Eating on Jitneys

It’s finally spring in Chicago, which means it’s 70/75. We don’t have real spring here, but I’ll take anything that is not 30, sleet, or that blasted “wintry mix.” I’m not complaining about 70. Trust me. That might be my favorite temperature. But there is something a little sad about our weather being either below 40 or above 65.

Anyway, in celebration of this warmth, and also in celebration of the fact that FVD is alive after a nasty fall on his bike, I thought a picnic would be an awesome idea. I am thinking snacks, magazines, beers, and FVD’s new Nintendo DS. I pitched this idea, but FVD looked at me like I had suggested we go frolic in a field of wildflowers, or something equally free-spirited. I quickly realized that the word “picnic” needed to be replaced. When I stopped to think about it, The word reminds me of puffy Easter dresses, lots of small children, really ugly shorts, and Canadian Geese.

So we are having Super-Adventure-Awesome-Funtime. I really want to go to Portage Park because I have never been there before and it’s pretty nearby. There will be pictures of this Alternative Picnic so stay tuned. In the meantime, Ellen is in Florida and eating Blueberry Pancakes and drinking coffee out of a Far Side mug!

And here are some desserts from school last week: Plated Desserts.

I would just like to announce that whoever did a search for “Jitney Dinner” in order to eventually get to this blog is my new friend.  Whoever or wherever you are.

Do you want to know how much it costs to make about 4 servings of the best ravioli you have ever tasted?  Maybe $3.00 total…and that’s if you buy fancy ricotta.  I made my own pasta dough from scratch today for the first time and had total success.  It took a good three hours, so if you include the time factor I suppose the cost goes up somehow (time you could have been…yes).

Dough:

2.5 cups all-purpose flour, 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yokes, a little olive oil and a little salt.  For the filling I wilted a pound of spinach in 2 T of butter, mixed in some chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup of goat cheese and 1/2 cup of ricotta.

SO GOOD!

I am having a dinner party this weekend in which I will make the frozen ravilolis and pictures will be provided.  I’m just excited about tonight’s success and had to spread the news.

Also, my ice cream maker came today…

I’m Sarah. More than anyone else that i know, i love to bake/cook. One of my favorite activities is to stroll the aisles of the grocery store & ask myself, “What could I use turnips for?” or “what would be a delicious cinnamon substitute in sweet potato pie?” I recently concocted a candy that involved boiling two different types of sugar separately and I have great success with scones. I only eat bagels for breakfast.

With this blog, I hope to let you in on what I eat and what I cook. I rarely go out to eat, except on vacation, so it’s mainly going to be lots of cheap experiments. I was vegetarian for about 12 years but have slowly been adding meats into the routine. Today, for example, I bought some sliced turkey for the first time ever. That’s because the last time I ate turkey I was probably about 12 and lived with my mom and dad.

Enjoy!