Just one more week of our CSA veggies to go but I already have a pantry full of tomatoes, parsnips, carrots, beets, onion, garlic, and squash. It’s hard to keep up, I tell ya. We share a share, and still the sheer amount of veggies is a bit overwelming, especially with a baby on hand. He doesn’t seem to care that I’m charged with feeding the family in addition to playing with him. Pounds of tomatoes to deal with? Hello, I want to play peek-a-boo again.

Maybe it’s that I’m a sucker for peek-a-boo, but I’ve let a few weeks of veggies pile up and am feeling the pressure to use it or lose it. That’s right. I’m gettin’ all tough on the veggies now. I’m bad.

So the plan? This weekend I’ll be making a double batch of chicken soup (carrots, onions, parsnips) to freeze for colder days, and then salsa (tomatoes, onions, garlic) to be canned and put in the basement, and then ultimately I might just blanch and freeze whatever is leftover that we won’t be able to eat in time. That’s right, parsnips. I’m talking to you. And of course, whatever can be pureed for Dash will be pureed for Dash. I wonder if he’ll be sick of squash by December.

While we’re talking about food, let’s talk dinner. It’s only 11:36 and I’ve already planned what we’re having. You have to, you know. If I don’t, we end up with take out and that’s not always budget friendly. It’s tasty, but not budget friendly.

Tonight’s dinner will come from the October edition of Everyday Food. I made this a couple of weeks ago and we both loved it so why not make it again? Tonya “pick a recipe and run it into the ground” Sattin strikes again. But seriously, this is delicious and I recommend you try it. Here is the recipe with our edits:

Moroccan Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes

1/4 cup all-purpose organic flour
4-6 organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 T organic olive oil
1 medium organic onion, diced
1 piece, 2 inches, fresh ginger, peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 carton or more organic chicken broth [or homemade if you have it]
2 medium sweet potatoes or yams peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
[or substitute with a can of chick peas or half s. potatoes/half chick peas]
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 cup organic couscous [or organic brown rice]

Place flour in a shallow bowl. Season chicken with s & p; dredge in flour, shaking off excess. In a heavy pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken, and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

If using rice in place of couscous, make it now.

Add onion, ginger, and cinnamon to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Return chicken to pot. Add broth and sweet potatoes (or chick peas). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard ginger and cinnamon, stir in lemon juice, and season stew with salt and pepper.

While stew is simmering, prepare couscous. Serve stew over couscous and enjoy, preferably on a cool, windy, even rainy, day.

Yum!

Well, it’s happened. I’ve officially started thinking about Christmas. Is that not kind of ridiculous? You and I both know it is, but let’s agree to put it aside.

Have you seen this Thing of the Month site? It’s the perfect site to get you thinking about gift-giving and if you’re new to it (like I was earlier today), consider this my first gift to you.

We all have at least one hard-to-buy-for person on our lists. You were going to get them a gift card, weren’t you? Nah, you can do better than that. Trust me. How about Flying Object of the Month?

If they don’t at least smile when they open this, you are allowed to take them off your list for next year. Honest.

Or for the kids, the Toddler Toy Club.

Award winning, well-designed, and eco-friendly toys are delivered every 4, 6, or 12 months, depending on the package you buy. Can you say “Lead Poisoning Free Christmas?” I think you can.

There’s so much more and it appears that more clubs are being added all the time. Check back before Christmas a few times so you’re on top of things.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this one thing that is killing me about this site. This. I know they’re not responsible for it, but why why why didn’t I come up with this? It’s a cardboard house, people. Cardboard.

PS: IF YOU’RE BUYING, HERE’S OUR LIST:

Dashiell: Handmade Birdie
Toddler Toy of the Month Club
Little Musician Club

Neil: Flying Object Club
Beam Bot Club

Me: Tin Toy Club
Mobilehome

News flash: Columbus Day means the Post Office is closed.

Dumb ass.

Somebody has giant baby cheeks and it ain’t me. They’re pretty frickin’ cute. Fun to squish.

And for those of you who read neilsattin, you already know about Dash’s breakthrough in communication. “Uh!” means, “do it again, daddy! do it again!”
He started up with it again this morning, making Neil put down his computer and come in from the other room to kiss him between the eyes. As soon as he’d set the laptop back on his lap, “Uh!” Again and again. He had us crying it was so cute.

Hmm… weekend wrap up… what did we do? Our attempt to spend Saturday morning at a local flea market was thwarted by Nascar. I know it’s the end of the season and all, but don’t bother holding the flea market for six vendors with Nascar memorabilia and some old video tapes. I was pretty disappointed but Neil’s suggestion to stop at an antiques store we passed on the ride home turned everything around. It’s one of those places with dozens upon dozens (seemed that big anyway) of stalls of pretty random stuff. Dolls, pyrex everything(!), books, and I’m pleased to report, no Nascar. I left there about 90 minutes later with a big collection of magazines from the 1880’s and 1890’s and a bag of correspondence from the 1940’s. I was in heaven! I’m still going through it all, but I expect to have a lot of it up in my etsy shop by the end of the week. Paper crafters, take notice!

Yesterday we had a house full of people for a reading of Louis Frederick’s latest screenplay. Glasses of wine in-hand, we read through it, with everyone having at least one part. (I was Old Woman and Clerk Over The PA or something like that.) It’s good stuff, Louis. Very good.
He’s in town for a few more days and will be staying with us tonight. Hope you don’t mind a little crying baby with your free bed and meals, Louis. We got some teeth coming in.

Off to the post office to ship out some goods and then on to the thrift stores to try to find Dash’s halloween costume. Stay tuned for more about that, but I’m looking for a tiny (6-12 months) gray suit. Anyone?

It’s inevitable. There’s going to come a day as a blogger when you just don’t feel inspired to write. Call it a funk. Call it writer’s block. Call it I-can’t-believe-it’s-80-degrees-in-October-I’m-off-to-the-beach. Any way you slice it, you need to post something and you need to do it now.

Enter the photo journal. Pictures that inspire you in some way and will inspire the internets to check them out and to keep coming back. In my case, they’re usually pictures of Dash. He’s cute, what can I say. But today, no Dash pics. What’s inspiring me today are pictures of recent items added to the HappyDashery.

Check ’em out:

So there you have it. A little tip for you and some fun pictures to boot! See you all later. I’m off to the beach!