waiting for the guy that never showed.

keith and i spent last friday home waiting for the guy to come fix the internet. two attempts yielded nothing. it was a complete disaster, especially because i made sure to be up at 8am for his arrival. (and yes, i assume it is a "him.")

but i ate decently: sourdough toast with muenster and a fried egg (up!) and sauteed bok choy.
and much, much later, a snack: spicy popcorn made in a very heavy le creuset pot.
i've only made popcorn on the stove a few times, mostly because april loved to do it. once she was no longer my roommate, i almost forgot about eating it. apparently, my roommate-to-be in north carolina is a huge fan. i hope i benefit.

that thursday.

i know, i've been lazy on the policy updates, but it's because i have been mostly studying microeconomics to prepare for graduate school and eating a lot. and drinking too many beers.

but here's thursday.

breakfast: ricotta, avocado, and lettuce sandwich with mushroom and carrot salad with a little vinaigrette.
late lunch: pasta with ricotta, spinach, basil, black pepper, and sea salt. and lemon water.
i finished the ricotta, purchased for the squash blossoms. (did i tell you i filled them with ricotta and basil, doused them with egg, dipped them in flour, and pan-fried them? i did.)

but you have to eat fresh ricotta quickly. at least it's so damn tasty.

in the freezer.

i cut up almost a pint of strawberries, squeezed a quarter of a lemon, added an over-sized tablespoon of honey, and poured some unknown amount of yogurt (a cup? ish?) into the blender. i blended it up and poured it into my new popsicle molds. i cleared the freezer and put them in.

and now i wait.

ina.

and then, ina garten, the barefoot contessa, said "well, everyone loves potatoes, don't they?"

we are soulmates.

summer-summer-summertime.

the first days of summer. i am always surprised that the weather just "becomes" summer immediately on the right day. it's been hot and humid ever since.

but summertime means summer breakfast. fried eggs and other lovelies.

tuesday, june 21st.
fried egg on sourdough toast with tomatoes and mustard, garlic potatoes, carrots, and avocado.

wednesday, june 22nd.
salad of boston lettuce*, carrots, and mushrooms, with an egg on top, and tossed with a homemade vinaigrette. potatoes with sea salt and crushed pepper. sourdough toast with fresh ricotta and basil.

and always coffee. always.

*this boston lettuce came from the csa share. it might be the best lettuce i have ever tasted. flavorful and pillowy. and i ate lots of lettuce as a child. we could even say lettuce-obsessed.
**i am going to try NOT to eat a fried egg every morning. even though i love them.

the sandwiches return.

summer time. summer sandwich.
ciabatta with yellow tomatoes, burpless(!) cucumber, spinach, and mustard.

because it's hot.

i plan to make popsicles this summer. ice pops. however you want to call them.

in addition to my pops! cookbook, there's this tasty list.

for someone with no work, i've got a lot to do.

the plan.

4 new books. food and agricultural and farm policy. a little overwhelming, considering that i am studying intermediate microeconomics with calculus. but i have a little free time, too. hopefully.

but, i will read them. this summer. ready? set. go!

1. problems of plenty: the american farmer in the twentieth century, by r. douglas hurt
2. a revolution down the farm: the transformation of american agriculture since 1929, by paul conkin (who also wrote one of my favorite books on lyndon johnson!)
3. remaking the north american food system: strategies for sustainability, edited by c. clare hinrichs and thomas a. lyson
4. cultivating an ecological conscience: essays from a farmer philosopher, by frederick l. kirschenmann
   

smitten.

i am smitten with smitten kitchen. all of her recipes are easy-to-make and categorized by ingredient, just like the farmer john cookbook, which continues to be my favorite even after 3 years.

i had the student council girls over for dinner, and made a feast. a feast! including, but not limited to (because i can't remember and because i made so many things.):

• spring rolls with peanut sauce.
• pesto pasta salad. cold, with whole tomatoes.
  
• fruit salad of blackberries, strawberries, nectarines, and apricots.
• hummus and carrots.
• grilled cheese.
• roasted potatoes.
• homemade margherita pizza.
  
• apple cake. (well, apple cupcakes, tina's recipe.)

i made the pizza for the first time on that day, which is crazy. a person should not try new recipes on the day of a dinner party. but it worked! it was so easy that i made the recipe (courtesy of smitten kitchen) again later that week for courtney. yes.

and last night, i made the rhubarb-strawberry crumble, as we received 4 stalks of rhubarb in the csa share last week. delicious. and easy.

i love her, that smitten kitchen.

ugh.

my internet is acting up. it's amazing i can write this post.
in future posts:

• student council dinner
• ice pops
• summer reading material
• the CSA share
• policy updates
  

back in black.

the farmers' market is back. and that means better meals.

last weekend's breakfast: black beans with chard and garlic, fried egg sandwich on baguette, and organic strawberries. yes.

and the CSA starts soon, as well. even better.

on the best note.

jon seemed to think that he could sneak-eat bagels in my economics class every morning, but he always got caught. his inability to ever eat the bagel in a stealth manner became ridiculous (and maybe a little offensive). i suggested, that for the last day, he bring bagels for all of us.

and he did. with cream cheese. such a rockstar.
and yes, i DID eat two breakfasts. i admit it.

also--i made him pose for this photograph; he does not always look so crazy.

life's too good.

my student, nicole, eats a hot breakfast before school each morning. or most mornings. and i am most definitely jealous of her waffles, eggs, and other delicacies.

and! on the last day of class, she brought me my very own hot breakfast: a crepe with nutella. and plasticware to eat it with, and everything.

delicious. it was just so awesome. maybe that's why she is so awesome.

nicole, thank you. for more than just hot breakfast.

bodega.

from today's nytimes, an article about 3 filmmakers who made a short film called bodega which explores the unfortunate food options in the bronx bodegas. they are funny and smart and remind us that, in a city of incredible food, many people lack real choices.

“This isn’t Whole Foods,” said Dallas Penn, after riffing on all the chemically enhanced cakes, chips and beverages he found in a South Bronx bodega. “It’s part foods,” replied Rafi Kam.

But it is totally funny as part of “Bodega,” a short video that explores the meager options that residents of poor neighborhoods have for healthy eating. The video, which Mr. Kam, Mr. Penn and their friend Casimir Nozkowski made in 2006, joined a growing online oeuvre that has brought them cult status as wisecracking social critics who deconstruct the worlds of check-cashing outlets, street vendors and even sugar-laden breakfast cereal.

and the movie itself: