Kitchen Day

I'll blame it on the insomnia again.

Somehow, at 5am when my mind was racing instead of sleeping, I thought it would be a good idea to...spend the entire day in the kitchen, on a 95-million degree day. At almost 8 months pregnant. With a cranky almost-two-year old.

Well, somehow, at 7am, after he woke up, it still sounded like a good idea to me. As we surveyed the refrigerator, my initial feelings, that this all-day-kitchen-event just HAD to happen, were validated and confirmed.

Clearly, my garden and friends have been over-generous, and something had to be done about it...before everything rots, which things are known to eagerly do in my fridge.

Started with some good veggie-roasting fun.

Chopped em' up

(still early in the day, both feeling fresh and happy)

Drizzled 'em with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper

God made veggies so pretty!

Popped 'em in the oven at 450 and moved on to the next project.

Hmmm...what to do with a huge zuchinni and 10 lbs of peaches? Why naturally, zucchinni peach muffins (what?) were in store.

(side note: yes, that is an iron hiding in the background. and yes, it was out because I was supposed to be sewing baby gifts, not spending the entire day playing with knives, skins, seeds and plant innards)

 

 So, I whipped 'em up, and while those puppies were in the oven, I moved on to the conundrum of what to do with the remaining 9.5lb of the peaches with which my coworker so graciously surprised me!

I decided to make peach jam (since I conquered blueberry jam last month, my first time went well, so I guess I decided to recklessly and fearlessly take on a different fruit) and to freeze the rest.

I started out by sanitizing my newly purchased canning jars.

Then I hit a major bump in the road. What??!! Peaches need to be peeled before you can freeze or preserve/jam them? C'mon!

Though I fought it tooth an nail, countless google searches revealed that there was no way around this. So I gave in.

Turns out, it was not THAT terrible. You just pop the peaches in boiling water for 45 seconds, and then plunge them in an ice water bath.

Then the skins literally slide right off with a little rub. Voila!

Then I chopped those slippery (but pretty) little devils

Then it was break time - we were off to a 32 week check for this little baby #2.

Later on, after an OB visit (baby#2 checked out ok) and multiple errands (had to get jars and pectin!), we were definitely starting to lag. Took lots of these (snack breaks)

and these (resting breaks)

So...you may ask...what did this whirlwind day leave me with, besides a horrendously messy kitchen,

a sore aching back, and an over-abundance of pictures of slimy-looking peaches?

Well...I ended up with this lovely pile of organic waste...

so sad I don't have a compost bin. Alas, it will be a goal for next summer!

Also produced a rather sorry half-bag of peaches to freeze, and a plate of sunken zuchinni-peach-blueberry muffins (needless to say, recipe not shared because it was not a keeper...their yummy taste could not make up for their un-aesthetic appearance)

But I did end up with a lovely bowl of delicious, colorful, and caramelized roasted veggies

Yum!

and I did make dinner for these two goons

This is certainly his momma's boy - loves corn on the cob and roots for the Pack.

And lastly, I ended up with this beautiful collection of jars of home-made peach jam!

Here's to an exhausting delightfully productive day in the kitchen!

Be fruitful.

Normally I would say, "Check out the fruits of my labor!!!" before showing you this picture

However, I'm afraid somebody would tattle on me...
My garden would say, "What labor?!"

It's true. I am ashamed to admit.
My faithful garden, though sadly neglected by me all summer, has still come through for me.

Yes, the green beans are fewer and far between

Yes, the raspberries are almost microscopic in comparison to last year, and the large-sized tomatoes are certainly not in abundance

But this faithful garden has still managed to make my mouth water today.
Isn't he a beaut? This is a Black Prince...

And these are a multitude variety of small guys...black prince cherries, yellow pear, grape, cupid and red cherries

And this faithful garden, despite it's disappointment in my neglectful ways, still provided me the means to make this amazing caprice salad...

And now if you'll excuse me while I go devour it. Nummers.

Take Two.

So today I was off work. My baby was napping. Since my house looked like this:

One might think it would have been a good time to clean things up a little.

Nope, not this super-impulsive girl. I decided it was time to nearly kill myself while climbing up in the attic retrieve and dust off a much-anticipated baby shower gift...drum roll....the MAGIC BABY BULLET!!!

I did not register for this, because, c'mon, really, is it necessary? Really?
But my sweet sister thought that since I grow my own veggies and launder my own diapers, I would be a likely candidate to make my own baby food. I guess she's right, though I'll admit I didn't give it much thought prenatally.

Anyways - I decided green peas were on the menu for today...and I guess the rest of this week, ha! Poor little guy.

Since I'm not really up on where to buy baby food economically, I'm not sure what store is the best place to buy it from, but I know when I was at BuyBuyBaby we bought a few jars. For $0.89 cents each. Gulp! That would break the bank fast. So I paid $3 for this large bag of peas. I used half of it...like so.
I first steamed 2 cups of peas (I guess steaming retains more of the nutrients...or something).

After the peas were nice and soft, I added them, along with a 1/2 cup of water to Mr. Baby Bullet.

Isn't he a jolly sort of fellow?

Then a short twist and push and voila! A wonderful green pea puree.
I sectioned it out into the nifty little refrigerator and freezer storage cups which even include a dial to set the date it was made (again, necessary? pro'ly not. nifty? definitely)

Now in about 10 minutes for $1.50 I made 11 2oz portions. If you do the math, based on the aforementioned price, that is $8 in savings. Woot, woot!!

Of course, having Mr. Magic around is not neccesary. We've established that.
But these are sure pretty darn cute.

Root veggies...

I find it quite ironic that it is November, and I just prepared a nice fall dinner of roasted root vegetables wearing a tee-shirt in my sun-porch! It is a glorious 68 degrees, and I had to get my share of sunbeams, so I packed up the utensils and various veggies and headed to the back. 

I decided to attempt a dish I saw in Cooking Light magazine.

I don't believe I've ever purchased a parsnip or a turnip in my life. And unfortunately, I realized I had no idea which was which!!

Oh well, just chopped and peeled both and threw them in. Speaking of chopping, do you know how hard it is to chop raw butternut squash? Luckily, my Japanese friend brought me an amazing knife from Japan and it cut through the squash like butter. Thanks Dustin!

And have you ever appreciated how carrots have lovely little hatchmarks to guide you as you chop? Splendid!

I love photography, because it always puts me on the lookout for  interesting shapes, colors, and textures with which to compose shots. I found that today in my root veggies!

So pretty. I think I made to many though (yes, that is an industrial-sized pan). Too bad K won't be eating these...anybody want to come over for some fall roasted veggies?

Or to clean up the aftermath?

All made worth it, though, when I tasted the finish product.

Although, I must say...I think there is a reason I have never purchased parsnips and turnips...