The desktop works! The desktop works! The desktop computer, that is :) It’s been lying fallow and disassembled for about a month now after a disastrous attempt to replace a fan rendered it inoperable. We’d replaced the CPU - nothing. Yesterday we found a power supply tester at CompUSA so we got that, But we also lucked into a Socket A motherboard (slightly older technology, but what everything in the desktop is based on) in our acceptable price range.
We went home and Myria tested the power supply - no problems there. Nothing left but to change the motherboard and bingo (well, not exactly “bingo”; it takes time to swap out cards and find all the right connections, etc)! We were up and running! Now it’s just a matter of reloading some software and configuring a few things. What a relief :)
We had to be out early for an appointment this morning (you may have noticed this post is a little late?) and on the way back, Myria suggested stopping at a farm stand that we’ve driven by dozens of times but never checked out.
Boy, was that ever the right suggestion!
I feel so wealthy!
Butternut and acorn squash, eggplant, beets, tomatoes and fresh basil! Enough veggies for a while and all of it gorgeous.
Eggplant and basil
The eggplant is going to get grilled, I think. Myria has a little Foreman grill that we’ve just begun to discover is good for many, many things. We’ll probably slice it, coat it with a little olive oil and plop it into the grill. I don’t think Myria’s ever had eggplant and I haven’t had it for years, so we’re really looking forward to this!
Got anything you want dyed red?
I’ve never bought beets with the greens attached before, they’ve always been cleaned and stemmed beforehand. We’re going to have these tonight and we’re going to steam the greens as well - just to see what that’s like. We both enjoy the earthy flavor of good, fresh beets so these ought to be great!
Butternut (yellow) and acorn (green) squash
These were the real find because if they’re kept in a cool, dark place, they’ll keep for months - not that they’ll hang around that long. We both love good fresh butternut squash. For years I’d get an occasional craving and go buy the frozen stuff. But once we tried the real deal, fresh off the vine, the frozen seemed pretty watery and tasteless in comparison. They are a bit awkward to peel, but it’s so worth the effort :) I haven’t had acorn squash in a long time and Myria has never had it. It has a lovely sweet/nutty taste and is easy to prepare - at least I think it is; my mother always just baked it.
Finally, there were these:
Tomatoes
These were labeled seconds but there didn’t seem to anything wrong with them except that they weren’t the most pristine looking tomatoes you ever saw - oddballs, in other words - and assorted types. The fellow in the back right of the bowl got cut up for my lunch (and the flesh filled a soup bowl!) as he was pretty soft and wouldn’t last much longer. I dressed him with some mayonnaise, a grind of sea salt and a lot of grinds of black pepper :) Ooooh baby! I haven’t had a tomato that tasted like that in 20 years. Accompanied by a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich, this was a most excellent lunch.
Tonight I’m going to make a pasta salad with some of the tomatoes, some of the basil, chicken breast chunks and feta cheese. And pasta, of course. We’ll have the beets and greens alongside. If I don’t die of sheer unmitigated tastebud overload, I’ll see you all on Monday!
Have a savory weekend :)
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I always feel wealthy when I come home from the Farmer’s Market too :-) It is my favorite place to go and get hog wild with the shopping.
no such thing as too many veggies, non?
aren’t the veggies of autumn just awesome!! and they look as good as they taste! (well, almost ...) i am now having winter squash and eggplant envy-
how nice to have clever ‘in house’ tech support- at the first sign of a glitch, i hop around with my finger in my ear feeling utterly helpless-
stay happy-
Rainy - I just feel so stupid that I haven’t looked there before almost the end of damned September, you know? But I’ll head out there every week until they close down (middle/end of October, the lady told me) and I’ll definitely be out there next summer.
With bells :)
Barb - I am so into fresh vegetables it almost counts as a mania :) I can’t even begin to describe the tomatoes without coming close to weeping - they are that good. And the basil…the whole kitchen smells of it tonight - sweet and pungent :)
Any tips on the eggplant, since it’s been so long since I’ve done anything with it?
Eggplant ideas: Brushed with oil and grilled on the Foreman grill sounds good. Mom always dipped it in egg and flour (after soaking it in salt water first to take out the bitterness so you might want to soak it for 30 minutes before grilling it)and fried it. I love eggplant parmesan and you might be able to find a recipe for that. The way I make it is to dip the eggplant in egg and Italian bread crumbs. Brown it on both sides in olive oil. Then put some spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a baking dish (I use the jarred kind like Ragu) layer on a layer of the browned eggplant, top with a layer of shredded cheese—I usually use mozzerella (I’m sure I’m misspelling all these Italian words)and repeat layers ending with sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or so. Delish! I think eggplant is also an ingredient in ratou ... drat, another word I can’t spell. It involves eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions I think and is usually baked. The butternut squash can be sliced crosswide unpeeled and the slices baked. Mom topped them with some butter before putting in the oven. It can be peeled, boiled, mashed with brown sugar, butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon. My “new” way of doing acorn squash is to cut it in quarters, bake them, then put a teaspoon of orange marmalade in each piece and return it to the oven until the marmalade melts and glazes them. Yummy! Enjoy your vegetables while I envy you.
I’m drooling right now over those tomatoes! They look gorgeous and I bet taste even better than they look. What a find!
Wow! Can I come over for dinner? :-) It all looks so good! Take care, Tori 
Charlotte - WOW! Thanks for all the ideas. I think the eggplant dish you were trying for was ratatouille - a friend used to make it all the time :) The eggplant Parmesan sounds divine though and I seriously think I’ll try that in the not too distant future. Also the acorn squash with orange marmalade - what a great idea!
Kathy - They were indeed an awesome find as I got them for about 40ยข/lb. I’m going back next week to get more - it’s worth spending the gas :)
Tori - You certainly could have joined us for supper - we have enough leftovers at least two more meals. And oh man, once those flavors have had a couple of days to get acquainted and meld, they should be even better than they were tonight!
Mmmh, those vegetables look so yummy! What a great deal! Here’s a great recipe from Wendy Knits for butternut squash: http://wendyknits.net/archives/000539.html#000539 We’ve made it several times and it always turns out wonderfully!
Oh wow Melanie - that recipe sounds awesome! I will definitely have to give that a try - thanks for the link!
Don’t bother peeling that butternut! Just slice in half, put it face down with some water in the even 350 degrees and bake it! Poke a fork now and then to see if it’s soft. Take it out, scoop that yummy golden flesh out and add maple syrup! Heaven! Betty in cool new jersey
Betty - Now that sounds like a true, New England treatment :) Lord, I’m going to have to get more squash to keep up with all the wonderful recipes you all have suggested - not like that would be a hardship! LOL!
