Walking Pneumonia Won’t Stop This Girl.

Yes, I’ve had some sickly symptoms.

1. I’ve been drinking a lot of fluids and have felt really warm for the past couple of weeks. I just thought Blackbaud kept the temperature too high, but really I’ve been a beverage diva. (Thank you for that term, Jessica.)

2. I’ve had an obnoxious cough for almost 3 weeks. It’s been so bad that my work sidekick, Kristin, posted this on my wall:

3. I’ve produced more snot than I knew was possible. I ran into Rob & three of his friends playing foosball in the cafeteria. When he asked me how I was, I responded, “Oh, just sick. I’m a snot factory.” All four boys suddenly stopped playing and just stared at me. Did I say too much?

Kristin convinced me to go to the doctor, so I paid a visit to my old boss who works with Nancy’s mom. They listened to my chest and then let me hear it. Oh my god. My lungs sounded like a hump-back whale in migration!!! (See here.) Peggy gave me this sweet mask to wear.

And then they diagnosed me with walking pneumonia. As horror movie as that sounds, it’s really not that bad. I just have to pop a few azithromycin pills and I’ll be brand new! In the mean time, I’ve been avoiding the gym and eating as many fruits & vegetables as possible.

Later when I was making dinner, Justin told me he was stopping by. I surprised him with my mask. He told me I was ugly.

My dinner was full of the onions, broccoli, and cauliflower from my CSA box, plus carrots, garlic, and shrimp. Lots of vitamins to make me well again!

And then came an even better surprise: Santo with Menchie’s frozen yogurt!! He stopped by with a huge bowl of angel food cake froyo topped with peanut butter, blackberries, pineapple, Reese’s pb cups, cinnamon toast crunch, and Cap’n crunch. What a combo! He also made sure to bring extra spoons. :)

Thank you friends!!

First Day with Pinckney’s Produce CSA

Thank for all your sweet comments regarding this stupid sickness! I really didn't want to go to the doctor so I called Nancy's mom who is an RN. She told me I sounded horrible and insisted making an appointment. Later on, she messaged me on facebook:

Subject: Sicko!
Message: Did u go to dr? Are you drinking OJ? Hot Tea? U can add honey. Is it upper respiratory? Do u think it's in your chest? Seriously, hot tea w/lemon and honey (even a little whiskey) might help. Take Ibuprofen.

WHISKEY? Is she freaking kidding me? I’d be dead!

Anyway…
After contemplating joining a CSA for the past year, I decided to take the plunge and join Pinckney's Produce. For those of you who don't know, a CSA (community supported agriculture) is a program where members purchase a subscription to a farm's harvest and receive a weekly delivery of fresh, local produce. I chose the small share size for a total of $260 ($234 + $26 delivery fee). The spring subscription lasts 13 weeks, so it averages out to be $20/week. I'm not sure that I usually spend $20 a week on produce, but I figured that it will help me add more veggies to my diet and inspire me to cook new recipes. Plus, it helps the community!

After work I picked up my first box from Whole Foods.

Week 1’s box contains the following:

• broccoli
• cauliflower
• collards
• spinach
• spring onions
• strawberries
• turnips
  

Holy overload of greens. My Vitamin C and beta carotene levels are going to skyrocket. This is just what I need while I’m sick. I ate most of the strawberries in the car on the way home and they were so good. I didn’t even care that they were unwashed.

For dinner, I was in the mood for something light, so I grabbed the easiest vegetable to work with: spring onions. I chopped up the bulb and sautéed it in olive oil until it was soft. In a small pan, I set an egg white omelet, then added the onions, the sliced greens, goat cheese and salt & pepper.

Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but this was so good for such a simple dish. I could really tell a difference in the freshness of the produce. I can’t wait to use the rest of the goodies.

And here’s where I need your help. Any recipe suggestions using broccoli, cauliflower, collards, mustard greens, or turnips would be greatly appreciated! I think I can handle the spinach on my own.

Have you ever joined a CSA? Did your farm’s website contain any helpful recipes? Feel free to pass those along too!

Do you fancy a fancy dinner?

I feel absolutely miserable. So miserable I can't even say the whole word, so for now I am MIS. Three syllables is just too much, right?  I have had this silly cough for over 2 weeks and now I'm suffering from Spring allergies. Is Mother Nature out to get me? I recycle and use a Camelbak. I thought we were friends?

When I'm sick I become an extreme introvert and want to hide under a blanket. Weird. Despite this temporary state of introversion, I couldn't resist Lucy's invitation to eat dinner with her family. Those Brits are fun. I may not understand half of Lucy's dad's jokes nor am I able to pull off the card trick he taught me, but I have enjoyed spending time with them while they are here on "holiday."

For an appetizer, we had toasted French bread topped with a lovely mixture of tomatoes, red onion, garlic, virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and salt & pepper.

I ATE RED ONIONS AND I LIKED IT. Or maybe I’ve lost my sense of taste?

We also had an arugula salad with pear, pine nuts, and flaked parmesan tossed in a honey balsamic vinaigrette. Lucy’s uncle took one bite of the salad and said, “This cheese is sock cheese!” Funky?

All five of my senses were revived once Lucy’s mom started making our main dish. Believe your eyes – this is beet risotto.

She boiled the beets in water with a couple tablespoons of each balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. She reserved the beet juice and, along with white wine and thyme, added it to the Arborio rice. Many stirs later and topped with a dollop of goat cheese, we had our risotto!

After dinner, Lucy and I took some stale pita chips out back for the ducks. It was so pretty out tonight.

I'm so glad I didn't stay home under a blanket. Lucy's dad made me laugh so much I forgot I was sick. He really likes getting his photo taken. Here he is showing off a poster from the race he and Lucy's uncle sailed in.

Here he is posing with the vanilla granola he picked up from Whole Foods. This doesn't even have anything to do with dinner?!?

And later he made a really special face as he brought Lucy's and my dessert outside.

Love,

The American.