{this moment}

{this moment}

apple tarte tatin (sort of)

The other night I made one of my favorite simple desserts - an apple tarte tatin - and it was so simple that I didn't use a recipe. I made it once from Williams-Sonoma's Pie and Tart, and have been making a version of it every so often from memory. And they've all been really good. (and really simple to make - always a good thing : D)

To make our version, you start with a few apples (2-4, depending on their size) which you slice thinly. I like to leave the skins on, but I think if you wanted to make an authentic apple tarte tatin you would need to take them off.
Then you sprinkle about 1 cup of sugar evenly on the bottom of an oven-proof skittle/frying pan. Dot that with 4 tablespoons of butter and then arrange the apples on top. The round part (outside) of the apples should be facing the bottom of the pan - you will eventually turn the entire thing upside-down and the bottom will become the top.
Then you top the entire thing with a piece of pie dough (or puff pastry - both are absolutely delicious options) and tuck the edges down.

Bake it in a 375 degree oven for about an hour or until the apples are tender when you poke it with a fork.
Let it rest for about 5 minutes and then place your serving plate on the skillet and (very quickly and carefully) flip the tatin upside-down onto your plate.

The combination of caramelized sugar and butter and apples and flaky dough is amazing! You can serve it with ice cream or whipped cream, but to do so is really gilding the lily. : )

Oh! I also have started growing herbs on our kitchen windowsill and love it! We have a pot of basil that has been so delicious to use and the cilantro is almost ready. I started some rosemary too and am waiting to see if it will sprout. Fresh herbs have been so wonderful!

this evening out my window

a bit of autumn loveliness from one of my favorite places

I opened my email account this morning and found that I had gotten an email from Crate & Barrel. It was so colorfull and fall-ish. So lovely. I clicked on over to their website and here are a few of the things I found:

pumpkin spice chai (it has a rooibos base, so it's naturally caffeine free).

it looks as if it would go well with the acorn shaped dark chocolates and maple and gingerbread cookies that they are also offering. afternoon tea is served!


acorn dishtowels




pumpkin platter - imagine filling it with molasses cookies, or apple spice muffins or serving a pumpkin cheesecake on it. yum!

Now that I have done a little virtual window shopping I want to bake, to go for a walk and pick up acorns to put in a glass vase, and, just maybe, head over to Crate & Barrel? I know that heading over there won't happen today (it's 30+ minute drive from the new apartment), but it would be so nice to walk in and smell their yummy fall candles and baking mixes, see the table linens for Thanksgiving .....

Baby Smillie Update

pre-birth portrait, Nov. 7

This morning John and I went to visit the midwife again, this time to get my blood tested for GD. If all goes well, I won't get a call on Monday - if they call back, I get to go again and sit in the office for four hours while they take blood samples to re-test.

The midwife said that Baby is currently breach with the head on my right (which explains why I have been feeling the strongest of the movements on my left side), and that the little one is growing rapidly. Everything still seems normal, and we are both healthy. John is doing quite well, too, in case you are wondering.

The only other news is that we are now on the two-week appointment schedule - I have an appointment every two weeks so that the ladies at the office can keep and eye on me (us). Baby will be here soon!

giving thanks

this year we have much to be grateful for, because as the psalmist said,

"...the LORD has dealt bountifully with you."

-psalm 116:7

pictures from an october walk

:: a little "friend" we found ::

I love fall. I love it almost as much as I love spring.

I love the intensity of color, how inviting it is to take an evening walk, the sound of the leaves as they crunch underfoot. I love the cooler weather, the crispness. I love how the grey days make me want to bake and clean. Or snuggle up with a blanket and a book.

I love fall.

comfort food

I found a wonderful recipe for Old Fashioned Blueberry Pie the other day on Katie's blog. So good. Between the two of us it lasted a grand total of 26 hours. Our ice cream managed to disappear too. *blush*

bits from today

:: sweater for Baby ::

"Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body."
- Mark 15:44


For some reason that phrase caught my attention this morning: he was known by the fact that he was awaiting the kingdom of God. Was he zealously waiting? Or was it just commonly known that Joseph from Arimathea was waiting for the kingdom of God?

getting colder .......

