My life has been one series of experiments after another. What I always think are carefully formulated hypotheses and sets of plans usually ends up completely backwards from the way I intended. But then again research science is all about 90% failure! Much like my job in the lab, this frustrates me to no end in real life. Which is one reason why I'm not really sure if this is what I should really be doing for the rest of my life. Being a results driven person is both a blessing and a curse in that regard. However, when it comes to cooking, somehow I just don't have the same OCD compulsion that things should work out exactly how I planned for them to be. I think it would be good for me to be able to translate the same easy come, easy go, somewhat laissez faire, what will be will be attitude to the rest of my life. It usually serves me pretty well in the kitchen and even in the event of a cooking "failure" I find myself learning lots and having a great time doing it. Learning to enjoy the process is one of the greatest lessons in life, I think. Even when your mixer bowl spins wildly out of control, splattering batter all over the place, you forget an important ingredient or you cut yourself chopping veggies, life is still all about the process. It may not always be fun in those stages, but the end result, even if it's not particularly tasty, is that you will always be full. And that is just what I am trying to do- Live a Full Life!

Cornmeal Hotcakes with Heirloom Tomatoes and Farm Fresh Eggs
**Not wanting to rely on the old standby of a caprese salad (though I will be making one later this week!), I was looking for a way to use some more of the organic cornmeal we received a few weeks ago. I had been toying with the idea that cornmeal and blueberry pancakes would be great on Saturday morning, and then I realized they would probably work better as a savory dish. No real recipe here, it was a no brainer on a hot August day.


Make your favorite pancake recipe, substituting all but 1/4 of the flour for cornmeal. I added a little extra baking powder to my mix and it gave them a great texture. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, toss in some fresh corn off the cob. I would also recommend adding some cayenne or chili powder to your mix to just kick it up a little bit as mine were pretty bland without it.

Fry up some eggs, don't forget to s&p them while they cook! Slice up some heirloom tomatoes and sparingly S&P.

Pile up the hotcakes, tomato and egg and sprinkle some cheese on top. Serve with salsa made from heirloom tomatoes if you dont want just a slice of tomato on top. A little sour cream (or plain yogurt!) wouldn't hurt if you have it.

You can eat the leftover hotcakes with honey- just like eating a cornbread muffin!

I never wanted this blog to become anything more personal than two poor scientists trying to eat locally and sharing my love of photography and food with anyone that would listen. I'm still not entirely sure how personal I want to get, but writing has always been therapeutic to me. Never a regular journal keeper as my thoughts are often too quick for my pen, I find that typing out life's circumstances is far easier for me. Of course there are definite benefits and drawbacks to this approach- one being that it is so fast you can write (and publish for all to see) something out on the world wide web that you might not really want everyone and their mother knowing. On the other hand, that delete key is mighty handy when editing my thoughts.

At any rate, you have noticed by now that there has been significant upheaval in the ChewsLocal home. I'd rather not get into particulars but the good news is that food has still been a comfort to me. Now, grocery shopping on the other hand was surprisingly difficult to do on my own for the first time in years. I had to stop myself from shopping for two instead of one, and at the same time it was exhilarating to purchase only my favorites. I'm not going to lie, some gummy bears and a Kit Kat found their way into my shopping cart, but hey, I figure I deserve it. The life I thought I had came crashing down about two weeks ago, I'm training for a half marathon (and in this ridiculous heat I hear you burn more calories, or at least that's what I keep telling myself), and I had a thesis committee meeting yesterday. A little chocolate and high fructose corn syrup never hurt anyone. Besides, I tempered it with half a pound of grapes. That counts for something right?

This week I plan to try to cook 3-4 dinners. The most I've tried since branching out on my own. I find myself healing through the cooking process, even if it's painful to remember that I don't have a sous chef anymore. There's something very satisfying about taking raw ingredients and turning them into something delicious. In the quietness of cooking for one (and I'm not going to lie, I always have left overs!) there is a bitter-sweetness to the activity. But then I remember something that I said nearly a year ago in an interview about how my college experience had positively influenced my life.

If you open yourself up to the will of God, He will bless you
immeasurably. It may not always be in your time or in the way you asked,
but when He blesses you, it is abundant.

I have not talked much about my faith on this blog, but it is what is sustaining me along with the fresh local ingredients from God's bountiful earth provided through Fresh Fork Market at this most difficult time. I would not have chosen these circumstances for myself, but I know that I will be blessed abundantly for submitting myself to His will. There is no other way to live when something like this happens. There is always hope for a better tomorrow.

This week's bounty includes (sorry no pic, my camera battery was dead! But I will charge it up for the meals this week!!):

6 ears Super Sweet Corn
1 slicing cucumber
2 Lancelot Leeks
1 lb romano green beans
1 lb romano gold beans
2 pieces patty pan squash
1 lb Berkshire pork Chorizo sausage
1 bunch cilantro
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 head red leaf lettuce
6 oz grassfed raw-milk Gouda

And God Said "No"- Author Unknown
I asked God to take away my pride and God said, "no." He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to take away my illness, and God said, "no." He said the body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience and God said, "no." He said patience is a by-product of tribulation. It isn't granted, it's earned.

