It's My Party and I'll Die if I Want To

Mi casa es su casa on Sunday, May 16th, for a low-key and informal celebration of my 25th birthday. There will be food. There will be music. There will be drinks. There will be board games. There may even be cake.

Please bring yourself, your empty stomach, and something to share.

Yes, that is correct, I recently had a little birthday and Sunday was my party. There was food, games, laughter, and a minimum of bloodshed (more about that next time). It was an intimate gathering of friends and exactly what I wanted. A BIG thank you to all my friends who were there and there in spirit.



















It was a great fiesta and I got to do two of my favorite things - cook, and feed people. Look for the slaw and mole recipes later this week.

*All photos of people courtesy of J. Buchleitner (because I forgot to take pics after we ate). Opening picture is a found image - I cannot seem find this image again or its owner. If this is your image please let me know if you would like me to take it down, if it is okay to leave up please let me know how to credit you!

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Mystery Box...

Ooh, a mystery box! What could it be? A thousand dollars? A puppy? An old boot? Nobody knows, and that's whats so great!



Actually I know exactly what is in this box! It is chock full of local organic produce from my CSA (community supported agriculture) program from Eatwell Farms! (ooh... green!)



This is a typical box that I pick up every other Thursday from a location near me. Its always a surprise as to exactly what is inside, but I always know that I will have 1-2 weeks worth of fresh, in-season produce from my farm in Davis, CA which is about 70 miles away from me. Pretty close!



Eating fresh, in season, locally, and organically as much as possible is important to me because of the benefits for my personal health and well-being and for the health and well-being of the environment. Amazingly enough, my CSA happens to be pretty easy on my pocket book, too. I'm excited about the effect this has on my life and my cooking, so I thought I would share. I'll get back to cooking and other adventures this weekend.

A note on local and organic foods and CSA's: what you eat and why is a personal choice that you get to make as an adult. I know for me that getting this box every other week encourages me to eat my veggies, try new things and be creative (do you know how to cook celeriac?), and do something good for the environment while fitting in my budget. It's win-win-win for me, but isn't necessarily for everyone. If you are curious to learn more about CSA's, THIS is a good place to start to find out more about what a CSA is and where you can find one in your area.

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And Sometimes You're Just a Flaming Ball of Gas

There is no recipe tonight as I am turning in early to be fresh for Wondercon tomorrow. I feel like I have reached a right of passage of nerdom - my first con. I could almost cry (JK). So point is, I'm taking it easy. I posted a link this morning and I've got a little story for you tonight.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Martha I am not. My first ever blog recipe was almost foiled (twice) because once because I left the onions burn while I was prepping other ingredients and once because I let it go too long in the braise while I was taking a bubble bath and a bit too much liquid cooked away.

I recently found a recipe for tomato sauce with which I am completely enamored. Its ridiculously simple - three ingredients - and it tastes amazing. It is also easily adapted to make some of the best tomato soup you will ever eat. The first time I made the sauce however I decided to cut the recipe in half so that it didn't make too much and because I only had half of the called for tomatoes.

I didn't account for the fact that half as much liquid probably wouldn't stand up to the required simmering and that perhaps I ought to add a bit of water to compensate. Setting my stove top as low as it could go, I put a lid on my pot and - here is where the learning experience will come in - I walked away. I thought it a bit odd that I could no longer hear the soft plop plop plopping of its thick simmer and that there was perhaps a faint sizzle, but I didn't think too much of it until I got the smell. The very distinctive smell of burnt food. Not just any burnt food, but burnt tomatoes and all their now "caramelized" sugar.

When I grabbed the pot off the fire I was pleased to see that it was just the edges and bottom that suffered. Without scraping the pot at all so as not to scrape up any burnt bits I poured the salvageable portion of the sauce into a clean pot and added a bit of water to thin it out. I did remember (barely) to snap a picture though before fully washing my new favorite stainless steel sauce pot.

Don't do what Janey Don't does do kids, and remember to pay attention in the kitchen! This time it was burnt tomatoes, but you never know when it may be a fingertip. Safety first!

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A Culinary Soul-Mate?

This article from Culinate pretty much sums up my entire culinary viewpoint. Minus the Veganism.

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This is so meta.

This is me, blogging about being blogged about by a blog that I am following along with on a blog challenge. If you couldn't follow that first sentence, the short version is The Kitchn used another one of my Cure photos on their website. Whoopee! It's like getting a big pat on the back for all my hard work!

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A Post that is Not About Pie

I know I said I would tell you more about pie and bread today but it is 11 o'clock and I haven't eaten dinner yet so you will be getting another short and sweet post about my AWESOME home improvements in the kitchen. As the title suggests, this is a post that is not about pie. And that's okay.



This is a pic of my BEAUTIFUL new Fiestaware pitcher in Tangerine. It's filled with two bunches of daffodils that I picked up this weekend. They were on sale, two bunches for $3. What a steal.


(After image on the right).

This is my new storage closet. Formerly a dank, depressing, sorry excuse for a pantry, it is now a perfectly fine home for gardening supplies, cleaning supplies, lightbulbs, and reusable bags. Woot.



