Thankgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

I hope you got to celebrate with something delicious looking like this (or perhaps nothing like this!) and with those that you love. We sure did miss our families but enjoyed a quiet day with just me, Ross, and Bryan - a friend of Ross' from school and camp. 

Our special bird came from Cedarville Farm where he lived a good life until this past Tuesday when he came to us. We had decided that buying our turkey from Mike at the farm was very important to us because it aligned with our Christian eating ethic - like supporting a good local farmer who we had developed a relationship with, and the manner in which this turkey was raised had a positive impact of the people who cared for it and the environment, and was healthy for our bodies. 

The turkey needed a brine, so we added 3 cups of salt to 3 gallons of water and soaked him overnight in a 5 gallon bucket. It took a complete rearranging of the refrigerator, but we made it work. The next morning after a quick rinse and dry he was ready to roast! 

We sprinkled the bird with paprika and placed him in an oven bag, stuffed him and left him to roast for about 3 hours. 

It couldn't have turned out better. 

After a 30 minute cool I got to carving. While I was cutting into the breast I started hear this strange sound, it was a faint "gobble gobble." I started freaking out, but then it stopped. I kept carving and then heard it again! I thought I was losing it... then I realized the dishwasher was making some weird squeaking noises. Whew, close one! 

The result was incredible. Delicious, moist meat with a nice, subtle salty flavor. 

I used all the drippings to make a gravy: just put the drippings in a pot, brought them to a boil and added some organic corn starch to thicken. So simple, and the result was delicious! 

Stuffing - with apples, carrots, celery, onions and cranberries. 

Potatoes, also from Cedarville Farm. 

Organic sweet potatoes with brown sugar, cinnamon and vegan marshmallows. 

Green bean casserole - and the only thing that came in a can were the fried onion pieces for the top. I made a simple roux, sautéd mushrooms and onions with the fresh whole green beans, mixed it all up and baked it. 

We have so much to be thankful for - a wonderful meal, each other, graduation is coming up, we get to travel and be home with family for the holidays, we have the opportunity to live and serve at Holden Village soon, and new adventures to come. 

Thank God for good food, friends, family, farmers, cooks, and eaters alike. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

The hearty, rich squashes of harvest season are here! I was super excited to make my own stuffed acorn squash after seeing this one. 

Though when I got home last night and actually looked at the recipe, I realized that I just didn't have all the ingredients on hand. Therefore, not only did I make my own stuffed squash, I created my own recipe from ingredients that came in our CSA box this past Wednesday. 

Stuff Acorn Squash for Two 

1 large organic acorn squash

1 medium organic onion

2 portobello mushrooms 

2 small organic tomato

1 organic red pepper 

1 cup organic wheat berries (or brown rice) 

Canola oil 

Salt, pepper, garlic, and any spices you desire 

Parmesan cheese to top 

First, start cooking the wheat berries by rinsing them and putting them in a rice cooker with with 2 1/2 cups water. Let the rice cooker do it's thing for about 25-30 minutes - about the same time as it takes the squash to cook. Then pre-heat the oven to 425*. 

Rinse your acorn squash and then chop it in half. I had Ross help me out with this part - I am considering sterilizing his coping saw for future squash and pumpkin cooking. 

Then take a spoon and scrape out the seeds and pulp just as if you were carving a pumpkin. 

Place the halves face up on a cookie sheet, brush or spray the flesh with oil, and season with salt, pepper, garlic, etc. Bake for 30 minutes or so, until you can easily poke the squash with a fork without resistance. 

In the meantime, finely chop the onion, pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes, and saute until soft. I waited to add the tomatoes until right at the end because they can make it too soggy to get that nice charring effect that I love on peppers and onions. When the wheat berries are done, add them into the mix in the frying pan.

When the squash is ready, spoon your stuffing into the cavity of the quash.

Top with some cheese and broil for 2-3 minutes. 

So delicious! This is a definite repeat recipe - we want to experiment with other ingredients as well, like chicken sausage, apples, and bread (more like a stuffing).  This was a big squash and there was plenty leftover over - when we were full we scraped out the remaining flesh and mixed it with the remaining stuffing in a Pyrex bowl to save for lunch today! 

Today is pretty low-key; we went to church and I sang with my choir, we stopped by Trader Joe's for some groceries, and now I'm working on some stuff for school and Ross is watching football in-between loads of laundry. 

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday! 

Zucchini Bread Muffins

I love summer veggies! I decided I had to do something other than Zucchini Pancakes this time around, and since my grandma sent me her recipe I had to try it out! 

The recipe is pretty basic, produces a delicious result, and is a great way to use your local, organic zucchini! 

Zucchini Bread Muffins

Yield: 2 loaves or 2 dozen muffins

2 cups grated organic zucchini

4 local free-range eggs 

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup olive oil (or any oil/butter)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon 

2 cups sugar (I did only 1 cup) 

3 1/2 cups flour

Optional: walnuts, chocolate chips, or whatever you want! 

First grate the zucchini. 

Mix the wet. 

Mix the dry. 

Mix it all together and then pour it into your muffin tin or a greased load pan. 

Bake at 350F - 25 minutes for muffins, 55-60 minutes for loaves. 

Our favorite way to eat them is slathered in chocolate peanut butter, or Nutella. 

Fresh out of the oven is delicious too!!! 

A Different Smile

We went out for our first anniversary on Monday. 

It was a really low key day as I am still recovering from surgery, but we still went out to dinner that night - though it might be considered untraditional to go with two members of your wedding party and another really awesome friend... but Justin had flown in from TN and we had to see him! 

Justin and Hayley (they were both in our wedding party and hooked up on our special day, and they are still together. One of my favorite wedding stories!) So we all decided it was their one year make-out-aversary.

