November comfort foods...

Last night's acorn squash was a complete improvisation -- er, I mean success.  I was certainly inspired by this:

Pioneer Woman Cooks - Sweet-Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash
and this:  Uggh, Martha.

But in the end I mixed butter(nobody will be upset if you sub vegan margarine or olive oil) and brown sugar, used a bit of dried rosemary (I'm too lazy to go downstairs and grab the rosemary growing by the pool), salt, pepper and 1 shallot chopped coarsely.  The last time I roasted acorn squash, I only used brown sugar and butter and it was certainly delicious.  This time, however I wanted a little more flavor, and I was pleased with the results.
Note about roasting squash: A lot of recipes will have the acorn squash just cut in half so that a delicious pool of brown sugar and butter forms in the middle...that's what I did last time, and its great for dipping, but we found the process of eating it just too messy.  Its really up to you.

As a side, my own favorite quinoa with walnuts and onions.

Speaking of quinoa, this morning I made something different for breakfast:  Quinoa Porridge.  Its very good, but I never add any extras until the end of my cooking.  Heat can destroy vanilla especially.  I have heard that adding sugar affects the way grains cook(no idea if its true), so just to be safe I left that out until the end, too.  Besides, it's always better to sweeten something after you've tasted it.  Its really hearty, and great topped with thawed frozen berries.  One recipe equals about one serving, or two small ones.

Yes, I made the bowl, too.

Hey I think both of these are gluten-free, too...

Fall Favorites...

Whoever told me fall isn't as nice in the Pacific Northwest as back east must have been confused...It's just as nice and much, much longer.  Up until yesterday it has been in the 60's and partly cloudy.  Its grey now but the leaves have been colorful on the trees for weeks now,and it doesn't look like they're going anywhere anytime soon.

So of course, its time for a great sweater and some fall favorite recipes.  Disclaimer:  Cooking with fresh pumpkin is not for the faint of heart.  It takes all day and gets pretty messy, even if you cheat and roast it in the microwave instead of the oven.  That being said, I definitely recommend getting the small, flavorful pie-type pumpkins rather than cooking with a large jack-o-lantern type pumpkin.  I always like to cook with my jack-o-lantern, but cooking with smaller ones bred for pies makes an incredible difference.

Last week I made one of my favorite soups:  Creamy Thai Pumpkin Soup.

This soup is great, especially if you're a fan of tom kha gai or other thai food.  Some advice, however:  If you put all the ingredients in at the beginning as the recipe suggests, it ends up rather bland.  What I will do next time is actually cook the pumpkin in the broth, then later add some crushed garlic, lemongrass, coconut milk and other ingredients (its really good if you add fresh ginger, too) right before its done cooking.  While it cools, the ingredients will flavor the soup, and you won't lose any of the boldness. Also, please try to avoid the problem I always have:  missing some of the lemongrass before I puree it, which leaves it really stringy (a note about lemongrass:  even though the recipe doesn't really mention this, you do have to remove it. It won't puree smoothly no matter how long you try).

My second favorite pumpkin recipe is the best one to share.  These Easy Pumpkin Muffins are great to take to fall potlucks, family Thanksgiving dinners, classes, meetings, or work.  People will love you, just don't tell them they take almost no effort to make.

I love the orange color that it turns when you add the pumpkin!

Follow the recipe exactly.  The batter will be thick, but don't add eggs or oil.  They don't actually need it, and if you do your muffins will end up too wet.  I've tried this with Trader Joe's baking mix as well with limited results.  I know its bad for you and blah blah blah but it is just best with a Duncan Hines mix.  Add walnuts and top them with brown sugar for a crunch.

I also made mine mini, they're better for sharing.

October...a memorable month.

The month started of well with the discovery of  this delicious cabbage salad.

I learned how to crochet!

Tess and I made wedding cookies!

In front of the Stephen Foster Memorial.

Zach and I got married at the Zenith Vegetarian Cafe in Pittsburgh!

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  Happy birthday Dad!

Right now I'm cooking up my favorite pumpkin recipes just in time for Thanksgiving.  That, of course, means TONS OF PUMPKIN!  Today, I turned my lovely jack-o-lantern into a delicious soup.  (You have to keep it wrapped up in the fridge after Halloween if you want to cook with it.  Don't cook with one that's been on the porch for days)

Links:
Our Wedding Photographer's Album
Dad's wedding pictures
http://www.zenithpgh.com/

I've been busy! (cookie preview)...

I've been so busy!  Right now I'm in Pittsburgh getting ready for the biggest day of my life.  I haven't had time to take pictures or post anything, but Ms. T has.  Here's her blog post, I hope you find it interesting!

The Silver Linings Saga

I'm hooked...

So many people have tried to teach me...For years I put off learning it....but here it is:  The other day, I learned how to crochet.  Sorry guys, its way, way way way way way way way way more fun than knitting.  It doesn't make me want to pull my hair out, and it goes way faster.  I still don't think its as pretty, but it has lots of advantages that I am looking forward to.

Just like my knitting, all of my crochet will probably be made out of giant yarn.   Yes, I eat a lot of Thai food.  

Using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick that I purchased from Goodwill and a GIANT size P crochet hook, I created this scarf using the pattern 200 by John Brinegar as a guide, I made this scarf in a little over 5 hours (mostly while watching South Park).  

I've also been trying to make some dishcloths as presents for when I come home.  But they are knit, and that is dragging.  I think there was a reason I needed to branch out, and that is that I think after 5 or so years of knitting straight I've lost my mojo.  Maybe after a hiatus I'll be ready to dive back in.

Next up:  Hats.  

This salad is amazing...and cheap.

This napa cabbage salad is so amazing I just had to share it with the world immediately.  I couldn't believe how these ingredients combined to create such a fantastic, cheap, gourmet-tasting dish...and its vegan so all of your friends can enjoy.  Its not gluten-free but nothing is perfect.  Maybe if you found a crunchy replacement for the ramen?

Some changes I made:  Instead of balsamic vinegar I used red wine vinegar and a dash of rice wine vinegar.  I cut the sugar in the dressing down to about 4 tbs. For me, it was enough. I added a quick squirt of agave nectar, but I love experimenting with that stuff, just for flavor.  I added more soy sauce than it suggests, and I used the reduced-salt kind from Yamasa.  I also added a touch of black pepper to the dressing.

A lot of people in the recipe page comments section said that the napa cabbage was yucky but I disagree so I used it.  Some people said they used regular green cabbage.  I suspect that once the dressing is on, both will taste similar so if you only have access to one over the other, don't let that stop you.

For dessert:  Gas-X would be nice.

above the timberline...

One of my lifelong goals has to been to travel to the timberline, where trees will not grow.  Last Saturday, I beat the trees.  

Mt. Hood, up close and personal.

Even more personal....And approximately 7, 000 feet above sea level.

The Timberline Lodge.  Like 7 Springs + 10.

 What's it like up there?  The air is very v e r y thin.  Everything is really quiet because sound doesn't travel very well, and doing anything made me out of breath.

I don't look very happy.  Its more like I probably couldn't breathe.

The walk from the lodge to the timberline is straight up.  Do you want to recreate my experience?  Turn up your air conditioner and get on a stair stepper for about an hour and a half. Breathe into a plastic bag. 90's style clothing optional.

The photo does it no justice.  In the background you can see the high desert beyond the cascades.  The snow in the foreground is down in an enormous trench.