Recently in kiss the cook Category

I conveniently forgot to take and upload photos just as we fell off the Operation Mother Hubbard wagon at the start of week 3. What can I say, we were hosting a Super Bowl party. Which meant we needed lots of Doritos. And meat. You would not believe the amount of meat we served.

Wait, actually, this might give you an idea:

Pretty disgusting, but we all enjoyed ourselves, and I made these incredible carrot-ginger cupcakes using only things we already had at home. Never have I received such rave reviews for cupcakes. Probably because I have never made cupcakes before.

(It's been a pretty good few weeks for treats in general, actually. I whipped up this vegan Mexican Chocolate Cake to take to a friend's house just yesterday. Highly, highly recommended. You would never guess it was vegan.)

Now we're starting our fourth week of Operation Mother Hubbard. I'm really proud of us. We've continued purchasing fresh produce and dairy at our corner store, and I have to admit I've gotten a box of vegetable stock and a bag of sugar as well. We're deep into the cupboards, though, and we're STILL eating way better than we were before we started this project.

Check out the dry goods cabinet:

Pretty incredible compared to Day 1, especially because a lot of the stuff that's still in there is baby food. (More photos here.)

So we're still going strong and haven't even broken into our freezer stash yet. I think we can keep this up well over a month! I'm loving the opportunity to use ingredients I forgot I had, as well learn how to substitute ingredients based on what I have on hand. So far OMH has dramatically improved my baking skills and challenged me to be a more creative cook.

Still not sure what I'm going to do with two enormous jars of pickles, though. Suggestions?

Here's what our fridge looked like at the end of the first week of Operation Mother Hubbard. More photos on Flickr. 

We ate leftovers a LOT this week. Leftover veggie lasagna, leftover Irish stew from our favorite pub, leftover burrito filling, leftover dilly bean potato soup, and more.

But I also made several dishes from scratch with ingredients on hand, and we're still eating the leftovers from those:

• Pumpkin Enchiladas. These have been a staple in our kitchen for a few months now. I add black beans and wilted spinach for some more protein and vitamins. Also because the idea of a tortilla filled only with warm canned pumpkin is pretty unappealing to me. With this recipe, I used up some jarred taco sauce, two cans of pumpkin, a can of black beans, an enormous can of enchilada sauce, and assorted produce.
• Maple Parsnip Soup. Taken from the Mennonite Central Committee's Simply in Season cookbook, this recipe seems like it wouldn't be very filling, but it is. Especially when served with Bisquick drop biscuits. I substituted cream for the evaporated milk because that's what we had on hand, and I added some carrots for color (and because some of my parsnips had gone bad). I also left some chunks in the soup rather than pureeing it totally smooth, which I think enhanced the heartiness factor. 

Here's where we're starting, as of Saturday, January 22:

More mile zero photos on Flickr. If you're into that sort of thing.

So far so good. Spent $7.25 at the produce market yesterday for butter, spinach, half a pound of parsnips, and brown sugar. The brown sugar was a cheat, but necessary to these terrific cookies that I'm sending to a friend who's on bed rest. Said cookies also used up a bunch of oatmeal, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and baking ingredients.

Other than that, we're up to our eyeballs in leftovers. But slowly and diligently eating our way through them.

My general approach to food purchasing and preparation is lazy yet spendy. I would rather buy a whole new batch of ingredients and start from scratch than root around to figure out what I can combine to make a meal. Then half of what I buy goes bad or sits in the back of the cabinet for six months. Not only is this financially irresponsible, it drives my husband crazy.

So, starting today, we're embarking on Operation Mother Hubbard. I was inspired by my college friend Kurt, who documented his own pantry-clearing challenge online. We will be using only the ingredients we already have on hand to make healthy, creative meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We will not stop doing so until the cupboard is bare. I'm thinking this will be about a month, but I'm not sure.

When I brought up the idea on Facebook, a few friends expressed concern that there was no way to do this responsibly without fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy. I agree. So I'm giving myself a $10-15 budget per week to be spent at our corner produce market. They sell their vegetables in bulk for chump change. (How they manage this, I have no clue. Sometimes it's better not to question one's Ukrainian produce lords.) They also have quality local dairy products, so yogurt, butter, milk, and cream - plus the occasional carton of eggs - are all up for grabs.

I'm looking forward to this challenge, which will also force me to plan more meals in advance and think outside our usual five staple weeknight dishes. I'm excited about trying some recipes that have been loitering untested in my bookmarks folder for too long. I have no idea what I'm going to do with that pound bag of flaxseed I discovered in the back of the cupboard yesterday. I have some plans for those parsnips in my veggie bin, though.

ON NOTICE THIS WEEK:
Copious leftovers
Parsnips
Jalapeno peppers
Broccoli
Apples
Tortillas

I'm comin' for you, jalapenos.

In honor of National Poetry Month, and in honor of spring planting and spring meals, and in honor of friends scattered to the winds:

welcome

my generosity is not steaming
on the table and waiting
for you before you
even know you want it

come to my house friend you
will find my offering still simmering
i have not yet figured out what
you need and your tastes are mystery
still to me

i will wait for you to enter
my kitchen and once here
you can let me know what you like
sweet and slow
pepper and stirred

then we can share in this gift together
both of us giving
both of us receiving
open handed
open hearted

- Suheir Hammad (lifted from Organic Soul, where you can also get an amazing sangria recipe in quantities "enough to get you tore up")

1436 Harvard St

Friends
There are days
Office days and photocopy days
Collapsing into night time

And together we slump
With sighs and whispers leaning
Heavy elbows
Against a wobbly table

Tipping it this way
And then the other way
Back again sipping water
And passing

Forever passing potatoes
From my hand
To your hand
I will hold in prayer

In passing your hands are important
To me and as mismatched
As chairs and napkins
And your dreams

I will hold close
As if delicate
As if breakable
As if my own

- Joshua MacIvor-Andersen (my former Sojo housemate whose musings on living in Mexico can be read at National Geographic's Glimpse blog)

More thoughts on urban food and tables:
> Weavers Way Co-op Farm, cultivated by my neighbor, affectionately known as Farmer Dave
> Straight from the Farm recipe index, maintained by one of the Weavers Way farmhands
> Recipes from Greensgrow, another city farm and CSA in Philadelphia

More favorite poems:
> "Litany" - Billy Collins
> "The Burning of Paper Instead of Children" - Adrienne Rich
> "The Only Animal" - Franz Wright
> "Manifesto: Mad Farmer Liberation Front" - Wendell Berry (and many more)
> Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 17. All you have to do is put a poem in your pocket.