If only Fall could last forever

Autumn has come in with a bang and I could not be happier. It's my favorite time of year here. It's funny how the simple and predictable change of seasons can have such a huge effect on my state of mind. When you live in the South you look forward to the fall, if only because it means the heat lets up and the mosquitoes die off. But add to that the beautiful colors that take over the sky and all the leaves turning red, orange, gold and yellow and, after months of unrelenting heat and humidity and non-stop complaining from me-- it reminds me of why it's nice to live in a place like this. Plus, fall is just my favorite season for many reasons. Baking in fall is the best; I love using apples and pears, walnuts and pumpkins. I love Halloween (and it's about to get even better now that June is going to understand it all). And I love the months leading up to the holidays because it gives me something to look forward to and plan. All the eating and baking and gathering with family and friends just makes me happy. Happier than I am in summer, and more energetic. Plus, there has been so much going on around here lately...

Buffalo Valley Farm, the site of a benefit farm dinner I participated in a few weeks ago.

A wagon ride to the fall fest at the East Nashville farmer's market

Sevier lake at Shelby Park, near our house, which celebrated 100 years recently

Smelling the lavender in bloom all over the neighborhood

Afternoon stroll through the leaves

I recently stopped working the night shifts at the restaurant and am only working in the kitchen. This is good for my mental state, bad for my pocketbook. But the trade-off is worth it to me right now. I love spending time with my family and June is in a particularly fun stage. She's extra verbal and funny and just full of life and fun to be around, despite the challenges of being a toddler.

We took June on her first camping trip last weekend, the first weekend I did not have to work a Sat. night since the beginning of August. It was so nice to be able to take off on Sat. morning and not return until Sunday afternoon. We went out to my in-laws' property in Hickman County which is in the woods, surrounded by the trees in full fall glory and it was a great time to be out there. We hiked in the woods, cooked a nice dinner (they have a cabin), drank wine, made s'mores and sat around the fire and attempted to sleep in a tent.

I say attempted because we set up the tent close to the house just in case we needed an exit. June had been looking forward to the trip all week--she nearly freaked when her daddy came home with a new, pink sleeping bag for her and new 5-person tent for us on Friday. But after reading books by flashlight and jumping around inside the tent, growing increasingly tired, she finally just said "Can we go inside now and go to bed?" I was fine since the temperature had dipped into the 40s and even with my down sleeping bag, I was still chilly. But Daniel was disappointed. In general I love sleeping outdoors and camping, but since having a baby sleep has become a precious commodity and I need all I can get.

Eating a s'more for the first time

We drove home the next day with one tired child, a whooped dog who had the best weekend she'd had in a long time (maybe since June's arrival on the scene) and two rested parents. We vowed to do that again soon.

Now I'm getting ready for a much-anticipated visit from my dad (who is "Papa" to June) and we are excited to spend some time with him. It will be a busy and fun weekend with two Halloween parties, other fall events around town, dinner plans out at the restaurant and hopefully some continued beautiful fall weather.

Tomorrow night at the restaurant we have our first Chef's table - a 3-course special dinner off the menu, reservations only and it's sure to be booked. The family style menu will feature fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans, gravy, turnip greens and more. And I'm making a special dessert:

Apple Brown Betty with bourbon whipped cream. I'll be peeling, coring and cutting apples all morning but it should be fun.

And on Thursday I'm hosting a Halloween cookie decorating party for my mom's club friends. I need to make all the sugar cookies first so the kids just have to decorate them. When will I do this??


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



And one day if I ever have time I'm going to make this maple-apple upside down cake. Doesn't it just look so perfect for a late afternoon snack with a cup of coffee?

Fall could go on forever as far as I'm concerned.

Slow it down...

Have you ever felt like you thought you understood the passage of time and then something happens and it all goes out the window? Time, your understanding of it, how much you need, how little you have, how you wish you could stop the clock? Like how I thought it was September and was enjoying the onset of fall and now I look up and what?? It's November?! And it's halfway over! What is happening? People always say time goes by faster when you have children and I never got that. But now I do.

It has been a super fun time with Junebug lately too. She is walking, running, talking a LOT (she has the vocabulary of someone twice her age we think) and is the world's happiest baby. We've done some really fun things with her over the last few months like trips to the Nashville zoo, a road trip to Kentucky to visit her great-aunts, a Dia de los muertos and scarecrow exhibit at Cheekwood, a fun Halloween party and kids' parade, taking her out on Friday nights for dinner and letting her eat everything we're eating (loving this), and lots of stories and puppet shows at the library. She loves books and her dolls and her "nuggy" (a sock puppet owl given to her by her uncle Chris that she takes to bed with her every night). Her teacher at her mom's day out program said she is doing great, she's very smart and also very visual.

She said, unlike a lot of the other children, June actually likes to sit still during story time and look at the book. Imagine that.

