When I first saw the onions in our CSA basket, I was a little stumped. They were big, perfectly round, perfectly white, and had large stalks of scallions (right?) growing out of the top. One look at them and I had absolutely no idea what to do with that much onion. The answer: The Grill. Walt recently purchased a little, table-top size grill which we use on our back railing. Probably a safety hazard, but whatever. We have used the grill almost daily since it arrived. It turns out that the grill is somehow the answer for every cooking dilemma. So I sliced the onions, stalks on. And marinated them in a little red wine vinegar, oil, S&P. Then grilled them. They were spectacular. They smelled wonderful on the grill, and they made a perfect side dish for the sweet steak tips we had that night. I should mention that all of this was essentially a side dish to the several (4 maybe?) glasses of wine that I drank while waiting for Walter to get home. Also, this fabulous meal (and liquid accompanyment) was subsequently followed by some tipsy Facebook posting. The bad news is that the whole world now knows that I am an official Fanilow. The great news is that most of my crazy chorus friends are also closet Fanilows (I know. This should not be a surprise.)! No wonder I love these women! Although, out of respect for my friend Mary Kreiner, I should probably clarify. Mary is NOT among the Barry admirers. Nor would she want (under any circumstances) to be confused as such. And to her, I say: "I CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOOOUUU. I CAAAAAN'T LAUGH. AND I CAAAAAN'T SING (now that would be seriously tragic!). I'M FINDING IT HARD TO DO ANYTHING!!!"
So here's the story with the beets. I do love beets. And I finally did get my Mom's recipe for her beet greens. It turns out, they're extremely easy to prepare. So when a gorgeous bunch of beets showed up in my CSA basket a few weeks back, I opted to swap my bunch of pickling cukes for a second bunch of beets. I figured it would be a great idea to make one big batch of beets/beet greens and just have them on hand in the fridge to snack on since it was going to be a crazy week (I was making a girlfriend's wedding cake for that weekend) without lots of time for cooking. And it WAS a great idea. In between batches of cake baking and frosting hardening, I had a delicious, healthy option to snack on.
Did you know that eating a shitload of beets will turn your pee red? Bright red? Cherry-berry candy kool-aid red? Because, amazingly, I did not. And let's just say that six weeks after losing my Dad to bladder cancer, that would have been some good info to have. So what's the lesson here? Overdosing on beets with a family history of bladder cancer will get you a life-long relationship with a Urologist. Why, hello, Dr. Blander.
A few weeks back, Walt and I took a mini vaca at the NY Finger Lakes. I went to graduate school nearby and haven't been back for a number of years. We were able to spend two full days (one at Cayuga Lake, the second at Seneca Lake) hopping from winery to winery and tasting some great wine and eating some awesome food. We stayed overnight at a B&B that was so wonderful, it's worth mentioning here. Barrister's was one of the best bed & breakfasts I've ever stayed at. It was charming, clean, comfortable, the owners (Ken and Diane) provided unbelievable service and Ken's breakfasts were a Foodie's delight. Breakfast each morning was three courses. Over my three mornings there, I ate candied bacon, ricotta tarts, grand mariner french toast and peach & blueberry cobbler. But my favorite bite of food had to be the sweet potato medallions that tasted like I was eating a creme brulee. It was just a perfect bite of food. Here's a link to Barrister's:
Barrister's Bed & Breakfast
If you ever have the chance to visit this area, it's a well-kept secret. Totally worth the trip. When I was in graduate school (at Syracuse), my parents visited during my summer break. The three of us spent a day at Seneca Lake. I can still remember eating lunch with my Mom and Dad on the back porch of a German-themed winery. After countless glasses of wine, my Dad had started referring to the waitress as 'Heidi'. To be fair, she was wearing leiderhosen. That was a great trip with them. On day three of my trip with Walt, we were back at Seneca Lake. Walt was doing a beer tasting and I couldn't even fein interest. Instead, I took my sample of the home made rootbeer outside and sat on the swing. I was enjoying the sun, thinking about the last time I was there with my parents and the happy memories I had of that trip. At that moment, I looked up at the sky and noticed a cloud that was distinctly shaped like a pontoon boat floating by. What are the chances? On some level Dad was there with me again.
So, on a more serious note, I had my 6-month check in with my wonderful endocrinologist (that actually wasn't sarcastic- Dr. Kobroski is one of the best doctors I've ever seen. If you live on the north shore, I highly recommend him.). Why am I being followed by an endocrinologist? Thyroidectomy last summer, blah, blah, blah. In the past year since having my thyroid removed, I have made some tangible strides towards overall better health. However, since my previous check in back in January, I have seen substantial improvement in some of the less-tangible areas of my health. Namely, my bloodwork. At my appointment last week, I learned that my cholesterol, blood pressure, livers, and blood sugar are all way down. In fact, everything is now at a very healthy level, including my livers, which is a first since before having children. While I have been steadily trying to improve my diet over the past year, I firmly believe that the dramatic increase in fresh fruits and veggies over the past two months has contributed to this greatly and had almost a 'cleansing' effect on my 'inner self'. If that isn't the singly, best reason to participate in a program like this, then I don't know what is. So, rest assured that the Hartfords will be signing up for another half-share of Marini Farms' CSA next summer as well. However I'll have to start accepting suggestions for a new name for my blog.
On a side note, I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Marini today. I made a trip over there to let him know about my little online operation here, as well as to ask if he'd be interested in purchasing ad space in a program for MVC's annual show (WHICH IS COMING UP ON OCTOBER 2ND AT MERRIMACK COLLEGE AND PROMISES TO BE SMASHING!!). I really hate asking other people for money, but I rationalized that this is all just part of the circle of supporting local business, culture and community. And to his credit, he had a wonderful reaction and did not hesitate to support my a capella endeavors. So thank you, Mike, for backing up this pholosophy of "supporting local". I really do appreciate it and you have permanent customers in my family!