I asked God to give me happiness and God said, "no." He said He gives His blessings. Happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me from pain and God said, "no." He said sufferings draw you apart from worldly cares and bring you closer to Him.

I asked God to make my spirit grow and God said, "no." He said I must grow on my own, but He will prune to make me fruitful.

I asked God if He loved me and God said, "yes." He gave His only Son who died for me and I will be in heaven someday because I believe.

I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me and God said, "Ah, finally, you have the idea."

This week's share included:


1 lb whole wheat linguini
1 stalk green garlic
1 head koboko cabbage
1 bunch kale
1 bunch collard greens
1 bunch mustard greens
1 piece raw-milk "swiss havarti"
1 lb red cherries
1 lb white cherries
1 1/2 gallon milk or bacon


Now, I know I've shared my new found love of the fresh whole milk, but this week we decided to try out the bacon (I mean, who doesn't love bacon?).  Also, the cherries this week are amazing.  I snacked on a bunch within the first minute of getting them.  I know I'm excited about the meals to come this week!

- 1 whole roasting chicken (4-5lbs)
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 bunch red beets w/tops
- 1 bunch white radishes
- 1 bunch garlic scapes
- 1 bunch spinach
- 1 head soil grown romaine
- 1 dozen free range organic eggs
- 1 quart strawberries


ohhhhh man.  I feel like we hit the jackpot.  Well, we fee like that EVERY week when we pick up our CSA, but for some reason this week made us giddy.  Perhaps it's the fact that US is playing England in World Cup soccer in less than an hour.  Perhaps it's the lovely CLE weather.  Whatever the factors, this has the makings of a great week.  Stay tuned for some new recipes from the greek wonder that is Kate!

I only recently started liking salads. I know what you're thinking, who doesn't like salads?! But I used to only eat them for the nutritional benefit and, I have to admit, as a vehicle for creamy dressing. My favorite salads were those light on the lettuce and heavy on the toppings- my favorite being dried cranberries or raisins, sunflower seeds, cheese, veggies and croutons. When we began our transition away from a meat centric diet I started reading lots of praise about greens. I had heard so much about their vitamin packed power and was intrigued by the many recipes I discovered that used them in ways besides salads. You probably can't believe that I wouldn't have ever thought of eating greens prepared any other way, but it's true. And I didn't really ever pay attention to the different types of greens that could actually shine in a salad rather than be limp participants overshadowed by far tastier toppings. I've since grown to love swiss chard (I hope we get some through the CSA this year and maybe even our fire escape garden if we're lucky), kale, spinach and the many varieties of lettuce like my peppery favorite- arugala. 


This week's bounty included pea shoots (which we unfortunately didn't receive, but upon thinning my own window box of sugar snap pea shoots I was able to procur!), spinach and cilantro and as we've already shown you, radishes. Although I would have liked to find a more creative way to eat these greens, I realized my bias against salads was again creeping in and I quickly snapped out of it. Forging ahead I developed this recipe based on some of our favorite flavors. I have to say, it was one of the greenest tasting (if green could have a taste!) things I have ever had. Cilantro will be making repeat appearances in my salads in the future that's for sure! Enjoy.

First Harvest Surf and "Turf" Salad
**I know the puns are probably already getting old but I couldn't resist! The earth gave us a beautiful cornucopia of greens this week and they were the inspiration for this dish. You could substitute chicken for the salmon or any other meat, or simply omit it and add a poached egg on top! As with most of my recipes I eyeballed mostly everything and adjusted to my taste. 


Variety of Greens: 
Spinach (Source: FFM CSA)
Cilantro (Source: FFM CSA)
Pea shoots (Source: our fire escape garden)
Super baby lettuces (Source: our fire escape garden, they needed thinning and I hated for them to go to waste!)


Radishes (Source: FFM CSA)
Salmon (Wild Caught)
Maple Syrup (Source: Toby Knoll Sugarbush Farm in MI)
Dijon mustard
Wasabi Paste
White Balsamic Vinegar


Make the sauce for your salmon by mixing maple syrup, dijon mustard and wasabi paste together. I loosely used 3 TBL of mustard, 1 TBL of maple syrup, and 1 TBL of wasabi for two salmon fillets and I had enough left over to thin with the white balsamic vinegar and use as salad dressing. 


Wash and prepare your greens. Thinly slice your radishes on a mandolin and toss with greens. S&P


Heat your grill pan and S&P your salmon. Grill on one side for about 2-3 minutes before flipping. Baste cooked salmon with your sauce near the end of cooking. Serve on top of your salad and drizzle thinned sauce all over the greens. 




***We also had a warm baguette and the rest of our grass fed Blue Gouda (Source: Mayfield Creamery) on the side and the flavors complemented each other perfectly!

The contents of our week 2 CSA from FFM.


*** a little teaser...we've already used some of that butter for a dish we'll share soon. Oh man is it good.***


-2 lb Hartzler salted butter
-1 lb fresh spinach linguini
-1 bunch garlic scapes
-1 head Nancy leaf lettuce
-1 bunch spinach
-1 quart honeyoye strawberries
-8 oz goat milk feta cheese (Blue Jacket Dairy)
-1 lb Rhubarb
-Trevor and the crew also had some of the grass-grazed milk for sale, so we picked up a 1/2 gallon of it (thanks guys...I'm addicted now!)

