A day late and a dollar short and again no photos of food here. Oh well. After weeks of feeling like we’re technically eating local but not fully participating in this challenge we really pulled it out this weekend. Well if you ignore the fact that yesterday’s dinner consisted of chili dogs and box cake (expired in 2006 but in the back of the pantry…).

On Saturday night we had our friend Kevin up for dinner. Partly because I defrosted a big pork roast and the passes were all closed. But also kind of a farewell if you will to this house and the good times that the three of us have had here. I didn’t realize until we sat down to eat that our dinner was pretty much 100% local.

We had a pork loin roast rubbed with olive oil and a spice mix from the pantry. Brussels sprouts caramelized with butter. Baked spaghetti squash and sweet potatoes. Oregon whisky, Washington wine, Washington dessert wine and a bit of local beer as well. Why yes I did have a hangover on Sunday, why do you ask? The dinner, aside from a timing snafu on the pork, was pretty great if I do say so myself.

And tonight I thought I was just being lazy, but it turns out that the potato leek soup currently simmering on the stove is also mostly local. Local potatoes, leek, thyme, turkey stock (freezer), corn (freezer) and cream. With toasted bread on the side.

Sometimes taking the easy route to food on the plate gets you the “localist” meal of all.

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The East:

Nicole reminded her readers of the winter market and the bounty it offers. She cooked a scrumptious dinner (left) of broccoli rabe chicken sausage, fresh spinach and purple carrots.  After a freezer meltdown she also scored a pack of lamb chops that was grilled and served with wax beans and parmesan and butternut squash bread pudding. Nicole, that’s some seriously good lucking and fabulous sounding food!

While she’s been practically snowed in the last couple of weeks, Kim has been working her way through her freezer and pantry. She opened a beautiful jar of bread and butter pickles, made a shepherd’s pie and turned leftover roast pork into some seriously yummy looking tostadas on homemade tortillas. Kim we’re right there with you on the salad fixings. We eat local when I have time to go to the farmer’s market, otherwise it’s organic from California for Mike’s required salads.

Recovering from her momentary lack of faith in her culinary skills, Wendy pulled off a delicious Yankee pot roast with oven toasted bread and blueberry upside-down-cake. After some online encouragement she launched into even more culinary success, making swedish meatballs with homemade noodles and shepherd’s pie with local rutabega. She topped it all off with homemade tortillas wrapped around slow cooked beans, ground beef and homemade salsa.

Over at the Purloined Letter a local dinner of Hoppin’ John and collards was accompanied by an interpretive dance as well. The ingredients were local, but the hot peppered vinegar that topped it off was homemade with peppers straight from the garden.

Danielle is, like myself, searching for ways to use eggs. She and I must be reading from the same page as we both made quiches recently. She used ham and cheddar with herbs fresh from the garden and served it with herb foccacia bread. The week also included braised goose breast with potatoes, carrots and microgreens and a Thanksgiving redux.

Making gravy is different at Sophie’s house. Her’s is the red Italian-American kind that simmers all day on the stove. He paired it with pork chops and macaroni. She made the macaroni herself. I know a lot of you make your own pasta (of which I’m envious) but she’s the only person I know who has ever made her own macaroni. Go Sophie!

Ed logs not one, but two recipes after my own heart. The first is for a one pot chicken that includes said bird, onion, garlic, carrot, parsnip, potato, sweet potato and canned tomatoes - all my favorite things. The second is Hungarian sausage with braised red cabbage and sweet potatoes - a virtual mirror image of a meal that Mike and I cooked last week. Ed and I must be channeling the same muses. Of course his meals are, as usual, accompanied by detailed, drool inducing recipes.

Weekend mornings at Julia’s house look a lot like ours. Eggs, toast and homefries - all local including the homemade bread. Flounder made two appearances on her table. The first it was accompanied by purple oven fries and unimpressive red cabbage. The second was ala Mark Bittman and accompanied by properly braised cabbage, artisan cheese and sauteed Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips.

