Some time last fall, a writing friend noticed a theme running through my ongoing projects. When life got hard, or confusing, or frustrating, I turned to the kitchen. When I missed my family or didn’t know how to spend my free time, I’d grab some ingredients and get to work. And then I’d go to my room and write about it.
I wrote about winter squash muffins and about making strawberry jam. I wrote about a mayo cake and about a zucchini chocolate cake. I wrote about sharing meals and forgiveness. I wrote about sourdough. I wrote about pasta. It seemed like every story I had to tell revolved around food.
This may come to no surprise to you. It is, after all, one of the reasons I began CSA Adventures to begin with. I love food. I love helping people eat well. I love helping people find a local farm and prepare amazing, beautiful meals with the bountiful harvest that comes in.
I find myself in the kitchen. Literally, yes, but also quite figuratively. Creating beautiful meals—and memories—in the kitchen nourishes and sustains me; and those around me. Food is a thread running through everything I write. I simply can’t stop writing about how food makes life better.
So it is with a heavy heart that I share the news that I won’t be posting regular posts on how to use your farm share goods. This has been a wonderful project, but I’m feeling a need to shift the way I spend my creative time. Instead of sharing lists of recipes each week (or month in the off season), this year I am taking a deep dive into the world of food memoirs. With an ever-growing list of books to read and memories to write, I am excited (and terrified) for this next step of my journey.
But Wait! There’s Good News!
My Favorite Things will still go out every single month and I promise to always include a few of my favorite seasonal recipes, as well as tips and tricks for keeping up with your CSA goods. If you haven’t been getting it, you can sign up right here. It will show up in your inbox like magic at the end of every month, and you’ll always be able to find back issues on the web.
CSA Adventures will remain an active part of the blog, and I will share seasonal recipes as time goes on. A few of my favorites right now are Veggie Lo Mein, Chilaquiles, and Teriyaki Lentils.
I’ve also compiled a few of my very favorite Winter Meals to get you through the next few months. We largely eat out of our freezer in the winter; it becomes an exercise in creativity and gratitude for all the bountiful harvest of summer and fall. It also means we eat more meat and beans than we do in Spring/Summer/Fall. Soups and stews take center stage, and are always best served with a small salad of baby greens (if you can find some from a local greenhouse) or delicious crusty bread.
A Few Meal Ideas for Winter
I linked to this Sauteed Cod with Lentils in last month’s round-up, but I neglected to tell you anything about it. It is a delightful, and easy, weeknight meal. I used Black Caviar Lentils, and it was enjoyed by even the pickiest eaters in the house. Sadly, there were no leftovers for lunch the next day.
I haven’t had these Braised Beans with Burrata, but I’m definitely adding it to our February Meal Plan. Anything with burrata gets heart eyes from me.
This Sheet Pan Roasted Mushrooms and Spinach has become my favorite thing to throw together. I love it as a side to Roast Chicken, or mixed with pasta, or even mixed with Cranberry Lima Beans (that recipe is coming to the blog very soon!)
These Beans and Cheese were SO much better than I expected. I think I’ll make this instead of Macaroni and Cheese forever and ever. I can just imagine how delicious they’d be beside a big Pan-fried Ham Steak.
I made this Lamb Stew recipe when friends came over for dinner last week and it was delightful. I haven’t been a huge fan of lamb stew in the past, but this one hit all the spots for the deep cold we’ve been experiencing in New England.
And finally, why not make a huge pot of Beef Vegetable Soup (or leave out the beef and make it vegetarian) for the week ahead? Cook once, eat all week — my favorite kind of meal!
If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll sign up for My Favorite Things. Happy eating my friends!