November

The season is being itself, I'm happy to report. And the cooking, too, is timely. Here's a delicious meatloaf. Should be excellent leftovers. I followed the Ann Romney recipe in The NY Times with just a couple of additions (parmesan and spinach).

I hadn't made almond butter in a while, so today I did that. Yummy.

That's homemade English muffin toasting bread. Happily, there's lots of almond butter for lunch this week too...

So much

Summer into autumn. No way I can narrate it all; the pics will have to do.

... and thus August ended.

And now it's football season...

And the season of meetings... and baking for meetings...

Sometimes, though, autumn also means a special trip.... like the one my sister and I took to Mackinac Island.... here's the view from The Iroquois Hotel... and the very lovely breakfast....

Back home, it was pleasure to make dinner for my friend Rosemary... love this gnocchi with pomodoro sauce...

And what's dinner without dessert?

And now autumn is for real... as these pics show...

Autumn... I like it fine. You too?

Jude the Obscure

The heirloom rose named Jude, that is. One of my most favorites.

Meeting and Greeting, take 3

... or is it take 4... hmmm... I don't know. In any case, I once again hosted the MFA Meet and Greet and a lovely time was had, I hope, by all. Here are some pics of the table and the various salads and things.

Everyone said they liked this salad best, so it gets to go first. Kale, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, black beans, dates.

Next up, a salad based on one that Ellen and I had at The Rugby Grille at The Townsend Hotel. Mixed greens, chick peas, roasted radishes (the roasted-ness was my variation....), tomatoes, red onion, feta, and raspberry vinaigrette.

Next, what I call "Ellen's Salad" and she calls "My Salad!" Butter lettuce, watermelon, blueberries, cucumbers, olive oil, lemon.

And finally, something simple yet elegant. Arugula and spinach with grapefruit and toasted almonds. And my usual vinaigrette.

Oops. Almost forget: I grilled some asparagus. Nothing fancy about that, but it does photograph nicely.

The grocery store flowers were pretty too.

And that was that!

July

In Michigan, cherry pie is the thing, and Cherry Republic supplies the best cherries. I make a pretty good crust.

Back in the WV humidity, two nice salads helped:

And these blooms too, as they always do.

I like the desert,

morning and night.

But, also, being home. Cooking at home.

These zucchini are from my friend Tim.

Mostly Michigan

Lake Michigan was as ever, thank goodness. Two views from The Homestead. First, with the Crystal River in the foreground, and then the dune, and then the Lake.

Then, looking north...

Many, many chipmunks about....

Michigan strawberries are the best. Of course.

Back downstate... and a very happy Theo, who had been staying at "camp," which is, as everyone knows, a little stressful....

A week or so later..... a fancy brunch at The Townsend Hotel.... 

Later still... barbecue chicken...

Followed by a cherry pie... homemade crust (rolled out just by accident into the lower peninsula!) with cherries from Cherry Republic. 

Back home in West Virginia.... tomatoes coming along nicely....

 

Herbs too....

Our first harvest. Theo LOVES tomatoes....

The roses are also doing well. This is The Shepherdess.

And on a beautiful July evening... dinner and a sunset....