november first. it's a beautiful day outside. sun shining, burnt sienna leaves falling, remnants of last night's festivities decorating homes...on porches sit pumpkins carved with expressions of curiosity and drollery, maladriot scarecrows rest in gardens, synthetic cobwebs blow off shrubs and into the streets...

i was lucky enough to go trick or treating last night with chelsea and ella. i'm embarrassed to admit that it had only been eight years since my last trick-or-treating experience...and i'm 28. you can do the math. all i can say about that is that i had a very fun-loving boyfriend in college who loved peanut m and m's...enough to get dressed up with me and go out soliciting candy in-between studying for physics and astronomy exams :) that year, i was a native american maiden and he was a technicolor cowboy. this year, i wore my homemade forest gnome costume and ella zipped into her tiny pink, fluffy piglet disguise. she was beyond cuteness. i'll let the pictures speak for themselves :)

more to come tonight...

green fire farm poppy...a mature fuschia bloom in june, pollinators buzzing about its delicate petals...in august, a dried pod resting in the hot sun, full of dark brown and black seeds...one of those seeds buried under a thin layer of soil in late september...and in october, a fragile but determined sprout pushing up into the sun...the cycles of life...so simple to see...

*

*

"don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant."
-robert louis stevenson

*

...although i didn't make blue ribbon status this year with my entry at the uc santa cruz harvest festival, i'm still proud of my lil' apple pie...and of the fact that i found a way to sneak libations into the recipe :)

*

newtown pippen apple pie

*

Pastry for Double-Crust Pie

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup butter (very cold and cut into half-inch cubes)

2 t granulated sugar

0.5 t salt

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry-blender, cut in the butter until the pieces are pea-sized. Sprinkle 1 T cold water over the mixture and toss with a fork. Repeat, using 1 T water at a time (use a total of 5-6 T water) until all the flour mixture is moistened. Shape into a ball; wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate at least one hour. While the dough is chilling, make the caramel apples.

Caramel Apples

1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the top

3 tablespoons water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup red wine (mulled wine would work GREAT here)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon lemon juice

8 Newtown Pippen apples
1 tablespoon flour

1 tsp cinnamon, divided into two

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the caramel sauce: place the sugar and water in a small pot and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner and add the cream and wine slowly. There may be some bubbling and spitting, so beware! Return the sauce to the flame, add the vanilla, and heat it slowly, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool until thickened (make sure it's pretty thick, or the pie will be runny...but still tasty).

Fill a large bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice. Peel, halve and core the apples. Put the apple halves in the lemon as you finish peeling and cutting all of them to prevent oxidation. Then drain the apples and toss with the flour and half a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the waxed paper, and cut the ball in half. Rewrap and return one of the balls to the refrigerator, until ready for the top crust. Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes so it will be pliable enough to roll out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch pie pan. Press the dough into the pan so it fits all snug.

Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a very sharp knife….slice them very thinly so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets...this is gonna be a dense pie! Cover the bottom of the pastry with a layer of apples, shingling the slices so there are no gaps. Ladle about 2 ounces of the cooled red wine caramel sauce evenly over the apple slices. Repeat the layers, until the pie is slightly overfilled and domed on the top; the apples will shrink down as the pie cooks. Top the apples with pieces of the butter.

Next, roll out the other ball of dough just as you did the first. Brush the bottom lip of the pie pastry with a little beaten egg white to form a seal. Place the pastry circle on top of the pie, and crimp the edges of dough together with your fingers to make a tight seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie so steam can escape while baking (I cut a pretty design). Place the pie on a sheet tray. Bake the pie for 25 minutes on the middle rack. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the freshly grated cinnamon. Remove the pie from the oven and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Now’s the time to add fun dough decorations like little hearts or apple cutouts, if you so desire. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is dark golden and bubbling.

