I cannot imagine why I am so constantly behind. [Sarcasm alert.] Certainly it is the everyday occurrence that one faces changes in every facet of life simultaneously -- work changes, moving into a new house, dog surgery (TWICE), family changes (including preparation of a family member to move into said new house temporarily), husband work changes, and other exciting life events I refuse to mention here. I have tried very hard to forgive myself my failure of finding time .... to do anything. Time to return phone calls, time to cook, time to rest, time to exercise, time to read, time to just BE. The arrival of CSA season, however, is a reminder that the world keeps turning despite the degree of change underfoot, so I best find the means to enjoy myself -- and all of this change -- before time passes me by.
And so, to circumvent time, I begin with the end result of yesterday's cook fest. All of the following items are currently in my refrigerator: one cleaned and shredded head of Napa cabbage (ideal for emergency stir fries or braising); curried turnips with greens; these delicious sugar snap peas; stir-fried pak choi with garlic; grilled asparagus; boiled sweet potatoes from the farmer's market (which I love with eggs for a quick breakfast); grilled non-Frankenfood chicken thighs; and truly the world's best braised cabbage. Those are the leftovers. My husband, my dear sister-in-law visiting from Chicago, and I devoured portions of the above and all of the grass-fed rib steaks and grilled eggplant on hand last night after I cooked. Then we made s'mores over the firepit. We are human, after all.
Why so much food? I had three weeks of CSA buildup going on, all due to the simple mistake of buying enough food to feed a family of 1,712 the same week the CSA began. I have been playing catch-up ever since.
Week One, Karl's Farm brought me Napa cabbage, D'Avignon radish, broccoli raab, green onions, and white salad turnips. This all arrived on May 22, two days after I made The Great Whole Foods Mistake of 2012 by purchasing more food than fit in my refrigerator (I am not exaggerating on this point), on a night I distinctly remember feeling the tired in my bones as I walked through my door. Upon realization of The Great Mistake, I sighed, promised myself not to repeat it, then geared up to cook some favorites and make room for the farm goods in the refrigerator. But first things first. It was summer, and I had work to do. I collected the necessaries.
And I then pulled out the favorites.
With that, I knew whatever came out of the kitchen would taste delicious. I dusted off the food from The Mistake most likely to spoil first. Enter shiitake. And butter.
I am sure greater quantities of protein were involved in this meal, but clearly I did not record what else was there, nor do I recollect. Ah, well. Being tired does not let hunger off the hook, and far too often in recent weeks I have caved to whatever I could stuff in my face with minimal effort. I promised myself by Week Two, I would be caught up and back to eating well.
I failed.
Week Two added to the mix sugarsnap peas, baby crispino lettuce, daikon radish, Napa cabbage, green onions, white salad turnips, dill, and lemon balm. By this time, I was paralyzed by the amount of food in my refrigerator -- not to mention my freezer. See, in the absence of the farm CSA, we joined a meat CSA to keep it lively (and to know more about the meat we eat, support a local and humane farm, and to avoid corn-fed animals meant to eat things that aren't corn). Each month for the past several months, a friend (and Paleo inspiration) splits over 20 pounds of various animal cuts with us, and with a delivery on May 24, when Week Two of Karl's Farm CSA arrived, my freezer joined my refrigerator in overrunneth status.
By Week Three I almost called the whole thing off. I suddenly had to find room for green cabbage, more sugarsnap peas, radicchio, pak choi, and more white salad turnips. Hold me, I cried, to no one in particular. How did I let this happen?
So last night was the reset button. I fired up the grill and chopped everything I could grab, snagged my favorite Penzeys, mixed up a marinade or two, and watched myself work. The end product? An absolutely amazing meal of grilled grass-fed steak with SIX SIDE DISHES PEOPLE, plus a mess of leftovers for the week. When Karl's Farm comes back tomorrow, I may begin another round of behind-ness as I face two trips out of town and the impending move, but I have a nugget of confidence that this will be an easier summer of food preparation than last. Simple can be delicious. We shall see.
