Baking, cooking, whatever

In terms of the Midwest, what we are dealing with weather-wise where I live is actually: Mid Spring. For a person who has lived in Seattle for her adult life? I'm friggin' DYING. Where the hell is the airc-onditioning? Why the hell can I only open 1 window in the living room of my house that actually has like 5 windows?!? (Don't ask. I think some crazy, previous owner thought it would be a great idea to basically CEMENT (no i am not being dramatic) the windows closed for insulation instead of, you know, dealing with the real problem of why things get cold in this house is because the damn fireplace did not have a damn flue built in it in the early 1920s. Idiot.)

Anyway, I haven't written about cooking or baking or keeping up with the Bread Baker's Challenge because I don't want to turn on my oven for any reason at all for the last 2 months or so. Anything except fresh, raw vegetables has sounded fairly revolting to me.

My father and I just talked about it last week. We were both commenting about how easy it is to lose weight in the summer because cooked, warm food sounds so naaaaaaaasty. Sticking my head into various food bins at farmers markets?!? Absolutely delightful. that's about as far as it goes in the cooking/baking department. Everything except fresh, raw produce sounds too heavy and blech.

So, that's what I'm doing. Cleaning out the freezer for Mr. Awesome's meals and eating raw vegetables for myself.

After talking to my Dad, there DOES seem to be some type of "biological wisdom" in it (for whatever crazy talk that is worth). In winter I absolutely DO crave root vegetables, and slow-cooked meats, potatoes, breads that take days to make. Heavy, warm, comforting foods when everything is dark and wet.

No rain and long days?!? I want nothing more than to pick things right off the plant, if I can. Spend all day grazing on raw fruits and vegetables. No meal times. Just a cherry or pea pods and lettuce here and there while I work outside. And it absolutely feels like a taking in of things that I crave at the moment because I know I wont' have them for a long, long time if I try to grow it myself. High summer is a time for decadence with so many plants of various colors growing. I'm at my own little buffet table with my head straight up and my mouth open...just trying to devour what the sun is bringing to me. No wonder I have nothing to bring to the dinner table. I try to weed my gardnen and end up eating everything in it.

Every day I become the hippie that I'm fighting against.

I should learn to accept this.