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Okay, I know this has been a pretty sad excuse for a blog lately (and yes, I can just hear some of you saying “lately?”–don’t think that I can’t ). But really, I have a good excuse–actually a couple of them. Excuse no. 1 is that for most of December I was baking cookies like a madwoman–homemade gifts are nice in theory, until you get around to the making part. Excuse no. 2 is that David and I are planning on adopting, and, crazy people that we are, were trying to get all our paperwork in before Christmas (which didn’t quite happen–big surprise). So I’ve been lucky to have enough time to cook, much less blog about what I’m cooking. The good (?) news is that once we get through our homestudy, I’ll have *tons* of time to blog (and will probably be doing so incessantly, just to have something to do other than twiddle my thumbs–and drive everyone around me nuts–while waiting).

Still, I have been cooking, and some of the things I’ve made have actually been pretty darn good. One of my Christmas presents was “My Bread”, by Jim Lahey, the “originator” of the no-knead bread recipe (okay–I don’t buy that for a minute, because I know there have been similar recipes floating around for quite awhile, but I suppose he deserves some props for popularizing it, I guess), and I’ve made a couple of less-than-beautiful-but-still-terrific-tasting loaves–I’m a convert. I can’t wait to try a whole grain version.

Also, this recipe from The Splendid Table’s Weeknight Kitchen e-newsletter (and their book, “How To Eat Supper”) is pretty amazing–not to mention forgiving: last time I made it I forgot to toss the veggies with several of the ingredients, and added them late in the roasting process, and it still turned out well. I’ve left out the basil and sage, added pinenuts, subbed parmesan for asiago, used whole-wheat spaghetti instead of bowties, or used kale instead of escarole or frisee; I’m sure other, similar types of squash would work, and other winter veggies might be really interesting as well. There’s also no reason why you couldn’t leave out the dairy, although you might want to add an extra glug or two of olive oil at the end to keep it from being too dry. Nutty, caramelized, cheesy goodness, and it’s fairly cheap AND good for you–what’s not to love?

Late Breaking News:

For anyone who, like me, lives in the Belleville/Canton/western Wayne County area, there’s a new CSA on the block: Pallet Gardens Farms (the farm’s not new, but the CSA is). In addition to a broad variety of veggies, the owners, the Mackalls, are offering breads, jams, eggs and meat (I’m guessing smoked turkey and/or ribs, based on their info packet) from their sister business, the Alabama Rib House. The prices seem pretty typical–$550 for a full bushel which feeds 4-6 for the 20 week season, and $325 for a half bushel. They also state that they follow “natural” farming practices–no chemicals or pesticides. David and I are going to give them a shot this year, and I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. If you’re interested in more info, their number is 734-461-4834.