Fall

When you're pressed for time, the last thing most people want to do is cook. Coming home after a hard day at the office or dealing with kids and errands, the kitchen can seem unwelcoming.

You're hungry. It's dark outside. The house is cold. You open the freezer and stare at the frozen dinner you bought two months ago but never nuked. A can of chicken noodle soup in the pantry holds the promise of a warm meal but a quick read of the label tells you that the salt content is high enough to brine a Thanksgiving turkey.

Your mind tries to convince you that you aren't all that hungry. Maybe all you really want is a glass of wine and a bowl of dry cereal.

But you are hungry and you'd feel a lot better if you had a home cooked meal.

The truth is all it takes is a little planning and a couple of easy-to-make recipes and you'll actually look forward to coming home and cooking dinner. Ok, maybe that's a little Pollyannaish, but you get the idea.

Pumpkin is still going to be with us for the next month and I want to capitalize on all that it has to offer.  As I start to plan my Thanksgiving feast, in my head, I take into consideration all the wonderful flavors of the season; pumpkin, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberries, brussel sprouts, citrus, apples, pears, pecans, baby squash, beets, and so much more.

Right after Halloween (like now), I start to mull through magazines (new and old), cook books, the Internet, and my friend’s blogs. Each year, I like to try new potato dishes, vegetables, biscuits, savory puddings, breads, and quick breads.  I came across this recipe on Molly’s blog,  Orangette, and ironically I had this recipe earmarked in one of my books, The New Joy of Cooking.  It was a sign.  I had to try it.

I had a bit of left over pumpkin puree in the fridge and this was a great way for it to not go to waste.  I love making quick breads and muffins.  Generally, when making both of these, one could easily use things found in your very own pantry.  It is a great way to whip up an after school snack, a quick early morning breakfast for the kids and both really take no time at all.

I love this bread.  The original recipe called for golden raisins, but I immediately knew I wanted to replace the raisins with cranberries. The pumpkin flavor is not overwhelming, the cranberries add just the right tartness and the hazelnuts add the perfect crunch.  This is not only going to be a staple in our home this holiday season, but I already see it wrapped and packaged as gifts for friends and neighbors.

For days, I’ve been thinking about the beet salad I enjoyed at Sontes in Rochester, Minn. My biking partners and I spent a couple of nights in Rochester a few weeks ago when we were planning to bike the Root River Trail in the Lanesboro area. Lanesboro is only about 30 miles from Rochester.

We ordered a few tapas, or small plates, that evening and shared. Except the beet salad. We decided we each needed our own.

Local roasted beets, sliced oh so thin, were carefully arranged on the plate, made to look like a beautiful ruby red flower. The beet slices were dotted with bits of Carver County’s Shepherd’s Way Farm's blue cheese,  sprinkled with pistachios and splashed with mango vinegar. Micro mustard greens were in the very center of the ruby flower. It was a work of (edible) art.

Thank you, California, this has been an incredible year for artichokes.  I had the biggest, meatiest, tastiest one of my life last spring, and the new autumn crop is beautiful too.  But the range in pricing is stunning.  All pictures were taken in Los Angeles during the weekend of September 28:

$4.99 each at Gelson’s.  No way.