Rainy daze.

So back to what I said about Wisconsin not having much of a springtime? Right, about that: Springtime in Wisconsin is cold and dreary and wet and icky. Like today. It's the sort of day that's close enough to June (June is summer, right!? Why wait until the 21st!) where I expect I should be able to ride my bike a lot and get outside to garden anytime I want. But no. Wishful thinking. So it rains, and I don't get to spend much time outside, kind of a bummer... except there is this great place in my very own apartment called a kitchen! and in it, is food! Put the two together, and KABLAM!! Rainy days suddenly become alright after all.

The great thing about today? I stopped into my favorite local grocer, which I'm sure will pop up here in the future, The Green Gecko, for some of their shrimp & asparagus pasta salad and kalamata olives. Not only was the pasta salad made in-house, but the asparagus was local. Can't beat that. And then, while I dropped off some cherry pie for the family to enjoy a little later, my mom whipped out a carton of farm-fresh eggs procured from a friend's chickens. It was back to the kitchen with me and my treats.


A carton of eggs is a wonderful sight. The variation in colors is so gorgeous. From browns to white and sometimes pinks and blues, or even greens. Different sizes, different weights. A few months ago, since I'm on the topic of eggs, my entire family vacationed in the U.K. and spent a number of nights at a bed & breakfast on the western coast of Scotland. Every morning we were fed eggs fresh from their own chickens, and maybe part of the magic was that we were eating them in Scotland (for crying out loud), but those eggs were amaaaaazing. And so are these.


Olives are one of my favorite foods. Always in moderation, they're very healthy, and perfect for snacking or cooking. My life would not be complete without them.

I'm really looking forward to the start of the Saturday morning farmer's market next month. The big area market is the second largest in the state after Madison's famous market on the square. Satellite markets have set up around the area, too, and with little to no trouble, one can get local grass-fed beef or goat, free-range chicken and eggs, and an abundance of produce and local cheeses, baked goods and household/body products. Point being, I wouldn't necessarily peg northeast Wisconsin as any sort of mecca for homegrown, and maybe I just never paid much attention before, but food is excellent here! And I sure enjoyed it today.