Roasted Buttercup Squash

The last day that they had the outdoor farmer's market near my office this year was a cold, drizzly, dreary day that made you just feel so sorry for the few farmers who had decided to man their stands until the bitter end.  Three days later, the market near my house (yup, I'm lucky enough to have a weekday one about 2 blocks from work, and a weekend one steps from my apartment) opened warm, sunny, and breezy - the kind of fall day you live for, that you can't help but savor.  I've been trying to branch out to different hard squashes (butternut and acorn rut, anyone?), and that day I found a Red Thai squash (the orange one above) and a Buttercup squash (the green).  Oh yeah!  And a magic brussels sprout wand.  Don't you love that they grow like that?  Look at this picture of a whole field of them!  It's like alien vegetables!

They look very similar to acorn squash, don't they?  Taste similar, too - more flavorful, I thought.  Into each little quarter went a bit of butter, maple syrup, a pinch of salt and a whisper of cayenne pepper.  For a second I was reminded of my brief, ill-advised foray into the world of the Master Cleanse and shivered.  Then I popped these babies into the oven, and in about 45 minutes, here's what came out:

Ahhhhh.  Comfort food.  Look at those little pools of love! 

A pan-seared pork chop, some brussels sprouts, and roasted squash.  Virtues: low-carb, more vegetables than non-vegetables, multiple colors.  Vices: butter.  But who's counting?

The sweet perfume of strawberries and peonies

I had no idea what kind of a treat I was in for when I set off for the farmers market during lunch today.

First of all, the first stall I walked by had tomatoes!  My eyes popped out of my head, and I almost bought them, but then I felt a little distrustful.  Why are there already tomatoes?  That doesn't seem right... So I picked one up and smelled it; nothing.  No smell at all.  I'll pass until there are piles of tomatoes whose smell makes me swoon, thank you very much.

And then... be still my heart... I saw the strawberries.

Row upon row up bright red, juicy berries with perfume so strong I just stood there for a minute, soaking it in.  And then I bought 3 pints, drunk with fresh seasonal fruit happiness.  They're all ripe, and I need to use them up, but I think I'm up for the challenge.  I will probably eat one whole pint sitting at my desk this afternoon, although I'll have to be a little sneaky to pull that off.  Another pint will be dedicated to a dessert for my in-laws tomorrow night (get ready for a feast, guys!), and the other will probably go on top of pancakes or in muffins on Saturday morning. 

I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to eat these strawberries.  Well, at least a month.

Do you understand the difference between sad, out-of-season supermarket strawberries, and fresh, local, peak-of-season strawberries?  I mean really, do you?  They are so different that I can hardly believe they go by the same name.  I may write a sonnet about these Michigan strawberries.  I really may.

What else is in season right now, you ask?  WHAT ISN'T?!  I had been so frustrated by the absence of peas, and here I find out I was just too early!  Silly old freezing cold spring!  English peas and sugar snaps are here!  Sugar snaps that make you understand why they put the word "sugar" in the name.  Baby lettuce, onions, garlic.  Baby beets, lots of herbs.  Rhubarb, still.  I got two more bunches.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it all the way to next spring, and I think this is the last of it.  I think I've got through 10 bunches of rhubarb.  I'm a little proud of that fact.  Asparagus, still.  Summer squash and zucchini! 

And peonies, which are my favorite flower.  I love all the shades of pink, the romantic mille-feuille petals, and the fragrance is out of this world.  I bought two bouquets for myself, and as I carried them around the market, I just kept sticking my nose deep within the blooms, and breathing, breathing, breathing... It felt decadent, euphoric, like floating. 

On a side note, did you know that the City of Chicago has planted some edibles in the big downtown planters in the Loop?  I saw it with my own eyes today!  Rainbow chard and tomatoes, smack dab in the middle of the city, instead of miles and miles of impatiens!  Wahoo!  Go Chicago!  Also, I am proud to say that I must be growing as a gardener, because I could identify the tomatoes without looking at the tag!  Go me!

I so wish that I could go home right now and play with all this produce.  But for now, I will be content to sit at my desk surrounded the sweet perfume of strawberries and peonies.

Market Day... and Moose Tracks Cookies.

Visited the Daley Plaza market again today, and picked up so much great stuff!  Pickles, orange blossom honey (the local bees went for a winter vacation in Florida), 3 more bunches of asparagus, some cheese, and most importantly...

RHUBARB!!!

I looked for it last week, but they had already sold out by the time I got there!  So I got two bunches this time.  And I will be searching high and low for different ways to use this delicious vegetable... fruit?

...(going to Wikipedia)...

"Rhubarb is usually considered to be a vegetable; however, in the United States, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties."  What duties do fruits have, exactly?

Anyway...

The farmer who sold me the rhubarb told me that it freezes really well, and I told him thanks for the tip, but I'd rather stuff myself silly with something when it's in season (even if that's only 3 weeks a year), and then wait for it to come around again.  He looked at me with that look salespeople get when you talk to them more than they wanted you to, and I continued to the next stall to make someone else uncomfortable. 

Keep your eyes peeled for rhubarb-laden recipes in the coming days (and please share some if you've got good ones!), but in the meantime, you should probably make these!

Moose Tracks Cookies!

I came across this recipe yesterday as I was scanning my favorite blogs, and as soon as I read the words "pudding cookies," I knew I was a goner.  As far as I can tell, there are nearly limitless flavor combinations for these cookies, but the Coppertop Guy loves Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream, and I wanted to do something nice for him.  And I wanted not to have to eat all the cookies myself.  And I had bought this little container of mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups at Trader Joe's this weekend.

So the Moose Tracks cookies were born!  And they are goooooooooooood. 

Chocolate Moose Tracks Cookies

(about 40 cookies)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3.9-oz. package instant chocolate pudding mix

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. chocolate sauce (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1 12-oz. container mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until fluffy again.  Add vanilla and pudding mix, and beat until combined.  Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda, and add to the butter and sugar mixture.  Mix well.  Drizzle in the chocolate sauce, and mix well again.  Gently stir in peanut butter cups.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, press down slightly to flatten, and bake 10-12 minutes.  Pour yourself a glass of milk.  Eat, baby.

Market Day: What's In Season

There are many reasons why spring in Chicago is the best.  One such reason is being able to take pictures of things like this:



Where natural and urban beauty meet.



I'm sorry, you probably couldn't tell exactly what is going on in the bottom left.  Here you go:



Goose Babies!!!



Another is the return of the daily neighborhood farmers' markets!  Today is my first market day of what I will call the Happy Season (from now until the end of October, when all the markets are closed save one), and what follows is my bounteous haul! 



Well, hello, market!  Long time, no see!





Home state shoutout!  Michigan asparagus all the way!



Love the live music!




From this gentleman, I bought jack cheese with Thai basil.




Green garlic and curly spinach from here!





Lunch! Ham and parmesan crepe with tomatoes!




Purple asparagus!




Local food treasure.



I had been hoping for some rhubarb, peas, maybe even (be still my heart) strawberries... but spring has not been very kind to us yet, and it's going to be a couple of weeks until we have that kind of variety.  Still, I am not complaining!  I've got asparagus in two colors, green garlic, curly spinach, and locally produced cheese, and that is a great place to start! 

Happy spring, all!