from my kitchen

beef and bean chili with all of the best toppings

eggs benedict with a garden fresh tomato and mock hollandaise (one of my all-time favorites!)

measuring and mixing

enthusiastically tasting

carefully peeling

more eggs benedict with chard and yellow heirloom brandywines.

slow roasted tomatoes with garlic and herbs. the house smelled amazing.

homemade grape gelatin. just like regular jello, but no chemicals or dyes!

chicken and dumplings from the slow cooker

while i am still limping around with a sore foot, i have been managing to keep us fed with wholesome delicious food. standing up cooking makes my foot hurt, but it makes me feel good in so many other ways that the pain is worth it. i'm in the throes of nesting right now and all i want to do is cook, and can, and freeze food. and reorganize the house. and fold all of the baby clothes over and over and over.

gigi started preschool recently, so in theory i should be able to be a slightly less-lazy blogger... at least until baby #2 arrives.

from my kitchen (and a rainstorm)

chicken pot pie with biscuit topping and a side of red cabbage 

classic spaghetti and meatballs with broccoli

and meatball sandwiches the next night...

potstickers and avocado; a perfect late night snack

hardboiled

orange flesh honeydew - so good

egg, avocado, havarti and mayo on a roll

making dough

individual rhubarb crisps for the freezer

mama's night off

insane rainstorm

obligatory weekend pizza: red pepper, spinach, and mushroom on whole grain crust

snap peas from the garden!

pork chops, green garden salad, and creamy dill potato salad

the last few days

i love finding this bounty in the nesting box

so excited that domino is back! (even though it's a limited thing. i'll take what i can get.)

wandering at the zoo

'meow meow meow'

lettuce and radishes from the garden

still enjoying domino with my afternoon tea

simple raviolis and veggies

from garden to kitchen

i planted leeks in my winter garden because i read they were easy to grow in the winter, not because i really loved leeks. after harvesting them and trying out new ways to eat them i can tell you that i love them now. first i have to say that having a winter garden has been really amazing. there were a few days where i found myself at home with a sick child and no veggies to make for dinner. i would worry a bit and then remember the garden outside. of course a winter garden isn't like a spring and summer garden where you can eat from it everyday. things just don't grow that quickly in the winter, at least not where i live. the best example of this was realizing i had on hand all of the ingredients to make chicken and leek pasties, with a side of chard. of course gigi was sick and i don't have any photos... it was a River Cottage recipe, easy and delicious.

when i pulled my winter garden to make way for my spring garden, i found myself with an abundance of leeks and had to try out a recipe for braised leeks from the fantastic new book Grow Cook Eat by Willi Galloway. i checked it out from the library and have put it on my hope-to-own list. she has a lovely blog too.

saute the leeks in some butter for a few minutes, add some chicken broth and white wine and reduce. then sprinkle with parmesan and slide it under the broiler just until the cheese melts. really delicious and rich.

i also had a few cabbages in my garden, but i planted them too late in the fall and they didn't really produce good heads. i did manage to get a tiny tender head from each one, though. 

i sauteed leeks and cabbage together. it was so fresh and really good with the pot roast we had that night. i just used up the last of the winter leeks from my garden and i'm really wishing i had used some to make potato leek soup. you see, it's march 1st today and i woke up to snow on the ground! that's pretty strange  for my part of the world. according to my planting calendar i should be sowing beets, carrots and radishes today. hmmm... so glad we put up our tunnel cloches! i checked on them on monday and the spinach and lettuce have sprouted. despite having the tunnels, i think i'll wait for a sunny day to do my next round of seed sowing. 

it was a lovely weekend

creating:

wreath

gingerbread ornaments

christmas bunting

husband-crafted pizza

a budding love of brussels sprouts

dinner

edible tree trimmings

hearth

 other highlights include:

-cedarwood waldorf school winter faire

-hillsdale farmer's market

-dinner at sasquatch brewery

fermented cucumber pickles

my first ferment!! the head of dill and that extra big cucumber are from our garden. the garlic and the rest of the cucumbers are from our csa. i followed this recipe, except i am making sure everything is submerged and leaving it out on the counter for four days before sticking it in the fridge. i'll let you know in three weeks how they turn out...

breakfast, lunch & dinner

diner-style breakfast: hash browns, fried eggs, bacon and tea. not pictured: a bavarian cream donut and a maple bar...

antipasti salad, inspired by the latest issue of Everyday Food. i would post a link, but it doesn't seem to be online yet...

marinara made from leftovers and salad. i never thought i'd be one of those parents who pureed vegetables to hide them in food, but it turns out i am. (and she LOVED it!)

coconut pullman cake from Grand Central Bakery. the buttercream on this is ridiculous.

breakfast, lunch & dinner

toast, smoothie and a soon-to-be-scrambled egg

lentil soup

grilled chicken, broiled asparagus and mushroom ravioli topped with parmesan