Fresh Produce

Calabacitas!

Lately, I have not had to make any produce runs to Fry's. Or Sunflower Market. For two weeks. Andrea has brought us an invariable cornucopia of veggies.  Eggplant (I made eggplant parm -Lexy really liked it! and Caponata - pg 7 of 'Kimmy's Kitchen'!), tomatoes (Beefsteak, Roma, cherry and yellow!), peppers (sweet, jalapeno, red and green bell), cucumbers (English and American) and copious quantities of squash!!  Before dinner each night, Autumn will say a prayer for us.  Sunday, Autumn added this to her prayer: "And thank you God for all of this produce that Andrea brought us!". 

Cooking is comforting.  I have had so much fun making things with all of this stuff.  Antonio loves to help and is getting very good in the kitchen. With all of this produce, I have barely left the kitchen. Kimmy's kitchen  And Sunday, after I worked (Andrea took the bambini to church for me and to Viro's!), I baked squash and eggplant.  Monday, I made fresh salsa and decided to try the Calabacitas that Angie makes so well.  So I initiated the cooking conference call and had her walk me through it:

4-5 good size squash or zucchini, cut into cubes

1 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp diced yellow onion (or to taste)

4 diced up Roma tomatoes

1 cup grated Longhorn cheese (or to taste)

1 can of yellow whole corn

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Steam the diced squash until tender and drain.  In a pan, saute the onions and tomatoes in the oil for about 15 minutes and stir into the squash, mixing it well.  Add the salt and pepper to taste and continue to heat.  Add corn and stir in.  Add grated cheese and allow to melt.  Serve when cheese is fully melted.

Came out fantastic!! Angie is always a big help!

I used a lot of the peppers in salsa and made peppers and eggs one morning.  But, it has been many, many years since I've tried to make jalapeno poppers.  Kim and I once grew jalapenos on the balcony of our apartment back in Pennsylvania.  We had a small, planked balcony, overlooking 5th Ave.  We liked to sit out there in the summer.  At night, sharing a drink.  We had the classic hibachi that we used year round.  I'd shovel off our balcony after a snowfall, digging out the hibachi to grill out.  The jalapenos grew well and we decided to make poppers, our favorite bar food.  As we prepped them, a seed popped up and lodge itself in my eye, underneath my contact.  The pain was immediate and searing.  Kim guided me into the shower and forced my eye open to try to sooth it and get the seed out.  I was quite red eyed, but Kim's poppers turned out great, no surprise.

Eh.  They did not turn out as good as Kimmy's and the oil splashed all over the stove and floor.  Dammit.  Cody and I ate quite a few anyway.

For dinner, I made shrimp scampi (pg 27 of Kimmy's Kitchen), arborrio rice and Italian green beans. One of Kim's treat for us on many Valentine's Day.

The bambini ate well.

Happy Valentine's Day Kimmy!

I know it's a day late, but, on Valentine's Day, we enjoyed our regular Tuesday 'therapy' day at the Barrios' home.  In Lupe's Kitchen, a feast was brewing for this holiday.  She made us taquitos (rolled beef tacos - one of Kim's favorite, drive through meals at Filibertos or Nico's), Mexican rice, guacamole.  Antonio begged for seconds! 

And for dessert...these beautiful cupcakes!

It was sweet of Lupe and Manny to include us in their Valentine plans...and continue to help us heal - they've seen me stumble and fall...and helped us transition with their family and sharing meals.  We sometimes try to figure out just what the hell happened...and talk about challenges and rising above obstacles.  The family looks forwards to Tuesdays!

Just two and a half more weeks until we walk up A mountain for Kimmy!  It is sometimes hard to believe that a year has passed already.  We've learned so much...and I know we have a lot more to learn...