Snow larder, part 2.0

Two days out of school-- Monday and Tuesday. A half day yesterday, to accommodate the anticipated ice storm. Alas, the front moved Easterly fast. My family in the eastern part of the state are homebound today due to dangerous icy roads and low temps (that means my sister is not teaching today, and her girls are getting a jump on their winter break and are home with her today.) Here, I woke to rain and strangely balmy weather. When I walked into the darkened living room at 5:30 this morning to plug in the tree lights and fire up the Amish fireplace, I realized rather quickly that the latter was unnecessary.



I made coffee, put on a pot of cocoa, and cooked up bloody monster eyes (egg in a nest with a drizzle of ketchup) for breakfast. Readied a bag of outgrown standard school attire (SSA) to pass on to Ziggy's teacher for children in class, and tucked our wonderful gifted teacher's gift into a bag. We had a talk about not sharing hats or coats as the first case of lice has been confirmed in Ziggy's class, and it's only a matter of time before we may experience this, too. Then sent my boy off in his pirate jammies for pajama day at school, where his elementary school librarian will be reading Polar Express to the kindergarten children. It's a half day. I'll pick the boy up early, then he and I both have teeth cleanings. His will be his first, as our beloved dentist and hygienist have previously thought he didn't really need it until age 5.

This evening we'll have a friend's child over for supper and maybe a movie or a game or two of Bingo, as the child's parents have a holiday party to attend. Ziggy loves having friends here, and is pleased that we'll have another friend's child with us tomorrow, and yet another friend's child with us on Saturday afternoon. We've also offered to have a schoolmate attend church with us on Sunday, so we shall see....

In the meantime, I am doing a little meal planning.

In recent weeks, I instigated a mealshare with my girlfriend Erin. She and I both have three person families: two adults and young primary school aged boys. We feed our families well rounded omnivore type diets, enjoy cooking, and live within a mile of one another. Thus far, it's served as an inspiration to break my uncharacteristic non-cooking rut, and a desire to be creative, using what I have. She shares a meal with us on Mondays, I do Tuesdays. Another bonus to having a "meal in the bank" as it were, and to extending our flavors and styles of meals, is seeing one another even if only for a few minutes a couple times a week.

My snow larder list earlier this week has been much commented upon, not so much here, but in real life. I suppose I should clarify that the list is one of options and making one or two choices eliminates other choices because ingredients will get used up.

So far this week, I have prepared eggs and toast (with help from Ziggy,) bloody monster eyes, and tuna melts, and we have eaten from
Erin's rice and spicy beans. Additionally I have prepared a pot of pinto beans with CSA porkchops, along with cornbread, and a supper of taco soup and homemade macaroni and cheese. Both of these meals have been shared with friends, one for my friend Kate's family during the time their young son was in the hospital (he has been effectively treated and is now home!) and the other for the aforementioned mealshare with Erin's family.

Presently, I have some beautiful CSA leg quarters pulled from the freezer and thawed, ready to make into something. I believe I'll be trying out my friend Nibal's baked garlic chicken, something she calls a typical middle eastern dish, with the trinity of typical spices cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Yet I have no allspice.

I may borrow some, or have to do without.

What have you been feeding YOUR family?