And this is Siri (who grew up with Hayley and is now our friend too!) 

We went to Skylark's Hidden Cafe in Fairhaven - and I was swept into wedding day reminiscing with my friends and failed to take any photos. Blame it on the drugs. But if you ever get to Skylark's you must, I repeat, you MUST order the Butternut Squash Lasagna. INCREDIBLE. It was unlike anything I'd tasted before, yet so familiar, creamy and cheesy and wonderful. 

The next day (Tuesday) I got the splints out and boy did that feel weird! My nose is still very tender but I can take deep breaths and was finally let everything drain out of my nose. (TMI? Sorry... it just feels so liberating!) 

Then on Wednesday we got our next CSA box from Cedarville Farm - it just keeps getting better! Tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, beans, artichoke, lettuce, swiss chard, and potatoes! I am excited for potatoes. 

I decided to take a twist on the old Caprese salad and made a Caprese Egg Breakfast! 

I fried two eggs, and after I flipped them I topped them with two thick slices of tomato, two slices of cheese, and then topped it with basil once it was ready for eating. It was delicious - a definite repeat recipe! 

Also - something I've noticed today when I uploaded these pictures - I think my smile is different now!!! 

I know these pictures aren't super close up, but the top one is from July and this is my only post-surgery photo as of now. My smile used to show gums on top, and now it doesn't! It totally weirds me out. (Plus Ross is wearing the same shirt in both photos, so that's funny.) Maybe there is still some swelling, or maybe it will always be like this?!?!? Who knows. Hayley said my nose did look straighter though, so perhaps? Am I crazy?

Whew, this was a random blog... ah well. It's what is on my mind. =) 

Hope you are all doing well!

Summer Bummer

What?!?!? What is that - a bird, a plane, no - a bus! 

WTF! End of Summer Guide! Already?

It feels like summer finally came to Bellingham just at the beginning of this month, and now everyone is talking about the end of summer, the beginning of school, fall, pumpkins (which I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited about pumpkins), and I am so not ready for it! 

I've finally been able to enjoy summer favorites - like a Caprese salad. 

Fresh tomatoes and basil from our CSA box, slices of fresh Mozzarella, a little pepper and some balsamic vinaigrette. Such an incredible combination of flavors that just sing in my mouth! I love it. 

We also had a re-run of the Spiral Garden Pesto Pasta - incredible. Every time. 

And my own tomatoes are starting to ripen! 

I'm so happy =) I ate one yesterday - so sweet, so good. Sun kissed. 

My early girls are getting a little color too! I suppose that's the bummer about the end of summer - all the wonderful things that we've been waiting to come out of the garden are finally here, and even though I am enjoying them to the fullest it is bittersweet. Harvest means that summer is nearly over, preparations for the winter must begin. I would totally be at the Farmers Market buying up mounds of tomatoes and such to can, but since we're moving in December after I graduate (we're not sure where yet exactly, but stay tuned!) I don't want to bother canning. It just doesn't seem worth the effort if we won't use it all. 

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Another bummer: Today (Tuesday the 30th) I am having surgery. I might have mentioned once, or twice, or quite often about how I was sick all spring with a chronic sinus infection. It was terrible - I never had any energy, I couldn't breathe, and I even gained some weight from not being able to be as active as I like to be. I've lost some of it over the summer, but not all of it. And this also means that I will probably not be feeling like doing much of anything for our first wedding anniversary on Labor Day. =( 

Nasal Polyps - Source

In the spring I was referred to a specialist and we decided that a good option for me would be to have a simple sinus surgery to remove the nasal polyps that have formed since they are blocking a significant portion of the airflow to my nasal passages, and also to correct my deviated septum. (The other option would be steroid nasal sprays and a lifetime of medication management - and I am not the biggest fan of taking medicine for the long term, or steroids, so I decided fixing it now would hopefully prevent problems in the future.) This picture is a little creepy, and totally creeps Ross out (more reason to post it!) but this is what it looks like:

source

Unfortunately nasal polyps may happen again, but my doctor is going to try to do as much as possible to open up my sinuses to help me breathe and make it so that when I do get colds in the future there will be room for swelling and for the infection to drain out as opposed to getting stuck in there for months on end. I'm nervous, but I've heard from many people that it is so worth it to be able to breathe and to get over colds easier. And Ross will be there with me the whole time, and that is very comforting. Let's just say I'm excited for two weeks from now. And maybe I'll learn to love winter and spring if I'm not sick throughout the season! 

Zucchini Pancakes

Even though I really do enjoy French Toast, I am much more of a savory breakfast person. I have been loving the zucchinis from our CSA box because then I get to make one of my most favorite things - zucchini pancakes!!! 

And I love anything I can douse with Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce, so it's a win-win. 

Zucchini Pancakes 

3-5 Zucchinni and/or yellow squash 

1/4 onion grated or finely chopped

2-3 eggs 

1-2 tsp minced garlic 

Salt & Pepper 

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese 

This recipe is not strict - I probably change it a bit everytime I make them. I just use what I have and adjust the seasonings/garlic/cheese accordingly. Also consider what things you would like to top with - hot sauce, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, per your preference. Ross really likes them with sour cream. 

Grate the zucchinis and place them in a bowl. I think some people drain/strain some excess liquid off at this point, but I don't. It's a hassle and a mess, so I just go for it. 

Gross Packers colors. 

Add in the eggs. 

And the rest of the ingredients. 

Then scoop the mixture onto your hot, lightly oiled griddle. I usually have the griddle set to 350F and cook them on each side for 3-4 minutes. 

They will sizzle like bacon, and fill the kitchen with a great smell. 

Lovely and lightly browned on both sides.

The cheese is really the key I think - it makes them all gooey inside. 

What's your favorite way to eat a zucchini?