Winter CSA Week 3

The year is winding down. I promise you, for the past month I actually have been cooking. And using most of the vegetables I've gotten (except for the cauliflower that seems to think its only purpose in life is to grow mold while in my refrigerator for less than three days). I just haven't been taking pictures and posting recipes. Or I've been taking pictures and not actually managing to post the recipes. Maybe I'll get around to it during the holidays...


It's been a crazy month. There have been all sorts of goings on--happy, sad, frustrating, and completely mystifying (and not in a good way)...I am in need of a vacation. Everything that's been happening has made it hard to be in the holiday spirit at all. But it's almost all behind me. I am (nearly) done with my Special Ed certificate. I just have to mail in some paperwork and submit my application fee. School's done Friday. D is finally back from his trip to Spain. It's good to have him back.

Even though there has been some pretty shitty stuff--stuff that makes you feel like the universe has just decided to sucker-punch you--that's happened in the last month, there have been a lot of amazing things as well. And I think it's important to take a moment to count my blessings. When we're stressed, it's too easy to get bogged down in all of the bad things. So I'm making an effort in the last weeks of the year, to think about all of the good things...

- The annual cookie decorating party my friends Sarah and Rob have every year. I've only missed one in the last five (six?...I'm actually not quite sure) years. And that's because I was on a plane. Regular, run of the mill cut outs become amazing creations (I still don't think we've topped the Voltron cookie ever, but D's 3D dino scene came close).

- Going to my friend Stephanie's ordination....I used to tell her that some day I would go to her ordination and tell all of her parishioners about the time Pastor Stephanie and I drank an entire bottle of Russian vodka at a Christmas party (in our defense it was rather small). She's an amazing woman and I'm so so happy for her, and the church where she was ordained/installed seems like a very good place. I made her some marinated feta (which I hope her husband remembered to put in the fridge) that I was going to post about, but then completely forgot to take a picture before I brought her gift to her. Oops.

- Watching the students at my school perform the dance routines they've been working on since October. They did such a great job. They even did some improvisation. And kept their improvisations appropriate.

- Packing up a box full of homemade Christmas love and shipping it to my sister who will be wrapping it for me. (She's the nicest person ever).

- Taking a "mental health day" and having lunch with my friend Meagan. It turned the miserable week I was having last week completely around.

My drawer-full of root vegetables and tubers...

And, as always, wonderful food...

This week's haul:
Carrots
Cauliflower
Butternut squash
Sweet potatoes
Potatoes
Beets
Garlic
Plan and Greek yogurt
Eggs

Quark (a soft, spreadable Eastern European cheese--it's, in my opinion, like cream cheese with personality).

And a "Farmstead Macaroni and Cheese Kit", complete with recipe and enough cheese to make the recipe. I'll let you know if I try it out.

Have you had any trouble getting into the "Holiday Spirit" this year? What lifts your mood?