A stormy Sunday

... in that Spring-like way....

I made this lovely soup---the "everything green" soup from a recent issue of Bon Appetit.

... and a simple and delicious lemon-tarragon grilled chicken.

Between storms I was able to plant tomatoes and some herbs...

A good Sunday.

Fairy Doors, Whatnot

Well, one fairy door, anyway. Newly blue. And a gnome lurking outside.

Other than that, this post is mostly bread.

Here's a nice mushroom soup. Looks creamy and is but that's from puréed mushrooms, not cream. Nice.

I've made these "free form enchiladas" a few times and they're delicious. Too bad they don't photograph all that well. 

And this chocolate loaf was a tad dry... but still rich... and photogenic, with strawberries.

So, yes, lots to report.

It's autumn for now

Cool, with some rain this weekend. I like it. Summer will be back tomorrow, which is also fine, but, for now: new autumn dishes, an autumn soup, bread, etc.

First the dishes. Very exciting.

Those are from Williams-Sonoma, as is the recipe for this farro-white bean soup.

My new favorite thing, which seems autumnal, is polenta. The already cooked kind that slices right off and can be grilled or sautéed or whatever. Just so comforting.

Finally, today I made another loaf of the cracked wheat bread. KAF recipe.

The radar says it's raining

but it isn't. Mysterious.

It's Spring, so here's some asparagus soup.

And something I've wanted to try for some time: brown bread a la The Cheesecake Factory. Molasses + honey + cocoa powder + espresso powder = that color and flavor, pretty much.

And because one of my sisters asked about my new stove, here it is. Same as the old one... minus the cracked cooktop, of course.

Oh, wait, there's more

Tofu with asparagus and broccoli and mushrooms.

Just real food: filet, roasted potatoes, vegetables. 

Corn muffins. And tomato soup, which is always easy and enjoyable to make. 

On a very cold day

Mushroom barley soup.

And white whole wheat, made some months ago and frozen and, now, defrosted. Tastes just-baked.

Also, a good while back: chocolate-covered cheesecake with cherries inside and on top.

Recently

Here are the early December highlights.

Spaetzle with roasted Brussels sprouts and cranberries. A little feta.

Two (kind of) single-serving portions of mac & cheese.

Wheat & buttermilk bread.

Two-tomato and fennel soup. F&W recipe.

Sautéed "power" greens (silly name) and chick peas. Roasted acorn squash with feta.

And that's the round-up!

Cooking and baking are very satisfying,

I find.

Last week I made a lovely Swedish almond cake for a meeting at work. The second pic shows a piece on a plate on my desk. You can just see the mess.

Next up, something very healthy: tuna + butter beans (my new favorites) + spinach + asparagus + red onion + tomatoes. Here it is in stages:

Today I made two loaves of the white whole wheat bread. Slightly different sizes, you'll note, because the pans were different. Anyway: one loaf to eat, one to freeze. 

Finally, tonight's dinner: spinach salad with dried cherries, feta, and pecans; orzo salad with sautéed onions, dates, spinach and parmesan; and a very nice pumpkin soup. I used the Mayo Clinic recipe, so, yes, very healthy, though I cooked the onions in olive oil. Also, I added some curry to cut any sweetness.

It feels like fall

And cooking is headed in that direction too.

Here's a soup of butter beans, spinach, onions, garlic, rosemary.

Italian bread, made with KAF 00 Italian flour. Pretty good, especially with roasted garlic.

Thanks to some farmers' market tomatoes, I made a very nice marinara with mushrooms. Kale added, last minute. Whole wheat gemelli.

Finally, today's bread, my new favorite, a white whole wheat loaf. Terrific.