City Market

I am an attention-whore. At least that's what Uriah called me when I dressed Finn up in his little zebra outfit to go to City Market on Saturday.

I wish you could see the tail on the back of this.

In my defense, we took him to the doctor first because he had a bit of a stuffy nose. I fully admit to being over-protective and wanting a medical professional to tell me that my kid had not picked up the Swine Flu during his first week at daycare. It cost me $20, but peace of mind is priceless. It was a little windy on Saturday so I wanted to keep his ears covered and, well, in all honesty, the zebra suit was calling my name. And really, is it my fault that he's just so damn cute and people oohed and ahhed and exclaimed to each other in reverent voices, "Look at that cute baby!" In fact, it can probably be considered a public service. Think of all the smiles that Finn created; the world was a better place on Saturday because of his zebra suit.

Yes, she is wearing a Justin Bieber shirt.
She has the Bieber-Fever.

Back to City Market...we went on a mission to get tomatoes so that I could make my Mama's Tomato Soup recipe. It is the most delicious goodness in the world and pretty much the only tomato soup I drink. But it takes a lot of tomatoes. And a juicer, but I don't have one of those (another story for another time). And, being Labor Day weekend, it was busy! We maneuvered the stroller through the crowds and somehow ended up with tomatoes, corn on the cob, some hot peppers that Uriah plans stuff with cheese and chicken later this week and then grill (I may have to have a beer with this little treat!). And purple peppers.


Purple peppers, you might ask? What does one do with a purple pepper? Good question. I asked Uriah and Abby the same thing. They had no idea. I'm pretty sure Uriah only bought them because Abby thought they looked pretty. So I did a little research. Purple peppers get their color from anthocyanin, which is the same antioxidant found in blueberries. Purple peppers are apparently not as sweet as red, orange or yellow peppers, but they stay crunchy after cooking better than the other pepper colors. The purple color will also leak out of the pepper when it is immersed in water, so it won't always look as bright and pretty after it's cooked. For this reason, I want to try a recipe that doesn't require cooking them in water or steaming them (such as a stuffed pepper would). I found an English Pea Salad that doesn't cook the pepper at all and a Multi-Pepper Salad that roasts the pepper. If I have enough of the purples, I might just try them both. And if you're going to be at Aaron and Angie's this weekend you'll get a taste!

We're going back to City Market in a couple of weeks to see what new fall produce is available. I'm looking forward to squashes and pumpkins. Maybe some apples to make apple sauce with. And crisp weather and jeans and sweaters and hats and crunchy leaves and seeing my breath. Reality check: this is Missouri, so I'll have to wait for November for any of that! But I can still make an apple pie and pretend it's fall...and Finn has an owl hat to sport.