Summer has long since come and gone, with a string of several days with temperatures in the mid 50's of late. In between the sweaty-sticky of summer and chilly-brisk of late fall, there were some gorgeous days, enjoyed mostly on my bike ride to and from school, but also during a few hikes I was lucky enough to squeeze in.
Like the change in weather, the change in my daily routine from perhaps one of the nicest summers of my life to a very busy semester has been pretty dramatic. Only a semester and a little bit to go! The "little bit" is a mere 2.5 weeks left of classes, chock full of presentations and papers. I am trying my best to power through, and I am very much looking forward to winter break!
Given the workload of the new few weeks, now doesn't exactly seem like the most opportune time to start blogging again. However,
- I've missed it; especially as I struggle to design and populate my own website in Dreamweaver for a class project
- November is 2BB's anniversary month--2 years!!
- I can't let this year's 100-Mile Thanksgiving go by with out a post
Last Saturday, two classmates and I drove out to Heartland Harvest Farm to pick up the turkeys for this Thursday's dinner. The farmer was extraordinarily friendly, and drove us around a small portion of his 500 acres in his minivan to show us the sights. He also talked us into buying a half bushel of potatoes for dinner, which is a lot of potatoes (more on them below)!
Our turkeys conveniently came frozen in cardboard boxes.
On Wednesday evening, I cooked up a storm and made two seasonal, mostly local dishes. My original plan was to make BH&G's Roasted Acorn Squash and Beet Salad, so I painstakingly peeled the squash and let the beets roast with the potatoes in the oven while I whisked together the dressing.
I hadn't planned on making potatoes, but thought I should do my part to make a dent in the half bushel. I brought home about a dozen, and after doing a quick internet search decided to make vegan, rosemary & garlic twice-baked potatoes. Almond milk is hardly local, but being sustainable is part of the philosophy behind the 100 Mile Thanksgiving. I am willing to venture that almonds have a smaller carbon footprint than cows, and by using what I had on hand, I saved a trip to the store.
Thursday evening finally came, and I joined my classmates, faculty, local farmers and friends at a local church for a delicious feast. Allison, our fearless organizer said a few words and we got in line at the buffet.
I filled up my plate with all sorts of tasty dishes, went back for some dessert and again when the deep fried turkey made its somewhat tardy, but oh-so-yummy appearance.
The meal was a great success, and I am so thankful to have found a graduate program tailored to my interests both in and outside of the classroom.
One year ago: Last year's 100 Mile (which has a much better description of what it's all about!)
Two years ago: Just getting started
