Creswick Farms!

After taking a bit of a hiatus for a couple of months, Andrea Creswick's name popped up in my Gmail inbox on Sunday. Andrea and Nathan Creswick own and operate Creswick Farms out in Ravenna. Andrea is one of the most cheerful, positive people that I have ever met. I love getting her monthly newsy emails about what's happening on their farm and how their one year old baby (...toddler) is doing. We have been buying our meat from Andrea and Nathan since we moved to Lansing back in 2004. They raise cows, pigs, lambs and laying hens on pasture. And, unlike the meat that comes from animals raised in a CAFO (confined animal feeding operation...or crowded animal feeding operation), the meat from Creswick Farms comes from animals that have never been treated with hormones or antibiotics. From an ethical and public health standpoint, the pasture and hormone/antibiotic issues are important to me. The delicious taste and juiciness of the meat is a bonus! You can't buy Creswick Farms meat at the grocery store. But you can once a month behind the Cracker Barrel in Okemos. Yes, in a parking lot! Once a month, Andrea and Nathan drive from Ravenna to Okemos with their big freezer truck filled with homemade sausages, Canadian bacon, eggs, chicken, lamb, pork, beef, and a couple of times a year, turkey. Their next trip is on March 8. Orders need to be placed via email (creswick@altelco.net) or phone (616-837-9226) by March 2!

Caroline's Lunchbox Menu, February 27: Breakfast - ten grain hot cereal, prunes, Satsuma orange; Lunch - spinach and mushroom quiche, Pink Lady apple, carrots; Snacks - Queen's Lace peaches (frozen last summer), cottage cheese

Childcare Center Menu, February 27: Breakfast - bananas, oatmeal, raisins; Lunch - quiche, spinach, apples, carrots; Snacks - watermelon, flour tortillas with cream cheese

Noodles and Tines

It is finally beginning to feel like fall around here. Our weekend was chilly (about 50 F) and its been raining since late this afternoon. We went to the farmers' market on Saturday and bought what may be our last fresh tomatoes for the season - an assortment of cherry tomatoes and a quart of big, beautiful red slicers. And just as the weather is getting cooler, Caroline is finally becoming more interested in cooked tomatoes. Geoff made spaghetti with meatballs for dinner tonight and Caroline really liked it! Spaghetti and meatballs is Geoff's specialty. He doesn't follow a recipe but the meatballs are made with ground beef from Creswick Farms, fresh thyme and parsley, onions, bread crumbs, garlic, and eggs. They taste a little bit different every time but are always perfect especially on cold nights. Caroline actually wasn't that interested in the meatballs until I gave them a couple of pulses in the Cuisinart mini-prep. She started using a fork last weekend and loved watching me twirl her noodles around the tines. She'd watch, grab the fork, and aim for her mouth. And surprisingly, most of the noddles and sauce did end up in her mouth!

Caroline's Lunchbox Menu, October 15: Breakfast - O's, red raspberries; Lunch - whole wheat spaghetti, tomato and meat sauce, zucchini, salad (green leaf lettuce, chard, baby spinach), apple slices; Snacks - mixed variety of cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese

Childcare Center Menu, October 15: Breakfast - orange juice, Cheerios, Life, Rice Krispies; Lunch - spaghetti with turkey sauce, salad, bananas; Snacks - crackers, cheese