Gratitude: 4
Today was the Fourth of July, which isn't much of a holiday for us. We don't have enough cash to blow on fireworks, and the big fireworks show over the lake would mean huge crowds, so we just don't do it. I loved it when we did the picnic and show in Davis, but we haven't been to anything like that since we moved away from California.
So I do what I do for most holidays: I make food. Most of you already saw the long list of treats we indulged in on my Facebook, so I won't bore you with another rendition. But I will integrate it into my Gratitude Project.
I am so very grateful that we are doing well enough that I can support local farmers and producers via the organic food and dairy delivery services we subscribe to, as well as local farmers markets and so much more. We are so fortunate to live in a place that has a truly international attitude towards food... a few miles east and I've got all the Indian spices I could ever want; a couple miles north and there's a gigantic Asian market with an amazing range of supplies (with a Korean spa next door); less than a mile away, we've got an Sicilian deli that makes the best pepper spread in Chicago, as well as hot fennel sausages; there's a package of pierogies in the fridge made by a lovely Polish woman who owns an up-and-coming Chicago bakery.
One of the coolest aspects of the way we learn about our local food sourcing has been hooking into the terrific LTH Forum, an online community of truly fascinating, passionate and knowledgeable characters. So the search for good things has brought us friendships with good people (such as that baker).
The bread and the salad I make in the kitchen I waxed lyrical about yesterday... it's not just the act of creating the meals, but learning where to procure the ingredients in the first place. It's a challenge, almost a game, to try to wring out the very best goodies from our current resources, and I am so happy to have such a wide and varied range of items to choose from.
So I do what I do for most holidays: I make food. Most of you already saw the long list of treats we indulged in on my Facebook, so I won't bore you with another rendition. But I will integrate it into my Gratitude Project.
I am so very grateful that we are doing well enough that I can support local farmers and producers via the organic food and dairy delivery services we subscribe to, as well as local farmers markets and so much more. We are so fortunate to live in a place that has a truly international attitude towards food... a few miles east and I've got all the Indian spices I could ever want; a couple miles north and there's a gigantic Asian market with an amazing range of supplies (with a Korean spa next door); less than a mile away, we've got an Sicilian deli that makes the best pepper spread in Chicago, as well as hot fennel sausages; there's a package of pierogies in the fridge made by a lovely Polish woman who owns an up-and-coming Chicago bakery.
One of the coolest aspects of the way we learn about our local food sourcing has been hooking into the terrific LTH Forum, an online community of truly fascinating, passionate and knowledgeable characters. So the search for good things has brought us friendships with good people (such as that baker).
The bread and the salad I make in the kitchen I waxed lyrical about yesterday... it's not just the act of creating the meals, but learning where to procure the ingredients in the first place. It's a challenge, almost a game, to try to wring out the very best goodies from our current resources, and I am so happy to have such a wide and varied range of items to choose from.