Happy first day of FALL! Are you happy to see the leaves change, or sad that summer’s over? When we first got back from Greece I was already feeling a little nostalgic for shorts weather, but now I’m really looking forward to apple cider/cocoa/leaf jumping parties.
We kicked off the week by celebrating B’s birthday with my parents. It was an- erm- significant birthday, and my mom went all out with good wine, shrimp cocktail, Arctic char, ratatouille…
… and (flourless) chocolate cake! It wasted like rich, delicious fudge.
Love spending time with my mama! We now have a standing weekly breakfast date, which I’m really excited about.
B was away for work all week, and my morning started very early on Friday, so we went out for a sushi feast for dinner. In the past, I’ve been most into sashimi, but lately I’ve been all about the rolls. Here we had spicy tuna, yellowtail jalapeño, eel cucumber, pumpkin, and a fancy lobster/tuna/salmon/avocado roll. Sushi is one of the only cuisines I really think I could eat every day.
On Saturday morning, as we were dropping our compost off at the farmer’s market, we saw a man advertising free bike fittings + helmets sponsored by the Department of Transportation! I am actually terrified to bicycle in the city, but maybe one day I’ll gather my courage. And these helmets were, really and truly, 100% free. If you live in the area, here’s a list of upcoming fittings.
From there, we drove to Queens County Farm, which I’ve always been dying to visit. It was a perfect, crisp Fall day.
It’s the oldest working farm in New York State! It also happened to be the day of the County Fair, so we walked around and watched little kids go on rides and play in the fields.
We’ve resumed our weekly habit of parking it in a coffee shop for a couple hours; I study and B reads. And good news! Our spot now serves almond milk upon request
I’ve been trying really hard to make an organized meal plan every week, so we make sure to use up all the food in our CSA. This morning, B made a delicious breakfast hash with potatoes, peppers, leeks, and tomatoes, all topped with a fried egg and Sriracha sauce.
I’d been eying this shredded kale salad for some time, which ended making about 2.5 meals (B was still hungry, so he supplemented with an open-faced sandwich). I subbed blue cheese for the feta because I needed blue for another recipe, and also because I probably eat blue cheese three times a year. It was good to mix things up!
I’m trying to find more creative ways to sneak in protein, so we picked up a pack of maple-smoked sardines. $4.99 gets you 3.5 servings, and these were pretty good! Sardines are really not as fishy as you think they are, I promise.
Sardines + blue cheese are a match made in heaven.
We’re using the porch as much as we can while the weather’s still nice!
Also on the meal plan this week:
- Cheesy corn chowder with bacon and gorgonzola (subbing sundried tomatoes for the bacon)
- Polenta and vegetables with roasted red pepper sauce (I first made this back when I was in college!)
- Tuna vermicelli
- Stir-fry with tofu
My schedule is pretty good this semester, even though it’s busy; I only have to stay at school until 9 one night a week, rather than four! Which means I can eat a real dinner with B, and make plans with friends.
What are you cooking up this week?
