Veggie-Deal

I was at Schnucks a week or two ago and overheard the woman ahead of me being offered a magazine with holiday recipes. "Ooo," I thought. "I could use one of those."

The cashier did not offer me one, so I asked after it, and she said it would be $0.99 (the other woman got it for free). Not sure of the discrepancy, I quickly decided I still wanted it and just chalked it up to an oh well kind of moment. Nothing worth fretting over.

Tonight I tried one of the recipes in it, and that $0.99 proved well spent. I had been hoping to make it for my two friends named Becky, who Ari distinguishes by calling one Beckby and one Beck-Beck. (What I find so funnily amazing is that, when she first used those names, I knew exactly who she meant for each.)

Unfortunately, our weekend was supremely scattered and a bit stressful, and so I asked Beck-Beck (Beckby had to cancel) if we could reschedule. I felt like a poo, but also knew our evening was bound to be a bit chaotic and it would not really be a good entertaining kind of evening.

So... Beck-Beck (and Beckby) when we are able to dine together... here is what you'll get (at least part of it!):

Maple-Roasted Acorn Squash

2 small to medium acorn squash
sea salt & black pepper (to taste)
4 tsp. butter or margarine
4 Tbsp. maple syrup
4 tsp. brown sugar
rosemary
thyme

• Halve the squash and scoop out the insides. Place into baking dish, rind side down, and add roughly 1/4 inch of water to the dish.
• Into each squash cavity, put 1 tsp. butter, 1 Tbsp. maple syrup, and 1 tsp. brown sugar. Sprinkle the squash with rosemary and thyme (roughly 1/2 tsp. of each for each squash half). You can use fresh or dried... just use your best judgment.

I may try a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg next time to see what that does to the recipe; and I definitely plan to use this as a side for Thanksgiving. I could have even spent $2.50 on this magazine thing and still come out ahead!

Food Finds

For me, planning our weekly menus and figuring out what to feed the three of us three times a day ad infinitum can often feel like a Sisyphean task. We tend to throw away our veggies and fruits in great quantities - untouched and unused - and the sometimes picky-ness of all three of us can make healthy eating a true challenge.

So... I was searching online today to see if I could get any good food ideas, and I came upon several new blogs that are truly fantastic and wonderfully happy-making in a "what's mommy cooking tonight" kind of way.*

I have always been a big fan of 101 Cookbooks, which focuses on vegetarian and vegan fare utilizing fresh, local, whole ingredients. Lots of in-season spotlights and great ideas for taking what can often feel like bland and unsatisfying fare to glorious, tasty new heights. Sunday's recipe was Edamame Soup, perfect for our little legume fanatic.

Today I also found The Great Big Vegetable Challenge (originally a blog and now a book sold out of the UK), created by a mother who decided to commit to a year-long task of cooking at least two recipes with vegetables she and her 7 year-old son could identify from A to Z. Brilliant! And the recipes look fantastic. Quite an inspiring and serendipitous find.

Another great discovery: Little Foodies, created by a family dedicated to preparing and eating cuisine from all around the world. Their "kitchen travels" include 11 different countries (and also SPACE, as in "outer"), and the pics and recipes are great (though you will have to convert from metric).

This week, I am trying my hand at making pizza dough from scratch with whole wheat flour, as well as attempting a zucchini and potato pancake that will hopefully make a nice foundation for some chicken. We shall see. I simply like having an excuse to continue incorporating as many fresh, whole ingredients as possible and to hear about and be inspired by folks all over the world!

*It is at this point that I should clarify that my husband, Andy, does indeed cook. Quite often - especially during the school year. However, he is in the middle of several big deadlines and therefore has been somewhat less involved in some of the housely duties he normally undertakes on a regular basis. Hence, my food/menu dilemma.