I'm Still Alive. . .And Eating

Dinner these days has been more about getting it on the table than placing it center stage for cyber-foodie-passers-by. But, I want you all to know (since you've been loosing sleep wondering) that I am still alive, and even managing to make some bangin' dishes on the regular despite my lack of evidence. This post is to reassure you that I have not gone soft. No, still going strong. Recent dishes: local braised beef tips with roots over creamy organic grits, chicken Parmesan with fresh mozzarella in homemade marinara (frozen garden tomatoes are almost history), glazed root vegetables of all sorts (I am addicted to glazing, thanks to this month's issue of SAVEUR), roasted butternut squash soup swirled with locally made raw milk yogurt, local chicken n' herbed dumplings, wild Alaskan salmon in every shape and form (stay tuned for homemade gravlax), soups, soups and more soups. Oh yes, and buttermilk fantail yeast rolls (pictured) to keep us grounded.

I started this blog to display my obsession with foods in their God-given form. Its been two years of steady blogging, and I am still obsessed. Cooking at home continually reinforces how many pleasures are to be had from sometimes little more than roasted beets smothered in butter and sprinkled with flaky sea salt. Although life has gotten a bit busier around mealtime with our little one now almost six months old, food remains a priority here. Not only does it nourish our bodies, it deeply satisfies beyond physical necessity. Nothing quite settles the entire self like a bowl of chicken and buttermilk dumplings buoyed in rich homemade broth.

This post is for all of you who get goose bumps like I do when asparagus pokes through in early spring, when onions and garlic hit a buttery skillet, and when your favorite market vendor says: "I killed that yesterday."- Wrap it up, I'll take it!

Thanks for sharing in the obsession, and for another awesome year!