Finally, the last day of August. Fall air is already creeping in this week, and I love it. We left our bedroom window open last night, but snuggled underneath a full set of sheets and blankets. I wore a sweater to work today. We seem to return to ourselves each fall. We get into a better routine, we eat dinner at the dining table instead of in front of the tv, our house looks its best dressed up in pumpkins and yellow and orange leaves. Fall has always been a time of change for me, mostly good—of course, going back to school each year, with new books, teachers, classrooms. I moved to Dayton in September. I always seem to start new jobs in the fall. Josh and I got married in October. We moved into our house in October. Will this fall yet again bring change? Will it be good change?
A list of my favorite things about fall, and why I look forward to this time of year more than any other:
Weather cool enough for sweaters and jackets, but no snow or bitter cold.
Colored leaves and trees are so much more interesting and beautiful to look at than a sea of green.
Kicking through piles of dried leaves on the sidewalk.
The sky is bluer, in my opinion, in October than any other time of year.
Rainy, chilly days of staying inside and making and eating a giant pot of chili or soup.
The smell of fireplaces and bonfires and burning leaves.
It’s cool enough to start baking again.
Back to school-ness must be ingrained in me, because this time of year makes me want to read, read, read—thick classics, while curled up in an armchair with something warm to drink.
Apple cider, apple pie, baked apples, caramel apples…
Pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice lattes…
Halloween is my favorite holiday and I love decorating, seeing other people’s decorations, reading spooky stories, making costumes, and sitting on the front porch drinking hot cider and passing out candy.
A new one: when it’s actually dark at 8:00, it’s much easier to get Georgia to go to bed.
New TV starts (no more crappy reality filler shows!).
Long drives in the country, looking at leaves.
Yay, fall!
8.31.2009
8.27.2009
A Victorious Shopping Day
I love coupons. I wish I could frame my grocery store receipt from yesterday--$50 of food for $20. Of course, that was just a special shopping trip to take advantage of Kroger having stuff on sale that I also had coupons for, mostly “backup” meals I can keep in the back of the cupboard or freezer for emergencies. We now have about three months’ worth of cookie dough in the freezer. I also came in under budget for my regular grocery trip--$48! Yes, $48 for a family of three for a week. On the menu for this week is:
Steak with tomatoes and scallions and corn on the cob
Orecchiette with cauliflower, bacon, and breadcrumbs
Tomato-pepper soup with ham and cheese wraps
Grilled pork chops with cucumber dill salad
Asian noodle salad with chicken and cilantro
Grilled chicken Cobb salad
(All recipes from Everyday Food except the pasta, from Serious Eats)
Not bad for fifty bucks—plus stuff for sandwiches for lunches, and the aforementioned bonus coupon trip yielded enough breakfasty items to last at least a couple weeks.
We went thrift shopping in the afternoon. I was on a mission to find a new fall jacket, because I haven't been pleased with what I've seen in stores so far. I found one I really liked, sort of motorcycle style in a khaki color. It was only after I got it home that I realized I already had the same jacket in black, purchased several years ago from Target. No wonder I liked it so much! We also got an owl trick or treat bucket for Georgia and an orange cat alarm clock for Josh (he has an obsession with orange cats). At the next thrift store I found a cute nautical-style striped sweater, Josh bought some video and cassette tapes, and Georgia picked out a book about the human body (I don’t know. It was shaped like a little person. She pulled it off the shelf and looked at it through the entire time at the store and the trip home). They had a vintage bike Josh was begging to get, but he’s already bought two vintage bikes in the last month that haven’t even been ridden yet!
We had the grilled chicken Cobb salad last night. They looked pretty, but ended up tasting quite bitter. I’m not sure what went wrong. Was the romaine lettuce bitter? Did I put too much Dijon in the vinaigrette? Was the bit of sesame oil I put in the vinaigrette bad? Who knows.
Next week I fully expect to completely blow the grocery budget. It’s Josh’s birthday and he’s requested wine braised short ribs. I’m going to use the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which calls for both red wine and port. I’m a bit nervous about this. I was a vegetarian for a long time, so I feel like a bit of a novice when it comes to cooking meat--especially red meat, which I rarely eat. We’ll also be having a cobbled together recipe for chirquican—a Chilean side dish made of mashed potatoes, pumpkin, bacon, onion, and various vegetables. Josh saw this meal on an episode of No Reservations and insisted that it be his birthday dinner. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Steak with tomatoes and scallions and corn on the cob
Orecchiette with cauliflower, bacon, and breadcrumbs
Tomato-pepper soup with ham and cheese wraps
Grilled pork chops with cucumber dill salad
Asian noodle salad with chicken and cilantro
Grilled chicken Cobb salad
(All recipes from Everyday Food except the pasta, from Serious Eats)
Not bad for fifty bucks—plus stuff for sandwiches for lunches, and the aforementioned bonus coupon trip yielded enough breakfasty items to last at least a couple weeks.
