I've had a pretty happy day for myself. We went grocery shopping this morning and got stuff to have on hand so we can throw meals together quickly during the week...especially the days when Bill works late and I'm throwing food around and juggling children at the same time. It's like Iron Chef only there's no competition and I'd really like to see Bobby Flay try to do much of anything carrying a baby in one arm and trying to keep the older child from touching the stovetop. ("That very, VERY hot, Mommy" he says, pointing at the burner not in use and coming within a milimeter of touching it.) (Oh, and why is he even that close to the burner to begin with? Because we're STILL waiting for our stovetop to be fixed, so we're using the two electric burners in the basement...and so while I'm making dinner with one hand and holding Julia (who longs to dive into pasta sauce, apparently), Alex pushes a chair over and decides he's going to help me. That's why.)
Anyway...where was I going? Oh, yeah, stocking up. So what I most wanted to accomplish today was to roast a whole bunch of garlic and have that on hand to add to things here and there. So I cut 12 heads of garlic in half, dumped some olive oil on them, and wrapped them in foil and baked them at about 350 degrees or so for around an hour. After they'd cooled a little, I squeezed out all the garlic into the food processor, poured in a little olive oil, and pureed it all. It's stored in a little ceramic container with an airtight lid and I am so pleased about it that I'd sound like a crazy person if I continued to go on about it.
I also diced 4 big green peppers and froze them. And julienned 5 big red peppers and froze them too. And sliced 5 pounds of onions (in the food processor, otherwise I'd still be weeping) and froze them. That's what I wanted to do, and it's done. Dinner is in progress - I've got a tray of cut up beets roasting away, and also a pan of cut up potatoes roasting too. Bill will be grilling salmon steaks in a little while, and I'll also saute the beet greens and my newest favorite vegetable - broccoli rabe - in a little olive oil with a little salt and pepper and a grating of romano cheese at the end.
So my day has been all about food, which is fine with me.
It's also been about the garden...seeds for the early crops (HA - like we'll have acres and acres...) have been planted - Bill is in charge of the garden, pretty much, though I participate in planning what we'll grow every year. Still, he is the master gardener. I just pick stuff and cook it when it's ripe. He's planted arugula, swiss chard, broccoli rabe, peas...and other things - I don't remember what his chart said. But he's very organized about it.
And now I must go, because Julia has just realized that being in a playpen isn't half as much fun as crawling all around the living room...and she's sobbing brokenheartedly about it, which I can't ignore.
No - wait...oh, here is why I am happily married even though I will occasionally need to vent about little things about my husband...there is silence now, because he and Alex are in the living room building things with blocks, and Bill took Julia out of the playpen and Alex gave her a wooden block to gnaw on, and so there is peace.
Wow.
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