So, since E flew the co-op, we've tried a number of ways to get food on the table. Whole Foods after work kinda sucks. The brilliant grocery delivery service here (Fresh Direct) is sorely lacking in fab organic produce and leaves a bigger footprint than I'd prefer. And we've had a few mishaps with Fairway Market, just a hop, skip and jump from our house....were you to have a car. (If you're interested in the woes of big city living (I know, I know, woe is us ;) read on for the two biggest Fairway drats (or skip ahead - actually, the whole post is pretty boring, so ;)
One can scoot (a 45 minutes scoot, mostly downhill), or on cold days, take the bus (which takes just as long :) to reach this urban mecca. After piling our cart too full for arms (or scooter or even bus:) we typically catch a car service home (which runs just a few bucks more than a bus ride.) Unfortunately, the car services in that neighborhood are less than reliable... and left P and I sitting on the curb for over (way over) 2 hours last fall! Yup, a four year old, an overly full cart of groceries and no way home - I know, it seems preposterous - in NYC of all places! But uphill, through the projects, in the dark and cold, with a stolen, full grocery cart, a four year old, a scooter and a booster seat, well, it just wasn't happening :)
Then, I got smart (or so I thought ;) My landlady told me Fairway delivers big orders. Wahooo! P and I super shopped, getting multiples of everything, and went to check out. Then, we're told we should carry our milk etc, home ourselves because they don't refrigerate while the groceries await delivery ... possibly a few hours later. I groaned when I saw those damn multiple milks and yogurts :) Off we schlepped to the bus, clambered off 45 minutes later to trudge up avenue after avenue to our flat. When my cell rang moments later to tell me my groceries were at my house, I ruefully realized, I was not. )
So, we've been enjoying the Green Market (at the plaza just north of us - an easy walk) this winter. Something we'd tried a couple of times before, but never with much luck. It finally fits, for whatever reason, and we all seem to enjoy shopping al fresco on Saturday mornings (even yesterday - 16 degrees!) While the produce isn't all organic, it is local, which thrills me. And, according to E and P, the milk (barely pasteurized, just the way we like it, and non-homogenized, just the way our hearts like it;) is ridiculously scrumptious. We've fallen in love with the raw cheeses, the freshly ground grains and just dried beans, adore the whole wheat sourdough and just laid eggs and marvel at the produce selection - even mid-winter. Its keeping my cooking much more seasonal, which requires creativity (for me, at least. Fitting our dining to what's available is proving to be vastly different than creating a menu each week and then shopping, regardless of how "seasonal" I tried to be before ;)
Which is all perfect for P. No crowded shopping aisles or work shifts; open air and chatty vendors suit the kid. And, he does not thrive on repetition in the kitchen. The more novel, the better he eats. So he was deeeelighted when we found this Romanesco Cauliflower (seen above) yesterday. And equally pleased with it tonight for dinner.
Which reminds me, I've been meaning to do occasional updates on the Little Man's favorite things.... the type of stuff baby books usually include. Better late than never ;)
Faves this month:
Food: Eggs - especially sunny side up. Kale chips (the new variety from today - Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar - was his recipe - and surprisingly yummy.) Oatmeal with maple syrup. Chocolate. Cheese (jarlsberg, fresh mozzerella, black label gouda and parmigian, the kid likes cheese ;) And tomatoes, always tomatoes... thus begging the obvious combo: Caprese Salads. He requests these almost every other day.
Music: Come on Eileen (Dexy's Midnight Runners), Dum Di Da Di Da (Aqua), anything by Queen, Clocks (Coldplay),The Loquat Tree (Indigo Girls), Itchy Itchy Chicken Bone (Kathy Bollinger), Itty Bitty Kitty In New York City (Wendy Gelsanliter), The Polar Express, and House Party Time (Dan Zanes).
Play: BB, Sock Monkey and Froggy. (duh) Any possible variation of imaginative play with these characters. And Bb's treehouse and anything with stuffed animals, though cars/trucks still feature prominently into the animal play...
Place: Home
Books: anything Seuss, the Mercy Watson series, the Cricket in Times Square series, anything by Syd Hoff or Dick King-Smith.
Oh boy. This is feeling like the world's most boring post :) I've actually become tired of it myself! So I'll stop there....
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