Back in the Saddle

So it has been a while since I've written anything, but for good reason. My posts slowed and finally ended last Fall as I felt sicker and sicker in the midst of my third pregnancy. I didn't think anyone needed recipes for plain egg noddles, mac and cheese, store bought bread, etc. When I regained my appetite it was not exactly for the stuff cooking blogs are made of. There was lots of unhealthy and uber low-brow dishes flying about my house for a while as I gave up trying to not indulge my cravings. One healthy baby boy and a few months later, I am starting to cook again as I should--tasty, mostly healthy, seasonal as possible in New England meals. And while I did not join a CSA again this year simply because I knew it would be a bit overwhelming with two small children and a new baby, I have been doing my best to buy seasonal, local produce and make interesting things with it. In doing such I have a new respect for beets that didn't exist last year when they kept showing up in my farm share, I have passed up on the pathetic looking out of season strawberries on numerous occasions despite my desire for shortcake, and I have begun checking out more farmers'markets than just those nearby (they are popping up everywhere which is a good sign of the times).

Tonight I made two batches of fresh butter. One was with an unhomogenized, grass-fed cream, the other with a homogenized, pasteurized organic cream. I am going to see what difference in taste they yield. It should be interesting as the grass-fed batch smelled like a cow pasture from the get-go so I am hoping that will turn out to be a good thing...though I am not so sure.

More on the taste test later.