Sunday, November 13, 2011

Muse*Practice*Allay Welcomes Guest Blogger Jo Ann Kester: Jo Ann's November Bite: Savoring Harvest TIme (On the Time You Have)

november is a good month for food.   thanksgiving decorations appear with pictures of cornucopias and magazines show off perfect turkeys and glossy cranberry sauce. farmers markets are still overflowing with vegetables and i start thinking about what i will cook for thanksgiving.  of course even though i am dreaming of pumpkin pie my time for full days in the kitchen are pretty much limited to thanksgiving.  it can be frustrating to think of delicious meals only to end up with 20 mins to make dinner (when i am already hungry!) and realize making that nice dinner is just another thing that isn’t going to get done.  some days i want to use up the tasty food from the farmers market in my fridge, but end up dialling up pizza delivery instead.  while there is nothing wrong with the occasional pizza delivery (or more than occasional - just ask my husband) there are ways of enjoying the plenty of fall without elaborate dinners.   my yoga practice helps me to remember that things don’t always have to be complicated to be good.  sometimes simple is just perfect.  on thanksgiving i will spend the day cooking with multiple dishes and new experiments.  but not every day will i have the leisure to cook all day (and have grandpa to baby sit).  so some nights we keep it simple (and some nights i will call for pizza without guilt).  

some ideas for enjoying the harvest simply include making hot mulled cider, making a stew in a slow cooker, or roasting squash or sweet potatoes.   eat a fresh local apple or pear!  i recently tried black bean chili with butternut squash.  it was tasty, filling, and made a ton of food.  i froze some of it for a quick meal at another time.  do you have a favorite fall recipe that is good and easy?  let us know in the comments.  


about jo ann:
jo ann is a full time mom and part-time yoga teacher who has been know to go to three different farmers markets on consecutive days. she tries to be a  mindful eater of local foods (when she isn’t sneaking a piece of chocolate). collecting cookbooks and reading food blogs are things she loves even though she can’t follow a recipe without changing something. in 2007 she graduated from the tranquil space teacher training program where she also worked as a studio manager for three years.  she teaches beginners yoga on monday nights at allay and writes the monthly “jo ann’s bite.”

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