What to Do With a Pumpkin

October 16th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (8 Comments)

(Alternate – and perhaps more catchy? – Title: The One Where I Show You My Underwear)

(Took me a minute to decide.)

So!

White bean blondies aren’t the only thing you can bake to heat up your kitchen. Pumpkins are good for that too, especially first thing in the morning.

Bake a Pumpkin, Heat up your Kitchen

This pumpkin showed up in this week’s CSA share, and I swear, my first thought was “A pumpkin?? How on earth do you cook THAT?”

And then I reminded me that a pumpkin is just a squash.

Pumpkin is just a Squash

Oh yeah.

Life is settling back into a post-marathon norm around here. I spent much of today getting caught up on all things food and laundry now that I’m hobbling around a little bit less and taking the stairs slightly faster than yesterday.

Or at the very least I’m not doing the “step up with my right leg, drag my left leg up behind me like a sack of potatoes” thing anyway.

Dinner got started this morning when I threw this guy from last week’s CSA share into the oven – not immediately sure what I was going to do with him.

Homemade Cereal Re-Runs

October 4th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (Comments Off on Homemade Cereal Re-Runs)

Homeschooling comes with plenty of challenges, but it’s also got a handful of perks.

One of my favorite perks? We quite often get to enjoy leisurely mornings at home – by design, really.  I’m a morning person, but that doesn’t mean I’m uber-excited to run out the door first thing in the morning on any given day of the week.

More accurately, I’m not uber-excited to get kids out the door first thing.  I’ll happily head out in the wee morning hours in my running sneaks, but a) I’ve only got to get myself ready and b) I don’t need to be reminded to brush my hair before I leave and c) I don’t have say CAN YOU PLEASE GET YOUR SHOES ON ALREADY three times before I finally do it.

Zucchini Oatmeal Breakfast Cakes

September 26th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (9 Comments)

I seem to be on a pancake kick recently – but ’tis the season for warm breakfasts after all! Let’s roll with it.

After I spied a small zucchini hanging out in the fridge this morning and feeling very much in the mood for something substantial after an early morning bike ride, I decide to whip up some zucchini pancakes today. Zucchini is awesome for it’s ability to taste like nothing in baked goods, while quite generously giving you a serving of vegetables at the same time.

Zucchini Pancake Ingredients

It’s Not Peachy Being Green

September 8th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (5 Comments)

Right Kermie?

Kermit the Frog

(something like that.)

Random fact: my kids never took any interest in Sesame Street. I WAS TOTALLY LOOKING FORWARD RELIVING MY CHILDHOOD, GIRLS! That was part of the reason I had kids in the first place.

Anyways.

Peaches! More peaches! Peaches are turning out to be one of my new favorite smoothie additions.

Ginger Peach Green Smoothie

They are just so… peachy?

Load Up Smoothie Ingredients

Layered with frozen banana slices and some spinach, they make a great smoothie trio.

My other new favorite smoothie additive –

Grind Your Ginger

Crazy as a Cucumber

August 22nd, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (7 Comments)

Sarah’s comment the other day about having five pounds of cucumbers made me realize that I too have plenty of cucumbers right now.

So what the heck can you do with a lot of cucumbers? Am I crazy or do people make cucumber soup? Cold cucumber soup? Haven’t I heard of that before? Doesn’t that sound right?

Cold Cucumber Soup

Yeah, that sounds right.

If you are a gazpacho lover, then cucumber soup will be right up your alley. Even if you aren’t a gazpacho fan (cause Zak’s not and he loved this) it could still be worth a try.

The coffee maker is cranky.

Cranky Coffee Pot

Coffee Maker cannot figure out why all these baking supplies are out at such an ungodly hour of the morning.

Coffee Maker is cranky and hot and does not like to be crowded.

But you see Coffee Maker, it’s all because of the zucchini from yesterday’s CSA pick up.

Zucchini

This zucchini is practically begging to made into Chocolate Zucchini Bread.

But zucchini bread means the oven has to be turned on.

Welcome to CSA Jeopardy! The answer-and-question game where you choose a prize value from one category and Alex Trebek gives you an answer.  You know, the one where your response has to come in the form of a question?

Yeah, you know it. And you’re totally gonna play.

Or should I say “What is, You’re Totally Gonna Play?”

Today we’re playing the CSA version because that’s where some of the ingredients in this recipe for Asian Coleslaw came from.  And because CSA seems to be my favorite overused acronym lately.

Enough with the chit chat, let’s get started.