Adventures with Vegetables: Week 6

Starting to get a little more color.

On to week 6! This week we got:

- 2 lbs. carrots

- 2 scarlet turnips

- 1 bunch green onions

- 1 bunch collards

- 1 bunch Swiss chard

- 2 heads lettuce

- 1 bunch parsley

So many carrots in the share this week! But we love carrots, so it's okay. In an attempt to do something with our massive shelf of green onions, I searched online for recipes and found this hummus recipe that used them, AND parsley. It looked easy, so I made it. It was easy, although messy when it wouldn't all fit in my tiny food processor. And it wasn't the best hummus in the world. It tasted good, but it wasn't the creamy delicious hummus we usually get at Kroger. I later found out here that there's a secret to achieving that. Next time, I'll remember that. But it did use up some green onions and helped me consume a large amount of carrots and turnips.

That's a lot of hummus!

I also made fennel pork with roasted kohlrabi, sauteed chard and some sort of potatoes. I'm not real sure why I bought the potatoes, I'm sure I had a reason and then forgot about it, but I needed to use them. Apparently, I can think of nothing else to do with greens than sautee them. They taste pretty good (to me at least), but I have found that they don't reheat very well. The kohlrabi was delicious as always, and I do miss getting those.

As for the rest, Luis used the collards in his chaufa (fried rice), among other veggies. The parsley is still in our fridge and used periodically. I don't know what we did with the lettuce, probably ate it on sandwiches or something.

In next week's share: deliciousness that is summer squash and zucchini!

Adventures with Vegetables: Week 5

I'm like a month behind on posting this, so it will probably be short in that I'm a little fuzzy on the details. I know I cooked more than the previous week because I felt bad for wasting so many vegetables. I find the hardest part of this experiment is planning recipes based soley on the veggies we get from our CSA. I want to be able to eat broccoli or potatoes without feeling bad. But I feel awful when I buy veggies and there's so many rotting away. Luckily, at this point we are slowly steering away from leafy veggies in to more hardy ones. Since veggies all have their seasons, similar types of veggies are in season at the same time. There's only so many leafy greens I can eat!

In this share we got:

- 6 Kohlrabi

- 1 bunch carrots

- 1 bunch beets

- 1 bunch green onions

- 1 bunch Red Russian kale

- 2 heads lettuce

- 1 bag basil

- 1 bunch savory

- 1 bunch fennel

I of course, had no idea what to do with the beets. I was excited about the basil and made some delicious pesto with it. I also made lemon chicken with sauteed kale (using the current and previous week's kale) and a marinated beet salad that was included in our newsletter.

I can't really say it was delicious. Later, I took the beets and put them over lettuce and made another salad, which was alright. I hated making that beet salad because I managed to cut myself with the vegetable peeler and the cheese grater during it. I decided I don't like kale (which is bad because we get a lot of it). Luis hates both beets and all leafy greens. I'm pretty sure I used the kohlrabi and the fennel the following week. We never used the savory, we still have a mountain of green onions in our fridge (which we garnish everything with now) and we used the carrots for various stir fries or eating raw. Mostly what we accomplished this week was learning what we didn't like.

Adventures with Vegetables: Week 4

Week 4's Share

During Week 4 we did not do a good job of trying to cook our veggies. We were quite lazy, or busy. I'm going to go with busy. Our share:

• 1 lb. turnips


• 1 head Chinese cabbage


• 1 bunch beets


• 1 bunch green onions


• 1 bunch Lacinato kale


• 2 heads lettuce (1 Romaine, 1 iceberg)


• 1 bunch dill

This week we got Chinese cabbage, beets, and dill for the first time. We've gotten kale before but we never got to cook it. When I picked up our share this week and saw the Chinese cabbage I knew I had to make pot stickers. I love the things, but they take forever to make. But so worth it. The pot stickers recipe comes from a Newlywed cookbook that we have. Basically, it's ground pork, Chinese cabbage, and green onions in won-ton wrappers. I love them! But sadly, no pictures.

Unfortunately, this was the only thing I made during this week. Luckily, we got a lot of veggies that are durable and we were able to use them the following week.

Up next: Week 5, in which we're productive again.

Adventures with Vegetables: Week 3

We actually missed Week 2's distribution because we were in Boston, and I forgot to have someone else go pick it up. On to Week 3!

Week 3's Share

In this share we got:

• 4 kohlrabi


• 6 turnips


• 1 bunch green onions


• 1 bunch Swiss chard


• 4 heads lettuce


• 1 bunch cilantro

We were supposed to get broccoli as well, but they ran out before we got there, so we got another bunch of green onions instead. Luis loves green onions.

