Our House in the Middle of Our Street

View from the Amtrak train ride from Seattle to Bellingham I didn't think I'd finish much in October, but I actually surprised myself. My best friend from Nebraska came all the way out to see me and stay for a week, and then we had guests after that, much less just settling in for the past 5 weeks; it was a busy and full month. Here are the books I read and enjoyed in Ocotober. Hope Runs by Claire Diaz-Ortiz was a side-by-side memoir between an American tourist and a Kenyan orphan. Throw in the mix a non-profit helping kids get started running their first marathons, and you've got a really good, under 200-page book. I enjoyed Claire's book and won a beautiful hard-back version on a blog contest earlier in the year. I know just the woman I'd like to pass this onto, as well, whom I think will also enjoy it. This story follows an American tourist around the world, landing, very surprisingly, in a Kenyan orphanage for a night. From this one night comes many mont...

Source: cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest We are now at CSA box #12 this week and we still have about two months left (8 weeks) worth of produce to collect. Now that we're getting to late summer, our box is full of more 'substantial' produce rather than just a bunch of herbs and greens. This week we got: potatoes, tomatoes (regular and gold cherry), okra , green onions, onions, shallots, raspberries (golden and red), a shimam, arugula, eggplant and jalapenos. I always need some help with the arugula, because it's just so darn bitter. Let me know how you like it (and no I will not put it on pizza). Here's what I plan to do with the rest: The tomatoes and jalapenos, and some onions (including green) will find their fate becoming a lean mean and amazing salsa. My husband is the salsa king. Seriously ! The potatoes, shallots, and remaining onions (+ other store bought potatoes, needed more ) will become a delicious side of creamy mashed p...

Source: flickr.com via SarahKeith on Pinterest This week I did not get a snap-shot of our CSA box before we dug in, though I can tell you (of what I remember) that we got. We've been keeping up really well with it, and other than the sugar snap peas not being as delicious as they were last year, the produce has been spectacular (and it's REAL...any Seinfeld fans out there? ;) In our box this week was: romaine lettuce, curly kale, sugar snap peas, carrots, beets, baby bok Choi, Napa cabbage, peppermint, hyssop, scallions, spinach, garlic scrapes...and probably other things :) We've already cooked up all our spinach & onions into little baby quiches (very similar looking), that make the perfect little warm breakfast. I usually can get about 16 in a batch done. Lettuce is chopped and we have been shelling those peas (and a store cuc.) for a daily side salad. Normally we would eat sugar snap, pod and all, but this year the pods have been a little on the weird side, so...