Give A Dog A Bone (I Mean, A Carrot)

Bleu dog is 3 today. And he's hungry. Always hungry.

He's hungry for the carrots I'm dicing for a Lentil Soup.

He's very happy when I offer him a carrot.

Off he goes with his carrot. Happy Birthday, Bleu.

C'est La Vie

I'm discouraged.

All summer I had time to plan elaborate meals, to shop at all the farmers markets and specialty stores, and to cook elaborate, tasty meals.

Right now I'm lucky if I have enough time or energy to wash, spin dry, and fry an egg and some kale in a skillet.

Between prepping to teach, teaching, conferencing with students, going to committee meetings, volunteering, grading, writing, editing, and just plain getting by, my meals are suffering.

Let me clarify. I've been throwing together the good ole standby--Lentil soup--and roasting a chicken on Sunday that we use in tacos, wraps, sandwiches, salads, soups, pastas, etc., but I really want a day to slave over the stove. Seriously, it's fall, my favorite season. I should be braising meats, roasting veggies, and simmering sauces. I should be homemaking pie crusts and spending hours peeling and thinly slicing apples.

Or do I just think I should be doing those things because I'm a self-pronounced food writer and food lover?

I just feel as though I'm letting down my readers (and my husband) by not serving up goodies that are blog worthy. Really, do you want to read about the turkey burgers I made Monday night or the Chipotle burrito I scarfed down 7:30 after teaching and  before I walked the dog and started grading at  9 p.m.?

I want to promise better blog posts from here on out, but until winter break, it's just not possible.

What is possible, though, is a sharing of our go-to foods when we're in a hurry and don't have a lot of time to cook. Ground turkey tacos are one of our favs. But what I've really been loving lately are the quick pasta dishes we whip up by using the tomato sauce I made this summer and froze. And I've been loving the joy of autumn fresh apples, which have been lifesavers for snacks and side dishes.

What are your go-to dishes? What do you make when you have only 15 minutes and barely anything in the fridge? I need ideas!

Now back to grading...

LIVE This Week

The leaves are turning colors and the air is crisp.

Fall has finally found its way through our open windows and screen doors.

With Fall, though, has come the mid-point of one crazy semester, which is why my food posts are few and far between. But that doesn't mean I'm not cooking and making a list of all the food adventures I need to blog about soon.

In the meantime, be sure to check out my other food writing at Connotation Press and BG News.

Connotation Press this month is all Potlucks! So join the feast and check out the great dishes from writers such as Kathleen Rooney, Arielle Greenberg, Anna Kauffman, and Katherine Willis Pershey.

And my weekly food column at BG News serves up a variety of topics from tailgating to an upcoming column about Facebook and Food.

Thanks for all your support and readership! I promise more tasty treats are on their way from Everyday Palate to Connotation Press to BG News!

Can Food Save a Mean Girl?

One of my favorite BG News articles.

Pawpaw Season 2: Admitting Failure.

Kaleidoscope Farms Mt. Cory, Ohio. Another season of pawpaw hunting with the ever-generous tree farmer Dave Reese.

Dave planted new pawpaw trees, but the deer munched on most of them.

Pawpaws: Season 2.

Haven't lost my gatherer instinct.

In the bag.

For pawpaw bread.

Scrapping the membrane--which contains a lot of flavor--from each and every seed.

 Finally a perfect loaf of pawpaw bread.

Failure.

Food Columnist to the Falcons!

This past summer I was invited to be the food columnist for our campus paper BG NEWS.

My good friend, summer editor-in-chief, and former student AMB  hooked me up with this amazing gig, and I'm staying on staff this fall and, if Pulse editor Matt L. will have me, for a long while.

While I'm still learning AP style (I'm an MLA geek), each week I'm even more energized by food and food writing because of the work I do for the Pulse.

Matt's favorite piece might be the one about Twilight, but I'm quite the fan of my piece this week about competitive eating.

In a sense I feel like a brand new writer. I keep remember the days back in undergrad when I decided that poetry was my life. I started emulating all of my favorite poets--Jane Kenyon, Daisy Fried, Campbell McGrath. Only now I feel like I'm imitating Jim Harrison, Molly Wizenberg, and Steve Almond while trying to hold steady my own voice and be the ever-charming me.

I'm not sure I'm worth a damn as a food writer, but I sure enjoy it. And I'd sure be delighted if you subscribed to my BG NEWS food column here.

For the love of Tomatoes!

Tomatoes from our friends' Anna & Jesse's Garden

The September issue of Connotation Press' From Plate to Palate is live and ready for a thorough read.

This month check out a special late summer issue devoted to our friend, the vegetable (no, fruit...), the Tomato.

And if you're a aspiring food writer, please submit your essays of yummy today!