What do you eat when there is "no food in the house"?

I have to go emergency shopping today! I missed the Farmer's Market last weekend. It throws my whole week off when that happens. I always end up running out of eggs mid-week and finding that I have no fresh fruit left by Friday.

Last night my sweetheart came home late from work hungry and tired and I realized that our cupboards were (almost) bare. I made due with some brussels sprouts of questionable vintage roasted in a cast iron skillet with a small spoon full of bacon fat and then tossed with pasta. It wasn't half bad for a see-what-happens kind of meal.

I was faced with the same dilemma this morning... No milk, no yogurt, no eggs! And then it hit me: Peanut butter and jelly. Classic. Filling. Yum. This morning's version consisted of sprouted rye toast with crunchy, salted peanut butter, apricot jam and a light sprinkling of hot red pepper. Served with Genmaicha tea and some sunshine in the garden... Now off to the store!

Meat your Maker?

The NYTimes just ran a story on raising rabbits for meat. Ending the life of an animal you are going to eat is a sacred thing. I've done it before and it's not for the faint of heart. I find it interesting that only a few generations ago people almost exclusively raised and slaughtered their own animals and now most meat comes pre-packaged and ready to cook - denatured.

My neighbors raised ducks and chickens last year. We got used to hearing the ducks in the morning. The big white quackers chanting, "mmaaaackkkk-mackmackmack" was a delightful alarm clock and we were sad when they were slaughtered. It suddenly seemed so quiet. But we were also jealous because the family certainly enjoyed eating their "patas."

We don't eat a lot of meat these days. Once in awhile we grill some lamb or a steak. I hesitate to buy chicken most of the time unless we are planning to use a whole bird - liver, bones and all. Preparing meat takes a commitment. I just can't get behind skinless-boneless chicken breasts. I feel lazy when I prepare them. When I was younger I couldn't tolerate skin and bones, preferring my meat to be as far from it's original form as possible. As an adult I've come around, sometimes even frying the skin separately after I've roasted a chicken so we can snack on it.

The NYTimes article made me think about the possibility of raising my own meat here in Atwater... Will I? Honestly, probably not, two cats and a new puppy have me quite busy enough with the animal kingdom. I know that backyard animal husbandry takes time and attention that I don't have. I must admit though, eating a chicken (or rabbit) that I raised is an attractive prospect. I would like to think that it would taste better than anything I've had before. Creating a relationship with an animal and honoring it in it's death for our sustenance would be a blessing.