Item options at the beginning of the season are always a little limited, both in quantity and variety. Yesterday there was lettuce, bok choy, salad mix, radishes, beets, carrots, green garlic, spinach,  kale and eggs available. We were allowed 8 items.

I’ve decided not to post pictures of my CSA pickups on a regular basis this year.  They wouldn’t vary much from last year’s photos and I’d rather focus on using the produce instead of listing it.  Still, I wanted to take a moment and celebrate the beginning of the season.  My hope is that this year I can be even more innovative with the ingredients available.

Burger King is going cage-free, though this article on Eatocracy doesn’t specify when.  I’ve never been a big Burger King fan, so this only improves my opinion of them slightly, but it is exciting to see more and more places moving towards cage-free eggs. 

Is it normal for restaurants to have outdoor grease pits? That doesn’t seem like a good idea at all, especially after a five-year-old fell into a grease pit outside a Sonic Restaurant in Tennessee.  

Washington University is paying people $3,500 to only eat fast food for three months.  I think I’ll keep my day job, especially since I don’t feel like gaining 5% of my current weight in that period of time.

Recently a number of fast food establishments have added “artisanal” products to their menus.  Zagat put 7 of those artisanal products to the test.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in trying Dunkin’ Donuts new artisanal bagels, especially the pumpernickel. 

Speaking of, I’m also kind of intrigued by the new Dunkin’ Donuts breakfast burritos mentioned on FoodBeast, since  DD breakfast sandwiches used to be one of my go-to meals in college.

After showing poor results for the chain, Wendy’s is pulling their “W” burger from menus. (via FoodBeast) At the same time, Wendy’s has introduced new signature side dishes which Chow’s James Norton tried out and approved of.

McDonald’s billboard for it’s new banana bread appears to be falling apart, but it’s supposed to be that way.  Sometimes advertising is just weird. (via Huffington Post)

I’m kind of surprised more places haven’t made the same decision, but Domino’s now has gluten free pizza crust.  Serious Eats gave the new crust a try.  I wouldn’t be surprised if other establishments follow their lead.

NPR has an interesting article about a new Crown Crust pizza from Pizza Hut and what it says about marketing fast food globally.

Lastly, now that my brain is full of fast food temptations, a reminder from Huffington Post’s Will Allen about the 7 Consequences of Eating Fast Food. 

Photo by Daniel Barcelona (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

1. Completing grad school assignments
2. Grading student work
3. Proctoring standardized tests
4. Spending time with friends
5. Writing sub plans (so I could proctor standardized tests)
6. Making ice cream
7. Ordering  the correct size for my matron of honor dress
8. Using Astrid to keep me from losing my mind
9. Driving decent distances (sometimes I’m a driving wimp)
10. Organizing my classroom

Things I’ve been especially bad at lately:

1. Cooking with amaranth (I’ve made ZERO recipes with this month’s grain)
2. Getting a hair cut
3. Buying new sandals and shoes for my sister’s wedding
4. Remembering that I had grad school assignments to complete
5. Getting to bed early
6. Remembering my after school plans
7. Remembering to remove meat from the freezer
8. Making time for running or going to the gym
9. Leaving comments on blogs
10. Sticking to my blog posting schedule
11. Cleaning my apartment

Here’s to a fresh start next week!

Some people periodically share the funny terms that people use to end up at their blog.  I don’t usually get anything too amusing, but this has been the basic trend for months now:

Apparently, my baked panko breaded haddock from 2010 is a pretty popular recipe, which got me thinking that I should really make it again.  It was pretty good and that many web searches wouldn’t lie, would they?  This time around I decided to attempt a coconut-panko version.  I was worried that the crust might be a little dry and boring (which it wasn’t) so I made some sweet and sour sauce as well.  Sweet and sour isn’t the first condiment I usually think of for fish, but it worked incredibly well in this instance.

Coconut-Panko Breaded Haddock

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the Sauce (adapted from Food Network Magazine, March 2010)

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

There are a lot of American snack foods I don’t find appealing (sorry Doritos), but apparently other countries have some really interesting flavors available.  How about mango-and-orange Oreos in China? (Fun fact: I don’t like Oreos either.  I’m weird)  Lemon-pepper Tang in Saudi Arabia?  Check out this Huffington Post article for more international variations of your favorite foods.

Similarly, I don’t think there is a need for this bubble gum flavored vodka I read about on Bit Rebels.

CNN’s Eatocracy had the Cinco de Mayo scoop on specialty margaritas, in case you need one that costs $100 or contains 45 ounces of liquid.

Can someone please explain to me the need for a spray that makes you feel drunk for a few seconds?  (via Food Beast)

Also seen on Food Beast, a chocolate scented t-shirt.  The design is cute, but I think I’d feel kind of strange (and hungry!) if I smelled like chocolate. 

Apparently the cookbook Modernist Cuisine has been quite a hit, which impresses me because it costs £400, which is much much higher than my cookbook buying budget. (via Huffington Post)

I agree with this quote from NPR’s article on “Smart Fridges”: "No one wants the obligation of keeping their fridge informed unless they’re seriously short on inter-personal relationships” – Susie Steiner.  And yet, companies are still creating refrigerators that can track your groceries with over $3000 price tags.

Lastly, according to Zagat there’s going to be a new dating website arriving on the scene soon, CookMyDate, a site that matches up those in the culinary world.  Thank goodness I’m married.

It’s that time of year once again: the time of year when I make a long list of items I plan to can this summer so that at the end of the summer I can laugh at my overzealousness.   Last year’s list had 13 items on it (was I crazy?!) and I canned 3 of them – pear vanilla jam, cucumber pickles and applesauce (which didn’t seal properly, for the second year in a row).  In my defense, I also made bruschetta in a jar and pickled beets.  So, a grand total of 5 recipes, all of which (except the applesauce) we still have at least 1 can of remaining.  Now that winter is passed and we’ve survived, I’m more willing to part with my canned goods because I know fresh produce is on its way.  I’m also ready to make this year’s list.

