recipe // persimmon cake-ish

the other day i found myself at trader joes, go figure.  it was sunday and i had just gotten done meal planning for the week ahead.  as i was roaming the aisles, there was a festive looking bin brimming with beautiful autumn produce.  little persimmon fruit, these deep orange jewels, were near the top and being that i had never cooked with a persimmon, i tucked a few away in my cart before checking out.  the last time i had persimmon was in a cinnamon roll at one of our favorite local restaurants here in kansas city.  the baker told us that he whipped the pulp in a food processor and mixed it with the cinnamon filling before rolling the pastry dough and baking into rolls.  they were divine.  other than that, i really didn't know what to do with them, so when i got home i gave pinterest a good looking over and landed on a recipe that looked pretty simple.  alas, persimmon cake.  although, i must admit, it is nothing like a cake.  it's more of a "pie", actually.  or perhaps even a "pudding" as a recipe title would suffice.  regardless of what one should or should not call it, it's the perfect autumn dessert.  enjoy!

ingredients:

1 cup of very ripe persimmon pulp (i used our vitamix and pureed it till kingdom come)
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup milk (i used whole)
1/4 lb or about a half cup of melted unsalted butter

to prepare, combine the sugar with the persimmon pulp.  beat in the eggs, mix in the milk, then butter.  sift the dry ingredients and mix with the persimmon mixture.  pour batter into a well-greased baking pan and bake in a 315 degree oven for about an hour and twenty minutes, or until the cake is set and if you insert a knife it comes out clean.  i served this with warmed sugary black berries, but the addition of homemade whipped cream would really be something.

recipe // french apple tart

one of our favorite things to do as the weather starts to turn brisk is to host dinner parties for dear friends.  we go from dining on outdoor patios around the city to time spent indoors, a fire crackling in the other room, with forks, candles, seasonal greenery, spoons, linen napkins, stemware and bright white dinnerware dispersed around our dining table.  a beautiful mess.

it is one of our greatest joys to feed others with food we have lovingly prepared.  i feel that there is nothing cozier nor more intimate than to share a delicious home cooked meal with those you care about.  food is surely my love language and when i get to share something i've cooked and put a lot of passion into with others my heart swells.  lingering conversations about travel and family and the like, combined with bouts of laughter of course, add to our love of hosting gatherings such as these.  they make for beautiful memories and bring us closer to those we have over.  the nights usually end in calling a cab ride home and the all to serious debate of whether or not to open yet another bottle of wine. we always do.

for this particular party we were hosting my brother in law jason and his french friend, pascal.  perhaps i got a little too excited that we would be hosting someone with a seasoned french palate, hence, we had (mostly) parisian bistro fare: savory creamy cajun soup as a starter, anchovy greens to follow, a big, glistening roasted leg of lamb submerged in a red wine rosemary jus resting on creamy pureed cauliflower with scallions as our main, and a french apple tart ala mode to put a bow on our evening.

tarts in particular are my go-to desserts when hosting a coursed dinner party, or really any party for that matter.  because roasts tend to take more time, and courses can get hectic, i prefer beautiful desserts that need no warming when served.  also, i'd rather spend my saturday napping instead of at my stove if we are being honest.  this apple tart looks rather impressive but is really quite simple to prepare.  i promise.  in all, it takes about twenty minutes to assemble and about forty five minutes to bake.  i hope you give it a try for the holidays and let me know how it turned out!

ingredients:

for the pastry:

1 store bought puff pastry sheet
3-4 granny smith or honey crisp apples
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 stick of cold butter in small cubes

for the glaze:

1/4 cup of citrus marmalade
1 tablespoon of cognac

to prepare: preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  i usually wrap the whole thing in foil before i do this to avoid a huge mess because the apple juice tends to burn the baking sheet.  lay out your sheet of puff pastry.  peel and cut your apples into little half moon slices.  place overlapping slices across your pastry, making any pattern you desire.  i tend to lean more toward classic layering.  sprinkle all the sugar across the apples evenly and dot with butter.  bake for 45 minutes or until the apples are golden brown.  when the tart is done, heat the marmalade and cognac together and using a pastry brush, coat the top of the apples.  allow your apple tart to cool completely or serve at room temp with vanilla whipped cream.  bon appetite!

