A Glimpse

I'm dipping in here to assure that I haven't been run over by a cement mixer, or fallen off a ferry or any such thing. I've been somewhat lacking in imagination and motivation lately. I notice this across the food blogging nets--oh sure, some people are devoted and regular publishers (Cate, for instance, and also Deb--and if a woman who gave birth and could post about it two days later can post, what kind of a worm am I??), but a great many of the blogs I read on an ongoing basis are showing a sort of end-of-season lagging.

Oh sure, I've cooked--we have to eat, after all. But nothing has been very inspired, and even the things I've made for fun, as opposed to those things I've made out of the utilitarian need to provide sustenance for my family, seem to let me down. I made a Nutella swirl pound cake just this weekend that disappointed me horribly. It was my own fault, I'll allow that--I didn't realize one of my ovens had such a ghastly hot spot in it--but the fact remains that I was let down.

Is this the change of season? I always think of Ma in "The Long Winter" saying, "Well, it's to be expected; it's the equinoctial storm," or words to that effect when the autumn rains started early before that long winter began. Maybe this is, for me, an equinoctial storm of sorts, in which I hit a lull or down period before the weather officially changes and the seasonal foods change over. I want very much to make Brussels sprouts, or beef stew, but it's not time yet.

I did spend several hours this weekend making tomato sauce out of my San Marzzano tomatoes. I still need to put it through the food mill, but the tomatoes are cooked down. And may I say right now how much I love my food mill? A blender or a food processor, while they do an admirable job of pureeing things, doesn't strain out the icky bits. The seeds, the skins, any woody or fibrous bits, get left behind with the food mill, where they remain with the blender or the food processor (oh sure, you can strain, but that's an extra step; the food mill does both at once).

On another up note, a friend gave me several years' worth of old Gourmets and Bon Appetits she found while she was cleaning out. I mean like two boxes full. And old--early 90s. But food never goes out of style (even if the plates it's served on do, and let me tell you, the prop styling completely dates these things, to the point of hilarity). We're even having two dinners this week that are from a 1996 Gourmet. That's the year I got married.

So I'll be back shortly!

Brief Intermission: Cheers!

I haven't abandoned my site here. I've just been feeling completely uninspired. You know, Spring is a wonderful time of year--flowers blooming, days getting longer, warmer weather--but I realize that every year I just hate early Spring when it comes to food. We're all sick to death of squash, potatoes, and roasts, but the Spring food isn't really ready yet. The beans and fruits and things you can get are all from Chile or Argentina, and the last of the Winter produce just looks sad. I've spent hours pouring over cookbooks looking for something to uplift me, but everything either speaks of short winter days and long winter nights (stews, roasts, soups) or shorts and t-shirt weather (salads, fresh fruits, summer tomatoes). Am I alone in the feeling that this is a somewhat lackluster, frustrating time of year, despite the promise of blossom and bounty to come?

I do have a recipe for zucchini fritters that I'll be posting about tomorrow (Friday) but until then, I'll leave you with with this image. You can enjoy it in early Spring, knowing that it's not the last scraping from the bottom of the produce barrel.