The Humming Meadow

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one of my v. favorite recipes is jamie oliver’s rigatoni w/sweet tomatoes, eggplant and mozzarella, from his jamie’s dinners: the official family cookbook. not only is it so delicious and filling and good…but it’s fun to make. i love watching the eggplant get all smushy and watching the tomatoes break down and it makes such a goodgoodgoodohsogood sauce. jamie writes, “by now the eggplant will have cookied into a creamy tomatoey pulp, which is just yum yum yum.” he ain’t lying.

also, 101 cookbooks is ohsolovely. i camp out there from time to time.
food, glorious, food. i love reading cookbooks. recipes. nigel slater’s the kitchen diaries:a year in the kitchen w/nigel slater is such a joy b/c he wrote down his recipes/meals for a year. and even when it’s not fancy..it’s still so rad. he writes, “dinner is a couple of cans of Heinz baked beans, tarted up w/finely chopped chili peppers, several shakes of Tabasco and mushroom ketchup, and a tablespoon of black molasses. it will do.” and he writes a lot about locally grown produce and farmer’s markets. and the weather. and it’s inspiring and gorgeous.

i find that esp. this time of year…i have to fight for joy! fight for contentment is prolly more like it. it’s raining/snowing/sleeting out. and still grey. steel grey. whatever. the sky’s the color of lead. i’ve been cleaning out the little room downstairs. this afternoon i was so bored and stir-crazy, i got in the bathtub w/the kiddos. atticus was like ?__?. and then he was like !__!
and i’m not really talking about fighting for contentment in my life or heart or spirit right now. i mean, literally…i NEED the sunshine. i need fresh air. and i need to be able to let the kids play outside in the open air. but it’s so cold. idk.

but, spring cleaning! and the hope and promise of easter! and what that means. and spring! and flip flops and skirts and green, green grass.