Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

I have never cooked for four people before. After eating out of a microwave for the past eight months, the task to cook enough breakfast, lunch and dinner to satisfy a farmer's appetite was as daunting a challenge as they come. Despite all this, however, I was excited and had been looking forward to this opportunity long before my apprenticeship on the farm began. Borrowing recipes from Courtney, Daniel and Alice Waters (and making sure to double the original serving size), I enjoyed eating the food I prepared and earned a better sense of things to improve on for next time.

French Toast
(8 servings)
Whisk: 10 eggs
Add: Pinch of sea salt, pinch of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon cinnamon.Continue to whisk.
Soak into eggs: 16 of 3/4-inch thick slices of bread (sourdough, multi-grain)
Heat nonstick pan to medium and add teaspoon of lard, oil or butter. Add soaked bread slices to pan and turn after 1 1/2 minutes or when the bottom side of the bread slice turns light brown. Check again after 1 1/2 minutes or until the bread is soft and moist to the touch. Remove from the pan and serve with butter and maple syrup.

Pasta with Béchamel (White) Sauce and Kale
(8 servings)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook until al dente and drain: 1 1/2 to 2 pounds spaghetti or spaghettini.
In a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, sauté: 1 large brown onion, followed by enough kale to fill the pan.
When the kale is cooked thoroughly, add: 3 cloves of minced garlic and turn off heat. Mix in with pasta.
Separately, melt in a heavy-bottomed pot: 6 tablespoons butter.
Stir in: 6 tablespoons flour.
Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add, bit by bit, whisking constantly: 4 cups milk.
To avoid lumps, completely whisk in each addition of milk before adding the next. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring all the time. Turn down to a bare simmer and stir occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking. Season with a pinch of sea salt, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne.
Immediately add to pasta and sauteed vegetables. Mix and serve right away or keep warm. (The sauce will solidify when cool.)

(Recipe from The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters)

Pizza Bread Slices with Kale
(6 servings)
Butter: 10 slices of bread (sourdough, multi-grain). Toast until edges begin begin to brown.
Sauté using a 12 inch heavy bottomed pan: 2 medium-sized red onions, followed by enough kale to fill the pan.
When the kale is cooked thoroughly, add: 3 cloves of minced garlic and turn off heat. Place on top of toasted bread slices.
Afterwards, add: Only enough tomato sauce to cover half of each bread slice. This will minimize the sauce from soaking through the bread. Place slices of your favorite cheese on top of sauce. Broil in oven until cheese melts. Serve immediately.