bee creative

food for the week #4

Today's lunch.  Emergency crackers made from egg roll wrappers, hummus from the deli near where I work, paneer and a salad made up of radishes and lettuce. Paneer is very easy to make at home but I admit I bought some at the store. It's the same as ricotta, just a different shape.

Eating out. Last night I had a discussion with my parents about the benefits of eating out.  It is, of course, a break for the person who usually cooks.  It's also a chance to try foods that are new, or a new way of preparing something or a way of cooking. Last night I tried vegan chickpea meatloaf. The tomato sauce/gravy on top was excellent and reminded me that homemade ketchup is a wonderful thing.  That may be what I do with the last of the tomatoes in the freezer. 

This week's menu is about cleaning up the pantry:

• Apple/tuna salad
• Ravioli's from the freezer
• Sweet potatoes
• Potato soup (end of the week when it's raining again)
• The last of the onion jam
• Orange/olive/feta salad

Garden news: I planted sugar snap peas and Swiss chard today. Rescued a bee from the house for the 4th or 5th time this week.  I'm slightly worried about this pattern but since it's never been more than one a day I'm hoping that it's not a sticky problem about to unfold.

 

 

 

food for the week #3

Still more Kale.  Here with apple, wheat berries, walnuts and cheddar.

Soup. I've decided on the perfect amount of water or broth for 2 servings...it's 3 cups.

The soup is a handful of lentils, pasta, tomatoes (from the freezer), carrots, garlic, celery leaf (dehydrated), and herbs.

I've also got a batch of black beans soaking, to be cooked tonight.

There are a few things from the garden.  Sorrel that will be made into a salad dressing and the tiniest bit of sprouting broccoli.

Found my first egg this week.  I don't think there will be many this year. The chickens are slowing down.

From the grocery store and California I have some an orange, lettuce, radishes and a small head of romanesco.  This is the time of year that it is very difficult to stick to local foods.

And to satisfy the sweet tooth strawberry preserves.  Strawberries from the freezer. 

assignment #4 March: the knitting

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The two top photos were layered, sections of the top photo erased and then a filter to adjust color. 

It can be hard to pick a filter.

assignment #3: march, the dye jar

January, February, March... 

March's bundle includes cammelia, Oregon grape, and pansies.

Everything seems tea stained so far. The March bundle will be as the cammelia leaves I included are from the type that is used for tea. The cold snap caused a few leaves to drop but not to bad. 

The pot I am processing the jars in has room for two more jars so I made up a few bundles.

One of onion skins, avocado and a few stray eucalyptus leaves.

The other dried sumac leaves, the drupes of the sumac and a eucalyptus.

The fabric for the bundles was raw silk that had been dyed in fresh indigo.  It was a very soft aqua as the dye bath was almost exhausted. 

 

 

food for the week

Kale, both washed and stored to cook as is plus kale chopped into a paste with salt and olive oil.

Potatoes

Tahini Dressing made with homemade Tahini.

Lentils. These are left over from last week.  I froze them on a cookie sheet so that I could break them into single servings.

Tortillas.

and

Onion spread made with the last of the storage onions.

 

 

playing with food

I eat better when I prepare ahead. So what if I post each Sunday what I've prepped for the week?  Accountability helps.

Today I cooked quinoa and lentils. I washed lettuce and radishes (both from California) for salads. I made ricotta with last weeks milk and buttermilk that needed to be used up.  I roasted beets.

I made soup. Onion + garlic + carrots + sweet potato + herbs + kale + tomato sauce + turmeric + cinnamon.  Most of the ingredients were from the pantry, including vegetables dehydrated from a summer's farmers market.

And mini quiches. Bacon + cauliflower (made into a rice) + cheddar + onions + eggs (3) + flour (3/4 cup) + milk (1 1/2 cups).

That should keep me for the week.

assignment #2 March, reading list

Assignment #2 is to finish 12 books that were picked out at the beginning of January.

Book number one finished:  Wanderlust, A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit.

Where my mind wandered...walking puts us directly into the world in a way that encourages, among other things, wonder. We look closer, we see more.

Walking encourages community and conversation. Community helps builds resilience. We need that.

Having a safe place to walk is a privilege.  There are limits and boundaries in our world. Where do I fell safe walking and why? How are we shaped when we live in places where it is unsafe to walk? Considering vulnerability.

I spent a lot of time thinking about Solnit's writing about streets as part of city as part of forming citizenship. About the act of having space to gather, spaces to walk and space to protest.

We have a growing problem of homelessness where I live and they walk. They walk to stay warm, walk so that they won't be labeled as loitering, walk so that they don't take up space.

Considering what it means to be out of step.

 

 

assignment #1 March: collage

I'm still doing a collage a day but not always dating. Sometimes it's completed, some times it's a bit more on something on going, sometimes it's digital.  Some of these I am going to make into cards. Some of them inspire thoughts of cloth projects. More ideas than I can keep up with.

There is still snow on the ground in places. Still cold and it shapes the days.

A few pictures from my walk through the neighborhood park today: