CSA - update

So I cooked those radishes last night or, more specifically, I roasted them. They were okay, better than expected actually. Until I got a little wild and sprinkled them with cumin.



I love how my mom is the only one to agree with Matt. See why I have such a fear of leafy greens? This is where it all comes from!

our CSA

We bought a CSA share for the summer and last night I picked up our first box of produce. For those of you unfamiliar with how CSAs work, it's like a produce subscription service with a local farm. The consumer pays a certain amount of money at the beginning of the growing season to help with the farmer's costs, and in return, you get a box of mixed produce from the farm every week. This is the farm we're signed up with.

Gardening and knowing where your food comes from is a big deal in Madison. Like just about everyone I know, I have my own garden in the backyard and shop fairly regularly at the farmers markets. I feel good about doing my part to eat locally. But I usually plant and buy the same few vegetables (lots of squash, bell peppers, corn, carrots - all the colorful stuff). One of my reasons for buying a CSA share is to branch out and expand our family's culinary horizons.

Look at all that green stuff in that box! The extent of my current green consumption is spinach salads and homemade kale chips so this is a whole new world. That entire box is green with the exception of a bunch of radishes. Radishes - yuck! But this is what it's about, right? Not just eating locally, but eating what's in season and no longer being intimidated by the veggies that fall out of my comfort zone. Each week with our box we get a newsletter about how things are going on the farm and suggested recipes for that week's haul. I guess this weekend we'll be eating braised greens and roasted radishes!

We're in the middle of a drought here in southern Wisconsin. The grass is dry and brittle, the temperatures are in the 90's, and we haven't had significant rain in weeks. We had a very early spring and many crops and plants are about a month ahead of schedule. The newsletter sent with this week's CSA box was all about how challenging this weather is for farmers. Another reason I wanted to get a CSA share is to better understand where our food comes from. It's one thing to buy a head of lettuce at the grocery store, it's another to get it directly from the farmer who grew it.

It isn't always easy to eat well AND eat healthy but here in Madison it is. I've lived in places where fresh produce was hard to come by, but here it's plentiful and affordable and people are really thoughtful about what they put in their bodies. I'm excited to see how things go with our CSA share this year and am already looking forward to seeing what's in our next box.

happy solstice

The annual neighborhood solstice celebration was held last Saturday complete with a bonfire, dancing, hooping, and lanterns set off into the sky.







I love our crazy, weird, wild neighborhood so much. People really let their freak flags fly at these celebrations and it's just awesome. It kind of freaks Matt out, and I totally love that too.

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Summer is OFFICIALLY here!

uncle duddy

This kid is beyond excited to have "Duddy", as he calls him, all to himself for a whole week.

visitors!

My brother and his girlfriend arrive tonight to spend a week with us and I can't wait! Kevin hasn't seen Matteo since January. He's not going to believe how much he's changed just in a few short months and I know they are going to have SO much fun together.

I remember how excited I would when I was a kid and aunts and uncles would come stay with us. What's funny to me now is I look back on old family photos and they were all so young - most were in their early to mid-20's when I was born. No wonder they were always so much fun!

family dinner

With my birthday money this year I bought two wonderful things: a Burley trailer for my bike, and this new book.



I am super excited about the Burley, but I think I'm almost as excited about this book. As I've mentioned before, one of the things I miss most when I'm coaching is having time at the end of the day to make a decent dinner. Matteo has sat at the family dinner table with us since he was just a few months old and this ritual is really important to me. And now he's at an age where we can even have little conversations about things. Here we are last night, talking about our days over ice cream.



I'm not a great cook. I'm not one of those people who can organically throw together delicious meals on instinct. I never invite friends over for dinner because my friends are all better cooks than I am. I mean, seriously, I still have days when I can't even follow a recipe correctly. Just a few months ago I made a HUGE batch of Six-Week Muffins - which are so named because you make enough to literally last six weeks - and by mistake put in 5 teaspoons of salt instead of 2 teaspoons. I ate one, got a massive headache from sodium poisoning, and had to throw all of the batter away. It was ridiculous.

