Before I publish our day's menu I'd like to share an annotated list of my favorite food related publications. Some I've had for quite some time and are well-worn, others I haven't had for very long but I can tell that they will be classics.
Gardening
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. This book is awesome because it makes gardening very accessible - you just have to think about your garden one square foot at a time. We've never had space for a huge garden but the amount of food we've been able to grow using this method has been remarkable - even with my greenish-black thumb. The "Guide to Growing Crops" in the back is worth it's weight in gold.
Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. This book was a revelation for me! Growing food year round completely changed how I think about food storage. His techniques are creative, low-tech, and intuitive. If he can be harvesting fresh salad greens all winter from his Maine garden, surely I can be doing the same in our comparatively mild climate!
How to Grow More Vegetables* (and fruits, nuts, berries, grains, and other crops) *Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine by John Jeavons. First, I love this title! He writes just like I do (I love parenthesis and impossibly long sentences)! This book is similar in concept to Square Foot Gardening but more scientific. It is really intriguing and strongly argues for the need of closed-loop living.
Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza. I will be trying this technique for building soil this year. We'll see how it works. You essentially build the soil from the existing ground up. You just layer different organic ingredients until you've got about a foot of goodness and then plant right into the layers. Fascinating! I love that there is no digging involved.
The New Seed Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel. This is the Holy Grail of seed starting. Every thing you need to know and more.
Locavore Living
Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. A super interesting book in which he researches and explores several meals - conventional, sustainable, and hunting/gathering. I love his style of writing and he poses some very interesting points and dilemmas (surprise!) that we face as eaters.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. She has long been one of my favorite authors. Now she is elevated to sainthood in my eyes. How I would love to have dinner with her! Read here for a long Kingsolver love-fest.
Cooking
What's For Dinner by Maryana Vollstedt. This is my go-to book for meal planning. I've tried almost every recipe in there and save one or two flops, each recipe is a gem. The meals are simple and delicious.
The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. I just checked this book out from the library but it has now been added to my wish list. She breaks recipes down into 17 areas such as sauces, pasta, soups, beans, and roasting. She outlines a few simple methods in each of those areas that can be infinitely adapted to whatever the fresh food of the season may be. Alice Waters just may be my Kingsolver of the cookbook world.
Real Simple the magazine. They have stellar recipes. I rip out the ones that look good and store them in page protectors in a three ring binder. I have them organized by season.
cooksillustrated.com. You have to subscribe to their site but IT IS SO WORTH IT! Every recipe ever published in the magazine is in a searchable database so when you have a pound of...say...belgian endive (I don't and never have but the name is so delicious!), you just type in "belgian endive" and up pops...well, let me check...holy smokes! 10 recipes! How about Braised B.E. with Bacon and Cream or Grilled B.E? You can sign up for a FREE 14 day trial - do it! You'll love it!
www.everydayfoodstorage.net. This is a fun site dedicated to helping you incorporate food storage into everyday meals. I really like it for her recipes using whole wheat. She's obsessive about food storage. I like that in a girl.
There you have it. A peek at my foodie bookshelf.
Here's a peek at our menu.
Breakfast: Russell, Grant and Anna: Cheese and Toast and Apples ala Grant. Toast and butter for me. I meant to have some applesauce but ran out of time. I barely managed the toast.
Lunch: Tuna Pasta. This is a family staple. Read here for the recipe.
Dinner: Split Pea Soup, Cornbread, and Salad.
Auntie Katie's Split Pea Soup
2 carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 parsnip or potato or both, large diced
1 ham hock
1 3/4 c. green split peas (1 lb) washed, stones removed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 c. chicken broth (I use 4 c. water and 4 bullion cubes for this)
4 c. water
Add all ingredients to a large soup pot, bring to a boil and then simmer for at least an hour OR dump all the ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high for 7 hours.
Season with s&p. And fresh parsley if you have it.
Mom's Cornbread, Jennified
1 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
1/3 c. evap. cane juice sugar
1/2 c. cornmeal
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. milk
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Mix wet ingredients together and then add to dry, stirring just until combined. Bake in a greased 8 x 8 pan at 350 for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
I feel that I need to add, lest you think we are obnoxious purists over here, we will be scarfing down some brownies from a box in just a couple minutes. You've gotta do what you've just gotta do.
