Christmas in the Park

Wow! Has it really been 30 years for Christmas in the Park? Apparently so! I've been attending this event since I was a little girl, and now I get to share it with my own kids. My son swoons for this event! Sadly, this year, they are missing the snow machines. Boo hoo. Word on the street is budget cuts. Well, who can blame them? Still, I am sure a campaign to save the snow machine would have covered the cost just fine.

But let's not talk about the missing snow machines where there's still so much to love about Christmas in the Park. For example...I love that it can fit any budget from a free night of fun on the town, $20 for ice skating and a hot cocoa, or start the evening off at The Fairmont, where you can get into the spirit with a hot toddy, then make your way over the park to enjoy the lights.

Christmas in the Park starts this Friday, November 27 and runs through December 27 (me thinks this is a bit shorter this year! It usually goes right until New Year???). The tree lighting will take place on November 27 at 5:30. Check out their website for more details and start making plans!

Free Food for Me!

Today I scored. A neighbor friend of mine was unable to use her box of produce from a CSA (Community Share Agriculture) and offered it up on our neighborhood mailing list. Guess who was the fastest to jet on over to her neighbor's porch and pluck those tasty free veggies? That's right. Me.

Me, me, me, me, and me.

And what, pray tell, did I score? Radishes, padron peppers, Hungarian wax peppers, 8-ball squash, and carrots. This is the fun of a CSA. You get what you get, and then it is up to you to be creative. As for my plans...the wax peppers will store in the fridge for a bit and eventually be used as an ingredient in my homemade salsa (if I can ever get around to picking those tomatoes). The squash will provide a yummy side dish for the next three nights' dinners; the carrots will be eaten raw tomorrow (we love us some carrots); I've yet to plan for the radishes; but the padron peppers! Oh you tasty little morsels, you.

I've never had a padron pepper. I was wondering if I should use them, versus jalapenos, in my salsa. But a quick search on Google and I realized what a popular appetizer the padron pepper was. Essentially you just saute them in some olive oil until the skins brown and blister and finish with some sea salt. Voila! A party in your mouth. My husband and I devoured the little suckers.

(image courtesy of Jane Spice Recipes)