Craving summer food...
My friends are doing pretty cool things with their lives and I am so proud of them. This has nothing to do with the rest of the post, but I just wanted to put that out there. The general public deserves to know that I know great people.
Today's topic is food. Shocking, I know!
The last few days have been sunny and warm, and when walking through the city I sometimes get a whiff of someone grilling. One of my biggest hopes for my future apartment is a small balcony, patio, or rooftop so that I can buy and use a small grill. If I used a grill in my current living situation, I would probably kill my roommates and myself off with Carbon Monoxide poisoning. One of my favorite things about visiting my parents and/or grandparents when the weather is nice, is sitting outside with the smell of chicken, brats, burgers, steaks, veggies, or whatever we are having that night on the grill, surrounded by family, friends, and good conversation. Actually - grilled food is probably why I would fail at being a vegetarian...
I also look forward to the summer for fresh vegetables. The other day, I made my favorite recipe which calls for tomatoes and sweet corn. The finished product, which used canned corn and an out of season tomato from Target, was not nearly as good as when I can use a tomato from Grandpa's garden, and sweet corn straight from the field. Since I will be living in the city this summer, instead of the town where I grew up, I will have to buy my veggies from a farmers market.
Going to a farmers market on a Saturday morning is always a pleasant way to begin the weekend. Even more so, if I can attend with a friend. All of the fresh produce and baked goods smell fantastic, and there are often children running around laughing or people with their pets. The combination of people watching, good food, and enjoying nice weather always makes me happy. Then, I can go home and share food made from what I picked up at the market.
Food is always best when shared, even though I always get a little self-conscious of my cooking before I serve it to others. It might look good, and I might like the flavors, but it's never a guarantee that someone else will like what I have made. Luckily, most of my friends aren't too picky, and seem to enjoy what I make (or they are all good liars). Sometime soon, I will have to have a bunch of people over for a meal.
On a somewhat tangental note...The plants I planted on Easter are not growing. The seeds were duds. Now I have to stop at the hardware store, and pick up some soil, small pots, and new seeds to try again. Hopefully this time my green thumb will work and I will have fresh herbs soon!!