Preparations for butternut squash soup

Poached eggs

Kale Pesto

1 bunch Kale              1/4 cup EVOO

2 cloves garlic            2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup parmesan      salt and pepper

throw all ingredients (except oil) into the food processor, puree, then slowly add oil until incorporated. stir into pasta or whatever. it is surprisingly delicious and fresh-tasting!

Farmstand 59

Fresh, organic, non-GMO, locally grown produce in our 'hood! Look at how beautiful these eggs are. I even got to see the chickens they came from. They were wandering around ("free-ranging" if you will). I can't wait to revisit, and I may even volunteer to work the field or greenhouse when I can!

Mid-week burgers

Another mid-week hero: Ground beef Burgers doctored with ricotta cheese, mustard and Worcestershire with Roasted beet, arugula, toasted pecan and goat cheese salad

Just 8 more days!

I've been jonesing to get outside lately. To hike, to garden, to dine alfresco! (No, husband, if you're reading this, that does not mean to eat naked). The days have been longer, the temperature slightly warmer, and although I still plan on wearing tall boots for a good couple of months, I am ready for the time to change. Spring forward already!

Showing my fervent anticipation of Spring and the need to celebrate nature and the outdoors, here is one of the succulent pots I arranged last weekend.

Beef Stroganoff with radicchio salad

This recipe is from my friend Dennis (check out his blog), he got it from Saveur magazine. He claimed it was easy, fast and they make it all the time. Trusting his taste (he loves food the way I do) I decided to give it a shot. He was right! I did veer off-course by skipping the potatoes (though it sounded wonderful), and I threw the whole thing over egg pasta noodles, because that's how I grew up on the dish. The only other thing I would change for next time, I would double the sauce as I like a lot of 'gravy' on mine. On the whole, a definite winner of a meal!
The radicchio salad was supposed to be a red cabbage salad with shaved parmesan. But I was out of parmesan, and in a hasty move at the market, I actually bought radicchio instead. So I made a nice and bitter radicchio salad, with lemon/garlic/oil and parsley, plus I threw some avocado on mine (not on the husband's, he's not down with the avo). It was delicious! I didn't really process the fact that it wasn't cabbage until a day later. Kind of slow I guess, either that or hungry.