In the Kitchen | Pickles, Curd and more...

Last weekend when I finally started feeling like myself again, I *might* have gone a little off the deep end in the kitchen. Really, I couldn't help it. I was sick and didn't feel like myself for a month and spent about half of it without an appetite. I didn't get my needed relaxing time in the kitchen, but last weekend, I made up for it... First, Marisa of the fabulous Food In Jars blog posted a recipe for Honey Sweetened Meyer Lemon Curd on March 5th and I had hubby get lemons for me so I could make it the following weekend, then I came down with that bear of a cold. While I was out of commission, I literally had dreams about this stuff - seriously, my mouth waters just thinking about it. So, this was on my kitchen 'to make' list last Sunday and I have to say, it is divine! A little bit of patience and time is a small price to pay for the end result of a perfectly balanced tart and sweet lemon curd. Yum!!!Then, not wanting to waste the egg whites from the lemon curd, I had the brilliant idea to make some lightly sweetened coconut macaroons. As they were baking, I dug around and found some dark chocolate bars to melt and drizzle on. These also were DELICIOUS! In my usual fashion, I made these up as I went along since I wanted a VERY low sugar recipe. I'll keep track next time and I can type it up.

Next, I started a batch of homemade yogurt - I've been doing this for a couple years now and I love it! The texture and taste is so much better than store bought.

And then I took a break to spend some time with my new sewing machine (more on that in an upcoming post).

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After sewing success, it was time for supper and I had another Food In Jars recipe that I had to make. Marisa had been taunting me with her Instagram photos of some Spicy Quick Pickled Cucumbers on a salad with lentils and avocado. Again, as soon as I saw these, I knew I had to make them. They are delicious and I've had them 3 times this week!!!

Then, I while I was letting the cucumbers mingle with the flavor a bit, I started a batch of Homemade Kimchi - also from Food In Jars (have you noticed a theme here?). It's been cool in our house so it's taking a bit longer to ferment, but after setting for a few days, I think it's ready to pop into the fridge to enjoy. I can't wait to try it!

It's time for another weekend, I don't have any crazy kitchen plans like last weekend. Regardless, I'm sure I'll find something to whip up.

What's on your 'to cook' list for the weekend or have you made something fabulous lately? I'd love to hear about it!

Happy weekend and CHEERS!

On the Needles | Journey-along & Inland

Whew! March was a long month and yesterday was the first day in almost a month that I finally felt like myself again after battling a terrible cold bug. I was a flurry of crafty and kitchen activity all day and I'll share details with you on that later this week. Today I'm happy to share that I'm casting on a sweater for the Journey-along. This beautiful grey is going to be Inland and, from what I've heard, I'll want to live in it.

I've had yarn wound for this sweater for months and now that I'm getting ready to cast on, I'm super excited! The weather is warming up here, but it will still be cool in the evenings for quite awhile, so I'm sure this sweater will get plenty of use.

I'm working on ideas for the next Journey-along giveaway, so stay tuned... Many thanks (again) to the Journey designers, Shannon & Jane, for sponsoring the first giveaway with 2 eBook copies of Journey - congrats to Deb & Sandy on winning!

I've loved the enthusiasm for the projects in this book and our Journey-along Ravelry group is so much fun with both local and not-so-localknitters sharing in the fun. Since we're knitting through November, it's not too late to join the fun!

I'm off to cast on a new sweater and hoping to knit like the wind. Cheers!

In the Kitchen | CSA Dreaming

With warmer weather on the horizon, I'm anxiously thinking ahead to the warmth of June - it has to warm up, right? - and the warmer weather means this deliciousness will begin:

We've been going the CSA route for a few years now and last year our farmer retired - thankfully, one of our fellow members was kind enough to find another CSA for us. Our new farmers, Nicole & Joe, are pretty fabulous and I have nothing but praise for Good Earth Farm and the amazing produce we get from them each week.

Their new logo is pretty awesome too:

If you haven't tried a CSA and love fresh produce, I highly recommend joining one. The upfront cost can seem like a lot, but over the course of the summer our grocery shopping is pretty minimal since we're not generally purchasing much - if any - produce. I love that our food is grown locally and the quality with our CSA is top-notch. This was another weekly delivery from last summer:

If you're not familiar with the CSA concept, you can read about it here on the Local Harvest website and you can even check for availability in your area. If you're local to the Beaver Dam, WI area, there are still shares available with Good Earth Farm in a variety of sizes, along with some fabulous add-on options including: bread, fruit, mushrooms, and a late season share! As of the beginning of April they are about 80% full, so there aren't many shares left.

Visit this page on the Good Earth Farm website to get details on joining.

They also have a newsletter with recipes and other great information - you can find several years of archived issues here and they're available even if you're not a member.

Do you have questions or a CSA experience to share? Just leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!

Many thanks to Nicole and Joe for everything you and your workers do to provide our family with amazing food each week! We're excited for the 2014 season to kick off!