cooking seasonally

My handsome, hardworking husband has been such a busy bee lately. The project here in Albany is starting to wrap up. Exciting, but also stressful. The poor dear has been working nonstop! We knew January would be a crazy month, so I bought a new book to keep me and baby bear busy.

And busy we've been...creating savory dishes to fill our winter bellies! It's the middle of January and my spirit was desperate for the yummy freshness of farm stand food. Our family tends to cook with a great deal of meat in the winter, absentminded of the delectable flavors winter produce can add to a dish. So my goal this week was to experiment with recipes that call for ingredients in season.

A couple nights ago I made a happy little melange of pan-roasted root vegetables. Who knew turnips, parsnips, and celery root could be so tasty when allowed to simmer in their own juices on the stove top! I also made a yummy variation of a favorite Brussels sprouts side dish that came out oh-so delicious! Brussels sprouts are one of Ryan's favorites too, he was delighted to reheat and dive in when he walked in the door later that evening.

Last night I made Pappa al Pomodoro, a classic Italian tomato soup that's thickened with leftover bread. It also has has lots of fennel and carrots (the seasonal ingredients). It was my first time cooking with fennel and I think it was a hit. Teddy loved it! He's a big soup eater, we all are, and I can't bring myself to do canned soups.

I've wanted to start cooking seasonally for sometime, but in the United States where ingredients are available year round, it's hard to muster up the creativity. The pay off is well worth it though, you just can't beat the flavor.

{deep, warm, cedar-smelling bear hugs from us to you...keeping it seasonal.}