Market to table - Week of April 27

Happy Friday! It was busy week, but I want to make sure I post an update of what was on the menu of my local diet. I'm sure months from now, I'm going to be dreaming of those peas and carrots (Mmmm, veggies). Breakfasts consisted of homemade toasted rye bread with butter, fruit (local grapefruit, dewberries, or watermelon), and homemade yogurt. Lunches packed for work contained homemade chunky tomato soup leftover from last week, rye bread slices, and fresh, local dewberries or watermelon. Evenings varied with cheese toast and veggies some nights, eggs and toast and veggies on others.   Here's a photo of dinner a from few nights ago to illustrate what yummy things I did with last weekend's farmers market finds:

Of course, that's my homemade rye bread with some of the dairy's fresh gouda cheese (mmmm cheese).  

To the left are the sugar snap peas and carrots (both from Lois at the farmers market).  All I did was remove the stems, cut the carrots, and pop everything into the steamer for 20 minutes. A little salt sprinkled on as it was cooling and WOW! are they delicious! Dave and I have both been eating our veggies this week - no doubt about that!  

FRUGAL TIP: when I steam my veggies, I save the leftover veggie water that is created. Once it cools, I pour it in a jar, freeze it, and add to it each time I steam vegetables. Then the next time I made soup, I thaw the veggie juice and add it instead of water. Makes a tastier soup.

To the right is a salad made of fresh tomatoes and radishes (from this week's farmers market), onion (the last of the onion from the farmers market 3 weeks ago), and parsley (last of the parsley from the farmers market 2 weeks ago). I tossed it all up and added some of my homemade dressing (equal parts olive oil and apple cider vinegar, and a little salt and pepper to taste) and it was good to go. One night I just had a big bowl of this salad and a piece of cheese toast. Simple, but yummy.

Every week the menu varies enough to keep things really interesting. By the time I get tired of a food, it seems that new things start popping up at the market. All my meals are very simple (toast and veggies, toast and soup, toast and fruit), I know. I've tried to make more family style meals but by the time I've gone to the trouble of buying ingredients, cooking it and am finally staring at all that food, I end thinking that I'd rather have just made a nice piece of toast instead (Hmm - that sounds kinda sad, doesn't it? It really is good bread!). Dave goes out to lunch with friends all week having his big meal of the day then, and he and I do treat ourselves to a couple dates at a deli or restaurant on the weekends so if I want anything more complicated, I just order it there.  As a result, I usually just go the simple (or lazy) route at home, not bothering with whole dinners or casseroles (though I've been known to surprise Dave on occasion with his favorite - tuna noodle casserole). I figure, I make good soup, good bread, and I can steam or stir-fry with the best of them. Simple as it is, the symphony of amazing flavors still makes it feel like an incredible indulgence. And what can I say? It works for me!

Here's to another delicious week!