i swear it. i did it.

i did it. i ate the whole month. there are even some photos. april was something else. mostly full of variations on bon appetit recipes. and some tacos. i have definitely forgotten some meals. there was a weekend of cheating on the month of homemade foods; i obviously blame casey for this silliness.

i'll post it up soon. i finish the classes this week. you know, so i can teach and get back to the gardens.

and yeah, i cut some bangs. and bought the best conditioner.

golden.

the plan to buy some golden syrup. and then make this wonderment.

days sixteen through nineteen.

here we go.

day sixteen: shira cooked up this amazing lemon rice from bon appetit (we are really putting them to work these days!) it was delicious and lemony and nutty and just awesome.

i put together a salad from bought, borrowed, and stolen. you toss bibb lettuce (i used boston--it's similar in its pillowy nature) with chopped artichokes (in oil) with peas and corn which are boiled just for a minute with the eggs. you add 2 tbsp of olive oil and some sea salt and black pepper and toss the whole thing together. slice the eggs and add a little turmeric to the tops of them.

seriously. this dinner was absolutely incredible.

 day seventeen: taco-deficient we were... so, we sauteed white kidney beans with onions, garlic, and jalapeno and made a little box of spanish rice. the tacos included the bean mixture with radishes and tomatoes and salsa and monterey jack cheese.

 

day eighteen:  vegetarian sushi with carrots, cucumbers, and avocado. a little side of broccoli sauteed in seasame oil with sesame seeds, sea salt, and crushed red pepper.

day nineteen: late, late dinner tacos with alex. i think i put everything i had leftover in the fridge into those tacos. no photos.

from pallets.

in addition to (hopeful) peppers and arugula growing in the garden box in the back, i've got plants on the porch, too: rosemary, thyme, mint. there are bluebonnets (and maybe, someday, lavender, if it ever grows) in pots by the road. ANYHOW, casey built me this bench for them--from pallets. just the coolest.

snacks.

stepping up the snacks with casey on saturday afternoon: strawberries, french breakfast radishes with sea salt, kalamata olives (which apparently neither of us really love), grainy crackers, raw milk hickory cheese, and muenster cheese. and a limonata.

the dream, kids.

days twelve through fifteen.

day twelve: vimala's with april and adam. i mean, we actually ordered almost everything on the menu: sag paneer, naan, vegetarian thali, beers, rose lassi, tandoori things, salady things. i can't remember what it all was. besides delicious. 

day thirteen: i was totally off-course by this point but i swear it's not my fault. casey and i went to raleigh for a birthday party and some bowling (in which i kicked his ass, which is mostly what matters). we eventually retired to the home of the birthday boy and drank the MOST delectable whiskey-and-gingers (maybe with some very strong, very gingery ginger ale or beer) and ate lilly's pizza, which is always mind-blowing. i mean, there are potatoes on the damn thing. holy hot bananas.

day fourteen: we were running off to see lambchop at motorco, so i threw all sorts of vegetables in the skillet--bell peppers, chard, onions, garlic, cabbage, eggplant--as well as chickpeas and some sort of indian curry sauce and pumpkin seeds. this was incredibly fast and totally fulfilling.

day fifteen: so maybe it's not dinner, but i made the best breakfast that i've made in a while. and i swear it's because i PERFECTLY FRIED EGGS in butter and there were delicious, delicious bagels (pumpernickel with sesame seeds!) and tomatoes and cheese and i swear it was stupidly messy and awesome. and worthy of photographs.

dinner was not worthy of photographing but consisted of rice noodles in a nutty, spicy sauce (made from peanut butter, tahini, lemon + lime, salt + braggs, sriracha, garlic), with carrots, onions, bok choy, bell pepper, and garlic in sesame oil. and some homemade chocolate ice cream, my new nemesis (i keep mistiming it).

the list on the fridge is growing with ideas and items for purchase. more to come.

days ten + eleven.

day ten: well, we made this deliciousness without egg cups, with an addition of sauteed yellow peppers and rainbow chard. as the water for the eggs took a bit to get up to the right temperature, we accidentally over-cooked them (my fault, not shira's) to be closer to hard-boiled. i didn't mind.

however, i was a little hungry after and consumed a couple of cold matzoh balls from the fridge (one of my favorite treats from passover, which i understand is a little weird).

day eleven: april + adam returned from charleston and so we visited the food trucks. casey + i ate risotto balls(!) and spaetzle from the boxcarr farms truck. i'd been waiting for that truck to get in walking distance... hint hint, boxcarr!

days six, seven, eight, & nine.

• day six: post-egg dying bliss, a super quick salad so shira and i could head to raleigh for cocktails at foundation and a show.
• day seven: oh my seder. for 16. matzoh ball soup, charosets, all of it. photos to come.
• day eight: april and adam arrive so we throw some things together from the fridge, so we can leave to go watch mad men. (yes, i've organized a bar to show it.)
• day nine: casey calls to say he's bought a pizza. i say bring it over. i think it doesn't count against the challenge.

eggstravaganza.

between seder and easter, it's all eggs over here. i boiled 15 yesterday and used 8 more for matzoh balls.

(and to my friend, lisa, who reminded me that i don't blog so much, i am trying to step up my game.)

day five.

consumed so fast.

pasta with sauteed peas, asparagus, onion, mushrooms, and garlic, tossed with ricotta and chives and mint.

also(!) mint juleps with honey syrup and bulleit bourbon and mint foraged off north greensboro.

day four.

chilaquiles.

we've got 3 months of bon appetit, the homesick texan book, and bought, borrowed, and stolen living on the kitchen table. we are reading recipes as we eat. there are 5 potential meals scribbled on the chalkboard and 4 kinds of cheese in the fridge. the challenge is in full swing.

and today, chilaquiles. recipe from last month's bon appetit. we made our own freaking chips. the eggs were perfect. it was spicy but didn't make us cry. eliot ness amber beer from great lakes.

day four was a good one.

days two and three.

day two: homemade pizza with suzannah, shira, and casey.

• no 1. greek pizza with olives, feta, tomatoes, parsley, lemon, garlic, and onion.
• no 2. pizza with roasted eggplant, mushrooms, mozzarella, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

day three: butternut squash soup with mushrooms and onions, with a bit of mozzarella on top. a handful of salty, caraway spelt crackers. and a crossword.

no fool.

day one: broccoli rabe grinders. why grinders? unsure, but that's what bon appetit calls them. we added sauteed kale to the broccoli rabe, used munster instead of provolone, and sliced some sourdough instead of buying buns or hero rolls.

pretty awesome.

day two? homemade pizza. yes, we did make this dough a day ahead. eating well is all about planning.