Grow

Welcome the light at the beginning of each day.
It brings the hope of something new.
Let its energy inspire you.
For there is so much to do.

Spring. Yes- I said it. It's here. Finally. Although it certainly doesn't feel like it quite yet and Mother Nature teases us with only small glimpses of the mild weather that is to come, we simply have to get ready.

I joined the blogging world approximately one year ago and it was just about this time that we were planting our seeds and tending them in our sunny, warm garden room. Well this year, once again we will watch them grow (among other things, like my belly). Pictured above is our tomato plants, which I happen to be extra excited about. I began telling you about my newfound pickiness in my last post. I also have great big love for certain things as well, such as tomatoes! I sit and dream of the different things I will do with them this summer...tomato, basil and mozzerella sandwiches; roasted tomatoes with garlic; omelettes; salads; stuffed tomatoes... you get the picture.

Other seedlings I am looking forward to are our herbs. I can't wait to use all fresh herbs from outside my front door to formulate the kind of meal we will create.

Aside from the garden update, I am thrilled to report that last night for the very first time in my pregnancy, I completely enjoyed every single thing we were served for dinner. This sounds strange right? Not really- if you know me or if you have ever had a baby. Roger and I attended a dinner party. The food was exquisite from start to finish. Not once did I feel those familiar pangs of discomfort either. It was a joyful moment!

What did we eat, you ask? Let's see...an olive assortment, fresh mozzerella, cucumbers, tomatoes with basil, fresh baguette bread, onion tartlet, halibut coated with cornmeal and parmesean then pan-fried and topped with roasted cherry tomatoes, potato wedges with rosemary and roasted asparagus. Yum. I even enjoyed my first glass of red wine. It was Cabernet Sauvignon from North Carolina, no less. It had soft, fruity notes with a smooth finish. I realized as I enjoyed it with my meal: "Food loves wine and wine loves food. They were made for each other."

As the trees, flowers and veggie gardens begin to sprout and grow along with my re-kindled passion for food, I wish you a very happy beginning of Springtime. I encourage you to spark something new this season from a small project to a much-needed change.

The Food Sabbatical

Hello, to all my friends and family- those who were supportive in following my blog for the majority of 2010. Long time, no write. Well, I have good reason. I swear.

The new year of 2011 brought many wonderful things. I found out in January that I was pregnant! My husband and I are so very excited. As I enter the last week of my first trimester, I can't believe how quickly it has gone. However, my ever-changing physical state coupled with exhaustion leads me to my entire point of this blog post.

For someone who prides herself on her love of foods of all kinds and a passion for wine, my tastes have proven quite opposite for the last three months. Although I continue to eat the best foods that I can, my menus have been scaled down quite a bit. I feel like a six year old in the way that I need to "hide" my veggies with other flavors in creative ways in order to eat them. Also, for some reason, chicken has left my weekly menu planning as I simply cannot bear it. And wine, well for obvious reasons I am not drinking it. Even though my doctor has given me the green light on tasting and a glass once in a while, I cannot even smell wine without feeling sick.

While the past month has found me returning to my station in the kitchen, the first two were a challenge. My appetite was a bit less than normal but I absolutely could not cook. The woes of morning sickness would only hit me hard when I tried to prepare meals. Who'd have thought it?

The repertoire of the Country Hollow Kitchen has certainly changed but it will slowly return. I can feel it. For now, I will continue to cook whatever my hormones (and the baby) tell me to create. I look forward to our garden once again and the joys of warm weather grilling.

Unfortunately, my writing energy and focus are needed in many other places throughout my life at the moment. So, the Blog Sabbatical must continue but I will share anything interesting along the way.

Thank you for your support! For now, please have my share of food and wine.
All of the best to you,
Melissa