So, I spent much of the last two evenings catching up on Dumbing of Age. I’m caught up now…
Also, tonight’s rush dinner proved awesome. It was: Thin sliced pork shoulder, cut into strips. Lightly floured with salt and pepper. Cook quickly on medium high in bacon fat, add sliced apples (and turnip), serve. Yum!
My search is getting to the point where, by day, I have to consider moving elsewhere. I’ve already applied for positions quite a drive away– Bakersfield for the AQE job, West LA and Orange County as plan check engineers. By day, I am reluctant but rational: it is hard to live without income, and there’s nothing around Fresno that’s hiring in my field. Bummer.
At night, I resist with all the fiber of my being. I have something fun going on all the time, a network of great friends and fun activities, a life that is exactly what I’ve worked to build.
On Wednesday, I made a simple dinner that was enthusiastically devoured, every bite. Sourdough bread (Bittman 858), Roast Chicken Parts with Olive Oil (Bittman 640), Roasted Snap Peas with Spring Onions (T&D Willey Farms), and an apple crisp (Bittman 884) [half pink ladies, half granny smith] plus ice cream. Then we played Settlers of Catan with Dad, Ben, and Tress. Jennifer laughed til her nose bled, Tress was in tears. Wood for sheep indeed!
This weekend has fallen into place wonderfully. Tonight I have a fun AT-43 match with Bryan, tomorrow Aces and Eights with Ben, Dad, and Mike, and Mother’s Day in Visalia with Carrie and her brand new daughter.
Does life get better than this?
A note to myself: Jennifer really liked this dish. (No pictures; I was behind schedule and didn’t pause to snap a picture.)
The recipe for Swiss Chard and Potato Enchiladas, from the farm.
It’s been a while since I showed off my food, so here are a few dishes I’ve made recently. First, though, many hearty thanks to T&D Willey Farms for providing so many of the fresh fruits and vegetables shown.
Last week we got several veggies and recipes from the CSA pickup.
I’d never really heard of rapini, or soba noodles, but figured I’d give the Soba Noodles with Spicy Rapini recipe a try. Unfortunately, I had to dial back the spice (stomachs are a little tender with the stress flying around), and that left the dish pretty bland. It’s not a bad base to build off of.
The other recipe was much tastier and has made the “again please” list. I made Gingered Cabbage and Turkey, just substituting ground turkey for tofu in this recipe.
First I cooked up the ground turkey and drained it. 
(See if you can find my helper in the picture!) To that I added the soy sauce, Japanese wine vinegar, and sherry. Interestingly, both recipes called for sherry tonight. That probably helped them match a little better.
From there, I tossed the cabbage in the empty skillet and cooked it until it was wilted and brown where it had cooked. Lots of mixing and the last spices and juices (lemon and cilantro) made it pop on the plate. I almost forgot the ginger, but it really perks the dish up. It makes a lot, so I’ll have left overs to enjoy.
On Sunday, we had a 4 star meal (on the Jennifer rating scale). The dish was Potato and Kale casserole– and I agree, it was wonderful. The recipe was in this week’s T. D. Wiley farm handout.
Jennifer was feeling less adventurous tonight, so she had some Mac n Cheese, while I made Rutabega with Chard. It was tasty… but I think I’ll cut the rutabega cook time to 25 minutes (from 35) so there’s a little more texture. 
(I substituted the swiss chard I had on hand for the red chard called for in the recipe.)
Last week’s haul included a head of red cabbage. Jennifer immediately suggested sauerkraut and brats. A little later that week I hit the grocery store and got the ingredients. I used the recipe straight from the tdwilley site– and it was tasty.
Tonight’s dinner was one of the most successful I’ve had in a while. It came together beautifully, based on the recipes from the CSA Newsletter, an off handed comment from Jennifer, and some effort. I didn’t think to take the pictures until we were halfway through eating– enjoy.