Happy Halloween!

Happy belated Halloween.  For your viewing pleasure, our little unicorn - hardly mythical I assure you - and a couch full of cuteness. 

My Fall Garden

I meant to hit post last night but couldn't find the photos I was looking for.

Tomorrow morning they are calling for possibly our first frost of the season. (Update - we did have our first frost - Brr!!!)  Welcome November.  I need to pick all of the close to ripe tomatoes tonight and put them on the windowsill.  I'll take my chances with the rest and will give them to the weekend to ripen.  I would like to clean out the garden this weekend coming, top dress with some compost and get the box ready for spring.  If it's not too late, I think I will plant the onion sets and some garlic as an experiment.  Michael promised to build me a second box for next year this fall, which will double our small garden plot.  Hopefully next spring we can add a third box and some more fruit bushes along the fence line.  I planted two blueberry bushes this year but would love to add a few more along with some blackberries and raspberry canes.  One day I will add a few grape vines but I think that will be a year or two down the road.  I need to remind myself to take baby steps since with two little ones next spring,  I will have limited time to devote.  Molly, I know, will be an even bigger help next year.  At 19 months she is an excellent harvester, I think at 2 she will be my official seed planter and water-er.  I hope that having a garden and tending it brings her the same joy and discovery it does me.  It's truly a miracle to watch the little ones grow, develop and understand the world around them.  I see why parents believe their greatest achievement is raising their progeny. I know few things delight me more than helping Molly grow.

Winter Fruit Salad

It's been a busy few weeks in the kitchen and I promise to post my favorites in the coming days.  With no regard to order, here's the most recent first. Tonight I made Smitten Kitchen's Winter Fruit Salad at the request of my best friend Emily.  Tomorrow is her birthday brunch and I said I would make something from her planned menu.  This was a first for me.  I've made many a fruit salad, chutney and poached pear but I don't think I've ever made a salad that combined all three attributes.  You start by making a simple syrup flavored with vanilla bean, star anise and lemon zest.  Poach dried in the completed syrup - the recipe calls for apricots and figs - unfortunately I forgot the figs at the market so I substituted prunes, raisins and craisins.  Once cooled, the syrup is poured over freshly sliced pears and apples and macerated overnight in the refrigerator.  When served, each bowl is to be sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.  We're at the macerating overnight stage but it really looks just lovely.  I promise photos of the completed salad once the pomegranate seeds are added.  I sampled a piece of dried fruit from the syrup and it is lightly flavored with anise but not overwhelmingly so.  I'm curious to see how the flavor develops overnight.  I may try substituting cinnamon sticks for the star anise next time.  Just for fun.  You can find the recipe here. With the photos, I'll post a full review.  In the interim, enjoy smittenkitchen's photography.  I am certain it will be superior to mine.

Verdict:

It really was delicious with a light anise flavor. The syrup was not cloying and felt fresh.  I recommend it for a change of pace.  I forgot to take a picture when I first plated it and while still tasty, it just didn't look as appetizing the next day.  You definitely don't want to make this recipe more than a day in advance.  Or if you do, slice the pears a bit thicker, they are much soften than the apples and didn't hold up as well.  

First Post

My first adventure in blogging was back in 2002 and I really enjoyed it for the few months I actively journalled.  I've been thinking for a while now that it is time to begin anew.  I hope to use this forum to keep everyone abreast of family news, our house progress, my own thoughts on the world and any other items that might interest me and hopefully you.

All my best, Jen