Egg salad in winter

Once again I purchased my somewhat laughable but totally usable 5 doz. organic free-range eggs from the CSA on Saturday. $15 for 5 dozen eggs-you really can't beat it. And they're delicious. AND they're from PA! Telford, PA to be exact, but I would still consider that relatively local since its within a 2 hour drive. Anyway, the eggs are a great treat and have a shelf life of about 1 month. I gave a doz. to my mom when my parents visited this weekend, but have 4 doz. left to use. So last night I hard-boiled 6 of them and this morning whipped up some delicious egg salad for Jon and I for lunch! Some lemon juice, cider vinegar, mayo, dijon mustard, red onion, and salt and pepper. Delicious on rye bread. Bring on the spring weather and picnic food! (as I type this there is almost a foot of snow outside my window!)

What do I do with all that food?

I thought I would do a write-up on what made this week with the CSA crops I got on Saturday - I have to say at the start of the new year I've been slightly less than inspired to cook with all these winter veggies, but things like Florida grapefruit and baby cherry tomatoes are keeping me sane in the kitchen, while deciding how to use things I have for the week. Its also fun using veggies in sweet things, like I did with the zucchini when making chocolate-chip zucchini bread. I am definitely looking forward to spring foods!

Here's a rundown of what was in the box on Saturday. I also got 5 doz. local organic eggs - I know, a LOT - but I've pawned some off on friends and am still searching for ways to use up the rest in the next few weeks (eggs for brunch, perhaps a quiche?)

-sweet potatoes
-onions
-brocoli
-kale
-lettuce
-carrots
-zucchini
-parsley
-cherry tomatoes
-grapefruit
-kiwi
-apples
-bananas

Here's what I made this week:

-cous-cous with roasted sweet potatoes, onions and garlic, and diced apricots; with salad

-carrot soup with cardamom

-portugese chorizo potato stew with cherry tomatoes

-chocolate-chip zucchini bread

-macaroni and cheese with aged cheddar

-french lentils with kale and pulled chicken

And what's left for next week:

-1 grapefruit (they've been great for breakfast)
-a few apples
-2 kiwi
-a few brownish bananas
-brocoli
-sweet potato
-a few onions
-a few carrots

SO, in summary - I am looking for simpler. I liked everything that I made, but am definitely ready for a change of seasons (only a few more cold months!)
I am going to re-visit some of my older recipes, maybe cooked a dozen times years ago, but since forgotten about. I am craving lots of the familiar so will try cooking some of the old favorites!

A New, Really GOOD Granola

When I was at the MARTHA show a few weeks ago (not for the show but for other reasons) a few of the girls in the test kitchen gave me their recipe for granola, which I quickly polished off on the train ride home. It's so good. It's nutty, with maple and toasted coconut. I also enjoyed that it's made with extra-virgin olive oil. No fruit, but when I made it yesterday I added raisins. I also threw in some wheat germ. Enjoy!

Farmhand's Choice Granola
(makes about 7 cups)

3 C. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 C. raw pumpkin seeds
1 C. raw sunflower seeds
1 C. coconut chips
1 1/4 C. raw pecans, coarsely chopped
3/4 C. maple syrup, preferably Grade A
1/2 C. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
1 t. coarse salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.

2. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spread mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 min. until granola is toasted, about 45 min.

3. Remove granola from the oven and let cool completely before serving or storing in airight container for up to 1 month.