I've missed a few weeks. What have I been cooking? I'll start with today. Salmon Salad Nicoise. I just asked my husband if he could spell "nicoise" of course he could.. I'm a terrible speller & can't find the spell check on this blog, so please forgive the spelling errors. Back to the final today. I think things went pretty well. I didn't do my best, so I'm disappointed in myself. There is no reason for me not to get this at my age :)

But I think I know the concepts and am excited to keep learning. I made the Salmon Salad Nicoise for Mark for dinner last night. What a wonderful summer meal. I am planning at some point to attach recipes - but don't know how to do that yet. Being an adult student is wonderful.



In the past few weeks at school we made fresh pasta, which was wonderful. Chloe - our oldest daughter - was in Italy at the same that I was learning to make pasta. I bought the pasta attachments for my Kitchenaid. Making pasta is so much fun.... I actually had 8 kids - my own, and some neighborhood kids - making pasta one night. We made tomato basil pasta alfredo...I just watched :)



We also did stewing & braising - which was wonderful. I can't wait to try these recipes in the fall. It's too hot to have the oven on that long when it's over 100 and you have just run in the heat.



We have had some wonderful meals this month. I have made plenty of chicken - as this is the "season" for fresh chickens. We have had fried, beer can, roasted, and left over chicken every day. I'm ready for beef....



As a family we try not to eat anything from a CAFO, with preservatives, and we try to buy locally as much as possible. I want you to know some days that stinks with 5 kids. None of the neighborhood kids want to eat your food & then they throw away a $5.00 a pound grass fed burger - ugh. I'm quite sure there is a happy medium between "Little Debbie" & Vegan. Poor Chloe - the travel agent for her flight to France thought we said vegan - we said vegetarian. Eating vegan - "it was gross", was her quote. I'll trust her on that. Life without animals products is pretty much life without life....



Tonight we are making Ratatouille. It's now 9:30 - I'm still making ratatouille.... I had finals at school today , open house for 3 kids at school- why am I making ratatouille tonight? Benjamin ate all the zuchinni while I was simmering the tomotoes & onions. What am I making now? A lovely time consuming eggplant.....



I'm looking forward to fall - baking basics and artisan breads. There isn't any good bread in Fremont....