I can feel summer dying into autumn and I’m pining for both – holding still to warm, sunny days and longing for the promises of Fall. If you follow me, you’ve heard me say it once or twice already – I love when the turning of the seasons is palpable. So while we are currently in the throes of an Indian Summer, the leaves show signs of autumn, falling in hues of burnt orange and amber, the roadside corn is beginning to dry out into crisp stalks of tan and brown, and the once proud sunflower fields are slumped with their tired heads hanging low.
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“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” – Lauren DeStefano The arrival of apple cider doughnuts at our local farm stand marks the unofficial start of the new season for us. With their sugary crumb and warm aroma, it’s always contenting to see them stacked in their little containers on the market’s counter. It’s been years though since we’ve bought any. My youngest has a nut allergy and baked goods from outside of our home is usually off limits since we can’t verify with certainty the ingredients used…
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“Chocolate, the ‘food of the gods,’ conquered not just the candy shop, but also the kitchen.” – Riccardo Magni Don’t make the mistake of thinking this rigatoni with dark cocoa and red wine short ribs is a chocolate-y or sweet pasta dish, it’s absolutely not. Not even close. Savory and enchanting? Absolutely. I live in a part of New Jersey that is home to one of the world’s most famous chocolate makers. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the aroma of chocolate to blanket the entire town well into the wee hours of the morning. Since chocolate is literally in the air here – the constant reminder of it has…
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Butter Roasted Turkey with Herbes de Provence + Citrus has been my traditional Thanksgiving Day turkey recipe since I first began hosting the holiday many years ago. Aromatics are loosely stuffed into the turkey and seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs line the roasting pan – resulting in a tender and succulent turkey with a white wine pan gravy that compares to no other.
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It’s apple picking season! With so many of us heading to the orchards, I wanted to share a quintessential autumn treat, baked apples. Brown sugar, cinnamon & a pinch of nutmeg fill the hollows of cored apples while a homemade buttery crumble tops the apples, seeping into the hollows to thicken up the filling, making the inside almost molten-like. The aroma alone embodies the warm comfort of fall and the soft fragrant flesh tastes just like apple pie. Baked apples is a feast for the senses when the temperatures drop.
