There are, indeed, cyclones in the Pacific Northwest

At least, my kitchen would certainly prove it to be true.

I've been wanting to cook dinner for a while. When I say cook, I mean really get in the kitchen and go to town. Not throw something together in a flash from frozen foods and a Flat Out wrap, but really cook. And boy did I!

I've become very passionate lately about local eating. After reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver and "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan I couldn't not make some changes. So now I have at least one trip to the farmer's market each week (I usually end up at the Crossroads market, which isn't the best on the Eastside but it's enough to get me stocked up.) And I do most of the rest of my shopping at PCC - a Puget Sound area co-op, but on the high end of things (a lot like Whole Foods, really).

So here is what I made for dinner:

Chicken with Cherries
- Chicken was local, free-range, etc., from PCC
- Cherries were local from a farm stand near by

Sunchoke Puree
- Sunchokes were the last from winter storage from Full Circle Farms (at the farmer's market)

Creamless "creamed" corn
- Corn and onions from farmer's market

Beet Greens
- Beet Greens and onions from the farmer's market (and I still have the golden beets to roast later this week!)

The only recipe I actually followed was for the corn from the Gourmet Cookbook. The other stuff I printed off a few from the internets and then just used them for inspiration.
It felt great to sit down and eat all that. It wasn't ALL local, since there were other items that we already had in the house (sherry, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, etc.) but it was a huge improvement over most of what we eat. And so very healthy, too.

The only problem is what is left in the kitchen...