Monday Menu: Deployment Changes

Mr H's deployment date has been moved four times in the last five months, and now it has been moved again!  "That must be nice!" people say.  Well, not really, and here's why: he's been gone for the last four months getting ready with the squadron as they fulfill qualifications for deployment.  Now that deployment has been moved, they have to do these quals over again to stay current.  What that means is, he'll be gone for another four months, and then they'll deploy!

The Little H is excited Daddy came home!

All in a day for the Navy!

Life goes on, though.  We don't change too radically either way, and we're still readjusting to the new schedule.

In the kitchen

Double-Chocolate Brownies  |  This recipe has no flour, no cane sugar.  All decadence.  The almond butter was fresh-made in the Vitamix, seconds before it went into the brownies!  I used unsweetened chocolate, chopped; you could use bittersweet or semi-sweet for a little indulgence.

Milk  |  We get a gallon and a half of raw milk every Monday, but it's just not enough.  Not only do we drink it faster than the week runs out, but we don't have enough left for all the other dairy products our kitchen needs to function: sour cream, cottage cheese, buttermilk, yoghurt, kefir, whole cream, butter, ice cream...  This problem has been persisting, but I haven't been able to remedy it because in this state you have to purchase milk by cowshare; if I purchase another cowshare and we end up with more milk than I can keep up with, I'll still be spending that money every week and perhaps being overwhelmed.  We've come to a solution with a bi-weekly home delivery of low-heat pasteurized milk, an amount which can be varied by whatever we desire.  I can use it for recipes where I will be heating the milk anyway (i.e. yoghurt) and while it is not completely optimum, it is a necessary middle-ground to help us avoid UHT, pre-processed, plastic-packaged store products (we're also working towards a zero waste goal!).

Lemon-Ginger Effervescence  |  I really, really like this drink.  We've been enjoying it a lot.  You might call it lemonade; you may call it detox drink.  I call it wonderful!

Hot Drinks  |  Of course, it is winter and you may be more interested in a foamy cappuccino than a glass of sparkling lemonade!  Read about frothing milk and cafe au lait here, and add your comments of delicious ideas!

Home, home on the range

Crop Circles

Kale  |  We've been eating the kale off our porch, and it has enjoy a few snows and several freezes.  Completely unharmed - I love this hardy plant!

Garlic  |  The garlic is sprouting and it, too, has survived the cold with no apparent problems.  Winter gardens are so inspiring!

Flowers  |  This weekend we'll be working at a local CSA helping mulch and plant flowers.  We'll bring home any spare seeds or bulbs for our own garden!

Starters  |  Mr H is starting seeds indoors soon: asparagus, tomatoes, fennel, and I am not sure what else is in the works.  He has the seeds, the soil and the containers - now, for ten cohesive minutes so he can put it all together!

Mrs H
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