April 29, 2013

7 Ways to Use All Those CSA Greens

If you were lucky enough to sign up for a local community supported agriculture (CSA) program this Spring and Summer, you've probably gotten one or two baskets and noticed a theme with the contents:



GREENS! They are a staple of Spring CSAs and the varieties are endless. They are one of my favorite things about these weekly baskets. They can also be one of the most challenging since the shelf life is pretty short. Here are a few options for making the most of what you get, especially if you have a house of only two eaters like we do!

1. Pesto


  • Most people know about making basil pesto, but arugula makes an excellent pesto when paired with garlic, walnuts, and olive oil. You can also make pesto from cilantro, garlic scapes, spinach, mint, collard green & olives  - try different types of nuts, cheeses, and oils to compliment flavors. 

2. Blanch & Freeze


  • Chard, spinach, kale, mustard greens (etc) can all be dropped in a large pot of boiling water for 30-45 seconds, cooled in an ice bath, packed in a freezer bag (don't worry about drying, the water prevents freezer burn) and stored to drop in soups, casseroles, and sauces throughout the year. 

3. Quiche


  • Dark leafy greens are an excellent addition to quiches, which freeze fantastically. Prepare as usual, let cool, wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag. Be sure to write the contents on the bag!

4. Marinara Sauce


  • I almost always add frozen spinach when I make homemade sauce. Why not add the fresh right in and freeze or can it for Fall. 

5. Soup


  • If you haven't noticed, the freezer is your friend for keeping greens. Thick soups like potato freeze well and adding a little kale tastes delicious. You can also add just about any dark leafy green to thinner, broth-based soups. 

6. Smoothies


  • Have you had a green smoothie? Don't write it off until you try it! This is a healthy way to use up any of those greens, especially kale and lettuce. Plus, you can make a double batch and freeze it for later!

7. Unwiches


  • I think lettuce is the hardest of the CSA greens to use up. Sammiches are summer staples, but instead of just putting a few leaves in between your bread, ditch the bread altogether and use large outer leaves to wrap the guts up Jimmy John's style!


April 28, 2013

Still Pretty in Pink




With a little downtime on a rainy weekend recently, I flipped through the Prime movies and landed on the 1986 classic Pretty in Pink. Not one of my most favorite 80s flicks, but I couldn't help but notice a few familiarities in Andie, Duckie, Iona, and Blane's fashion decisions 


Today: courtesy of Neiman Marcus. 
I wear your granddad's clothes. I look incredible. 

Denim never dies. 



Today: c/o WarbyParkey


The Original.








Today: Get your very own at Banana Republic 
Doubt Wayfarers will ever go out of style. 


And of course, the pink dress

a la BCBG


April 25, 2013

North Carolina To-Do List

Ten things you must do in each part of NC (in no particular order despite the order listed below).

MOUNTAINS


 
  1. Drive Blue Ridge Parkway - Linn Cove Viaduct in Fall
  2. Ride Great Smoky Mountain Railroad
  3. Hike Stone Mountain State Park and taste at RagApple Lassie, Raffaldini or Shelton Vineyards
  4. Breakfast at Early Girl, Lunch at Laughing Seed/Salsas, Dinner at Tupelo Honey
  5. Go Tubing on the New and July 4th at Tweetsie Railroad
  6. Walk the Grandfather Mountain Swinging Bridge in Spring
  7. Hike in Linville Gorge area and Wilson Creek area
  8. Camp at Price Park and walk Price Lake or Cone Manor
  9. Tour Biltmore House Christmas and Grove Park Inn Gingerbread Houses
  10. Visit Blowing Rock in the Fall and Woodlands BBQ
   


PIEDMONT

 
  1.  Experience Merlefest
  2. Watch (and tailgate) NASCAR Bank of America 500
  3. See Franklin Street during a home game and Mama Dips
  4. Visit Southern Season at Thanksgiving and overnight at The Umstead
  5. Stroll NC Zoo
  6. Lunch at (the original) Village Tavern and tour Reynolda House and Old Salem
  7. Pick Strawberries and Tour a Farm
  8. Enjoy the NC State Fair
  9. Catch a game at Durham Bulls
  10. Ride Thunder Road and have a Cheerwine
      


COAST 

 

April 14, 2013

Pin Peeves | 7 Tips for Pinterest

Not a typo!



I've been on Pinterest since early 2011...not exactly an innovator, but a little ahead of the curve. In that time, I've racked up a lot of pins, and scrolled through even more. With the quick success and wide adoption of the social image-sharing platform, has come a lot of, well, junk. In my quest to share technology and cheer, here are a few pet peeves tips to keep in mind.

1. Check the original source.
There's nothing more disappointing than finding *exactlywhatyou'relookingfor* only to have the link not work. Or work but take you to spam. 

2. Skip the long mega-images.
Those pins with the images that take up the whole scroll, you know the ones I mean? They're the annoying jabbermouth in your 7th grade homeroom who demands 'all me, all the time.' 

3. 500 characters is still too much.
What makes Pinterest such a great tool is the visual bookmark function. Key word being bookmark. You want to credit the source, not rip off their image by posting the entire recipe/workout/tutorial so the next person doesn't have to click. It may seem convenient, but it's rude. 

4. Use your secret boards.
Everything you pin is public knowledge unless you put it in one of your three secret boards. Shouldn't need to elaborate on that, except to remind you I don't need to know you're interested in '15 Tips to Save Your Marriage' or 'Foods to Cure IBS'. They're there for a reason, thanks Pinterest gods. 

5. If you re-pin something with a hashtag (#) or account tag (@), consider if you really want to include that info.
Chances are, you don't know the person who originally pinned the @ tag, and therefor do not know the person tagged. And, since this isn't Twitter, I doubt you'll really use that hashtag. See, doesn't make sense does it? The takeaway from this point is really...edit your text before pinning so it makes sense to you. 

6. Do not include 'pin now read later' or 'another pinner says' in the description
Right up there with 'RT if you love...' or 'Like this post if...' Pinterest isn't the boss of me, so please don't tell me what to do, it just makes you sound dumb for falling for someone's marketing trick. 

7. Set your board cover images
On your board page, hover over the top image, click change cover. Make it pretty. While you're at it, you can drag and drop the board to order them. 



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