Let the pie rest at room temperature for at least one hour before digging in...serve with some vanilla bean ice cream and hot mulled wine :)

today, *two* boys told me that they loved me. these things really DO come in waves, don't they!? granted, they were in the first and second grade, but i say it counts...they're cute, fun-loving and romantic, after all...very important qualities in my book :) here i am with my girl angela, one of the head teacher at OBUGS. this was our second week at St. Martin de Porres where the kids treat us like rock stars when we arrive toting shovels and watering cans. today we worked on digging, watering and exploring...and i introduced the little rascals to lemon verbena, which was a *big* hit :)

i looooooove autumn! i just do. it's so pretty outside right now. cool and crisp, blustery, stirring. the winds of change blowing through, yet again, filling my veins with anticipation.

*

i spent a lot of time this week cooking...with squash and sweet potatoes abundantly occupying tables at the farmer's markets, i just had to get roasting and baking.

*

sunday night, i experimented with kabocha winter squash...after some roasting and sauteeing and stirring and whisking, i came up with a creamy and sweet coconut-squash-couscous dish which i served inside a roasted squash half...i also boiled some chioggia beets and served 'em simple with olive oil, salt and pepper...alicia brought over some delicious garlic mashed potatoes and green beans...we tossed together a spinach salad with apples and a fig balsamic vinaigrette, and most importantly, we had an entire chilled bottle of white wine. MMM! the ever-talented alicia then gave me a crash course in classroom management, which was mega-helpful at my interview on tuesday...which went well...hopefully, more on that later :)

*

on wednesday, i cooked up a yummmmmy soup from butternut squash and bosc pears (which i got, gratuit, from carl at woodleaf when i worked with him on tuesday at the berkeley market) and ginger (see recipe below for putternut bear autumn soup)...coupled that with more spinach salad...this time with some irish cheddar shaved on top...and some acme bread with boucheron cheese...mwah! cheese! i LOVE it! it was perfect food to get the creativity flowing for a long nite of screen printing t-shirts with my friend seth...we got messy as hell with ink and rocked out to country music...much fun :)

*

and tonight, i capitalized on some leftovers...but added in a sweet potato and apple (and butter and brown sugar) gratin and a red velvet cake! my girl nineveh had a birthday eons ago, and i'd been promising a cake forever...so i finally made good on that promise and had her over for eats and sweets. she couldn't fathom eating the cake without drinking milk, though, so we ambled down to the (neighborhood!) whole foods which just opened about four blocks from my house. my WORD. the store is huge. and it looks like a port. it was a really strange feeling to be in such an esthetically pleasing place that screams money when i'm used to passing by that corner and just seeing an old, uninhabited and lonesome building. i think i liked it better when it was old and decrepit...

*

putternut bear autumn soup

the name of this soup is inspired by my dad, who loves to switch the letters of proper names around to make funny names :) this soup is best served with good company when it's really windy and chilly outside.

*

2.5 – 3 pounds butternut squash, rinsed (i used two smallish ones)
3 ripe-form bosc pears, quartered and seeded with stems removed
one 2" chunk fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
olive oil for brushing
kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
parsley, fresh, chopped, optional
fontina cheese, optional

part one: preheat the oven to 425F. cut the squash in half, and scrape out the seeds (but don’t get rid of them!) cut each half into thirds. put the squash pieces into a roasting pan with the pears and most (but not all) of the ginger. brush everything with olive oil and sprinkle on some salt. bake until the squash and pears are tender, about one hour, turning everything once or twice during baking so that more caramelization takes place. when the squash is tender and yummy-looking, transfer everything to a cutting board and add one cup of water to the roasting pan. scrape the pan with a spatula to dissolve the juices, and reserve the liquid. scrape the flesh of the squash away from its skin, reserving the skins…there should be about 2-3 cups of flesh.

part two: make up a stock by bringing 6 cups of water to a boil. add in the seeds, squash skins and remaining ginger, plus half a teaspoon of salt. turn back the heat and simmer for 20 -25 minutes.

part three: melt the butter in a soup pot and add in the onion, cooking over medium heat and stirring frequently for about ten minutes, or until a bit browned and fragrant. add in the pears, ginger, squash and reserved deglazing liquid. strain in the stock. bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes.

lastly, get out the immersion blender (or food mill or upright blender) and puree the soup until smooth. season to taste with salt. ladle into bowls. garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired. eat right away…it’s so yummy and warm!

optional: cut the fontina into cubes and just before serving, stir a few cubes of cheese into each bowl of soup….rrar, sinful!

