2010 Book List...

Looking at this list while getting ready to clear it to start over for the new year I realized I read A LOT of books last year so I decided to post it here so I could take some time look it over and meditate on what these books had to offer. While some were better than others, they all deeply moved me and left me pondering ways in which to improve my life and the world around me.

• Growing, Older by Joan Dye Gussow
• Gender Outlaw:On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us by Kate Bornstein
• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
• The Age of Grief by Jane Smiley
• The Death of Nature by Carolyn Merchant
• Earthcare:Women and the Environment by Carolyn Merchant
• Pedagogies of Crossing by Jacqui Alexander
• Intersecting Voices by Iris Marion Young
• Borderlands/La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldua
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• Breeders: Read Life Stories from the New Generation of Mothers edited by Ariel Gore & Bee Lavender
• Parenting from your Heart by Inbal Kashtan
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• The Monsters:Mary Shelly and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler
• Her Own Woman: The Life of Mary Wollstonecraft by Diane Jacobs
• Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism edited by Daisy Hernandez and Bushra Rehman
• The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
• Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes
• A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
• Opting In: Becoming a Mother Without Loosing Yourself by Amy Richards
• A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
• Because I Said So edited by Camille Peri & Kate Moses
• The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
• The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Weekly menu

Sunday: Risotto w/ MI leeks & asparagus, arugula w/balsamic vinegar

Monday: veggie lasagna

Tuesday: left-over lasagna

Wednesday: caramelized cabbage w/egg noodles

Thursday: Spanish tortilla w/potatoes, peas & shallots, fresh greens from the garden w/ balsamic vinegar

Friday: personal pizzas, roasted MI asparagus

Saturday: ?? whatever the markets have to offer us!

Weekly Menu

Sunday: homemade mujudra, tabbouleh (with parsley & mint from the garden), spicy baba ghannouj and hummus

Monday: left-overs and salad

Tuesday: egg noodles & steamed broccoli

Wednesday: Southwestern corn & sweet potato soup

Thursday: Pasta Al Pomodoro (from last month's Bon Appetit) with canned garden tomatoes & fresh spinach salad

Friday: left-over soup, left-over pasta Greek salad

Saturday: Fresh corn on the cob, MI fingerling potatoes roasted in garlic & paprika, salad with local greens & many veggies & champagne vinaigrette

I'm back, at least for the summer...

I am back and I must admit I have missed blogging. This last year has been full of changes and it has been very difficult for me to find the time or the energy to keep up with this blog. Back in the fall of 2010 I started graduate school and with all of the reading and writing that it requires on top of my other responsibilities to my family the blog was put on the back shelf. Now that it is spring and I am close to being done with classes I hope to be on here sharing my thoughts on food, feminism, motherhood, gardening and living sensibly & simply much more often. I will also try to keep up with weekly menus and recipes to share some of our favorite things to chow down right now. Because the weather has totally SUCKED these last few weeks I find that I am getting back into my cooking and baking groove and I am enjoying the art of cooking once again. Although I am loving graduate school I must admit I was not ready for it to take over my life and leave me little time to enjoy the things I love to do most. But my spring semester is well underway, easy and is giving me time to enjoy those things once again. And with all of the rain I have been at a very leisure pace and spending time getting back into my groove of life which has been so wonderful, although I am SO done with the rain and find myself singing "Rain, rain go away" along with the kids way too often. But it is giving me the pace of life I need right now and I must acknowledge it and for that I am very grateful.

When Life Hands you Lemons...

Make Lemon Creme Sauce for Pasta! Okay so if you are like me, there are certain staples that you always keep in your fridge and pantry such as pasta, egg noodles, canned tomatoes, veggie stock, lemons, coconut milk, canned beans, etc. (you get the picture). Well, this last week I had one of those days where my fridge was almost bare and the pantry was getting low and I wanted to make something simple and yummy. I decided to pull out my Simple Suppers cookbook by Moosewood Restaurant and see if there was anything I could make since this cookbook has easy meals with small ingredient lists. And one of the first meals that caught my eye was a recipe for "creamy lemon pasta." I scanned the ingredient list and knew right away everything it required was staples that I always keep around. I also knew that one of the only veggies in the fridge was fresh MI asparagus and so I decided that I would pull that out and blanch it and then add to the pasta and sauce. OH YUM, YUM!!! This dish was amazing! It was easy, fast and the kids devoured it. SO...I thought I would share the recipe with you all, enjoy!!

CREAMY LEMON PASTA:

1 lemon

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup of heavy cream or half and half

1 pound of pasta

1 cup of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Bring a large covered pot of salted water to boil. When water comes to a boil cook your pasta to your liking.

Meanwhile grate the lemon peel (you will need about 2-3 tsp). and then squeeze the lemon (you will need 3 Tbsp. of juice). In a small skillet or saucepan melt the butter. Stir in the cream and heat gently. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Turn off the heat.

Place the drained pasta in a large serving bowl or on a serving platter and add the lemon cream sauce and toss. Toss in the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

*I also tossed in the asparagus with some fresh chives out of the garden and next time I make this I plan to do the same with fresh green peas from the garden.