I was actually familiar with a lot of the stuff in our share this week, minus the kohlrabi. I've never heard of kohlrabi before. I'd not had Swiss chard before, but I knew about it after reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Kohlrabi is related to turnips and have a similar flavor. Some of them are purple and some are white (at least the ones we've gotten). They're quite tasty raw!

Weird purple vegetable, kohlrabi

This week I made Garlic Cheddar chicken with oven fried turnips and kohlrabi, and sauteed Swiss chard with Parmesan cheese. You may be thinking this sounds awfully familiar, but it's not (that's what I thought "hey, I made the same thing as last week, but with chicken instead of fish and Swiss chard instead of braising mix!"). Don't judge.

So tasty!

The garlic cheddar chicken is something I make a lot. It's basically chicken rolled in cheese and bread crumbs and baked. So good and easy! I used the same turnip recipe as the last week, except I used curry powder instead of chili powder. The Swiss chard recipe is here. This meal was delicious and I wish we had gotten more weeks of Swiss chard because it is quite tasty! Luis even liked it, despite it being very green (of course it helps that it was covered in cheese).

Also, as soon as we got the share and I saw cilantro I knew we had to make ceviche!

Just looking at this makes me want more!

I've made ceviche numerous times, although this is the first time I did it without Luis' help. And I thought it was delicious and one of the best I've made! Later, we added lettuce under the ceviche to help catch some of that tasty juice.

Overall, I declare Week 3 to be a success! We ate things I've never had before (kohlrabi and Swiss chard) AND they were both delicious! And we got to eat ceviche.

Up next: Week 4, in which we get lazy.

How giant are these green onions?

Adventures with Vegetables: Week 1

After receiving an email from UK, I had this great idea that Luis and I should join a CSA. We are trying to eat healthier and branch out from our normal foods, so I thought that receiving fresh, organic vegetables every week would help us. If they're in our fridge, surely we will eat them, right? Whether this was a great idea, or a moment of pure insanity remains to be seen. We shall see.

First, a CSA is Community Supported Agriculture; basically we give the farmers money, they do all the work, and then every week we get an assortment of vegetables. All the vegetables are organic and locally grown. And, since this one is run through the college, since Luis is still a student, we get a discount! What we paid averages out to about $18 a week. Our ultimate goal is to cook more often during the week, eat more vegetables, and not have to buy any more veggies to add to our meals. This didn't happen in the beginning because most of what we received were salad veggies. There's only so much lettuce one can eat.

We received our first share at the end of May. With our CSA, every Thursday you go to UK and there they have bins with the veggies in them. There's a board that lists what you can take and how much. Then you fill up your box or bag with your deliciousness. There's also a swap box at the end, so if you don't want something you can put it there and take something else out of the box. Or not. We've not used that because we're trying to sample everything!

Our first share! So much green!

In our first share we got:

- 1 bunch braising mix

- 1 bunch radishes

- 1 bunch turnips

- lettuce (2 heads and 1 bag mix)

- 1 bunch arugula

- 1 bunch Red Russian kale

And we had the option of going out to the farm and picking sugar snap peas which we were unable to do (sadly).

Overall, I was excited about the greenness, but unsure of what to do with most of it, aside from make salads. Unfortunately, the timing of our first share was poor as we received it on a Thursday, and I went to Boston that Sunday; Luis followed shortly. So we did not get to use a lot of the food. We made a lot of salads and I was able to cook one big meal before I left using some of our plethora of food.

We did manage to try two new things: turnips and the braising mix (which apparently is "a mix of cooking greens that are young and tender enough to be quickly sauteed"). There was a recipe for the braising mix in our newsletter we get with each share that we made. Basically, it was greens sauteed with garlic. In the end, I made a cracker crusted cod (I had cod we needed to eat, I found a recipe that I had most of the ingredients for and then improvised), the sauteed braising mix with garlic, and oven-fried turnips. I thought I took a picture of it, but apparently not. I would like to say that everything we tried that week was delicious, but that would be a lie. The braising mix was eh; Luis said it tasted too much like a plant....

We did however make some delicious turnips, and this was the first time I had eaten a turnip. I followed this recipe, and man, they were tasty.

Overall, week one was not very successful in that most of our veggies spoiled. However, I will put the majority of the blame on poor timing and will not count this venture as a failure yet! We're just getting started! (the CSA actually runs through mid-November)

Also, fun photo, I took pictures of our fridge pre-CSA, this is what it looked like after we got our first share:

So much green!

Also, I am not the most timely in the posting of these entries, so we are now on Week 5 of our adventure. We are swamped in green onions. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH GREEN ONIONS? I have no idea!

