How lucky are we to have Spring come again? The trees are waking up, small buds perk a little every day. Our dogs run outside in the sunshine until they’re sore; puffing in the still-cold air. I’m learning to love Spring for what it is: a greeting, a promise, a chance to try something new.

And so I bring a bruschetta. I use this term loosely, of course. It’s toast. With goat cheese. Micro-greens and tomatoes roasted to the point of jamminess with half an onion to cut the sweetness. Topped with an egg, the freshest I could find: still warmed from the morning lay where I tucked it into my pajama pocket when I opened up the barn door for a flock of eager, hungry, crowing hens.

Vermont Creamery asked me to provide a “tip” for Spring cookery. Mine is to surround yourself with animals, all kinds and all ages and all sizes. Dogs to comfort you, to keep you warm in the still-cold morning. Chickens to watch from your kitchen window, to give you fresh eggs every day. We can learn a lot from chickens, you know. Keep busy, rest often, and keep one eye on your friends at all times.

Ingredients:

6 campari tomatoes or whatever variety you have at hand, sliced in half or quartered if larger
½ white onion, chopped
4 slices of your favorite rustic, crusty bread
4 eggs
4 oz Vermont Creamery goat cheese, slightly warmed to room temperature
½ cup arugula or other microgreens
Rice wine vinegar or a lemon half
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450*F
Line a sheet pan with parchment or foil (for easy cleaning)
Drizzle tomatoes and onions with a little oil and roast for 25-30 minutes until skin is wrinkled on tomatoes and onions are softened and browned
Remove from oven and allow to cool
While tomatoes are cooling, toast your bread and fry 4 eggs in your preferred method
Evenly spread goat cheese on each piece of toast
Top each with greens, then roasted tomatoes
Gently place fried egg on all slices
Either squeeze a little lemon or a teensy drizzle of vinegar on egg
Season to taste and enjoy!

I was never one to think about gardening, to be honest. Last year, all we grew were some radishes and onions, but that was because Nolan's dad told us to and then planted them himself anyways. What I liked, as is what I like about Nolan and the dogs and the chickens, is that I feel needed. That something relied on me. That there was a benefit to tending to something outside of myself.

And so, I had it in mind that this year would be the year that we create more than small dishes. That we would harvest things in terracotta pots and large plots of tilled soil and that it would be a reason to stick around the house a little bit longer. This thought nagged at my mind. I looked up farm pictures of Daylesford and others. I looked up the cost of a farmer's market booth. I did everything I could to grow something beautiful in my mind and, like always, I read all that I could on the topic in the months that followed.

And we waited until the snow stopped, all the way into late May. And then another week for the grass to die. And then we planted. In pots on our deck and in small holes in the soil, we planted everything we could: herbs and flowers and vegetables. And while we wait for the soil to create its magic, I look out the kitchen window at the herb garden and see every touch of beauty one can imagine: peppers dangling from the stem and boastful herbs relaxed in the sunlight.

And I am proud of the magic I have created myself. I'm proud to share it all with you in the upcoming weeks. This is the first of many recipes from our garden, all thanks to Tractor Supply Co. Expect recipes using jalapenos, dill, parsley, basil, lemon balm, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, arugula, kale, and much more in the upcoming months.

Blueberry Chèvre Cheesecake Parfait
Topped with basil picked from my Bonnie Plants herb garden

Ingredients:

4 graham crackers, pulverized with a rolling pin or food processor
6 oz goat cheese (I used Vermont Creamery's blueberry and lemon chevre, but you could also use regular goat cheese and 2 TB smashed blueberries)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 5 oz jar of Oui vanilla yogurt (sub with greek if you can't find Oui)
1 brick cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 TB vanilla extract
3 TB confectioner's sugar
1 TB lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup whipped cream
Basil for garnish

Directions:

Sprinkle in about a 1/2 inch into your Oui yogurt jars (or any small jar you may have on hand)
In a stand mixer, beat together all remaining ingredients (except whipped cream and basil)
Transfer to piping bag and pipe into jars over your graham cracker crumbs
Rest in fridge for 1 hour to firm up
Top with whipped cream and basil and enjoy!

Author's Notes: Really, you can't mess this recipe up and it's pretty variable for that reason. You can make it sweeter, add more extracts, add a different fruit, exclude the yogurt, add sour cream, sweeten with honey. It's more just about having a little treat than an exact science with this one!