And as for the diet and I, well we broke up. But I did do the cleanse pretty strictly for two weeks and felt the effects of all the good it was doing. I should have kept it up but I felt like it was getting to be too hard. And, no excuses--I just didn't have the resolve. I solved one health mystery, though, and I don't think I am gluten-intolerant. And I discovered what can happen when things get out of balance so in the future I know when and with what things I need to tighten the reigns. I also know I can't live without coffee, at least not right now when I have a baby who naps little and likes to get up at 5:30. I know I can live on butternut squash and quinoa, brown rice and veggies and that anything sprinkled with Gomasio tastes a hundred times better. And I quit drinking beer every night and that in itself has made a huge difference.

I still have been trying to cook in a healthier way and to that end have made a lot of things with the produce of fall: squash and cauliflower, brussels sprouts, pumpkin and kale. Like this roasted cauliflower and butternut with bread crumbs; and a brussels sprout and cauliflower pasta recipe from Marc Vetri with toasted bread crumbs and anchovies. It was delicious. Find the recipe here.

Instead of pasta lately we've been eating more brown rice. I love it. It such a deep and nutty flavor that, unlike white rice, I could eat it just on its own or with a fried egg on top, some scallions and a dash of soy. Here is a great primer I just came across in the dining section of the NY Times on the many ways to prepare brown rice including some recipes.

Oh - and I almost forgot to mention one of the few things I baked last month, which was also one of the best things I've ever made: pumpkin whoopie pies from the Baked cookbook. OMG. They were sick. In a good way. No one could believe how moist and yummy and pop-four-in-your-mouth good they were. And pretty cute too, don't you think?

In other news, I applied for a job in a far away place --a place which I love and in which it would be amazing to live for a while. It's a long long long shot for me but I couldn't not apply. I'll be looking for more opportunities like this one in the coming months and, who knows? We could end up doing something really adventurous really soon which would be just what the doctor ordered.

surprisingly good green tomato soup

I continue to be amazed at how time is passing by without letting up. My little girl is almost 5 mos. old and changing everyday and here we are already the week of Thanksgiving and I'm still posting about tomatoes! But, alas, life is moving way too quickly and I am trying to enjoy it in the present and not worry about the rest. Time is relative as long as you are happy in the moment. And I'm happiest in my kitchen with my little Junebug watching me cook.



I recently had an overabundance of green tomatoes on my hands and did not know what to do with them. I made fried green tomato sandwiches once and they were tasty, but once the novelty wears off, they are not as exciting as they sound.



So I found this-- a recipe for Green Tomato Soup with bacon and brioche croutons. I see it is from last year which means I must have saved it and never got around to making it until now. But am I glad I did! It was an unexpectedly great soup that was both easy to make and very yummy. Not the usual random-dish-I-made-to-use-up whatever ingredient.

The bacon is a nice smoky counterpart to the tartness of the green apples. And the croutons --any kind will do--offer a good textural bite that complements the soup. This would go really well as a first course for dinner, or as a perfect lunch alongside some grilled cheese sandwiches.

Next year when my tomato plants over-produce at the END of the summer and into the Fall when it's too cold for them to ripen (arrgggh) I will at least know what to do with them.

seasonal abundance (moroccan sweet potatoes)

So, here I go again, you will say, harping on the importance of eating seasonally and locally. I will never stop preaching this, just like I won't stop trying to help people "see the light" about the upcoming election. Like today, when I lectured the cable guy on the urgency of voting for change and eventually got him to agree to leave my house and go vote for Obama! A minor victory, but still.

My countertops are filled with the bounty of fall and I love it. Our farmer has been coming through with even better stuff than I thought possible this season. Like the beautiful little sweet potatoes that I turned into this dish: Moroccan spiced sweet potatoes (adapted from Alice Waters) that we loved.



Or the big, dark green chard I used in this dish of chick peas, tomotoes and chard.



Both were equally delicious and while they could have served as perfect side dishes to something more substantial, I didn't have to serve then with anything so I didn't. We just ate them on their own with some spicy red wine on a cool autumn evening. No meat necessary, but a nice roasted chicken would have been the perfect thing. Come to think of it, because of the abundance of beautiful local greens, squash, potatoes and other veggies, we haven't eaten meat in over a week!

We probably had something with apples for dessert as they too are overflowing onto my kitchen counters. Apple sauce, apple cake, apple pie, you name it. It's all in the name of eating seasonally. And if you weren't sure that this was good for your health, read this article a friend sent to me today on the surprising benefits of eating seasonally.

Moroccan sweet potato salad (from A. Waters' The Art of Simple Food)

Peel about 1 lb of sweet potatoes and cut into large cubes.
Toss with olive oil and salt and roast on baking dish in 375 degree oven. When done, remove and let cool.
Whisk together:
a pinch of saffron threads, 1/2 tsp. of grated fresh ginger, a pinch of cumin, 1 tsp. of paprika, salt, 2 tblsp fresh lemon juice, 3 tblsp extra virgin o. oil.

Stir in:
2 tblsp of chopped cilantro or parsley

Spoon the marinade over the lukewarm sweet potatoes and let sit for 30 min. Serve at room temperature.