october 28

apple season

apple season is winding down and this year all i was able to do was buy a bag full of apples at the market each saturday and eat them whole for afternoon snacks or cut up after dinner. no apple pie, no cobbler, crisp or cake. there's nothing wrong with an apple, straight-up: juicy, crunchy and sweet. but there is also something special about sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on them and putting them in the oven. can someone share with me their apple adventures so i can live/bake vicariously through you?

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right now i can't stop exploring yak films. dance groups from across the world film videos of their dance in different spaces and upload it to yak. it's sick in the best sense of the word. i love turf feinz and the girls in ghetto blaster.

also, i came across this cool stop motion wedding. i'd like to get into stop motion one day.


this weekend i used stephanie's recipe for sweet potato biscuits, but i used leftover butternut squash in place of the potatoes. the color of these guys make me so happy.

such good moments

t these pictures are a quick transport back to summer, with low lights, stone fruit treats, and warm evenings. sometimes it seems like life is best enjoyed in feasts, like a feast of desserts made for a birthday (six total).

this october has certainly been a feast. very busy and very social. in between long hours, new faces, and lots of talking and listening, i've had time to enjoy the crisp fall air and beautiful sun we are having. this weekend, instead of getting in the car, i took long walks to get to where i needed to go. we're making soups and chili and steaming squash for a week of lunches. coffee is easily poured. i'm soaking it all in and letting myself live in the full, abundant moment. and when everything feels too big and too fast, i curl up and watch glee or the office. things will come in moderation soon, but for now i am letting myself feast.

enjoying the last bits of summer through my meals.
soon will be squash soup and roasted brussel sprouts. for now, i'm mixing up a fresh cabbage, carrot and bell pepper slaw and stirring eggplant into my stir fries and thai curries.

i hope for my posts to be more regular soon--october is a busy busy month and i have yet to get a few rolls developed.

two belle's buns to share.

this week is packed with good stuff. tonight a good friend of mine is reading parts of her fiction-in-progress at a neighborhood library. funny, i got the evening off from work (where i would be hosting a book reading) in order to attend a reading. i'm not really that one dimensional, i swear.
at work, we have late nights with david rakoff, robert reich and more.

i'm gathering negatives from new photos of mine that i like and making an installation to participate in a friend's art show and silent auction.

are you participating in the 350.org global work party on sunday? it is a powerful project and i'm still thinking up ideas of what to do.

that's all for now. hope some sweet treats make it your way.

big day

i love my friends. we threw a big bash for jon's big birthday the last weekend of august and all our good friend's came out to enjoy the sun, live music, lots of treats baked by me, and each other.

good morning

*bottom photo film* 
i am not a morning person. i've always had a hard time leaving the warmth and coziness of my bed and as the days get shorter and colder, i find it even harder to get up early and get going. what i do love about mornings is the quiet. most days i start work late, after the rest of my house has been up and showered and gone. i find myself waking up to the front and back door closing as jon and my housemates venture out into the early morning work world.

i love these hours by myself. moments of perspective and solitude. i slowly get dressed, i open the curtains and make my breakfast and eat it at the table looking out at the yard. i catch up on the internet or finish a chapter in my book. i make a phone call. i put on lotion and some days makeup.
in a busy world, moments of quiet are so important. they are worth getting out of bed for.

i'm back! i needed to take some time away and come back with a new look and new perspective. and now i feel very refreshed and excited about this space again.
i hope you aren't sick of produce shots, because i just can't help myself. i know i have many more pictures from the farmer's market sitting on rolls of film that i haven't developed in weeks. maybe these ones here will make up for the fact that i never followed through on taking pictures of my weekly csa. it's already so much work to pick it up, unpack it, store it properly and eat it all that i just couldn't get myself to stop and take pictures between all that. forgive me.

some things i've been thinking about lately:
low-top rain boots for seattle winters. (i can't decide if i like the men's or women's better)
brian's autumn mix
apple torte with breadcrumb hazelnut crust
watches

that's all for now.
happy monday!

carrot cake

hi there.

i'm still working on the layout here. my goal was for my pictures to be bigger, but i have work to do on the proportion of everything. i couldn't stay away too long, though, so bear with the mess while i share a recipe today.

i've been so in love with all the different carrots varieties this summer. i find myself buying purple carrots most weekends at the market just to slice them open and revel in their beauty. they are purple on the outside and bright, contrasting orange on the inside. it is fabulous. last night i made my favorite carrot cake recipe with a mixture of orange, purple and yellow carrots. this recipe is my dad's, it is extra moist from the pineapple juice and it is perfectly textured with coconut and a mixture of raisins and walnuts. last night i made a point of making this machine-less. if you're in need of some simplicity, this recipe is easy to do make with just a bowl, wooden spoon and box grater.

tom's carrot cake (with some anna notes)
1-1/2 cups sugar (this time i used 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs

1-3/4 cups flour
2 tea baking soda
1/2 tea salt
3/4 tea cinnamon

3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple
1/2 cup drained pineapple juice
1 cup coconut
3 cups grated carrots
3/4 cup raisins or toasted walnuts
(sometimes i do one or the other, sometimes i do a blend of both)

mix the sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl.
in a smaller bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
add dry ingredients to oil mixture and mix until just smooth.
add the remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated.

pour into a 10" cake pan or two loaf pans that have been buttered or sprayed with spray oil.

bake at 350 until top is firm (i had to call my dad and beg for an estimate on when i can look for the top to be firm. it ended up taking 45-50 minutes with the cake pan. if using loaf pans, i'd check it at 30-35 minutes)

this cake really doesn't need all the frosting of a normal cake, it is dark and colorful and beautiful on it's own and it is certainly rich and flavorful enough. if you were to add icing, however, i recommend the smitten kitchen maple cream cheese frosting.

enjoy!

under construction

doing a little remodeling around here.
be back soon.
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