For the past few nights the temperature has been dropping down into the mid 30's, so I have been bringing the plants in at night to keep them a little cozier. we don't have too many plants left from the summer, but the tomato plant has decided to give us an additional late crop and I really don't want the new tomatoes to freeze!

oct 3

toast, with really yummy lemon curd

This morning John and I went to visit the midwife again, and we came home knowing that both baby and mama are doing great. Both healthy and growing, though my blood pressure is a bit low - 112 over 60-ish - and she had no explanation for why my hair keeps falling out. Silly me, it's supposed to fall out after Baby is born, not before. Baby even put on a little show for her by moving all around when she tried to listen for the heartbeat (which is loud and strong!).

changing hue

Yesterday morning was just lovely. A tad brisk, but lovely. I walked down to the church behind our place and took some pictures of their trees (since we don't have our own yet), and when I was looking at the pictures again this morning, they reminded of a line in a Josh Groban song: "Flaming flowers that brightly blaze/ Swirling clouds and violet haze/ Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue/ Colors changing hue/ Morning fields of amber grain ..."

Isn't autumn a gorgeous time of year? All the seasons can be, I know, but I particularly notice the Spring and Fall. It's almost as if God gets out His box of colors for a final flourish before He sends the world to bed for the winter.

pillow #2, in progress

Today it's a little chilly - well, I guess 67 isn't cold, but it is enough for a California girl to grab a sweater - so I'm doing dishes, laundry, and getting started on the embroidered pillow. And I'm ready for my next cup of tea!

evening at home

another glorious sunset - rain is predicted for tomorrow

our "dryer" basking in the luminescence

chicken pot pie ........

Mmmmm ... fall goodness.

The other day I called John at work and asked what he thought of having a pot pie for dinner. He was quite enthusiastic about the idea, and could hardly wait to get home.
It was one of those "fall is here, kind-of-sort-of" days, and I felt like making some comfort food. Chicken pot pie is high on my list of comfort food, along with Sour Patch Kids, gummi bears, hot chocolate, goulash, sour cream mashed potatoes with green peas, BBQ tri-tip done medium rare, coffee ...
I grabbed one of my copies of Joy of Cooking (the one that sits on the microwave) and thumbed through it looking for a recipe. To my dismay, the only one it had called for a chicken hash-like filling. No veggies. To be comfort food, my pot pies must have veggies. And lots of peas. So I pulled out my box of cookbooks, and continued looking.
Betty Crocker helped, but she asked for a puff pastry crust, and I was unwilling to take the three+ hours to make puff pastry. I knew what crust I wanted to use, but I needed some guidelines for baking times, etc. for a double crust (another essential element) pot pie.
So, after about 10 more minutes on Cooks.com, I came up with a mish-mash of recipes and set to work, hoping it would turn out like the ones in my memory.

And the recipe will follow in a few days, cuz John and I are heading up to Indy to spend the weekend celebrating Sarah and Teri's birthdays.
So you'll have to wait!

a boy and a train

At The Christmas Tree Farm

Sisters and Friends

Anna, Lizzie, and Leitha

Little things

This afternoon I was in the car, coming home from a long day of classes. We took a back road instead of the main one, and it was a bit quieter, a little more peaceful, and definitely more beautiful.
We were heading towards the sun that was just starting to think of setting, and the light was filtering through the trees. Annadale (the road we took) has some stone-fruit orchards along it, as well a few cow pastures well dotted with oak trees. As the sunlight struck the orchards at a twenty degree angle they turned gold, but only as we were looking through them. If we turned to look back, the orchard had resumed its normal dusky late fall appearance.




The semester is drawing to a close, and my biology professor has only one major subject to cover before we prepare for the final: how we got here. We have covered the entire body, tip to toe, from before conception to after death, and all the wonder of it. Now we get to try to understand how such a marvel could evolve. Somehow, I just can't wrap my mind around it.

a day spent shopping

street shot, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

Shopping, in the lovely autumn weather. Oh, there are few things as lovely!!!! Except, maybe, shopping in the springtime, or the crisp winter............ :)

Oh, fall is glorious!

Mom and I went looking for fabric for the wedding. We found a little tiny shop in Los Altos called Thai Silks that had amazing prices, and ........... we found some really gorgeous material.
Now, to start sewing.



*for all interested in progress regarding the wedding plans: Mom and I also bought the flower girl dresses.

p.s. Some pictures to get started:

Wedding Preparations