Where have I been???

Oh my, how many post ideas have I started and abandon over the last many months?  Truth be told, more than I care to admit, but here we are deep in the days of mid fall in the Pacific Northwest.  I do love so much about this time of year, the cool and crisp air, the deep appreciation for every ounce of blue sky and sunshine that shows up, all things orange like squash and satsumas, vibrant and crisp leaves piling up along the walkways of my morning walks, and particularly the feeling of wanting to settle in for the impending winter.  Now that I am rooted in working life as well, my days off are something I am learning to really treasure and put to good use.  So today, after a quick trip to the dog park I am home and in the kitchen prepping several things that have been piling up for a bit now.  I had some extra milking shifts recently so there was a bit of a milk stockpile which I am turning into ricotta for an upcoming lasagna dinner, a bag of tomatoes from my in-laws garden which are being oven dried for soups and sauces in coming weeks, sprouts in various stages waiting for some love and the not so glamorous but oh so needed cleaning out of the fridge.  There were just a few too many last little bits of leftovers that have sat ignored and needed to go to the chickens before they become science experiments.  I do so love sending my compost out to the ladies knowing they will be transformed into lovely eggs for us very soon.  I could spend an entire day finding ways of keeping myself busy in the kitchen; maybe baking something for friends or family, prepping for the week's lunches and dinners, making some staple item like ricotta/yogurt/granola/kombucha etc, or just chilling on the window bench with a cookbook doing a bit of meal planning.  Here is a peek into my prepping today...

To make ricotta I follow the directions from Smitten Kitchen, heating the milk slowly and adding salt and lemon juice, letting it sit, then straining.  This is my first go around making sprouts, I started with alfalfa and broccoli and just today am starting a salad mix for the next batch, the strainer lids make it so easy.  And last, I am simply leaving the cut tomatoes in a low temp oven for many hours to dry them out, I have done this in the past and it seems to work really well, once they are dry to my liking I just put them in a jar and store in the fridge.  None of this is monumental or earth shattering stuff but there is a odd joy and satisfaction I feel when putting things to use and minimizing the waste going to the landfill.  Happy Monday all, I hope your week brings you some joy and satisfaction as well!