snippets // autumn in the midwest

1. walking amidst golden leaves in our favorite neighborhood park.
2. a rainbow of heirloom pumpkins.
3. wet leaves and an attempt to craft.
4. butternut squash soup simmering on the stove.
5. a festive entryway and a little boy that wants to play outside.
6. an autumn trip to the zoo.
7. brown, crunchy leaves and a little boy in footie jams.
8. watching the autumn rain fall outside.
9. apple spice cake, a sweet white pumpkin, and a sandalwood candle on our dining room table.
10. a cozy fire on a saturday night.
11. my boy and i, both in warm sweaters after church.
12. selecting the best wood for an indoor fire.
13. a playdate with friends at the farmstead in kansas.
14. our leaf-filled yard.
15. supper prep for a comforting meal: coq au chicken with garden chilies.
16. reading his new pumpkin book in bed with mama.
17. taking playtime outside.
18. picking mums, waiting on dad to get home from work.

motherhood // an apple orchard playdate

sometimes you just need to pack up the kids and get out of town to prance around an orchard and pick some apples with your babies and good friends.  so that's precisely what we did and i cannot think of a better playdate.  this orchard place was one of the most enchanting little pockets of missouri we've ever been to.  it was untamed with apple tree rows that seemed to go on forever.  for those who live in the area, i'd make a trip sooner rather than later.  it is simply gorgeous.

the morning was a misty one and the apples were ever so abundant, falling off of trees and spilling onto a bed of clovers.  stella ran through the maze of trees, picking red ones, blush ones, and green ones.  theodore, comfortable clung to my hip, munched on a pink lady for about an hour, happy as a clam.  i'd plop him in the grass to add some apples to stella's growing bag and he'd sit there, his hands clenched tightly around his apple.  my heart bursted about a hundred times.  

between picking apples, stella collected rocks and got as dusty as she could possibly muster during our time at the orchard.  she picked wild grass, pressed her nose into a few red delicious branches, and never stopped running. our little girl is a tomboy through and through.  despite her quick pace, she reminds me to slow down and savor life's little gems.

in the end, we filled a bag big enough for about five apple pies!  i am already dreaming up a lazy weekday morning when my girl and i can roll out dough and perfect our apple pie recipe. i prefer ones with crumbly brown sugar toppings, so that shall be our first.  and since there is no such thing as too many pies we'll be on a baking kick until those suckers are gone.   

handmade // autumn sage wreath

this might just be the easiest craft i have ever done, but i am quite sure it's one that will continue to give and give as the days get shorter and the air gets crisper.  it's a sage wreath, a trustee cooking companion for the autumn and winter seasons.

i was noticing that the chilly evenings was having an affect on my herb garden so i brought some in to decorate our home and a majority of the rest the rest to dry.  the rosemary now sits in my kitchen in a sweet little brass pot and the lavender is in our bedroom, perfuming our space with provincial notes.  as for the sage, well i snipped it at the base, gathered it into a little half wreath, then tied it together with twine.  i've got it hanging near my pots and pans for each snippage when soups could use a boost or sandwiches a little herbal crunch.  i am planning to do this with my thyme and oregano as well.  but for now, they seems to be thriving in this chilly, damp weather we've been having.

if you guys have any fun ideas regarding preserving herbs, i'm all ears!

homestead // preparing for autumn

a few days ago our lingering midwest summer decided to call it quits and trade places with autumn.  overnight, a few golden, cripsy leaves had drifted onto our driveway and the weather had shifted from begging for popsicles to all things cozy, like chili and cornbread.  in fact, we had our very first fire in our new home last night to commence what is my favorite time of the year.  the kids and i gathered some small twigs and branches from our wood pile earlier in the day and andrew came home to chop the big stuff.  it was his first time using our axe and i could tell he felt rather manly, whacking away at those old, walnut tree logs that have made their home on the side of our wooden fence for who knows how long.  together, we brought them in and made our first fire.  we listened to it crackle and warm our toes, making our house smelled like a forest, but better.  with that, i started a little list of things to do to prepare for the autumn season.  upon jotting down ideas i realized i had been getting ready subconsciously for the past few weeks!  you see, i have this deep-seated love for autumn and with the first of september already crossed off our calendar, i has started nesting for fall without even realizing it.  so in between doing homeschool projects with stella and trying to keep theodore out of our floor plants and our dog's water bowl, i'll be home making our home ready for autumn...preparing for those cooler days that welcome lazy mornings munching on homemade pumpkin bread, and evenings watching jimmy fallon around a crackling fire, red wine in hand.  here's a little list to help you make your nest all ready for the upcoming season, which in my opinion, is the best one.

