So, I’ve been working on the Bataan Death Project for quite along time, and it essentially ate my life for the first half of this year. We’re almost at the official release, though – I may actually get some of my time back.
Today’s a rare day that I’ve got mostly to myself. So, it’s off with the wife to find some fresh pick-your-own strawberries. Updates forthcoming.
So, I’m in a food funk.
I had a good dinner on Sunday for our wedding anniversary, but lately I just haven’t been feeling the food love. Case in point: dinner last night – tuna salad sandwiches. Dinner Monday? Canned soup. Dinner tonight? Leftover tuna salad.
I haven’t fully changed seasonal gears yet, which is part of the problem. Summer goodies are becoming more scarce, but so far I have not really managed to get the fall goodness under my skin.
That being said, it is starting to be apple season. I need to get up to the orchards and find myself some Stayman Winesap apples. If you haven’t tried these, do so. They’re an heirloom variety – no super-sweet hybrid, this. It was developed in the mid-1800s and is a beautiful apple for cooking as well as an unusual treat to eat out of hand. It’s not a pretty fruit – dull red with a brownish bloom. The flavor, though, is intensely sweet-tart and winy. Many orchards grow them to add depth to their pressed cider.
So, I’m not always about diet food these days. There’s a lot more out there to eat than salad, and not every meal must be penance for past caloric sins. That being said, these pancakes are not light fare. They are, however, delicious and pretty simple to make. Besides, after the berry-picking trip of two weeks ago, I’ve got several packets of hand-harvested blueberries in the freezer ready to go.
First, I would exhort you to make these from scratch. Jiffy mix and Bisquick are convenient, sure, but that box of miscellaneous baking mix that’s been sitting in your cupboard for months isn’t going to give you the best results. Besides, if you’re going to spend the calories on something tasty, doesn’t it make sense to put some love into it? Making your own batter also ensures that you know exactly what you’re eating. Plus, it’s just really simple to do.
Ingredients:
1 c flour, unbleached all-purpose
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 c soy or skim milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 whole egg
1/4 tsp cinnamon, fresh ground if possible
1 c blueberries, fresh or frozen, rinsed & drained
So, Wednesday was market day.
And, by market I don’t mean a trip to the nearest strip-mall supermarket with cart corrals, though I shop at Giant and Safeway like everyone else. It was walk-to-market day. I work from home one day a week, and every other Wednesday I’m afforded the luxury of my own private branch office in Catonsville, MD. Not only to I get to save 20% on my commuting fuel consumption, I can walk or ride to somewhere interesting on our “main street” at lunch time.
Every Wednesday morning, from May to November, we have a local farmers’ market. It’s small, it’s in the community center parking lot, but it’s better than just about any grocery store’s produce department. All vendors must grow or produce for themselves all of the goods they sell. No “faux-farmers” offloading trucks of greenhouse tomatoes from produce distributors; these folks grow it, care for it, pick it, and truck it to your community. We use the farmers’ market a lot. When I’m home on Tuesdays instead of Wednesday, Theresa makes the trip to gather the goods.
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