sweet potato gnocchi

With sage, chestnuts, and brown butter. I made these once before and they are super yummy - sweet and nutty, tasting like fall. Somehow the last batch were more elegant - these turned out a little more large and lumpy-lookin'. Let's call it "rustic." This recipe is from the October issue of Gourmet magazine 2009. (RIP) Be aware when frying sage that your neighbors will think you've been smoking pot all day.

marshmallows

So, I was so enamoured by the marshmallows I bought in Madison, I decided to make them for Christmas presents this year instead of cookies. Time to practice! I found a great recipe online, which worked really well. I had a super-delicious brunch at Southport Grocery and Cafe yesterday: A chorizo, goat cheese and arugula omelette - yum! They also have a gorgeous little market there with all the fancy food things I love, so I bought some rose water (among other things). My marshmallows were raspberry-rose flavored, and I added a few drops of red food coloring to make them pink. So purty! I am very pleased with myself, as I don't often make candy and when I do, it usually becomes a sticky disaster involving serious burns and a good deal of cursing. I tried a marshmallow in a cup of Vosges "La Parisienne" drinking chocolate,which is really thick and rich - just like Maxim's. It melted into a gooey delicious chocolate-marshmallow soup - the best treat on a cold November day.

patchwork pillow, cheese extravaganza

I've been really bad about not posting because I was totally distracted by the anticipation of and participation in A Super Rad Wisconsin Cheese Weekend with a couple of my cheesemonger friends. We went to the Wisconsin Cheese Originals Annual Festival in Madison, where we tried lots of delicious cheese (Rush Creek Reserve - hooray! If you like stinky, gooey, washed-rind cheese, this is the one for you) and shopped at Fromagination, pictured above. Aside from lovely cheese, they also carry these beautiful marshmallows from a company called Butter. I bought some rose flavored ones and devoured them all myself. What a great weekend! We had some great meals at Nostrano and Sardine and just pigged out generally. Then I came home and made this little pillow from bits and pieces of all the lovely fabrics I've been collecting. I put it in my shop on Etsy, and I will definitely be making more.

halloween cupcakes



I made some chocolate mini cupcakes for a Halloween party - with this recipe. I  love anything mini as well as anything orange. I made my own frosting with 8 oz cream cheese, 1 stick butter, a little orange zest and a little fresh orange juice (about 1/8 of an orange), a box of confectioner's sugar and some red and yellow food coloring. Happy Halloween! I'm going to watch some zombie movies now.

pumpkin pie

With real punkin'! I used this recipe for the filling - except I cut the pumpkin in half and roasted it at 375 for about an hour instead of boiling it. Pie is best for breakfast, don't you think? I also made roasted pumpkin seeds from this little pumpkin and the Jack-O-Lantern, but I forgot to take a picture before we ate them all. I will do another batch for sure. 

business cards

A couple of dog sketches for some new business cards I'm having made by Invited Ink. The proofs look great! I wanted something specific to the pet portraits. Also, I added a listing for the paintings to my Etsy site, just for the time being, until I make a portrait-specific website. It's:  http://www.rugs.etsy.com/

squash soup

I just ADORE my new wooden recipe box from Rifle Paper Co. in Florida. I had to wait a long time for it, but it finally came! Now I just have to fill it up with delicious recipes. This Fall I've been making a lot of soups, including a super healthy acorn squash soup:

1 acorn squash
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
olive oil
butter
salt
pepper
curry powder
cinnamon
1 cup (or so) chicken stock
splash of milk

Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Lightly grease cut sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place squash halves cut side down on a piece of parchment paper on a rimmed cookie sheet and poke holes in the rind with a sharp knife. Bake at 375 F for about an hour or until soft when pressed. Roughly chop onions, garlic, carrot and celery. Sautee in a little (2 tsp) butter or olive oil until tender. Add a little curry powder and cinnamon if you like. Allow cooked squash to cool somewhat before scooping out and adding to sauteed vegetables. Add chicken stock and a little milk until the soup has the desired thickness. Simmer slowly until the carrots and celery are really soft, then blend to a smooth consistancy - I used an immersion blender that my mom gave me. It is a Cuisinart and it works great. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I like a ton of black pepper!