We went thrift shopping in the afternoon. I was on a mission to find a new fall jacket, because I haven't been pleased with what I've seen in stores so far. I found one I really liked, sort of motorcycle style in a khaki color. It was only after I got it home that I realized I already had the same jacket in black, purchased several years ago from Target. No wonder I liked it so much! We also got an owl trick or treat bucket for Georgia and an orange cat alarm clock for Josh (he has an obsession with orange cats). At the next thrift store I found a cute nautical-style striped sweater, Josh bought some video and cassette tapes, and Georgia picked out a book about the human body (I don’t know. It was shaped like a little person. She pulled it off the shelf and looked at it through the entire time at the store and the trip home). They had a vintage bike Josh was begging to get, but he’s already bought two vintage bikes in the last month that haven’t even been ridden yet!
We had the grilled chicken Cobb salad last night. They looked pretty, but ended up tasting quite bitter. I’m not sure what went wrong. Was the romaine lettuce bitter? Did I put too much Dijon in the vinaigrette? Was the bit of sesame oil I put in the vinaigrette bad? Who knows.
Next week I fully expect to completely blow the grocery budget. It’s Josh’s birthday and he’s requested wine braised short ribs. I’m going to use the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which calls for both red wine and port. I’m a bit nervous about this. I was a vegetarian for a long time, so I feel like a bit of a novice when it comes to cooking meat--especially red meat, which I rarely eat. We’ll also be having a cobbled together recipe for chirquican—a Chilean side dish made of mashed potatoes, pumpkin, bacon, onion, and various vegetables. Josh saw this meal on an episode of No Reservations and insisted that it be his birthday dinner. I’ll let you know how it goes!
8.25.2009
Back to School
It’s probably just the time of year, but I find myself actually missing school these days. I just read a post on The Kitchn about spicing up college cafeteria food and suddenly I was back in my own college cafeteria. I remember very vividly the smells, the trays, the gray and mauve decorating scheme, the card swipers, figuring out where to sit… I was a vegetarian for most of my college years and went to school in the South, where they put meat in green beans, so most of my lunches consisted of veggie and cheese sandwiches from the sandwich bar. And I always, always, drank raspberry iced tea. I’d almost forgotten about this until I ordered one at a restaurant a couple weeks ago and realized it tasted like “college.”
I know my college days weren’t all light and fun and happy, even though that’s how I remember them. I struggled seriously in my first semester with my chosen major (biochemistry—that didn’t last!) and homesickness. Although I had quite a few friends and friendly acquaintances, I mostly felt like an outcast at my happy/sunny/preppy Christian college. I had a dark, sarcastic sense of humor, I liked “secular” music, movies, and TV, I devoured fashion magazines and design blogs instead of the Bible (okay, I’m not a total heathen—I read the Bible, too), my clothing choices leaned toward the thrift-store indie-rocker look. I am by nature a loner and this was only emphasized at college. I probably looked lonely and pathetic to an outsider, but you know what? I enjoyed eating by myself most days, reading a favorite book or magazine and observing the people around me. I liked spending afternoons dawdling in the library, finding a forgotten corner to hole up in and read books that weren’t required for class. I liked spending fall evenings strolling through the small town adjacent to the college. It’s strange to think that there will never be another time like this in my life. The next time I get excited/scared about college, it will be in 17 years when my daughter goes. I don’t have the luxury of loneliness anymore. I have a husband and daughter to be accountable to, who will worry if I go off by myself for too long. Don’t get me wrong, I love that my Saturday nights are now filled with hanging out with Josh, watching movies, drinking wine, and making dinner together. But every once in a while, I’d like to return to my college days with a lonely evening eating a cheese and veggie sandwich, watching Freaks & Geeks with some vending machine snacks, followed by a stroll through someone else’s neighborhood, getting glimpses through living room windows of the life that I now have.
So, in honor of college, a “recipe” for another sandwich I often had for lunch after I moved into an on-campus apartment and had a real kitchen.
Ingredients:
Pre-sliced honey wheat bread, preferably Kroger brand (if they still make this)
Your favorite baking apple, cored and sliced
Some havarti cheese, sliced (dill is good, plain is fine)
Butter
Maple syrup
Salt and pepper
Place sliced apples on a foil-lined toaster oven tray. Dot each slice with a little butter, drizzle with maple syrup, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake in toaster oven, turning once, until apples are soft when pierced with a knife. Place apples on a slice of bread, drizzling with any leftover juices in the tray. Top with havarti and another slice of bread. Wait, if you have time between classes, to eat until the cheese has softened and melted a little bit from contact with the warm apples. Enjoy with some Dijon kettle chips and raspberry iced tea. Have some chocolate chip cookies (from your care package from mom!) for dessert.