I'm pretty excited about the things to come for this summer, and am looking forward to getting more towards vegetables that are sturdier and not lettuce. It's quite strange how I look forward to Thursdays every week and I can't wait to find out what we are getting. In fact, the CSA emails their newsletter every Thursday around noon, and when I started writing this entry this morning, I was constantly checking my email to find out what we were getting (and it included carrots!)

exploring the fridge

I meant to post this ages ago, but vacation and job applications got in the way. Oh well, here it goes! (I also have like 3 blog entries I've been meaning to post!)

I thought that Jill's amusing post about her refrigerator was fun and I wanted to do my own! So here it goes, the Carlin fridge in all its glory!

Our fridge is slightly messy, consisting of many magnets and notes to each other.

And of course, fantastic artwork by small children (and me!). And, it even holds my letter informing me I passed comps with distinction! Also, I love the Scooper Bowl picture. So much ice cream.
Inside our freezer full of unhealthy things. Please ignore the frozen dinners, I try to. And you can't see both of them, but there's two cartons of ice cream! We also have vegetables, but they're in the door where you can't see them.
Inside our fridge! Important stuff like beer, fruit, almond milk, various breads, hummus, and yes, there's 3 pitchers of sweet tea. That's not normal.
And some condiments in the door. Delicious salsa. And the best thing in there is in the top left, in the jar with the gold lid- homemade apple butter!

Now that I look at these pictures, they really aren't that interesting. Oh well. I took these a while ago and a lot has changed in our fridge. Mainly we had to clear out the bottom shelf and the crisper to make room for all our vegetables!

Coming up next: Sam and Luis eat vegetables! So thrilling!

Kit Kat Adventure

My brother, Adam, and his wife just got back from a vacation in Japan (not just, it's been a few weeks). When I heard they were going to Japan the first thing I thought of that I wanted was Kit Kats. I had read this blog in the past and was fascinated by the many flavors of Kit Kats available in Japan. And I had to try them. Being the loving family they are, my brother and sister-in-law complied. They brought me these:

Clockwise from top left: Bitter Almond, Green Tea, Cola and Lemon Soda, Cherry Blossom

The only one that actually said what it was in English was the Bitter Almond, the others I went by the pictures. (I think the last one is cherry blossom, but I could be wrong). Despite what I had previously thought, Adam and Nikki had difficulties finding Kit Kats in Japan.

Anyway, the verdict:

Bitter Almond: This was one dark chocolate and the closest of all to a real Kit Kat. I couldn't taste any almond, but it was still tasty.

Green Tea: Very sweet, green in color. A little weird and grainy, but not bad.

Cola Flavors: I really liked these two. I loved the combination of two different flavors in one pack. (The Kit Kats in Japan come with two sleeves inside the box, each containing 2 bars). One was cola colored, the other yellow. I found both flavors to be tasty and they kind of fizzed when I ate them. Yummy!

Cherry Blossom: Probably the only one of the four I did not like. This one was also green in color. It was super sweet and I honestly couldn't figure out what it was supposed to taste like.

All in all, I found my Kit Kat adventure successful and tons of fun! It reminded me of being in Europe and buying random candy just to see what they tasted like!

Of course, they also brought me back this gem! I now have a Harry Potter book in 4 different languages!

HANSON

When I was 12, a friend of mine let me listen to her Hanson CD, Middle of Nowhere, and I was hooked. I ran out and bought MoN on cassette! considering I didn't have a CD player, and my mom thought I was crazy when I bought their CD once I finally got a CD player (all for that one song). I quickly became obsessed, covering my walls with Hanson posters, taping their interviews from the TV, reading books like Totally Taylor. When I was 13, Hanson was touring and went to Cincinnati, a mere hour and a half from where we live (I don't think Hanson has ever been to Lexington, psh). I remember begging my mom to take me, but she wouldn't. It was too expensive or something. Obviously, I was crushed. Hanson quickly fell of the radar and I figured I'd never see them on tour. I was still in love with them, but didn't think they'd be around when I could finally see them in concert.

And then Boston came. Not only does Hanson still make music and tour, but they came to Boston! And even screened their documentary at Emerson! I finally got to see the obsession of my tween years in concert (a few times, even). And it was everything I had imagined. Sadly, the past few years I haven't been able to make it out to one of their shows, but last week I convinced Luis to come to one with me! And it was amazing all over again.

I've been listening to Hanson's newest album, Shout It Out, pretty much on repeat for a while. It's an awesome CD and I love that most of the music on it makes me want to sing and dance (which of course makes their concerts that much more fun). My absolute favorite song is Give A Little, so good. I love that, 13 years later, they're still making music and they continue to grow as musicians. And they still sell out concerts, not as big of venues as they used to, but their shows are still popular.

