It's October!

Where did my summer go? Oh, yah, I got pregnant. I guess I got my first big lesson, the one that all pregnant women talk about: surrender. I had big plans for this summer, for this blog, for my camera, for my CSA. Indeed, I surrendered all my plans because none of those plans came through. Or rather, I should say - I could not follow through with any of those plans. And now it is October.

October! Part of my favorite season - Autumn!

I love the cooler air temps, the chilly rain, the warm sweaters, the fingerless gloves, the hats, the stews, the soups, the squash.

I can't wait to make a butternut bisque with the gigantic butternut squash I got yesterday in the CSA delivery. I'll share the recipe next week. The CSA was such a big box this week. I hadn't expected that. That's the great thing about signing up with Harmony Valley CSA; it keeps on coming until December. Of course November and December only have two delivery weeks, but for a girl who spent her summer in a pregnancy-nausea induced fog, the fact that the CSA is still going strong is a such a treat. I've found that we pay a bit more for this particular CSA as compared to others in the area, but HV's delivery season is much longer and much more varied. I admit I despaired this summer, but now I feel more certain than ever that we will sign up again next year. I get so excited thinking about mashing up CSA veggies for baby food! I've heard this leads to less picky eaters and that's one thing I will really struggle with if we have a picky-eating baby. The Big D has a niece who claims to be vegetarian but as she was growing up all she would consume was milk, butter and noodles. Oh! The thought of that just breaks my heart.

Vegetables not only taste great, but they also look beautiful!



The peppers, the lettuce and the baby bok choy were such beautiful colors I just had to shoot the three together. Last night I had planned to do a braised bok choy but had none of the sesame oil needed for the recipe. Instead, I stir-fried the bok choy (white parts first), then added the peppers, then garlic and scallions, finally finishing with soy sauce and the bok choy leaves. It was such a wonderful side dish to the chicken I baked!

These were the pepper I used in the stir fry side. Such sweet, little bell peppers.



So precious I could barely keep the kitty away to take a photo.



Ok, so, I'm sure anybody that's anyone who isn't a vegetarian has had a chance to look at the faux fried chicken recipe at A Good Appetite. Last night I tried it and it turned out to be absolutely fantastic! Probably the best baked chicken to come out of my oven. It was great incentive to try the powered buttermilk that I've been hearing so much about lately. The flavors were numerous, yet blended so well together: garlic, lemon, parmesan, thyme.

And the hoecakes? Oh. My. God. So simple to make, so incredibly delicious. Acquiring the ingredients made me more familiar with the bulk bins at the Eastside Co-op. Sure I've gotten stuff there before, but for some reason, yesterday's experience was an eye opener for me. A chance to see how I can more easily fit organic into our budget without feeling like I gotta forfeit a new pair of shoes for baby every time I buy an untested, supposedly staple ingredient that may or may not get used up.

The food was so good that I couldn't be with bothered with getting the exact shot that I wanted for this blog. The first shot I couldn't quite get into focus and made me think maybe I'm getting a little too old to rely on manual focus. Spent the day looking for an used auto focus 55mm lens.



Then, I resorted to the ultimate shooting sin. I popped up my flash. The result was an icky photo that not even photoshop could rescue. But what the heck, I got a clearer photo.



My apologies to the folk at A Good Appetite if my photo makes the meal unappetizing. I loved it. And so did the Big D. But best of all, I think I'm getting my cooking mojo back. And there's still a month or more of CSA left to consume!