Cabbage & Pappardelle with Toasted Pine Nuts

A most distinguishable blue and white website that allows you to fully lose yourself into a contented mind numb, displays which can be an offensive stream of photos, and sometimes causes an occasional LOL has really got me feeling inadequate as a mother. Pissed me right the bleep off. There, I feel better admitting that. But for real - when I see Homemade Green Glow in the Dark Gummy Worms for Halloween, from scratch, I want to scratch. Her eyes out, that is. What is wrong with gummy worms from a bag once a year? Please, do you have to raise the bar that high? You're killing me! And really, how the H do you get homemade gummy worms to glow!? You've gone too far. Too. Far. What does this have to do with cabbage? Nothing! But read on for the recipe. It's a fabulous one! 

Smitten Kitchen's Apple Slab Pie

Dammit, I make a lot of crust-filled things, but when this shows up in your social media feed you find yourself succumbing to yet another crust-filled Saturday. Alas! May this pie be the point of realization to lay off tallow-laced dough and start run down a path of meals that may feed a family, be already stocked in the pantry, impress Food Network, reheat easily for leftovers, travel well, be full of nutrition, and have only five ingredients. Oh, yeah - don't forget organic, raw, gluten-free, paleo, vegan, and have no calories. JUST KIDDING! We could probably stop at the first three and call it good. But you should go here. Go to the land of Apple Slab Pie - it's a place. Join me. 

Cereal Bars

As someone who talks/thinks/breathes cooking to the Nth degree, I've discovered many home-cooks have a difficult time improvising in their daily cooking. Someone may simply avoid a recipe with an ingredient list 3" long, or stop themselves at the witching hour 5:30pm from starting Chicken & Dumplings Deliciousness because the freezer didn't hold the specific called for frozen green bean medley. Here is a lesson in improvisation. I craved the classic Rice Crispy bars, but didn't have rice crispies. What's a girl with a craving to do? Let's throw in those old, stale Rice Chex and call 'um Cereal Bars and call it a day. Everyone loved. Everyone's cheeks were chocolate covered. My husband couldn't wait to get home at night to devour them. All the boys come to my yard for these. Make them come to yours, too.

How to Make Tomato Sauce like an Italian

Did you freeze whole, cored tomatoes in a freezer bag this past August? Please tell me you did - because then you can make this pasta sauce and enjoy summer fresh goodness all year round! Fresh  (or frozen) tomatoes are tossed into a Dutch oven after you get some flavor going down in the bottom of the pot - you know - the usual suspects any Italian nonna would use - Italian sausage, olive oil, garlic, carrot. After browning up Italian sausage, set aside, then get the garlic and carrot cooking, throw in your frozen tomatoes, breaking them down with a wooden spoon until all soupy, saucy and lush. Whir with an immersion blender or something similar, add fresh herbs, return the Italian sausage to the pot, simmer for another 10 minutes, toss with pasta. The BEST pasta sauce you will eat. 

CSA {Community Supported Agriculture} Week 17

This post is my last Vegetable Love Post and then I can get back to telling you about cooking! Today I'm attempting love communicated via food making a Vegetable Beef Slow-Cooker Soup for dinner and Cereal Bars for late-night noshing after school snack. Recipes posted soon! Until then - check out  these brussel sprouts! Gasp! This blog has no brussel sprout recipes! How have I called myself a "blogger" until now pretending to "have a blog" when it has no recipes for brussels?!?? Someone fire this woman. Any recipe suggestions? 

CSA {Community Supported Agriculture} Week 16 + acoupla shots of Maui

What do I say? How do I start? Today was my first day back to the grind and reality bites first graders bring home piles of papers within the time span of a week. A week spent on an island that is surely paradise - azure colored waters that you swim in, but really don't swim, because the water is so salty you literally float atop the sea salt gazing down through snorkel gear on octopus, blowfish, eels, urchins, coral. Sand to walk upon that feels like powder to the feet. Not a speck of trash anywhere in the water - crystal clear and clean. Coming back to reality I'm glad I have this cornucopia of Sweet Beet's week 16 CSA bushel to talk about - because I'm not sure I can even dare to think up a recipe, procure that recipe, bear down on a sink full of dishes, and hope the kids won't turn their noses up. No. Let's go to a happy spot.