Sssucculentsss

Yeah, I speak Parseltongue.  Team Slytherin. What of it?

Just kidding, Gryffindor all the way.  Except Bellatrix is totally my favorite character from the movies. She's horrid in the books but all la-la-la, skipping around tossing out unforgivable curses in the movies.  In the books, it's Hermione 4 lyfe.

Either way, I clearly slept through Professor Sprouts classes because I cannot keep succulents alive.  Remember my cool hanging succulent terrariums from LA?  Yeah, they aren't doing so great.

And I tried again with some potted ones recently.  Two out of three are already dying/dead and I don't expect the third to make it much longer.

I suppose it makes sense.  They thrive on low water and lots of light.  I have to keep them inside to keep them from being saturated with rain (east coast problems) and I have barely any natural light in my home (condo problems).

I found some succulents that work in my house though.  In the basement no less!  They will never die.

Radishes That Don't Suck!

Ok, you guys.  I love radishes now.  I hated them up until about two hours ago.

Pro tip for those that hate raw radishes and love baked potatoes.  ROAST THEM.

High heat, like 450, for 10-20 minutes.  It varies, so check them.

And you can put anything else in the pan that you like (within reason, folks).  I do not recommend whole eggs or uncooked rice or meth, among other bad ideas.

No-Recipe Recipe

Rinse the radishes and cut off all but a centimeter of the green top bits.

Cut the radishes in half lengthwise.

Chop up a friend for the radishes.  Parsnips, leeks, carrots, onions, apples (??), whatever you have and think might work.

I chopped up some of the CSA walking onions. I had never heard of those either but they were leek-y in taste but small like scallions.

These are the bits I used.

Put the veggies in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and some seasoning.  I used pink salt, fresh ground pepper, and dried thyme.

Roast in a preheated 450 oven for 10-20 minutes.  (Not pictured.  These went about 17 minutes but I like things extra done.)

Voila!

The radishes were really yummy with the onions and seasoning, and very reminiscent of red potatoes.    Maybe some chives, bacon, and cheese next time for a low carb loaded potato?

YAY CSA

We finally got around to joining a CSA this year.  I've loved the idea for a while, but it definitely involves some pre-planning, a trait at which I do not excel. For those of you that don't know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it means you buy a share in some farmer's bounty but you have to pay the farmer way before harvest time.  You know, when they need the money to plant things, and fertilize the soil, and buy new boots or something.  Now for twenty-five weeks we'll receive a surprise mix of fresh local crops.  We picked up the first edition last Thursday. Behold.

Our food comes from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative (www.lancasterfarmfresh.com).  They have a drop off at Sean's church which is our sole reason for choosing this particular CSA.  No research required but great recommendations from Sean's peeps.

I'm excited to play this personal version of Iron Chef (is that the cooking show with the secret ingredients?) for the next several months.

Fun fact: I've never cooked or even liked radishes before.  Probably because my only radish experiences are raw radishes in salads or on tiny fancy sandwiches.  My biggest challenge this week will be finding a yummy way to make these into a side dish this week.  A little internet research tells me I can roast or braise them, so I'll let you know how that goes.

The asparagus (SPARGELFEST!) is gone already, grilled and consumed with Monrovia Farm steak last Friday.  It was super delicious, but how could asparagus in May suck?

Anyone want to play CSA-along?  Like Iron Chef but less Bobby Flay and everyone wins?

Retro as Hell

I finally got around to hemming and hanging my 2014 Spoinflower tea towel calendar. Best thing on the internet (Spoonflower tea towel calendar artists). This year's was by mrshervi. 

I know it's April. Dude, I HAVE a calendar.  But my sewing machine broke last year and I just haven't invested in a new one. 

The in-laws moved recently and one of the treasures in their magic basement was a 1910 Singer sewing machine retro-fitted with electricity and a (stubborn) pedal. 

Holy bananas, it worked. 

I had concern as the bobbin was already threaded and carried me through this project. Also, I'm pretty sure I threaded the thing way wrong but it worked. 

I checked Singer's site but the manual is not available online (surprise?). I'll call them tomorrow. 

After some investigation, I found the bobbin. It was tricky. 

Couldn't figure it from there. 

It lifted up! But that wasn't helpful at all. 

But then I figured out through fifty trials and fifty errors that the silver panel SLIDES. I CAN reach the bobbin. Hopefully someone at the Singer 800 number can help me thread it tomorrow when they open.