You might be surprised to know that as a scientist, I have had several discussions on this very (seemingly) simple question. I firmly stand by my assessment that it was indeed the chicken, but that's another topic for another day. At any rate, I dont' really care which came first- whether the free range (pasture fed) chicken that produced the eggs we received from Holistic Farms in our FFM bundle this week or the cafe au lait colored eggs because the fact remains, they are delicious!

I've been somewhat of an organic, free range, locally produced egg skeptic but I really can't remember why having now tasted these eggs. Perhaps it was my biased judgment that organic eggs were "too expensive." The $3+ a dozen was certainly off putting when I knew I could get eggs for 89 cents a dozen. But really, what's "too expensive" for good quality, good taste, responsible farming practices? As a culture we have been misled to believe that food should be cheap. The only way that food is cheap is because we have made it that way by abandoning sustainable and responsible farming techniques and have grown accustomed to tomatoes year round and bananas in North America- where, I for one, have never seen a banana tree actually grow. I'm sure most of you have seen the recent food documentary called "Food, Inc" and if you haven't, you should. If you are reading this blog you probably are an organic and local supporter already so I don't plan to belabor the point but I think it is important to mention. I may not be able to personally afford a diet consisting entirely local, organic and responsibly farmed products seeing as how I am a graduate student (though I sure wish I could!). But I think we can all make smarter choices about what we are putting into our bodies.  In order to afford better food, we have cut down our meat intake to about 1-3 meals a week on average and embraced some creative vegetarian options which I will be highlighting soon. My meat and exercise loving husband was skeptical at first, but now he is fully convinced you can get a well balanced and protein rich food from things other than meat. In turn we have become healthier, wealthier and hopefully more wise. After all, maybe if more people cut out the cable package or downgraded our data plans for our cell phones that we convince ourselves are necessities, we would get back to what's really important- being healthy and warm and happy.

As soon as I got the email about the contents of this weeks package, I immediately knew what I would do with some of the spinach, eggs, cheese and sausage buns. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Egg "Salad" Sandwiches
*This isn't so much a cut and dry sort of recipe. Add your favorite toppings and there are no exact measurements. Perhaps that's why I'm a better cook than I am a baker- in my everyday job, measurements have to be precise and exact, but at home I can just be creative and cook to what tastes "right"! This quantities I have given are for one sandwich.




1 Sausage Bun (Source: our FFM bundle!)
2 free range eggs (Source: Holistic Farms, see link above)
2-3 slices of grass fed Blue Gouda Cheese (Source: Mayfield Creamery)
1-2 spinach leaves (Source: our FFM bundle!)
Garlic Aioli- just finely chop some garlic and mix it with either store bought mayo or homemade!
Thinly sliced onions (I like to use yellow or vidalia onions but use whatever you like)
Butter

Lightly butter sausage bun and grill until warm and toasted (I used my grill pan!). Warm some butter in a non stick skillet and cook eggs to your preference (I basically fried mine). **IMPORTANT*** In my opinion, when you cook eggs you should always S&P them while they are cooking. Shmear the garlic aioli on the bun and layer onions, cheese, spinach and eggs. Enjoy!

Today was our first exposure, our first reaping of local produce from the cleveland based CSA FreshForkMarket.  As a family consisting of a graduate student in cellular and molecular physiology, and a post-doc in dermatology (aka survived getting a PhD in Biophysics and is currently still in academia), money, along with time, is not something that is in abundance. However, after tax season, we found ourselves with a decent chunk of money. Thus, we decided to try and both support the local economy (something that cleveland desperately needs) and eat local foods as much as possible.  Being at CWRU, we had heard about the undertakings of a recent grad who had started a virtual farmers market to allow NE ohio restaurants easy access to fresh, local produce, meats, etc.  Fortunately, FFM has expanded and grown to allow families to share in dining on fresh local produce. Check em out: FreshForkMarket 

The basic premise is that every week, you receive a bag chuck full of vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, etc, all form local providers, that are doing their best to be "organic." Sometimes the produce comes from farms that have not received an "organic" stamp of approval.  But, don't let this fool you. Due to the sometimes exorbitant cost of obtaining "organic" status, small, local farmers and growers are unable to afford this label.  Yet, their practices and way of cultivated nature are indeed "organic."  So, not only is the produce you get "organic," but it was also all grown locally.  

We signed up to get small CSA shares each week.  This week, our bag included:

Spinach (16oz)
Radishes (1 bunch...which is a LOT)
Cilantro (1 bunch)
Grass-grazed milk (1/2 gallon of WHOLE, AWESOME, milk)
Free-range brown eggs (dozen)
Grassfed Blue Gouda (8oz)
Italian Sausage, 1lb (4 sausages)
4 sausage buns
1/4 peck of jonagold apples




We'll keep you posted on how far our share went, recipes where we used the produce we received, and other ramblings.