One of the things that relaxes me the most is being in the kitchen. It’s an absorbing activity that takes my mind away from everything else. And in the end, whether today or later in the week, we get to enjoy the fruits of my kitchen labor.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep this up. But for the past couple Sundays I’ve been able to do cooking for the full week.
This weekend I outdid myself, making Espanola Butternut Squash Soup for meatless Monday meals; chorizo, pinto bean and mixed veggie burritos for lunches this week; and roasted beats for a lunch — spinach and goat cheese salad — and for salads throughout the week.
That’s not all though. Because we’ve been watching so many Chopped re-runs, we decided to challenge ourselves to use as much as we could without wasting ingredients. For supper, we’d planned kabobs with t-bone steak. Rather than toss the t-bones, we broiled those with veggies on hand, then boiled them down with water, kale and garden herbs to make a rich beef broth for later use.
I also had a bunch of grapes we were close to tossing because they had seeds and no-one was eating them. Instead of composting them, I boiled them in some water and wine, making a nice grape reduction that I hope to use in a sauce this week.
Virtual Farmgirl 