Super Herb-y Wild Rice Salad

Herb-y Wild Rice Salad

We renewed our CSA recently, after an unintentionally long break. Our CSA is from Full Belly Farm out in Guinda, California. I love getting a CSA box: It keeps me from buying and eating the same vegetables every week, and it forces me to be more creative in the kitchen. Not to mention I like taking at least some of my grocery shopping out of the industrial food chain and giving money to people who are committed to building and nurturing their land and all that other Wendell Berry-esque stuff.
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Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Chicken

Field Fresh Chopped Salad

I’ve always loved the idea of eating a great big luscious crunchy salad for dinner. But I’ve never been very good at coming up with creative ideas for main dish salads. I tend to get stuck at lettuce and carrots. And my basic vinaigrette is great, but it can get a bit monotonous. But there is a prepared salad from Trader Joe’s that I love: the Field Fresh Chopped Salad. It’s sweet and savory and fresh and crunchy, and I got in the habit of buying it for solitary dinners and occasional lunches. Then I looked at the ingredients. The poor chicken in this salad is full of so many preservatives, and I know the vegetables could be fresher and more full of flavor. So I decided to make this salad myself.
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2012, Week Eleven

I sadly must admit that I accidentally missed TWO, not one, but two full days of taking pictures last week. Somehow, this past weekend ended up photo free. Which is a real bummer because we actually had a really nice weekend, and visited some new spots in Oakland. I think I need to find a way to re-motivate myself on this project.

Here is what I do have.

Poutine from Potato Champion
Mar 11 – Poutine in Portland! This was a special moment for me, as I’ve been wanting to go to Potato Champion for years and we never managed to squeeze it in before.
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Saffron Chickpea Stew

Chickpea Stew

The rainy season appears to be underway here in the East Bay. I’m not complaining because it’s still the mildest winter I’ve experienced in over eight years. I’d forgotten how much rain freaks Californians out, though. We get confused by weather. I can’t even tell you how many people in my office this morning said some variation of the phrase, “I thought people moved to California for nice weather,” or “I think we might get washed away in this deluge.” We won’t, we’ll be ok. But the freakouts are happening, nonetheless.
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2012, Week Ten

Last weekend we went to Portland to visit friends. It was a great weekend, full of amazing food, lots of laughter, and a surprising amount of food tv. I think Sweet Genius might be the funniest cooking show I’ve ever seen. Before that, though, we had another great week in Oakland. Here are some highlights.

La Farine
Mar 4 – We finally made a stop at La Farine. It reminds me so much of the bakery in Santa Cruz where I worked in college. This Wheat Walnut Levain was amazing.
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Saturday Morning, Coconut Muffins

A coconut muffin

I know that I’m emerging from whatever dark lull I’ve been sunk in when I wake up on a Saturday morning with an urge to bake. Before I even finish my coffee I’m pulling bins of flour and sugar out of cupboards and scattering mixing bowls and measuring spoons over the counters. Sean ambles out of bed and marvels at the mess I’ve been able to make before 9 am. I’m mixing and stirring and whisking and happily anticipating a warm, sweet breakfast. There’s something wonderful about early morning baking: The feeling of productivity first thing in the morning, sipping coffee in between breaking eggs, and watching the room become lighter as the sun rises higher in the sky.
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Kale Paneer

Kale Paneer

One thing about moving back to California that has been really amazing is living close to my family again. I grew up in San Diego, and my parents, my oldest brother, my sister-in-law, and my niece (along with aunts and uncles and cousins) still live there. My youngest brother, as well as aunts and uncles and cousins, live here in the Bay Area. So I get to see family a lot more often than I did when I was entrenched in the snow on the other side of the country. About a month ago, my youngest brother graduated from college, and a mess of family drove up to celebrate. We had a weekend full of laughter and, as always when Kriers are involved, great food. Including this home cooked Indian food dinner on Saturday night.
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Arroz con Pollo

Arroz con Pollo

There is something about the combination of chicken and rice that makes me happy. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. In fact, it seems that every culture has its version of a chicken and rice dish, from the cream-of-mushroom chicken rice casseroles of the midwest, to Hainanese Chicken dishes, made in various regions in Southeast Asia, to India’s Chicken Biryani. I just saw a new (to me) recipe for Halal-cart style chicken and rice that I can’t wait to try. Of all these various permutations of chicken and rice, though, arroz con pollo remains my favorite.
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Five Essential Cookbooks – And a Giveaway

Update again: We have a winner! Commenter Jen Martin will receive a copy of the cookbook of her choice. Thanks to all who read and commented. Stay tuned, as I’m sure I’ll be doing another giveaway soon.

Update: I’m extending this giveaway until Friday!

The Kitchn has been running a fun column: Their writers are sharing their top five essential cookbooks. I love cookbooks. I have a lot of them, and a constant penchant for buying more. Some people have a one in, one out rule for cookbooks, and while I have tried in the past to hold myself to that kind of a promise, I always knew from the beginning it would be an empty one. But when I started to think about which cookbooks on my shelf are truly essential, I realized that out of all the books I own, only a small handful truly fit into that category.
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