I know my college days weren’t all light and fun and happy, even though that’s how I remember them. I struggled seriously in my first semester with my chosen major (biochemistry—that didn’t last!) and homesickness. Although I had quite a few friends and friendly acquaintances, I mostly felt like an outcast at my happy/sunny/preppy Christian college. I had a dark, sarcastic sense of humor, I liked “secular” music, movies, and TV, I devoured fashion magazines and design blogs instead of the Bible (okay, I’m not a total heathen—I read the Bible, too), my clothing choices leaned toward the thrift-store indie-rocker look. I am by nature a loner and this was only emphasized at college. I probably looked lonely and pathetic to an outsider, but you know what? I enjoyed eating by myself most days, reading a favorite book or magazine and observing the people around me. I liked spending afternoons dawdling in the library, finding a forgotten corner to hole up in and read books that weren’t required for class. I liked spending fall evenings strolling through the small town adjacent to the college. It’s strange to think that there will never be another time like this in my life. The next time I get excited/scared about college, it will be in 17 years when my daughter goes. I don’t have the luxury of loneliness anymore. I have a husband and daughter to be accountable to, who will worry if I go off by myself for too long. Don’t get me wrong, I love that my Saturday nights are now filled with hanging out with Josh, watching movies, drinking wine, and making dinner together. But every once in a while, I’d like to return to my college days with a lonely evening eating a cheese and veggie sandwich, watching Freaks & Geeks with some vending machine snacks, followed by a stroll through someone else’s neighborhood, getting glimpses through living room windows of the life that I now have.
So, in honor of college, a “recipe” for another sandwich I often had for lunch after I moved into an on-campus apartment and had a real kitchen.
Ingredients:
Pre-sliced honey wheat bread, preferably Kroger brand (if they still make this)
Your favorite baking apple, cored and sliced
Some havarti cheese, sliced (dill is good, plain is fine)
Butter
Maple syrup
Salt and pepper
Place sliced apples on a foil-lined toaster oven tray. Dot each slice with a little butter, drizzle with maple syrup, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake in toaster oven, turning once, until apples are soft when pierced with a knife. Place apples on a slice of bread, drizzling with any leftover juices in the tray. Top with havarti and another slice of bread. Wait, if you have time between classes, to eat until the cheese has softened and melted a little bit from contact with the warm apples. Enjoy with some Dijon kettle chips and raspberry iced tea. Have some chocolate chip cookies (from your care package from mom!) for dessert.
8.24.2009
Obsessing Over Dinner
It’s late afternoon and, as is normal this time of day, my thoughts turn to dinner. For the past year or so, I’ve been attempting to plan our meals ahead of time, because this was happening way too often:
Me: Whaddya want for dinner tonight?
Husband: I dunno, what do you want?
Me: I dunno, what do we have stuff for?
Husband: Nothing. We’ll probably have to go to the store.
Followed by a hungry trip to the grocery store where we proceed to drop $50 on ingredients for one dinner plus whatever we see that looks good (which, at 7 in the evening on an empty stomach, is EVERYTHING).
So I’m learning to plan. I’ve actually gotten a bit compulsive about it. I keep a spreadsheet with each week of the year on a tab and I list 6 dinners, then a grocery list broken up into different grocery store departments.
This is not “me.” This is something a super-organized, together, clean-freak type person would do. I’m pretty much the opposite of those things. But here I am, planning meals months in advance and coordinating and organizing them so I can only buy ingredients once and we’re eating what’s in season. I think the only reason I am successful at this is because of how much I love food. I obsessively read food blogs and magazines and compile recipes.
So back to this afternoon, and thinking about dinner. We’re having Thai lettuce wraps. Josh (the husband) is making them. Last time he made them, they were pretty amazing. He roasted a pork shoulder basted with some magical sauce he made up. We sat on the back porch with a pile of lettuce leaves on a plate, a mound of shredded pork, and some sort of soy sauce-cilantro-carrot-chili pepper dipping/drizzling sauce Josh, again, made up. It was spicy and drippy and crunchy and everything you’d want a summer evening’s dinner on the back porch to be.
How much longer until dinner?
Me: Whaddya want for dinner tonight?
Husband: I dunno, what do you want?
Me: I dunno, what do we have stuff for?
Husband: Nothing. We’ll probably have to go to the store.
Followed by a hungry trip to the grocery store where we proceed to drop $50 on ingredients for one dinner plus whatever we see that looks good (which, at 7 in the evening on an empty stomach, is EVERYTHING).
So I’m learning to plan. I’ve actually gotten a bit compulsive about it. I keep a spreadsheet with each week of the year on a tab and I list 6 dinners, then a grocery list broken up into different grocery store departments.
This is not “me.” This is something a super-organized, together, clean-freak type person would do. I’m pretty much the opposite of those things. But here I am, planning meals months in advance and coordinating and organizing them so I can only buy ingredients once and we’re eating what’s in season. I think the only reason I am successful at this is because of how much I love food. I obsessively read food blogs and magazines and compile recipes.
So back to this afternoon, and thinking about dinner. We’re having Thai lettuce wraps. Josh (the husband) is making them. Last time he made them, they were pretty amazing. He roasted a pork shoulder basted with some magical sauce he made up. We sat on the back porch with a pile of lettuce leaves on a plate, a mound of shredded pork, and some sort of soy sauce-cilantro-carrot-chili pepper dipping/drizzling sauce Josh, again, made up. It was spicy and drippy and crunchy and everything you’d want a summer evening’s dinner on the back porch to be.
How much longer until dinner?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)