Food and Holidays!

It's Kaiti here!  

Holy cow, this year is flying by.  Clement is going to post soon, I promise.  I'll make him.  He is happy and has a great new job, but I'll let him tell you about it himself. 

I've been in rehearsals for Candide at Loyola, and also got a role in the original production of The Money Box, a 60's style musical by Ricky Graham and Jefferson Turner.  I'm so excited about both shows!  

There are a million things I could tell you about... but like a good German girl, I'll just focus on the food.  Matt Q came to visit, and among the many awesome things we did, we ate at Besh Steak!  DELISH.  John Besh also visited Clement's work, and he gave us an autographed copy of his new cookbook!  It's a huge book with beautiful photographs.  

WE SIGNED UP FOR A CSA!!  It has been quite a transition moving from a city that is so focused on fresh, local, organic, and humane food to, well, Louisiana.  I love New Orleans, but they have not figured out the fresh produce thing.  And while we're on the subject, the recycling thing.  Don't even get me started on the recycling.  

Anyway, we found this cute little farmers market pretty close to our house.  They source local seasonal produce from nearby farms and do a weekly box!  They even deliver it to our doorstep.  We got our first box on Sunday, and I felt like a princess!  I've been sorely missing beautiful fresh food, and all of a sudden there is a nice guy bringing boxes of it to our doorstep!  

Here's our loot:

We got a giant bunch of green onions, collards, mustard greens, broccoli, arugula, cherry tomatoes, crimini mushrooms, turnips, sweet potatoes, a cabbage, grapefruits, oranges, and satsumas.  All beautiful and fresh, and so tasty!  The cherry tomatoes tasted like real ones fresh from the garden.  I had almost forgotten what tomatoes from the garden tasted like.

I really had no choice but to temporarily break my pasta ban and make this:

Homemade spätzle with brandied mushroom gravy.  Accompanied by cherry tomato and arugula salad with garlicky lemon vinaigrette.  

We still don't really have a respectable source for meat, except for the occasional pound of shrimp we buy off the back of a guy's truck.  It's legit, don't worry.  Turns out shrimp from the backs of trucks are the best shrimp.  Now you know.  

Thanksgiving is this week, and we are spending our first married Thanksgiving at our place just the two of us.  We are cooking a turkey breast and all the sides we can't live without, and found a nice Oregon pinot to have with dinner!  And, I'm not going to lie- I plan on enjoying a fair amount of bourbon.  We are in the south, after all.  

This might sound super cheesy, but I'm seriously so thankful for Clement.  He is a rock star of a husband.  He is so supportive of me, and makes me laugh and feel loved every single day.  I actually married the nicest guy in the world.  I don't know how I found him, but I thank my lucky stars every day that I did.  What are you all thankful for?

Friday is my birthday!  Clement is taking me out for my favorite dinner, moules frites, and of course plenty of wine.  The good stuff.  Anyway, 28.  ...I'm not afraid (yes I am).  But I did decide I need to make a 30 list- a list of things I have to do before the big 30.  I'm not quite sure what's on it yet, but I'll let you know.  What do you think should be on my list?  Should I scratch an item off the list on my birthday?  

Happy Thanksgiving to all y'all!  Tell us what your turkey plans are, what you are thankful for, and what you think should be on my 30 list!  

Lots of love and kisses,

Kaiti and Clement