BLANCHED ASPARAGUS with crunchy garlic

[THE RECIPE]

1 bunch of asparagus
3 cloves of garlic
2 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil [ghee or avocado oil]
sea salt to taste

Peel garlic cloves and roughly mince. Place oil and garlic in a small saucepan and warm over low to medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Cook until garlic is a golden brown color.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to boil. Slice asparagus on a diagonal. Once water is boiling add asparagus and simmer for about 90 seconds. Asparagus should be bright green and just tender with still a bit of crunch. Remove from heat and drain water immediately. Run asparagus under cold water for 30 seconds or so to help stop cooking process. Place asparagus in a bowl.

Drizzle garlic and oil over asparagus. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES with ghee and sea salt

[THE RECIPE]

3 large sweet potatoes
3 - 5 medium Yukon or Idaho potatoes
4 - 6 tablespoons of ghee or butter [can use broth and olive oil if vegan]
sea salt to taste

Wash and peel potatoes. Cut into 1-inch chunks and place in medium-large pot. Cover with water so that there is about an inch of water over the potato line. Add a pinch or two of sea salt and bring water to boil. Reduce heat just enough so a strong simmer in maintained and cook until potatoes are soft when poked with a fork. Remove from heat.

Strain water [I like to use a lid to keep potatoes in and pour water out]. Add ghee or butter [start with 4 tablespoons and work up] to potatoes and a few generous pinches of sea salt. Whip with beaters until very smooth. Taste and add salt and ghee as needed.

SPICED PEAR SAUCE

When I think of September my first inclination is to let my thoughts go immediately to, what else, apples! Apple cider, apple sauce, apple crisp, apple pie, apple picking, apples, apples, apples!

This year however, we have pears.

I'm sure our trees are making up for last year's poor performance because this season they're loaded. The thing about gardening is we never really know what we'll get. We put in the work and hours and anxiety and care but, at the end of each day, nature must take over and we walk away with a feeling of well, it is what it is. Last year's fruit crop [or not-so-fruit crop] is fine evidence of this. If you suffered through no apples, pears, or peaches [at least organically grown, local ones] you know what I mean.

Which leads me to a confession.

I'm quite the glutton. In fact, I may just turn into a peach or pear or watermelon or maybe all three.

If you've fasted from anything before you may be able to relate. Or if you try to stick to local foods and follow seasonal eating patterns you definitely get it. Our mantra around here is: eat it while it's good and fresh and juicy and bright and delicious and eat a lot. Oh, and freeze or can everything else.

And so we're doing just that. We're eating and snacking and canning and freezing.

Which leads me to a recipe. A really, really simple recipe.

Spiced pear sauce.

A few weeks ago we picked our first pears and then a small cool snap got me thinking - apples make wonderful sauces, what about pears?

You may want to sit down for this.

Pear sauce is even better.

May you fully embrace the last days of summer - eat outside, swim, climb trees, walk in the park, swing. May you can or freeze some food [and be really proud when you do]. May you bite into a crunchy apple and juicy pear and be reminded to fully live in the present knowing what is this year may not come around next season. And may you make lots and lots of sauce.


[THE RECIPE]

Quick disclaimer: this is about as loose as recipes get. I've provided basic recipe guidelines but everything will be adjusted to your own taste preferences.

Fresh picked, organic pears
Fresh or ground dried ginger
Ground cardamom
Water
 Food mill, blender, or food processor

Prepare pears by washing [really important if you aren't using organic pears]. Halve and then quarter the pears and remove core or simply cut around the core. Place pears quarters in a large stainless steel pot and add water to within one inch of the bottom [a few cups should do the trick]. If you are using fresh ginger, peel and cut the ginger into 1/4" chunks [a couple chunks work well]. Place in the pot with the pears. Cover the pot and bring water to boil. Once the water boils, turn the heat down just a bit to a hard simmer. Cook the pears until they are really soft [anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes].

If you are using a food mill or have a glass blender you can proceed right away. If you have a plastic blender or food processor you'll want to allow the pears to cool to warm before you blend.


Place the pears in a food mill, blender, or food processor and mill to your desired consistency. Once all of the pears have been ground into sauce, add powdered ginger [if you are not using fresh add anywhere from 1/4 tsp - 1 tsp depending on the taste you desire] and a small pinch of cardamom. Start really small with the spices and add more as you go. Cinnamon is also a really nice addition but again, start small.



