fall foods

Even though it was warmer than usual all week, I had intense cravings for fall foods. Roasted root vegetables, a potato and leek gratin and finally a gingerbread cake were exactly what I needed. The cake recipe came from Simply Recipes and was very dense and rich. It would have been improved by a good scoop of barely sweet whipped cream. Ha! What's not improved by whipped cream? You can find the cake recipe which is nice and easy to follow, right here.

back in the kitchen

After 10 days without cooking a single meal, I was actually excited and inspired to get back to making dinner. This month's bon appetit magazine was particularly full of good recipes so last week I tried out a few. Padang Curry was the best coconut based curry I have made yet. Going through the "hassle" of making curry paste is the difference between edible and good. A bigger hit though were the Corn Fritters which were devoured fresh and did surprisingly well reheated the next day. I recommend you give them a try. Don't forget the dipping sauce.
We took a trip to the library over the weekend and I picked up a book called "The Modern Vegetarian" by Peter Berley. Of the hundreds of options at the library, this one called to me because the recipes came across as creative without being weird and healthful while still being appetizing. Last night I made the Creamy White Bean-Garlic Soup with Rosemary which was somehow chock full of flavor and had about 5 ingredients. I will definitely make it again. I also tried this salad using raw mushrooms. The simple dressing contains no oil (healthy!) and the combination of fresh lemon juice and thyme and perfect for the season and their zing brought mushrooms to a whole new level. I just reread the recipe and found that I skipped over the step of whisking in 6 T olive oil. Umm, okay. How did that happen?! If you are attempting to avoid oils, go ahead and skip it like I did. We really had no idea. I'm sure adding it will mellow out the tang of the vinegar and lemon juice though so that is an option too. As it was, we decided the dressing was reminscent of mignonette and this would be our vegetarian version of oysters on the half shell. Therefore, next time I make this salad, I will be serving it with champagne.

Fresh Mushroom Salad with Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

2T fresh lemon juice

1T white wine vinegar (I used sherry vinegar because this is what I had)

1T finely chopped thyme leaves

1T finely chopped parsley

1t coarse sea salt

fresh black pepper

6 T extra-virgin olive oil

10 oz fresh white button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

6 cups mixed greens or lettuce

1) In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the oil, whisking to emulsify.

2) Add the mushrooms and toss gently to coat.

3) Add the greens, toss gently and serve.

appetizing

Posting this photo on facebook gave me more "likes" than just about anything I've ever done, so I figured it best to give you the recipe. It's barely even a recipe, more like a list of ingredients that you stack on top of each other, broil up for a bit and then eat -preferably alongside a perfect Sapphire Gin and Fever Tree tonic like I did.

Roasted Butternut Crostini
1 french baguette, sliced thinly
2 cups cubed butternut squash, save the rest of the squash for soup
2 t olive oil
1 c  ricotta (go for the good stuff if you have access to fresh ricotta)
10 fresh sage leaves
2 t butter
2 oz manchego cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Place the butternut squash on a cookie sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 min, or until soft and beginning to brown. Meanwhile, put 2 t butter into a saute pan and heat over low. Spread the melted butter evenly in the pan and place the sage leaves in it. When they begin to brown, use tongs and flip each one over. Cook for another minute and place on a plate to cool. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 t salt and 1/4 pepper and the ricotta and spread about a tablespoon onto each slice of bread. Top with a singe cube of squash, a tiny slice of manchego and just a hint of sage. Place all the slices onto your cookie sheet and put under the broiler to melt the cheese. Keep an eye on it, it only take a minute!

Not a squash fan? Try it with sliced pear.

fall/winter collection

it's fall

going home

I don't know if everyone thinks this about their own hometown, but the place I grew up is one of the most gorgeous places on Earth. It rained almost the whole weekend, but during a little break, we went out for a walk.

they had a good time, I swear

one of my jobs

I can't take credit for any of the design behind this fantastic wedding, I just came in at the end to help it all come together. I'd never been to Capay, but the dead grass, rollings hills and big sky reminded my of home.

a walk at the beach

Not to brag, but the weather has been absolutely gorgeous.

fall crafts

The girls all seem to love craft projects as much as I do, so we've doing working on lots of them. It can be tricky to find things that 2 1/2 year olds can manage. Here are a few that came out nicely.

buy it

My weekends have been full of canning, both for our own pantry and for Renegade. Here are a few of the goods you'll be able to buy.

Quince Jelly and Pear Butter.

saturday

I made it to the market after a few weeks. Things have changed! Citrus has made a debut and pears are gone for the most part. I bought some lovely mushrooms and a few fuyu persimmons for salad.






A new favorite snack. Radishes sliced thinly and doused with fresh lime juice, salt and chopped cilantro if you have it.

20 pounds of apples are turned into 13 pints of apple butter

death march

On our walk today...