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