Snappy Gingerettes

*sweet n spicy with a dash of sass!*

*

These cookies really are pretty snappy...and I'm feeling really snappy today, too (hiss!), so they're aptly named (smile). The candied ginger is an essential addition; the coconut is nice, but it can be left out and you'll still have some fab cookies. Again, thanks to Isa and Vegan With a Vengeance for the inspiration...

*

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup soy milk

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

2 tablespoons shredded coconut (optional)

4 tablespoons turbinado sugar (for dusting)

*

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease some cookie sheets (or better yet, use parchment).

*

Sift the flour, soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar with the canola oil, molasses, soy milk and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients, then fold in the ginger and coconut (if using).

*

Refrigerate the dough for at least thirty minutes.

*

Roll the dough into little balls, about 1 tablespoonful in size. You may want to get your hands wet while you do this part; the dough is really sticky! Roll each dough ball in the turbinado sugar and place onto greased cookie sheet, about two inches apart.

*

Bake about ten minutes until slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven, and let cookies sit on the baking sheet for about five minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack.

*

Yummy! These cookies are great with a big glass of cold milk...or some hot buttered rum!

Chocolate Rummy Cake

*dedicted to my dairy-resistant friends*

*

It's always a double-edged sword. I'm asked to bring the desserts to every potluck I go to because my friends know how much I love to bake. But often, I'm part of vegan potlucks...and what can you do without using creamy butter, rich eggs and silky full-fat milk? Lots, I tellya! Tonight I made some rum-raisin cupcakes and a chocolate rum cake, sans dairy...and the cake was the winner, by far. Here's how I did it...big thanks to Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her two fabulous vegan cookbooks: Vegan With a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World...she inspired the recipe. For you dairy-lovers out there, you can make this a dairy-licious cake by subbing in real milk for the soy milk...but really, it's fabulous just the way it's written...nothing creepy-Vegan about this dessert. It's fast, easy, and a real winner...so just bake it, already! And don't forget...one swig of rum for the cake, one for the baker... :) Mmm!

*

For the Cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspooon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup plain soy milk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut rum

*

For the Glaze:

1/4 cup dark rum

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons margarine

*

Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare your cake pan (if you're using a 9" springform, grease it...if you're using a little bundt pan like me, grease and flour it.) Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cocoa powder. Add the soy milk, oil, vanilla and rum, and mix into a thick batter. Pour this batter into your pan and bake fir about 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. After removing the cake from the oven, let it cool in the pan for about ten minutes, then either release (springform) the cake, or invert it onto a clean plate (bundt route). Take a toothpick and prick little holes into the cake, making sure to insert the toothpick all the way to the bottom of the cake. These holes will let the glaze seep into the cake, saturating it with rummy goodness.

*

For the glaze: in a small saucepan, simmer the rum and sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and let the mixture cook another two minutes, until it's lighty and syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and margarine. Let cool before pouring onto cake.

*

Set the cake on a cooling rack, and pour the somewhat cooled glaze over the cake. Place the cake into the refrigerator and let the sweetness of the glaze soak in for at least one hour before serving.

*

To serve, bring the cake to room temperature and enjoy a slice with a nice glass of white wine! It's delicious!

i no longer feel the heartbeat of the bass coming from next door...the boy over there must finally be getting ready to sleep. in here, a soft glow is coming from my nightstand. my maroon bedsheets are tangled up in my quilted comforter. the book i just finished reading is lying, tired, on my black and brown checkered rug....clothing i was too tired to put away is draped over the back of my old green chair...a pea green t-shirt with birds sewn on; a skirt colorful with lotus flowers that reminded me of tattoos when i bought it; a pair of brown pants, worn and frayed at the bottom. still, quiet, calm...this little space, so full of memories and witness to such change, my home...makes me wonder about those who lived here before me...how they made this space home. beneath the white paint which i brushed over with hot flames and cool waves, are layers of color...creamsicle, light green, powder blue, oatmeal...each one part of a home that once was...a home where the floors didn't creak quite so much, the cracks in the ceiling didn't reach quite so far...someday, i, too, will just be one of the layers of color in here...