But I love cooking and always wish I had more time for it. And I am fortunate to have a treasure trove of family recipes that have been passed down to me, which I've always been too intimidated to try. This book is particularly aimed at helping parents with young kids find ways to get good dinners on the table, and create and incorporate family traditions into the family dinner experience. It's for people like me - people who might not have a lot of time or experience in the kitchen, but really value family dinner time and want it to be special through good food and good conversation.

The book evolved from this blog, which I also really enjoy. And if you want to know more, here is the book trailer:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJDNi1Otstc&w=560&h=315]

school is out for the summer

Yesterday was Matteo's last day of school. It also may have been the last day he'll attend the wonderful daycare he's been going to since he was four months old. He's on the wait list for a Montessori program and if he gets in, we'll be enrolling him there for fall.

He was very loving with his goodbyes, hugging all of the teachers and his friends with a special little hug for his friend Baby Anna.











One of the things I love most about this boy is how affectionate he is with everyone is his world. He freely gives hugs, kisses, high fives and fist bumps to everyone he encounters. Friends, family, strangers even, everyone is fair game for a little love.

going out with a splash

Last post about lacrosse for a while I promise, but this picture is just too great not to share. My team gave this to me last night at our end-of-season party. Isn't it amazing?



So onward to summer! We're gearing up for a summer of big adventures with lots of trips on the horizon - Park City, Minneapolis, Green Lake, Maryland, Connecticut, and Kenya! You heard right. Matt is going to meet up with an old friend, who is currently working in Nairobi, for about 10 days in August. We'll miss him, but what an opportunity!

And in between all of that we have softball games, swimming lessons, and lots of visitors coming to stay with us, plus a very long list of things to do and see locally. And for me, lots of catching up on things that I don't have a chance to enjoy when I'm in season - things like running, drinks with friends, cooking a real dinner more than once a week, and updating this blog!

Summer is here, people! Enjoy it to the fullest!

13-3

Last night was our final play-off game, the one to determine who would go the State Championship. While it didn't go our way and our season has come to an end, I am so amazed by what this team accomplished. To give you a sense of how well we did, our best record ever was 7-7. This year we were 11-1 in our regular season, 13-3 overall, and had 11 All Conference players, 3 All State players, and 1 Academic All American...these girls just killed it.

It was hard to lose, but I think I'm more sad the season has come to a close. When you work closely with kids as a teacher or coach, every once in a while you get a special group that really makes you feel great about what you do and ends up holding a special place in your heart long after they're gone. This was one of those groups.



Oh, and if you've ever wondered what I look like coaching...here you go. The answer is, totally dorky.

the district

smithsonian

I went to D.C. for work trip a couple of weeks ago. I lived and worked in D.C. for a year on two separate occasions in my 20's so I booked a hotel in Dupont Circle to re-visit some of my favorite places.


hotel view


dupont circle


kramerbooks & afterwords


metro

D.C. is such a great city, and it was an especially fantastic city to live in when I was young, foolish, and didn't make a lot of money. There is so much history and culture to see and do for free, and as urban experiences go it's relatively tame. I had one free afternoon so I met my brother for lunch in Chinatown and then went to the Museum of Natural History and the National Portrait Galley.


chinatown


kevin, monument


portrait of ll cool j

My last night in the city I walked past the building where I had my first real job, past the bars where I used meet friends for drinks after work, past the corners where I had seen Tom Brokaw, and George Stephanopolous. The city looked so much the same. It was a strange feeling and I felt a little like Ebenezer Scrooge when he visits his past, standing on the outside looking in at himself when he was younger, reflecting on choices he made. But I missed Matt, and I missed Matteo, and as fun as it was to take a trip through my early 20's, I was happy to be headed home to my family.

Thanks for the memories, D.C.!

birthday weekend