Side quest!

It’s a beautiful day here, and somehow I’ve been caught up in a cooking extravaganza. I started the morning by mixing up a loaf of sourdough (Parmesan-black pepper), and then started a pot of soup (carrot-tomato bisque because my mom saw it in AARP magazine!). I have been having deep thoughts about doing more with less because of the war in Iran and the rising prices. I suspect this summer will require more efforts in budgeting and making do than I’ve been used to for a while. All of this made me a little more conscious while I was prepping my simple spring meal, so I added a few side quests.

First, all the vegetable trimmings went into a stock bag that I keep in the freezer. This is obviously not a new thought since I have the bag at all, but I’m inconsistent about it. I’m going to try to make this a habit because I make a lot of soup and it’s handy to have a pile of veggie scraps on hand to make stock with.

Second, I was cleaning out the fridge (another side quest) and found a lot of vegetable leftovers. Cabbage we didn’t fully use for St. Patrick’s Day, two partial bags of carrots because I buy carrots obsessively, a few jalapeños for the same reason. I just bought a new bag of carrots today, so some of those I already had went into the soup and the rest have been turned into Sauerkraut Surprise! Maybe the name is no good- Kraut Konfetti? Anyway, the cabbage, carrots, jalapeño, a lonely knob of ginger, and some fresh dill have all been sliced and salted in the hopes that they meld into something delicious.

I want to use this as a side dish with sausages or grilled chicken; as an addition to a grain bowl; to add a bit of liveliness to salad; and maybe to muddle into a dirty martini. Time will tell- check back in a few weeks.