EcoMommyo's blog

I got my hands upon Jennifer Reese's Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn't Cook from Scratch. This seemed totally up my alley. Here I am trying to live this nouveau home-ec life and here is a kindred spirit in liking to mess around in the kitchen but it rather ended right there. Thankfully, Ms. Reese explained her situation otherwise I would have spent the whole book rolling my eyes at her yummy-mummy lifestyle.

There has been so much great produce that I’ve been cooking up a storm. For example, this looks terrible, tastes great Gumbo z’Herbes. It is apparently a spring tradition to serve this type of gumbo that goes nuts with the greens. It just so happened that half of the refrigerator was occupied by bags of greens: kale, spinach, mixed cooking greens. This recipe took care of them all and more: the Andouille hiding in the freezer, small bundles of scallions and parsley, that cup or so of vegetable broth, and the last few squares of blue cornbread on the side.

I made a royal mess for Father’s Day. For EcoDaddyo’s first Father’s Day, we made a cherry pie. I would love to claim all the credit for its deliciousness but pitting 2-3 pounds of cherries was a messy two person job.

With some recent cooking projects, I was again reminded that good things come to those who wait (and preserve).

I have finally made the cookie I've been planning for years. Behold! The sustainable fig bar! I was blowing big dough on packages of this treat from a classic American cookie company and thoroughly enjoying them. I just love Fig Newtons and will defend them to my grave from all the fig haters out there in the world. I have also had a few versions from various fancy bakeries that made their own. I knew mine would not taste the same as the commercial classic but with multiple pounds of figs in the freezer needing some purpose, I gave it a try.

I’m afraid my love affair with Cook’s Illustrated might be coming to an end. Unfortunately, fussy babies and fussy recipes do not mix.

I’m home with the little one and I’m looking for food that will sustain us during this winter’s bitter cold and can be made with either a child in arms or during nap-time. Surely, chili completely fits the bill--hearty, warming, freezes well, can perk along on the stove. That’s how I usually think of chili but not so at Cook’s Illustrated.

It is Thanksgiving evening and the kitchen is tidied, the leftovers put away, and only a few dishes to face tomorrow. Now that's a good holiday.

What made it a better holiday was a lovely home-cooked meal as one of our blessings. Here's what we are thankful for: loving family, good work, a warm, cozy house, and good things coming our way. But possibly just as important, here's what we had for dinner:

- Cacahuates y Pepitas Enchilados - because it's fun to say and a delicious snack.

Peach pies are a thing of glory and, it turns out, a true thing of summer.

I have been saving a peach pie recipe for a while now and finally got the time, the peaches, the crust all happening at the same time. Go for it! The crust rolled out nicely and I crimped the edges. So far so gorgeous. I blanched the peaches and put them in cold water so the skins could slip off. This was the first problem and I probably should have stopped there and found a bunch of apples that looked like they needed pie-ing. But I get an idea in my head and...there you go.

I, again, have a crisper full of weird things: daikon, sunchokes, scorzonera (or black salsify, if that helps any). I keep pushing them around and making things with carrots instead. They just look weird and I need to get over that. To think I thought turnips were strange.

I would have written sooner but I’ve been canning. The apricots are here and it’s game on.

Due to an amazing turn of weather this spring, fruit trees all over town actually escaped a late frost and managed to set fruit. It has been several years since this miracle happened last and right now I see piles of apricots lying in the street all over the place. It practically makes me want to weep. Pick your fruit, people! Someone, somewhere will appreciate it not only because it is delicious but also because you can avoid attracting vermin to your neighborhood in search of rotting sweets.