But THIS. Oh my, THIS is my masterpiece of the evening. Say hello to my new pantry. Thank you Ikea. After purchasing a lovely birch-wood open shelving unit on Sunday, I took a trip to Home Depot only to find that my 1930's lath and plaster wall (that happened to be sans stud in the area I wanted to hang my unit from) wouldn't support the shelving unit with out a lot of work. And even then I could only look forward to about a year before ripping out fist sized chunks of plaster. Not really gonna work for me.


(After image on the right).

It may not fit EXACTLY in the space allotted like the previous unit, and (environment forgive me) it may be medium density fiber board, but it sits upright, is bolted to the wall but without threatening to tear it down, and holds my super tall pasta jar on its sleek adjustable shelves. Oh yeah.

I may decide it needs a nice door, or a fabric curtain, but I am going to say that it is a 10 MILLION times over improvement from what I had before which was dark and inaccessible. I love it. I want to marry it. I think I can look forward to many happy culinary adventures with my new kitchen. This must be love.

CURE CHECKLIST (We are currently in the middle of week 4)

Week One: Check!

Week Two: Check!

Week Three: Catch Up on the First Two Weeks Check!
Deep Clean EVERYTHING In Progress...
Work on your Special Project Check!
Add Something Beautiful Check! (my new Fiestaware Pitcher arrived today!)

Week Four (Ends Friday!): Catch Up on the First Three Weeks Workin' on it...
Restock Ingredients Check!
Consider New Equipment Check!
Add Fresh Flowers Check!
Work on your Special Project CHECK!
Take After Photos In Progress...

Looks like I just have a bit of deep cleaning left to do... sounds like I've got a few fun evenings ahead of me.

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Cure Update!

So as I mentioned back in the beginning of March my kitchen is undergoing a cure. Even though I haven't talked about it much, I have been making progress. Its a process though, and for every two steps forward it's one step back, like the hiccup I came upon on this weekend when searching out a new storage solution at Ikea/Home Depot on Sunday. After two extra hours searching the stores for knowledgeable help, and two fallen bread loaves because I didn't get home in time to bake them before the yeast died, I still have to make another trip to both stores tomorrow for some returns/exchanges.



I have also been distracted by more delightful things like bread and pie, about which you will hear more tomorrow. For now, just enjoy this quick glimpse of my lovely and reorganized spice cabinet and glasses cupboard.



CURE CHECKLIST (We are currently in the middle of week 4)

Week One: Take Before Photos Check!
De-clutter and Purge Old Food Check!
Wipe Everything Down and Put It Back Check!

Week Two: Take Before Photos Check!
De-clutter and Purge Tools and Cookware Check!
Wipe Everything Down and Put It Back Check!
Decide on a Special Project Check! I'm adding more pantry space to an underutilized alcove in my kitchen!

(okay, so I didn't really have any extra things to begin with because I have a micro-kitchen and have no room for extra stuff, but I DID clean out my tupperware drawer. This was an easy week)

Week Three: Catch Up on the First Two Weeks Check!
Deep Clean EVERYTHING In Progress...
Work on your Special Project In Progress...
Add Something Beautiful Check! (my new Fiestaware Pitcher arrived today!)

Week Four (Ends Friday!): Catch Up on the First Three Weeks Workin' on it...
Restock Ingredients Check!
Consider New Equipment Check. I decided I didn't really need any new equipment, but I had to work hard to talk myself out of a new Kitchenaid.
Add Fresh Flowers Check!
Work on your Special Project In Progress...
Take After Photos In Progress...

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A Case of the Blahs

I mentioned on Wednesday that I would elaborate on why exactly I will be spending this weekend, at least in part, cleaning my kitchen and I am here to say, my kitchen has a case of the blahs.

Everyday can't be all glamor, fame, and Martha, some days will always be cheese on toast and pajamas till Three Noon. But something that can help that feeling of doldrums is to give your home a little once over and take some time to think about how you use your space. Underutilized space, mess, and clutter can create little energy vortexes in your home that make it so much less fun to spend time in, and right now I need to re-energize my kitchen.

I am going to be doing the Spring Kitchen Cure hosted by the Kitchn, part of the Apartment Therapy blog group. The Cure makes it easy to make over your space (in this case, the kitchen) a little at a time until you turn around and find out that you've actually made a much bigger difference than you thought possible.

Today is the end of week one (of four) and I thought I'd share a little of my progress. Part one of the first week's assignment was to take some before pictures, especially of your fridge, freezer, and pantry. You may think your space is okay, but try taking a before and after of your freezer and you will be AMAZED.





The second part of the assignment was then to purge anything that needs to be gotten rid of. Got any undated freezer mysteries? Toss 'em. Four year old jar of unknown condiment you used once? Toss that too. Spices, oils, or vinegars that are past their prime? Gone baby gone!

Finally, wipe down every surface, bottle and jar before you put it away. I have to say, just the act of throwing away the few things I did (I tend to keep my fridge pretty clear - I'm a bit of an expiration nut) was very satisfying. I can't wait to work on week two and straighten up my utensil and tupperware drawers (yes, I realize the dorkiness of that statement, but I stand by it).

The kitchen is pretty much one of my favorite places in a home and mine could use a little pick-me up before spring and summer roll around and I want to do nothing but cook all of that yummy fresh produce. I think this cure is just what the doctor ordered. Don't worry, I will be putting up a special weekend post with TWO recipes I made with some of the odds and ends I needed to clear out but just couldn't bear to throw away. Also, next week, look for recipes for Masala Daal and Naan. I'm feeling spicy.

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