My 2012 Canning Intentions:

• cucumber pickles (again)
• pear vanilla jam (this was so good and I’d love to make enough to give some away)
• pickled green beans (made in 2010, excellent)
• blueberry jam/preserves
• raspberry or strawberry jam/preserves
• pickled beets (again)
• some sort of salsa
• peach chutney
• tomato basil jam
• apple butter
• and, if I’m really feeling motivated, maybe I’ll attempt applesauce again

The above is, as always, subject to change.

Feel free to leave your favorite home canning recipes or suggestions below!

Sprouted grains took me a little by surprise, as the WGC notes, “we’re taking a slight departure this month”.  Sprouted grains are most easily found in prepared products such as breads and pastas.  Apparently sprouted grain flour exists, but I didn’t come across it.
So this month I decided to try out some of the sprouted grain products available.  Last year, during my vegan for a week challenge, I tried out Ezekiel bread.  This month I added to that list by sampling tortillas and pasta.

I used the tortillas to make simple quesadillas with cheese, chilies and scallions.  The tortillas were much more crumbly than ordinary corn or flour tortillas and a lot chewier as well.  They tasted fine, but the amount of jaw exercise needed was more than I like to give.   The following morning Brian made me an egg wrap sandwich and warmed the tortilla in the oven.  The result was better than the quesadillas, but I think I’ll stick with the standard wheat tortillas in the future.

The pasta presented a couple issues. First of all, I paid $5.49, a whole five times more than I ordinarily pay and certainly an expenditure I don’t plan on maintaining.  I was surprised by how much darker the sprouted grain pasta is than our ordinary whole wheat pasta, as seen below.

When cooked, the spaghetti wasn’t as flexible as ordinary varieties which made it somewhat difficult to eat because it couldn’t be twirled around a spoon.  I think using a shaped pasta, like ziti, would eliminate this issue.  The pasta broke easily, as does whole wheat pasta, but overall tasted alright.  I served the pasta with shrimp cooked in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and basil.

I didn’t particularly care for either for the sprouted grain products I tried this month, but I’m glad I was given a reason to try them.  There are many other sprouted grain products and brands available and I’ve enjoyed sprouted grain bread in the past.  I’m not going to work too hard to fit sprouted grains into my cooking at the moment, but that could certainly change in the future.

On to next month’s grain: amaranth.

Despite all that, other people are definitely running already (or at least talking about it):

Morgan just committed to running her first 5k ever.  I’m really excited for her (and hope she loves it as much as I do).

3 Steps to Planning the Perfect Running Getaway to Re-energize Your Training is more directed at distance runners, but I really like the ideas presented in this No Meat Athlete post.  I find that I run better and farther in unfamiliar territories and this is a good reminder to try new places.

NMA also has a great guide about the Boston Marathon and how to qualify.  I’m quite happy with 5k races, but for those of you who like longer distances, Matt definitely knows what he’s talking about.

Running is much more enjoyable with the right shoes.  Liz shared some of this season’s brightest footwear options on Little Bitty Bakes.

Rachel has some great ideas about what makes a great workout, running and otherwise.  I’m going to work on keeping these ideas in mind on my runs and at the gym so that maybe I look forward to exercising more.

Everyone needs running motivation.  Caitlyn recently encouraged the Girls on the Run group she coaches by rewarding them with fake moustaches.  The pictures are pretty darn cute.

Last, but certainly not least, I’m pretty excited about this:

(image via THS)

Organized by Heather of Then Heather Said, the practice 5k is open to anyone who feels like running or walking 3.1 miles this upcoming weekend.  Since I don’t have any other races scheduled yet this is the perfect way to start the season.  Feel free to join in! (Also seen on Brownies and Zucchini.)

I had big plans to conquer my to do list tonight. I made peanut butter blossoms for Brian instead, something I’d been promising since Christmas. That’s productivity, right?

Perhaps because I actually had time to absorb what I was reading, there was a wealth of really helpful information in my Reader this week.  And so, I present to you, “The 6 Most Useful Posts I Read This Week”:

Metal, Glass, Ceramic, or Silicone Pans: When To Use Each – The Kitchn – It’s no surprise to me that certain pans are better for some applications than others, but I’ve never really considered it when choosing.  This post makes it so incredibly simple.  If only I could find my metal loaf pan…

How The Letter “F” Can Make You A Better Blogger – Daily Blog Tips – This post has good reminders about how to make posts reader friendly because “most blog readers are riddled with ADD… so your content has to be structured to accommodate.” (Guilty as charged!)

You Can Afford Better Food: 10+ Ways to Get More Out of Your Grocery Budget – Offbeat Home – This post is pretty much the gospel I’ve been preaching regularly to anyone who will listen, but explained in a much clearer and kinder way. 

A Ban on Some Seafood Has Fisherman Fuming – NY Times –  Whole Foods has recently decided to stop carrying non-sustainable fish, which I initially saw as an excellent development.  This article about the effects of that decision on New England fisherman definitely made me think, especially as someone who went to high school in a fishing community.

Guest Post Do’s and Don’ts – Katy Widrick –My 101 in 1001 progress will certainly be aided by these reminders as I try to conquer #89.  Sometimes I just don’t know where to begin, but Katy’s post ought to help.

Where There’s a Will – Rachel Wilkerson – Will writing isn’t something I’ve ever given serious thought to, but Rachel makes it sound fairly simple and reminds me that it’s incredibly important no matter what age or relationship stage you’re in.  I’ve officially added it to my to do list.

image source: wikimedia commons