From the most recent meal; this morning I had Tim's world famous burrito. They only serve breakfast until 11am most days so get there "early" for this one! It has scrambled eggs, Cabot cheddar, home fries, salsa, aioli, onion and Chad's Obsession hot sauce all wrapped together and pressed or grilled somehow in a large tortilla. It was so incredibly savory that I would gladly eat this every morning. I couldn't resist also ordering a fresh-from-the-oven local Honeycrisp apple and oat muffin. This was by far the best muffin I've had here based on texture alone. The top was crunchy and the inside was moist. I also tasted a touch of ginger spice (?). To drink, I had my favorite chai. This is made with local Chai Walla spices, almond and coconut milk with nutmeg sprinkled on top. It's made vegan but I love to de-veganize it with honey. Bee spit mixed with pollen makes everything better!
Days ago, I met my one true (menu item) love. It was in the form of a pulled pork sandwich. The only other pulled pork I've had to rival this was in Great Lost Bear's pulled pork burrito. This sandwich included cider-braised local pork shoulder from A Wee Bit Farm with creamy slaw and house-made BBQ on a sesame bun. It came with the tangy-ist pickles and a green salad with herb vinaigrette. One day, I was surprised by a special food item containing this same pork: a breakfast burrito. This baby had scrambled eggs, cheese, jalapenos and spinach in it as well. What a great way to start off the day! My pants feel a little tight........
For lunch one day, I decided beans and rice with a side of seasonal vegetables was what I wanted. It was good but what was even better came the next day. I had some of this meal leftover so I boxed it to-go, sauteed up a ton of kale, diced up some cheddar cheese and heated it all together the next day in between teaching programs. Cheese, kale and a little salt and pepper can make any leftovers magical.
Finally, once more, while job-searching, my co-Local Sprouts goer and I, Leslie, needed to order some mac and cheese. It was necessary...This dish was made with cavatappi (spiral-y) pasta, a creamy cheese sauce and crunchy bread crumbs on top for a textural change. Mac and cheese makes everything, even the endless search for "that" illusive job, better.
I feel as if I'm eating my way through Local Sprout's menu and I'm super pumped about it. The staff are always warm and the plates are always delicious. Go here. Bring a book. Enjoy!
Now, on the matter of "beauty in the every day;" I walked to the farmer's market this morning with a good friend of mine. It was dreadfully cold but as I looked around, my "nature ADD" shone through. On one sidewalk, we came across a gate that had fallen over at some point. It had melted the snow to the point of making a pattern on the ground. Another beauty was roof drippage. This one house had billions of drips that turned into one incredible ice stalagmite that covered an entire gate. Oh nature... Finally, we looked up at one point in our walk to see a drainpipe with vines crawling down and around it. Ice was "crawling" down it too and creating deadly-looking frozen sculptures. On another winter walk, I spotted patterns in the ice on a brick sidewalk. The patters really stood out because snow filled in the cracks to create an abstract work of "art." Water is one of the most transformative and impressive elements on earth. Go out and look around you to find truly beautiful creations.
As for the bottom/middle picture, I made a stop by a store (the Black Parrot) on my way home from an afternoon walk. My friend J runs it and my visit turned into a mini photo shoot. This incredible dress was designed by Kate Middleton's dressmaker and was fully sequined from head to toe with small sea-blue pieces. I felt ultra-glamorous! I also just had to try on a fully cashmere infinity scarf/hood combo. God bless goats. Go there. Buy stuff.
The end.