About a month ago, we signed up for something called a CSA. The acronym CSA

stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically what that means is that a bunch of local farmers contribute their produce, and I pick it up every Wednesday in a handy dandy

little box. Our specific company is Abundant Harvest Organics. Everything is organic, all chicken products are free-range and all meat products are grass

fed.

This week, I think we got a little less than we had the previous weeks. In the picture below are: oranges, tangelos, mandarins, butternut squash, carrots, spinach, turnips, shallots, baby artichokes, Chinese cabbage and potatoes.

All of that comes in the small basic box. On top of that, this week we also added on boneless skinless chicken breasts and a pound of sharp cheddar. I haven't tried the cheese yet but last week we got monterey jack that was wonderful.

In the box, there is always a newsletter that tells what's going on with the farmers and whatnot. It also includes a list of the produce, which farm each item came from and two recipes. Tonight, I plan on making butternut squash soup. That's all I have planned for this week's box, but I know it will all get used some way or another. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Last week Caleb wanted me to take a picture of his plate. I roasted a chicken with some oranges and red onions, and he made the potatoes, broccoli and carrots. It was a great meal, all provided by the lovely farmers of Southern California.

Since I haven't posted in a while, I'm just going to do a quick post to let all three of you know that I'm still alive. I have another post set up, but I can't get pictures until tomorrow.

Anyway, this picture shows several things.

1. The flowers we bought at Trader Joe's for Valentine's Day. I know, roses are totally cliche, but they smell great..

2. Our Valentine's Day dinner. Omelets with leeks, red onions, spinach and bacon. They were really, really good.

3. Fresh squeezed orange juice! It was pretty messy but it turned out well, I think.

4. I finally got all the tape residue off the table. It took a couple hours, but it was worth it to have a nice looking dining table again.

I am ready for Spring. If it's going to be as sunny and warm as it has been, I at least want to be able to plant things. This year, I plan on growing more vegetables and less flowers than last year. Last spring was my first year of growing anything. I was fairly successful, I think. Fingers crossed for another good year.

Some things I have planned for this year are: green beans, radish

es, some sort of hot pepper, green onions, lettuce and tomatoes. On top of the vegetables, I will also be doing some herbs and an edible flower called nasturtium again.

For flowers, I think I'll do gerbera daisies and zinnias. My zinnias

last year did really well. I'm also hoping to grow something to feed the hummingbirds in addition to a nectar feeder. We get a ton of hummingbirds and even still have some in December!

I love this color gerber. It's so soft and pretty.

Oh zinnias. They might be my favorite flower.

Every year, I get asked to make a Christmas wish list. Every year, I don't. Last week, I promised my dad I would actually make one instead of just promising and then forgetting about it. Last night, I got to work on it.

I checked out his book from the library recently. It has a lot of great information that would be handy to have around.

I've been wanting reusable produce bags for a while, but I just never think to buy them. These would be a great addition to our large collection of reusable bags.

I received season five of Gilmore Girls for Christmas a few years ago. I'd like to have the last two seasons as well.

This is probably my favorite season. It has the best hair.

This sugar scrub smells delicious. I found it at Target about a month ago and have been thinking about it ever since.

I would love to have this camera some time in the future, but only if I can't figure out what's wrong with my current one.

This is a bubble bar. When placed in a bathtub with running water, it creates bubbles. This particular bubble bar also turns the water purple.

I'm not entirely sure what the point of a bath bomb is, but I want this one. It's vanilla scented

It took me about two hours to come up with this list. Who knew thinking of things I'd like to have would be so hard?

What's on your Christmas list?

This is a terrible picture, but the apple looks delicious. I had a really hard time not eating it.

As someone who lived in Washington for 18/21 years of her life, Fall to me means apples. Actually, all year means apples, but you know what I mean.

Applesauce may be the easiest thing I've ever made, including cereal. It's also one of the most delicious things I’ve had, fresh and warm. I used this recipe as a base, but made some changes.

Ingredients

• 4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup white sugar-I omitted this
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon-I added this to taste
• 
  
• Directions
• In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

I used two Jonagolds, one Fuji and one Granny Smith. It was the perfect combination of sweet and just a bit tart, with no added sugar!

The finished product.

The second best part of making this, after having delicious applesauce, was the way it made my house smell. It's a wonderful fall scent.

We're saving all of the peels and cores for a super special surprise.

I also made roasted pumpkin seeds. I tossed them with olive oil, melted butter, garlic salt and sea salt before putting them in the oven. They're the perfect snack. I've already eaten way to many!

Edit: I apologize for the awful photo quality. I don't know if my camera is being wonky or if it's operator error, but every picture turns out terribly.

I'm back from my unannounced three week hiatus. It was unannounced because it was also unplanned. I've just been so busy.

In the last three weeks, I have:

-finished school

-passed my State Board exam

-spent time with the in-laws

-gotten sunburned twice

-started working out

-gone swimming a lot

-cut my bangs

-spent time with C, who is on leave

-read 6 Harry Potter books

-made a giant fruit salad

and

-decided to start shopping at the commissary again

That doesn't seem like much now that I've typed it out, but it has flown by.

I'll try to keep up with the blogging. Next week, I'll have pictures to share, as we're spending a few days at Big Bear.

Is that not the sweetest face you've ever seen? I'm addicted to Petfinder. Unfortunately, more pets are not in the cards for us right now. I don't know why I continue looking at pets I can't keep. It's heartbreaking, sometimes.

If I could adopt Lollipop, I would love him, feed him, take care of him and re-name him Dexter.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17015562