Life

There obviously has been a lack of posts. Excuse number one, I am pregnant, and nothing has sounded appetizing lately. Well nothing other than sushi, which I am not allowed to eat. Excuse number two, our house got broken in to, and the bastards stole our camera. This will probably turn in to more than a food blog. All I think about is this baby, but I will try not to bore you :) I am ten weeks, and things have been decent so far. There has been a lot of exhaustion, and some nausea, but I have yet to throw up. I am very grateful. We have our very first appointment at the Birth Center tomorrow, which I have been anxiously awaiting. My mom had gastric bypass surgery on Monday, and is recovering well. My nephew just turned one, and is amazing. He is going to love having a cousin. I was in three weddings this summer, and attended six I think. Fall is approaching, which I am ecstatic about. I am so excited to be pregnant in the fall and winter. Oh I lied when I said all I think about is this baby, I also think about moving. Germantown seems to be the best option, because we want to get out of the city and have more space, while also staying connected to the people we love. Dream house has yet to be found, and unfortunately I do not have any patience. I think that is it, in a nut shell.

Bulgur Lettuce Wraps

Whenever I am at a loss for dinner ideas, I usually end up doing something involving a grain that I have on hand, and whatever else I have on hand. I just laughed as a re-read that, because it is so unspecific. I knew I wanted to use the fresh fennel that I had just received in our CSA. I love fresh fennel! Anyway, so I sauteed it with some onion, and then threw in some basil sausage (thank you TJ's) that I had thawed five min earlier in a bowl of hot water. Oh, before I started all that, I put the bulgur on the stove. Everything was done around the same time, so I mixed it all together, and then went searching for something green to put on the plate. There was heaps and heaps of lettuce in the fridge, lettuce wraps anyone?

White Lasagna

I love white lasagna, so much that I never make lasagna with red sauce anymore. Let me warn you, this is not the healthier version. Here is a break down of the layers:
1. noodles
2. cheese mixture (ricotta, mozzarella, parm, fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh oregano)
3. veggie mixture (sauteed spinach, zucchini, onion, garlic)
4. bechamel sauce
5. noodles
6. cheese mixture
7. veggie mixture
8. bechamel sauce
9. noodles
10. mozzarella
11. parm
12. fresh basil
Bake at 400 degrees until brown and bubbly. Indulge.

Israeli Couscous Summer Salad

Sometimes things turn out good, sometimes things turn out bad. This lovely dish? Well it turned out good, let me tell you! I made the couscous, and then added some caramelized onions! Then I cooked some yellow squash in balsamic vinegar, over high heat, so it caramelized! Then I chopped up some fresh basil and sprinkled it over everything! I am adding so many exclamation points because I seriously loved this dish. The onions, squash, and basil all came from our CSA. It is so fun when you can make things come together, without any planning. I hope you are encouraged to get creative.

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?