bit older, I'll basically have twins for a day. :)

3) Functioning as the admin for Sidney Street Sales, my hubby's side hustle that is providing the funds for me to stay home with baby girl. And speaking of babies, I'm also SUPER excited to announce that 10% of all profits from our next sale on Saturday Dec. 8th will be going to benefit the domestic adoption of our dear friends Josh and Kim Jones!

(If you want to help bring even MORE babies home, buy this EP from Josh or one of these amazingly comfy t-shirts from our friends Dan and Natalie who are adopting twin boys from Africa!)

4) Visiting the newly and resplendently renovated St. Louis Central Public Library! This dreamy place has been closed since I moved to STL and I cannot WAIT to get in there! Violet (and her eventual siblings) will surely spend a sizable chunk of their childhoods within these walls. Can't wait!

5) And finally, I intend to finish work on the first piece of a venture I've been dreaming about and sitting on for years. That's right. Look for my first works of kids lit to come to fruition in 2013. :)

For now? Back to that grind.

Tis The Season... for Tiny Prints

Having a baby will take up ALL of the memory on your phone REAL quick.

I've gone from having maybe 200 photos on my camera over a span of 6 months, to over 1000 photos in less than 5 months. And the real question is-- what in the world am I going to do with all of those photos?!

Two Words: Christmas Cards!

And when you're talking Christmas cards, holiday cards, invitations or announcements of any kind, the first place you should be googling is Tiny Prints.

Normally, the beautiful selection of cards at Tiny Prints would be a bit outside our budget. Especially since our income is about to be slashed, Christmas cards were definitely a line item that was up on the chopping block.  But the wonderful folks at Tiny Prints are giving me the opportunity to tell you what a great experience I've had with their website and their product-- and in return, they're giving me credits to their website to order my cards again this year! (Which is such a blessing, since Violet's face is just begging to be printed in mass quantities and delivered to a long list of loved ones who live several hundred miles away.)

SO. Let's talk Christmas Cards, shall we? :)
First of all-- the designs that Tiny Prints has to offer are stellar. Check it:

I've only ever ordered their Christmas cards, but they have cards for a variety of occasions and events. And these are designs you'll be proud to share with your friends and loved ones. You won't find any cheesetastic clip art covered creations, nor will you be plagued with card after card printed in Papyrus or Comic Sans. Tiny Prints offers unique, top of the line products in a variety of styles with different options for accessories (labels, envelopes, etc.) and various weights of paper.

Secondly, the service is speedy. Not only will your cards arrive promptly (even in the midst of the wildness of the holidays), if any issues arise, their customer service department does a great job of answering any questions that may arise.

Finally-- the quality of these cards is phenomenal. I can't even tell you how many compliments we received last year. These people are pros and their work speaks for itself. The prices of their cards vary, but they have wonderful sales and discounts during the holidays. Check out their special offers page for great deals on party invites, birth announcements, holiday cards and more! You'll be glad you did.

Thanks for adding an early bit of merry to our Christmas season, tinyprints. :)

p.s. I also just got an email this morning that zulily.com is offering $30 worth of custom tinyprints cards for $15, plus free shipping! If you're not a member of zulily and would like to be, leave me a comment and I'll send you an invite.

Time Is Love

Since my last two posts have been about cookies, I thought maybe it was time for a post with a bit more depth. 

So, to get right to it...

“This song explains why I’m leaving home to become a stewardess.”

And this song explains why I’m leaving my perfectly good job in December to stay home with my baby.

I don’t even listen to country, y’all. But the one week I decided to, I heard this song and it just happened to coordinate perfectly with the time of life when I was figuring out how to tell my boss that I couldn’t come back to work full time. Ever. 

It came down to this: I like my job and I'm super grateful for it, but I don't like it enough to continue to do it while paying someone else an obscene amount of money to raise my daughter for me. Not when I don't HAVE to. As it is, even with lots of support from Todd and our friends and family, my brain has been on the verge of melting down for the past three weeks, trying to juggle being a Mrs. while doing ministry, mommyhood, marketing for an engineering firm. I mean, I fancy myself a better than average multi-tasker-- but lately, I just feel like I'm doing four things badly.

I know I'll probably never have the luxury of just doing one thing (I'm not sure I'd want to, actually), but I want to do the things I am doing well-- and it's been especially difficult-- if not impossible-- to do that lately.

So-- we're gonna try something new. :)

It's crazy how I've wanted to stay home for years, only to realize now that it's time, it's going to be totally different than I expected. It will be wonderful. It will be stressful. It will be new in every way-- and I'm so ready to give it a try. I'm also so grateful for my husband's support and enthusiasm regarding this decision/life change. It definitely shifts our financial stress to him and I am humbled and grateful that he's willing to shoulder the burden alone for awhile.

My last day of work is in December. Will I work outside the home again? Probably. Who knows? I have plans for my new lifestyle (which I won't be sharing until I actually follow through with some of them) but I'm not fussed about coming up with a timeline for how long this new way of life will last. We'll take it a day at a time.

Till then? Gotta run... :)