I know, I know. Sometimes my foodie concerns are first world luxuries, even in this time of historic horrors in the US and beyond. I know there are people hungry in my city, my state, my region, my country, and the globe -- even as I write this self indulgent blog. I know there are food deserts and they have to do with race and economics. I know there are exports of horrible foods to poorer people in my own environs and globally. I know much of what goes as the food industry is destructive to our planet and, often quite literally, to our bodies.
So, yes, I try to buy locally -- we have two CSAs, for example. And, I have significantly reduced my tendency to cook way way too much and buy way way too much and then end up with garbage at worst or compost at best. We are investing in new composting help and are reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible. I preserve (and yes, I know there are two aspects of this -- those who continue older traditions because they must and those who take them up as hobbies because they are able to afford the time and the space; I know I am the latter.) I am reducing my own ownership of "things" -- slowly but surely reducing even my book piles.
But: I am still self indulgent. I can pretend this is because self care can be a revolutionary act. But really, it is just because I want to and I can.
Breakfast Casserole: This is the truly self indulgent thing here. First step, read around on the web. Then: (a) use olive oil to "grease" a casserole type dish that you can back your concoction in; (b) whisk 5 farm eggs (more if you want, fewer if you want, but you need enough to hold things together) with a little cream and maybe a little milk too; (c) brown ground breakfast sausage (which in our case I got from Bostrom Farms as a treat for buying there regularly) making sure it goes into small bits and they are warmish. Let cool. (d) gather together whatever cheese you want (I had a tiny bit of cheddar, some parmesan, and some local hard cheese which is kind of gouda like?) and shred a pile (around 1.5 cups or more). (e) cube potatoes -- adding in any left over potatoes you have -- in my case I had left over olive oil confit potato cubes) to make a few cups. I added a small amount of finely chopped jalapeño to all this (f) create the casserole by mixing potatoes and jalapeño with the sausage. Then put a layer of this into the casserole, sprinkle liberally with cheese, add another layer of sausage/potato mix, and cover with cheese. Then, pour the whisked eggs over top and cook at 375 degrees for around 45 minutes. (I suppose less time if all your potatoes are already cooked?) The above is probably the wrong order to do things in -- but hey!?!?!?!
This was delicious. It was kind of nicely browned, crunchy cheese meets potatoes and sausage. I gave it an A+ which is rare for me.
Rhubarb, Strawberry Thyme Granita: Ok, this is an official recipe from the land of google. Here it is! I think I might use a bit more rhubarb next time. And, they do say you can stir bits of thyme into the granita as it freezes. I did not do that. Again, I might try to do so when I make this again. For other takes on this blog on granita try here.
Indian Spiced Bok Choy: I seem to be trying to make indian versions of every vegetable that I get from the CSA (Fellenz FamilyFarms!). I admit it, I was kind of surprised to find boo chop in the options one week and voila, Indian spiced bok choy. Here's how: (a) wash and cut up the bok choy into bite size pieces, separating those that are more leaf from the more stem like parts; (b) put oil into a deep frying pan, adding a suitable quantity of brown mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and perhaps something hot; (c) add the more stem like parts of the book chop and add some salt, cooking for a while; (d) add leafy bits and cook again for a bit. Then serve. Voila!
Pickled Radishes: This was stolen from a google discovered recipe that involved a lot of other things, but all I made was the quick pickled radishes. I used to actually dislike radishes. No more. I was converted by breakfast radishes and a few other varieties. In any case, I got a bunch from the aforementioned CSA and pickled them. Here's how: (a) wash and slice the radishes; (b) be sure to save the radish greens which make a terrific indian inspired greens dish; (c) put 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, a bit of water; some sugar (2T), and a smudge of salt in a pot, and warm it up; (d) add radishes to the boiled vinegar. Let come to room temperature. Will hold in fridge for a week or so. (Check out this site for the original recipe.)
Strawberry Basil Sangria for Two: This worked extremely well the first time and was not so good thereafter. I think it was an accident of the wines we had on hand. The first time, we used a riesling we did not like a lot, and voila it worked splendiferously for this day drinking kind of easy extravaganza. All you do: put wine (maybe 2-3 cups) in a pitcher; add about a cup of sliced strawberries and a handful of basil (slapped just a little bit to release oils); put in fridge for an hour or so. Voila. Errors to avoid: using a yucky wine; leaving in the fridge too long.
