halloween last year

We're pretty jazzed for Halloween at our house. The pumpkins have been carved, spooky decorations have been hung from tree branches, skulls and spiders adorn many surfaces in our house. We all love candy and two out of the four of us like dressing up for Halloween (Chris is a dress-up hater and James is currently on the fence about the whole costume thing). Rhys is going as a SWAT team member this year; James as a dalmation (or maybe a drug-sniffing dog to go with his Bro?) Good guys seem to prevail at our home - last year we had a strong showing of the Light Side of the Force with Luke Skywalker and Yoda making an appearance (see photo above of cutie 1 and 2).

The weather forecast is for rain, so if trick or treating is a total bust, we'll watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown while eating pizza margarita on the floor of our den. Candy will definitely be eaten for dessert.

p.s. here's a spooky song to set the mood tonight.

Happy Halloween, -s.

Mr. Klein has been sick with a terrible cold for a few days; poor thing. It's been cold and damp all week and everyone seems a little Eeyore-ish this week with the gloomy weather. Hopefully the weekend will refresh us.

 

here's a song to kick-off the weekend ... and a cocktail to start it off right.

 

p.s. making this for dinner tomorrow night.

 

p.p.s. pretty funny.

 

p.p.p.s. so pretty and useful, too.

 

p.p.p.p.s. the sweet and savory side of pumpkin (and winter squash) that must be made this fall:

 

herbed pumpkin-seed mole



pan-seared salmon with pumpkin seed-cilantro pesto

baked pumpkin and sour cream puddings

roasted butternut penne with pistachio pesto

pumpkin stuffed with everything good

And finally, the quote of the week: The secret to getting ahead is getting started ... -Mark Twain

happy eating, -s.

As much as I love summer, fall is my favorite season. With so much texture, color and coziness all around - our house always feels more like home in the fall; probably because we're inside more. Woolen blankets are at easy reach, a bowl of winter squash has become the centerpiece of our dining room table and soups and stews are working their way into the weekly menu.

Pumpkin picking is in our future and lots of apples (eating, cooking, baking) and maybe some homemade cinnamon ice cream. We're going to tackle some furniture rearranging this weekend to better establish a landing zone in our house now that coat season has arrived. Pickle wants to make caramel apples, to which I cannot say no.

p.s. here's a song to start the weekend. Get your dance party going! 

p.p.s. seven lovely ideas for au natural halloween decor.

p.p.p.s. As a former Dairy Queen, I loved Amy Poehler's essay on her first summer job.

p.p.p.p.s. oh my goodness.

Happy eating, -s.

Covet: to want (something that you do not have) very much. While I don't even own a bike (I know; I live in Madison, WI, Bike City of the Midwest ... shameful), I want a Buca Boot nonetheless.

The Buca Boot is the super-stylish and genius invention of my gorgeous, smart, fun and utterly charming friend, Kathryn, who indeed owns a bike and rides it EVERYWHERE in her adopted home of Boston. Like a postman, Kathryn rides her bike no matter the weather, but as a successful economist, she cannot schlep into work soaking wet or covered in snow ... enter the Buca Boot. Place those Louboutins in the Buca Boot and they arrive safely and soundly - with a stop at the cafe for coffee - to their final destination.

What's great about the Buca Boot is that it has the flexibility and ease of a bike basket with the security and weather-proofing of a car trunk. Plus it's just plain beautiful with wood and brass and lacquered finishes.

So, while you can't have instant gratification ... you can have a Buca Boot if you head over to kickstarter and pledge a buck or a cold $200 to make this really smart and stylish accessory a reality.

Happy wanting, -s.

 

This past Monday, I hosted our book club’s September session on my screened porch. Since I was starting a new role at my current agency that same day, I really didn’t have a lot of time for the whole dinner-and-dessert thing this time. Instead, I started the party a bit later and served desserts only.

While I am not a baker, I really enjoyed researching and pulling this menu together. It was a perfect fall evening on the porch and I knew we were going to get a little chilly out there as the evening progressed, so I wanted the dishes to be hearty, warming and diverse in flavors and textures. I wanted some hints of savory in the dishes, because wine-drinking isn’t always the perfect match with sweets. I also knew my dear friend, Sara, was bringing one of her amazing baked confections to wish me a happy birthday - which turned out to be one decadent, gorgeous chocolate-chocolate, triple-layered cake. What good friends I have - I'm so lucky!

It was a really lovely evening, full of laughter, candle-light, cozy blankets and great conversation (as always). Thanks to all the lovelies that helped send my porch off into autumn in style.

And, without further ado, here’s my book-club, desserts-only menu (with links to recipes):

To drink: prosecco and red wine

Fig and blue-cheese crostata with a walnut-crumble topping (recipe coming soon)

—
Honey-whipped goat cheese with oatcakes and red grapes
—
Triple-cream cheese with dried apricots and buttery crackers
—                                                                                                      
To end the evening: my hott chocolate with cinnamon-sugar palmiers

Happy eating, -s.  

p.s. here's a song to start your weekend. hope you get lucky, too.
 

Tomorrow is my birthday. And while I don't really dread getting older per se, I don't like the fact that I run a lot and I still have some extra junk in the trunk no matter how much I run. I'm sure it's the wine-drinking, but I am not giving that up. Maybe I need Gwyneth's trainer to whip me into shape ... that would be nice. Last-minute gift, anyone?! Wink, wink.

I love cooking for my family when it's their turn to celebrate, but when it's my birthday, I want no fuss - but I do want yummy food - so we'll be ordering Indian takeout from my favorite place. I am also not a big cake fan, so a warm apple crisp with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream will wear a candle for my birthday wishing. 

Oh, and there will be wine drinking ... red, of course. 


p.s. happy birthday to me. dance, dance, dance.

p.p.s. Bill Murray (love him!) and Leonard Cohen share my birthday. Happy birthday, fellas!

p.p.p.s. Tomorrow is also the official last day of summer ... autumn starts on Sunday. Time for wood-burning fires, long walks in crunchy leaves, hot-chocolate sipping and apple picking.

p.p.p.p.s. If you live in the Madison-area, head to REAP Food Group's annual Food for Thought festival just off the Capital Square this Saturday. It's a great event that celebrates our amazing, local, sustainable food scene.

quote of the week: Remember food is precious. Good food can only come from good ingredients. Its proper price includes the cost of preserving the environment and paying fairly for the labor of the people who produce it. Food should never be taken for granted. - Alice Waters, from her wonderful cookbook, The Art of Simple Food.

Happy eating, -s. xoxo

pink lady. so pretty.

Fall is in the air. I think I'm ready.

p.s. here's a song to start the weekend.

p.p.s. September 29 cannot come soon enough. Get your fix here and here.

p.p.p.s. weekend cooking: making this for dinner; this for lunch; this breakfast and this for a snack.

p.p.p.p.s. Mr. Klein and I are seeing his FAVE band, The National, at the Orpheum this weekend. Here's an extra song (one of my favorites) from their new album, Trouble Will Find Me.

quote of the week: The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little. - FDR

Happy eating, dancing and living, -s.