Trader Joe's

I have my complaints about TJ's, but I also love them. There are many specific things that I only buy from there, because they have awesome prices for awesome things. Let me start with the non food items, sunblock and aloe vera gel. These are things that I have only recently discovered, and am ecstatic about. I bought a 4 oz bottle of all natural Alba sunblock from Whole Foods for $7.99...... then I discovered that TJ's sells a 8 oz bottle of their sunblock for $5.99.......... and they are made of the exact same ingredients! I have been at the shore all week using this stuff, and it totally works. Their all natural aloe vera gel is under $3 for 12 oz, and is 99% pure aloe.
Another thing that I love is their 99cent pizza dough! Do not get me wrong, I love making things from scratch, but the reality is, I do not always feel like it. In comes the pre-made dough. Slap on some pasta sauce, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil, and you have yourself a delicious quick week night meal. Or slap on whatever you have laying around, seriously, that is the way you have to roll.

This week's CSA

How beautiful is all of this? This week we got two bags of spinach, a head of red leaf lettuce, beets, radishes, basil, two kinds of green onions, snap peas, and zucchini. I have no idea what to do with all of these green onions......
but last night I put the beets and basil to good use. I made whole wheat penne, fresh pesto, and sauteed already roasted beets with some onion and the beet greens. Use the beet greens! They are very similar to swiss chard, and very edible.

For the pesto:

a bunch of fresh basil

a bunch of fresh parsley

some pine nuts

some fresh parmesan

olive oil

salt and pepper

Throw everything in a food proccessor, except the olive oil. Blend it, and then add the olive oil until you have the consistancy you want. You will notice that I did not give any actual measurements..... this is because I do not really measure anything. Add ingredients until it tastes good, it is hard to screw things like this up.

For the veggies I sauteed the white parts of some green onion, added in chopped beet greens, and then added in sliced roasted beets. Lucky for me these were already in my fridge, left over from last week.

Add the pesto and the veggies to some pasta, and eat up! I really loved how this turned out. Even Jesse liked it, and he says that he does not like beets.

Veggie and Herb Cream Cheese

Hello! Yes, I am still spending lots of time in the kitchen, just not too much time in front of the computer. However, today I am sick, and have plenty of time to stare at this glowing screen. I did not develop any kind of hunger until around 2:00, at which point I wanted something simple, but really good. I made a veggie and herb cream cheese, which contained the following:

1 package cream cheese, softened

3 radishes, grated

1 carrot, grated

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped dill

1/4 cup chopped scallions

salt and pepper

You can add more or less of any of those things, or add something to the list. I just happen to have this stuff. Mix it all up, and slather it on something containing lots of carbohydrates. I made some toast, added the cream cheese, a fried egg, and some sliced cucumber. I hate computers, which is probably why it is so hard for me to find motivation to post. My motivation will have to be wanting to share all of the organic local produce that my fridge is overflowing with, with you. Make sense?

Let the grilling begin

As soon as the weather starts getting warm, we grill all the time. It is nice to have other things to accompany the grilled items, so on Thursday I made some type of baked polenta. It was basically polenta spread out in a round pan, baked until crispy, and then topped with caramelized onions and goat cheese.
On the skewers there are balsamic sweet potatoes and zucchini, with a side of kale. The perfect meal for a spring night.

Bialys

Last Wednesday Jesse came home to find me sulking on the couch. I had attempted to make dough for bialys, and it would not rise. Side note, my bread never rises. I even tried Alton Brown's method of putting the dough in the oven to rise, with a pan of hot water under it, so it stays warm. Still, it was not working. I had given up, but Jesse decided to take the sad ball of gluten and put it in the yogurt maker, which stays at a constant warm temperature. Sure enough, about an hour later that stupid ball of dough had doubled in size.
Bialys are like a bagel, with a yummy caramelized onion and poppy seed filling. After Jesse saved the dough, I continued on with the proccess. It was 10:00 at night by the time they came out of the oven, but I have never been so satisfied. They were beauties....

Birthday weekend

My birthday was yesterday, I turned 26. I was reassured by several people that 26 is still considered mid 20's. Jesse started things off right on Friday by bringing flowers home, and making me spring rolls for dinner. They were amazing, and he is the best.

On Saturday night we went with eight of our dearest friends to Marrakesh, an authentic moraccan heaven. Not only do you have to have a reservation to get in, but you have to knock on the door to get in. Then you enjoy a six course meal, hand washing, and a belly dancer. We brought several bottles of wine, and were there for about four hours. I could not have asked for a more wonderful night.

On Sunday, my actual birthday, we had lots of friends over for a barbq. It was supposed to storm, but we had sunshine all day...... until the ten minute hail storm hit around 7:00...... it was wild. I think it was one of the best birthdays/ birthday weekends I have had in a long time.

After a coupon, some store credit, some birthday money, and some tax return money, I adopted my new child:

Breakfast for dinner

These pictures do not do this meal justice. Last week sometime, (I am real good at posting things right away huh?) I made potato and carrot latkes, savory crepes with ricotta and caramelized onions, and roasted beets. It took over an hour, and made lots of dirty dishes, but it was worth it.
I have been roasting beets a lot lately. They are super nutritious, and affordable all year long. It is important to keep them whole, with the skin on, because then you do not lose any of the goodness. Wrap each one in foil, and bake for about an hour in a 400 degree oven. Remove the foil, and when the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, the skin will slide right off. Slice them however you like!