- think comfort.  make your couches and chairs and nooks more nap-friendly by adding a few more throws across the arms, with down pillows tucked into the corners.  in this scenario, less is not more.  more is more and thus, better and cozier.  i like to put a good majority of our throw blankets away for the warmer months because it is fun getting them out once september rolls around.  i love thinking, "i forgot about this one!" when pulling things out of storage.  that never gets old.

- collect pinecones from your walks and bring them indoors.  put them in big wooden bowls or string them as a simple seasonal decoration.

- re-arrange your furniture.  when we moved into our new home we decided to take what was a very large living space and turn it into two areas: one for sitting and chatting and the other for watching tv.   so utterly silly of us because in the center of the room, anchoring our home as old home's do, is a gorgeous hearth.  a beeeeautiful fireplace. it is outlined in detailed crown molding and is a grand focal point of this home.  why we neglected to make our fireplace thee center of attention before now i do not know.  but we did a little rearranging and now when one plops down on the sofa all you see is the promise of a warm fire and perhaps a few styled branches from our garden overhead.  i love it so.

- stock your pantry.  now is the time to harvest your garden and preserve all that you can.  bring in your herbs and pot them for beautiful kitchen decoration or tie them up to dry.   take that unruly bunch of sage and make a wreath.  and time to start making stocks and soups to freeze.  we love waking up on a slow saturday morning with lunch all ready to go with a simple thawing from our freezer.  to do this, i double all of my recipes during this autumn season when they are freezer friendly.  then, voila, a home cooked meal of comfort ready to go in minutes.

- now would be a good time audit your pantry.  throw out those old mixes and things you thought you'd use over the summer but just sat and collected dust.  you probably won't use them if you haven't already.

- get your flannel on.  from your bed to your wardrobe, just go crazy.  i have yet to purchase flannel sheets but am betting on target to help me out.

- it's a good time to clean the oven (thanksgiving is on the horizon) and maybe dust those baseboards.  just maybe.  i'm not talking spring cleaning here, but give spots you tend to neglect a good scrubbing.  i think the start of every season is a good opportunity to make things good and clean again.

- spruce up and dust off your kettle.  set your tea out within an arms reach where you can easily get at it if you need a bit of warming up in the afternoon.

- think about your guests.  when the holidays roll around we tend to have more company.  dinner parties become apart of our weeknight routines and guests from out of town tend to stroll in and stay the night.  make a space for them to feel most welcome.  give them plenty of towels.  extra blankets.  maybe even a pair of slippers if you have cold hardwood floors like we do.

- get a pumpkin candle or something with sandalwood or cedar.  light it everyday and savor the warmth it brings to your home.  it's always the little things.

- do a wardrobe swap.  get out your knits, hats, scarves, boots, tights, coats and wool everything and put away your summery items.  i like putting my summer things in a tub to store in the basement to make room in my little closet for chunky sweaters and chambray button downs.  i tend to keep a few dresses out for layering but put most away, out of sight and more hanging room for the bigger items.

- time to get out your little one's snow suit and/or warm jacket.  theodore's thermal moose snow suit was a gift and one of his most cherished items of clothing.  i want him to wear it forever.  i love knowing that when we walk to the market for eggs or milk he will be all warm and toasty with his little nose peaking through.

- make your entryway cold weather friendly.  set out an old chair or stool for helping you out when that boot won't tug on and place a nice basket next to it to house all things knit.  make it easy and effortless when you walk in the door and need to peel those toasty layers off.

- put pumpkins everywhere.  real ones.  white ones.  and bumpy green gourd looking ones.  i do not buy much seasonal decor because i don't like storing it.  plucking things from nature and buying little pumpkins at a local pumpkin patch is a beautiful way to embrace the season.  then, throw them away when december arrives. easy peasy and no storage required.

- try your hand at making things from scratch.  as the days get cooler baking is a fun way to spend an afternoon.  this autumn, i am going to learn how to make bread and different pies with stella.  we shall use math while measuring.  one egg, i think a butternut squash, sage, feta tart sounds mighty fine.

- check out the local farms that let you apple pick and choose a weekend to go with your family.  we are planning on going when the leaves start to turn a bit more.

- now would probably be a good time to check your home for drafts.  we live in an old, old home and i've been noticing them here and there.  choose to fix them or just get more wool socks.

- bring your outdoor furniture in and make your patios and porches autumn friendly.  put a few mums out and maybe a nice wreathe.  i got a vine branch one from target and love it.  simple but classy.

- in between preparing for autumn, drink big mugs of cider and make time to curl up with a new book wearing your husband's sweater and socks.  give your babies longer bubble baths and take walks in the crisp air with your family.  enjoy this season, for like all good things, it's beautiful but brief.