So far, I know that I need to put up crushed tomatoes, ketchup and oven-roasted tomatoes. Not sure that ketchup will make it into the first weekend. What are you making with your tomatoes?

We have about two weeks left of school, but are already lagging in the morning and losing our sense of time and place. Yup, our brains have switched to summer mode. Who wants to do anything “regular” with the temperatures that we’ve had anyway?! I am readying the house for round-the-clock eating habits; it’s a lot like spring cleaning but with 100º temps and a house full of bodies in mind. The freezer has been cleared to make room for smoothie supplies and popsicles. The spice drawer has been stocked for the kazillion meals that are on the horizon. The pantry has been re-organized to make room for summer preserves and easy access to snacks. Coolers are at the ready for carting groceries back to the house (if you’ve tried toting anything that requires refrigeration home in Texas heat, you understand). Next on my list is assessing our grilling capabilities and making that magical wish list of summer preserving projects. Bring on the tomatoes and okra and watermelon!

What do you do to get ready for summer? Does your kitchen do more work over the summer?

This is Savory Spice’s last weekend at the 6th Street location! They will be back, but it will take a couple of months for them to get up and running at their new Barton Creek Square Mall location so be sure to stop by and stock up. They’re open today through 6pm and will maintain their regular hours through the weekend (Saturday 9:30am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm). Also of note – their gift boxes are 50% off while supplies last. You can find a list of their gift sets, spices and any other details you need ahead of your trip on Savory Spice’s website.

Bust out your recipes and make sure that you get everything you need for your grilling, ketchup, pickled jalapeños, marinara sauce, chutneys, tomato jams and whatever else you’re scheming for your summer veggies. Canning and pickling season is about to kick into high gear and you don’t want get caught with an unprepared spice drawer!

Tagged: austin, shopping, spices, where to get food ]]> http://aneelee.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/stock-up-on-summer-spices/feed/ 0 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 stock up on summer spices | aneelee.wordpress.com aneelee stock up on summer spices | aneelee.wordpress.com http://aneelee.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/vegetarian-meal-plan-may-13-2013/ http://aneelee.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/vegetarian-meal-plan-may-13-2013/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 01:11:11 +0000 aneelee http://aneelee.wordpress.com/?p=2462 Continue reading »]]>

I had a pretty fantastic weekend. So great, that I even managed to set aside some time for meal planning. Trying out my mother’s day gift (an Evernote Moleskine) may have also been a motivating factor.

A Moleskin all in its own is pretty darned fancy, but an Evernote Moleskine has the added bonus of capturing my scribbles into searchable text. Queue cloudy skies parting overhead. Yes! My scribbles can be indexed so I can (next time that cabbage is in season) remember that I served my regular ol’ tacos with a spicy mexican slaw. I will also be able to make sense of my recipe scribbles and figure out whether that last batch of salsa had raw or grilled onions.

So yes, my page was a little text heavy this week so that I could play with my new toy:

Meals
Red Lentils with Spinach & Lime*
Black Bean Tacos with Mexican Slaw & Pepitas
Chard & Goat Cheese Quiche
Tomato & Roasted Fennel Soup
Cauliflower & Potato Stir Fry in Coconut Milk*
Classic Veggie Sandwiches
Chickpea Salad with Soyrizo

Breakfast
Potato & Leek Omelets
Whole Grain Waffles
Yogurt, Granola with Fresh Peaches
+ other usual suspects

* Originally from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

I am hoping that I get a little more inspired with her lunches. We only have a couple of weeks left before summer hits and I must redeem myself. I’ll report back soon on how my Evernote journal is working out. Have a great week!

Today’s veggie stash was met with a unanimous hooray!

cheddar cauliflower
beets
turnips
fennel
spinach
chard (lots)
salad greens
carrots
cabbage
thyme

Scheming and planning meals as we speak.