Jasmine rejoined us with a hockey friendly meal of Peruvian chicken and sweet potato stew with chubble bread. She chopped onions, ground peanuts and even used her chef’s knife. The chubble bread looks fabulous and easy - I’m going to have to try that recipe. Welcome back Jasmine!

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The West:

Continuing to wow me with her access to beautiful winter produce, Anita not only had a fabulous cocktail party with Mistral Mauves and Kir Royales, she served 90% local food at it. And what a spread it was. There was a Martha inspired tower of canapes. A platter of fattened calf pâtés and sausages. A crudite platter that included my favorite, Romanesco broccoli. Pesto filled pastry pinwheels. Earl Gray scented tea cookies. And piquillo peppers stuffed with chorizo and breadcrumbs. I would have taken a month off of cooking after that, not just the rest of the week…

In the midst of snow, Ellen found time for spaghetti squash with homemade marinara sauce and vegan meatballs. And individual pot pies. And Hubbard squash pie w/gingersnap pie crust. All that plus a ski trip and an ATA tournament.

Donna has joined me in my Alice Waters’ love, adding The Art of Simple Food to her collection. Not only did it provide the recipe and coaching for last recap’s pasta, but also for this week’s refried beans. Alice’s step-by-step bean instructions gave Donna the confidence she needed to pull off her husband’s favorite dinners.

Katrina made butter. I kid you not. Doesn’t it look like ice cream? I just want to eat it with a spoon! Then she made a “big plate” dinner of omelet, mixed greens braised with leeks, tiny roasted potatoes and homemade bread with that butter. Dinner was in celebration of her resourcefulness and style in continuing to eat local in the dark days of winter and the change that starts at home. Finally she tells it better than I do when it comes to eating locally and quickly. Fast, local, seasonal food is possible, but it’s not always interesting. Sometimes a local restaurant has to suffice, even if it does leave you wondering where the zucchini came from…

Bringing her A game to the table, Michelle made a purple cauliflower and leek soup, but it made the kiddo cry. So she served up some steak fries and homemade ketchup next to bring back the peace. Then came backyard lemon bars (backyard!), broccoli Thai tofu stir fry, pumpkin souffle, baked winter squash pasta with greens, chocolate chip cookies and a 100% local kid friendly lunch. I’d say A game delivered Michelle!

Joan paid a visit to the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market (I’ve been there!) on the on-week and scored some local veggies and sources for meats. Her signature challenge dish this week was inspired by our own Anita, Cornish pasties. I’m with you Joan, I’d opt to buy the fat not render my own.

Since we last checked in, Idaho Locavore has been busy making and checking cambozola cheese, whipping up “sassquash” soup, piercing and wrapping the cambozola, creating trout caviar and potato blinis, and cooking Moroccan Lemon Lentil Soup. After reading about these inspiring dishes being created in Idaho, I no longer feel I have the right to turn in less than inspired recaps of our meals!

Also, please welcome Denise of Chez Denise et Laudalino to the challenge. Denise, I’ve tried emailing you back a couple of times but I don’t think they’re going through. Consider yourself added to the challenge - can’t wait to see what you cook up next week!

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The Middle:

After a week of dealing with sick small ones, Farm Mom wanted nothing more than a heaping dish of spaghetti. So she made spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast - using ground chicken from the hens she butchered last fall. This week they enjoyed country baked ham with sweet potatoes and sauteed green beans. Yum!

Last week Anne broke in her new pan by cooking a chuck roast and then turning into a scrumptious sounding beef gravy with veggies served with colcannon. She also made her own butter using the shaking method - next time she’s breaking out the Kitchenaid. This week she roasted a chicken and served it with white corn, green beans and shallots, acorn squash and stuffing. She finished it off with homemade gravy and the last of the colcannon. As for the strawberries Anne, I would recommend an upside down cake. I made one last weekend and it was excellent. I’ll put the recipe up later this week.

Katie spent some time exploring her local meat shed and found a less expensive option for lamb and goat in the Twin Cities. I have to completely agree with her observation that sometimes it’s hard to make a special trip for ingredients and I too opt to try to tack that shopping onto another trip I’m already making.