You can either can [follow your canner's instructions], freeze [allow to cool before placing in freezer], or eat your sauce.

ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH

I'll get to the squash, I promise. But first...

All together now - BIG SIGH. Holidays are over, families are back home, travels' wrapped up. Kids are becoming themselves again, snow is falling [depending on what latitude and longitude you call home], and what do you know - it's a new year.

For as much as I love the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, I equally look forward to the soft quiet of January. To me it's like a warm blanket to wrap myself in as calm and peace descends  It is in this month I hope for snow. Not just a dusting but a real snow storm - ten inches plus.

There is brilliance behind each of the seasons. Spring is full of newness, restlessness, and energy. Summer is marked by beach time fun, long hot days, and hard outdoor work. Bounty, gratefulness  football games, and more hard outdoor work lace the Autumn days. But winter - winter is for rest, rejuvenation, reflection, and hunkering down by the fireplace. It's the time for looking at your life and recognizing areas you are doing really well, finding areas you want to change, and building good habits to take with you throughout the year.

Enter New Year's Resolutions.

I have never been the biggest fan of January 1. The pressure to be better, do better, always weighed heavy on me. I would half-heartily make a resolution or two knowing that within a week said resolution would be long forgotten - replaced by guilt. Happy new year to you too.

This year however I'm going about it a bit differently. Rather than ruthlessly picking my persona apart, I've decided there may be a more constructive [and feel-good] way of going about change. This year I have listed things I want to do, to change, to work on, to accomplish and am giving myself the entire year to do them. Real novel, huh? I'm also giving myself the freedom to fail. I'm beginning to realize that life throws curve balls, God has other plans [wait, what?! I'm not in control????], and that two little girls really drive my life these days.

This brings me to one of my goals for the 2013 year - cooking with my 2 1/2 - year old. Time if precious these days and generally I am frantically trying to throw dinner together before the girls wake up from their generally-to-short naps. I'm half way into the meal preparation when one or both yell / cry for my attention. Stress and under-my-breath muttering ensues.

Then, the other day, I brought the step stool to the counter and had my daughter climb up. While I was cutting potatoes, she dutifully cut her wooden produce alongside me. It was beautiful - a memory I won't soon forget. And thus, a goal was born. If my daughter is up, and the baby allows, we cook together - side by side. Maybe she'll get bored with it [okay, she is bound to get bored with it], but for now it's a way for me to turn what would be a stressful, draining activity into fun, teachable moments - especially in this season that should be laced with slow and intention.


Now, what you've been waiting for - the tie into squash [I promised you I would get there]. This is one of the recipes I have my daughter help me with. It is fantastically easy and one she absolutely loves. The beauty in delicata is the skin is tender enough to eat - no peeling required. If you have ever tried to skin a butternut you are saying "hallelujah!" right now.

If you have never tried any recipe from this blog - start here. You can find delicata squash almost everywhere and will probably have all the other ingredients [all 4 of them] in your cupboard or pantry. If you don't like rosemary, use sage. If you don't like sage, use cinnamon. If you don't like cinnamon, go plain or use whatever herb you do like. If you don't have oil, use melted butter. If you have never tried squash, this is the one to start with.

In this season of reflection, may you be gentle with yourself as you look at ways to work towards wholeness and well-being in your life. May you give yourself the room to fail and recognize the constraints in your life. May you hunker down by a fire and enjoy a cup of tea. May you find the beauty in winter and this new year.

Happy 2013.

[THE RECIPE]

1 medium size delicata squash
extra virgin olive oil
ground rosemary
Celtic or other sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half length-wise. With a spoon, scrape out seeds [you can save your seeds and roast using one of these recipes]. Cut each half into slices about 1/2-inch thick.

Place cut pieces in bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Using your hands, rub oil onto each all sides of each piece. Place oiled squash slices onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly all pieces with salt, pepper, and ground rosemary.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes or until a deep golden brown and a little crispy on top. You can also broil once the squash has become soft to get that color and crisp.

Remove from oven and cool slightly. Serve hot. This goes really well with black [forbidden] rice.