Resolutions

Maybe it was the winter blahs, the lack of an inspiring farmers market, the hectic holidays, or the new job that kept me away from here. Truth be told those same factors have seen me eating way out of my usual mostly-vegetables diet for the entire month…and I cant wait to get back to it

More than ever, this is a time of year to start lists, to visit gyms, to make fresh starts…well lets just say its been a long time since I felt the need to visit a gym just because of the new year but that doesn’t mean I don’t use the calendar as a benchmark. This year I’m recommitting to eating as healthfully, and locally as possible. I’m going to embrace the seasons, and spend time doing what I think is important for me. One of those things is being here…putting my thoughts on…er, virtual paper, and recording the history of our kitchen.

Over my month long hiatus I didn’t do a lot of cooking…I did a lot of heating and assembling…and ate take out far too often. I have started a new job, in a totally different industry, and just the amount of learning left me exhausted by the end of the day. I was eating the handiest thing, which was often crackers and cheese, or leftover lo mein then crawling toward the bed at night. I’m still learning so much, and I’m very happy in my new work, but I miss my kitchen and the creative outlet it provides me. I’m making a concerned effort to get back there, (and if you read this perhaps you will be inspired too?) So far, its been working.

We had a bit of a blizzard last Sunday here in Boston, and the man and I returned home from our holiday visits about 20 minutes after the snow began to fall. No groceries had been purchased for well over a week, and we were stuck in the house with whatever was in the pantry and the freezer. Thankfully we had more than enough to scratch out dinner. Out came the dutch oven (a Christmas gift from my parents) and into it went onions, peppers, cannellini beans and tomatoes. A single boneless breast of chicken-still frozen when I put it in- was poached in the liquid, then shredded. After some liberal seasoning we had a huge pot of chili to eat and after a little internet searching for a biscuit recipe made without milk, we had cheddar biscuits studded with some chopped cilantro I had frozen. They weren’t award winning, but they tender and crumbled almost perfectly. More importantly they were comforting, and it made for a very cozy blizzard to be cuddled on our little couch under a big quilt with a bowl of chili and a biscuit…

The next day as the roads were being cleared and the news people were urging us to stay in doors we put on the dutch oven again and made a tomato and roasted soup thickened with some crushed tortilla chips leftover from a party that were neglected at the back of the pantry. I was stuck inside with nowhere to go and nothing to do, so I went back to the kitchen, which is exactly where I wanted to be. I’m looking forward to many more nights in my favorite room