"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A Seasonal Kitchen

My kitchen, like yours I'm sure, is the heartbeat of our home.  I find myself spending more and more time in it. But it depends on the season.

In the spring I spend most of my time outdoors.  I crave salads and start grilling meats during the Spring and into Summer, so the kitchen is used mostly as a clean-up station.

During the Summer we all start harvesting and preserving what we can.  Fruits and veggie's alike get squirreled away so the kitchen becomes a cluttered work zone.

As I move into Fall I'm still preserving but I'm also starting to get creative and want to cook and bake more.

Once Winter hits I'm in full blown cooking mode.  For some reason I love to cook in the morning.  I rarely cook a "dinner" at dinner time.  I guess I'm inspired early in the day.  Or maybe I just get lazier as the day goes on and want to relax in the early evening instead of starting a whole cooking production.

Regardless, I hardly ever cook during the week.  Leftovers all the way, Baby.  During the Fall and Winter months I make a TON of food over the weekend and let SM decide for himself what he wants to reheat on a daily basis.  I don't get home most nights until 6 pm or later and by that time I'm just not interested in cooking.  Reheating, Yes.  Cooking, No.

So yesterday morning I was up and cooking by 7am.  I wrapped things up at noon.  On the menu?

Steelcut Oatmeal with cinnamon, maple syrup, a touch of brown sugar and Craisins.

Ham Soup.  I simmered a ham bone for 3 hours and then tossed in the veggies.  Some were frozen like the cherry tomatoes from my garden this year.  (Thanks for the suggestion Jane!)  I pulled fresh carrots out of the garden and added them to the soup.  Love the smell of fresh carrots!


And look what SM had for lunch!

I also cooked down some frozen strawberries I'd picked this past Spring to make a sauce to top the cheescake I'd made the other day.  The cheesecake was OK taste-wise but lumpy. That's the thing about mistakes.  You always remember them and rarely repeat them.

3 comments:

  1. Oh, winter certainly is the time for cooking :)

    Not only for the extra warmth that it creates in the house, nor the delicious smells pervading every room, but also for the joy of eating wholesome delicious warm food - such as you described above.

    You can be right proud of your Sunday morning!

    Wish mine had been as productive...!

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  2. Pulling carrots out of the garden? I'm so jealous. My garden is frozen.

    When I worked full time, reheating was the way to go. Way better than the other option (fast food-bleh!)

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  3. OMG you totally repeated exactly what goes on in my house every year... Spring - Winter... That soup looks awesome, I think I may be inspried! Even though I don't get up at 7, I will definitely give it a try!

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