The most recent concert we went to was at Moonlite Garden, which was an outdoor venue tucked in a really lame amusement park (4 story fall, really?). I was worried about Luis being frightened of all the crazy girls there (which, by the way, weren't as crazy as the last time I saw Hanson); I warned him several times that it would be crazy and that I couldn't guarantee that I would be "normal" during the event. I can't help it. As soon as Hanson runs on that stage I turn into that 13 year old girl who wanted nothing more than to see them in concert, but never got the chance. It's like a dream come true.

I'm not afraid to say it: I still love Hanson as much as I did when I was 13, and it's awesome!

shopping for fresh food

Lately, Luis and I have been making an effort to eat healthier and spend more time cooking using fresh ingredients and cut down on the amount of processed food we buy. When Jill, Carey and I moved into our first apartment in college, I think we owned two pots and maybe one frying pan. I spent many a night eating from instant pasta and rice packets and rarely buying fresh veggies. It was quick, easy and I was only cooking for myself so I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I wasn't concerned with what was actually in the food I was eating. After college, I started cooking more, but I often found myself resorting to using processed foods a lot. Now that Luis and I are both working and in school and have crazy busy schedules, we end up going back to college and buying pasta packets again. After getting sick of constantly eating pasta and not very tasty frozen stir fries, and watching Jamie Oliver make chicken nuggets -- I'd had enough. Luis and I decided to start cooking more often, invested in some really good cookbooks (that didn't all revolve around pasta) and began buying more fresh ingredients. I've also gotten really into gardening: growing herbs, green peppers and now tomatoes and cayenne peppers (and ginger!).

My peppers and ginger, in their early stages!

Now that we're finally buying fresh ingredients, and cooking delicious meals from scratch, like this Jamie Oliver sweet and sour pork:
I've noticed that our grocery bills are going up like whoa. This really bothers me. I've always said that I have no problem paying MORE money for BETTER quality food; if you can taste/see/smell/feel the difference, then I'm all for it. But I despise the fact that it costs more to eat healthy than to eat junk food. I understand that it costs more to produce fresh foods, but there is a serious problem in this country if going to McDonald's is encouraged, while eating healthy is discouraged. I am ashamed of you United States! I get the Sunday paper every week, and I always go through and look for the coupons. I used to save TONS of money at the store, but now not so much. Why? Because they don't print coupons for fresh vegetables - just for mac 'n cheese and instant stir fries. I hate that we live in a country that does not encourage fresh foods and healthy eating. I hate that you have to have money to buy foods that are good for you. It seems like, as a whole, we are encouraging people to be fat and eat junk. And that is wrong. I'm a lot happier and healthier now that I've stopped buying as much processed food. And I enjoy cooking with fresh, raw ingredients, even if it does take some time. And the end result is always way better than any bagged stir fry could give.

My new favorite cook book. I don't think we've made a recipe in this that we didn't love. I even made cheesecake, from scratch!

columbus, part two

Recently, Luis and I traveled to Columbus, OH once again to see the Columbus Crew in action. This game was much more intense than last year, and was successful in getting me excited about the World Cup! Columbus Crew managed to pull off the win over Chivas USA, but it was a good game overall.

Before the game, we went to the Columbus Museum of Art. Apparently, pretty much the entire museum, minus their special exhibit, is closed as they are renovating. Luckily, the lady there only charged us for one admission! We saw this exhibit which was pretty awesome.

Then we wandered around trying to find something to eat. Apparently, Columbus' downtown is similar to Lexington's - everything is closed on the weekend. But we eventually found some yummy Cuban food!

Hey Art.

Then, we went to the game where there was a drumline with really small children.

And our seats were amazing! It's crazy how you can get such cheap, good seats in soccer!

The teams warming up.

Good times.

hello summer

Summer is here!

I am so excited about summer and all it's glory. It's been super hot here, which is crazy for this time of the year. School ended on Wed. and I'm incredibly happy that terrible semester is over. So far, one grade has come in but I'm still waiting on the other two. To celebrate summer Luis and I went out to lunch and saw Iron Man 2 (which was amazing and I loved it immensely and now want to rewatch Iron Man.) I also celebrated with a trip to the bookstore and purchased several books which I am very much looking forward to reading. I got God of the Hive by Laurie R. King, Lies by Michael Grant, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, and Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. So excited. Right now, I'm reading a book about the Gardner museum heist which is very interesting and quite enjoyable.

Tomorrow, I will attempt to bake a fruit tart (should be interesting). Then on Monday, I will purchase the rest of my herbs and tomato plants, and plant them. On Tuesday I start my internship at the Lexington Public Library. I think the internship will be good, but I am nervous and not looking forward to getting up early. Then, next weekend Luis and I are going to Columbus for the weekend to see a Crew game and do other fun things! I love summer.

Now I just need the Red Sox to stop sucking and all will be well......Well, that and to not work....

And of course, the terrible election day is coming up!

Also, the best news....I am halfway done with my masters! yay!