Hello Hash!

The fauna of fall

My skillet loves bacon as much as I do

The finished product

In a way I did nothing today but make dinner. What's more is that what I just finished eating is usually considered breakfast. But because my brain shuts down when I have a day off things can get a lil' wacky. Today though my confusion became the crest of my culinary creativity. Evidence being that the dishes are still in the sink but I am so thrilled to share this I have to shout it from the CAPS LOCK! Brussel Sprout and Parsnip Hash with smoked bacon, wine sap apple, poblano pepper and sage. Recipe to come!

Thanksgiving came early this year

Pumpkin pie with maple whipped  cream

But it was welcomed with open arms. On a short hiatus from the bustle of 'Noo Yawk' I retreated south to spend time with my family. Everyone near and dear was at the homestead.

I've realized that one draw back of growing up is having to go away to do so and for the first time my family will be spending the holidays together via Skype. So we took advantage of our physical proximity and celebrated the best way we knew how. By having Thanksgiving dinner.

There was turkey and stuffing by mom, biscuits by sister Rachael, roast veggies and green bean casserole by muah. But wait! What's missing? What defines a dinner to be thankful for? What supple squash mixed with spices makes it worth waking up from a turkey coma?

Glorious pumpkin pie! My eldest and oh so wise sister Jessica slaved over cans of pumpkin filling and pre-maid pie crust all day. She turned the mundane into something magnificent. Warm, silky, cinnamony pumpkin embraced by a flaky, buttery crust...I am weak in the knees... and as if that wasn't good enough, in a stroke of pure genius, Jessica spiked her homemade whipped cream with maple syrup. Utterly inspiring!

Guilt-trip Tart

So good it makes the sun shine

Here you go Franny, your relentless nagging eternally enshrined on the internet. Not that I can really be upset. I did promise you a tart in December when I bought the pan and it took me until June to deliver. Worth the wait I hope.

So Fran's birthday tart had a lemon zest infused crust filled to the brim with lemon cream cheese custard and garnished with mounds of fresh berries. Yum.

A man walks into a bar...

Like a moth to flame

...Actually a girl walks into a thrift store and leaves with a bar. How could I say no? There I was, at Sarasota Architectural Salvage, on my very first paid photo gig (apart from the $100 I got for taking promo pics for a rodeo cowboy which is too obscure to qualify) absorbing in all that this menagerie of refuse had to offer and there it was, beckoning me. Like the Holy Grail, a relic from the times of gimlets and ceaseless indoor smoking. I shut my eyes and heard Sinatra singing along to the rhythm of chinking glasses and spouting siphons. It had to be mine! And with the encouragement of a 20% professional discount there was nothing left to do except make sure it fit in the back seat of my car.

A few swipes of Windex, a light for theatrical effect and we were ready to roll.

Let the good times pour!

Condensation

Quin-wow

I have been slacking on my blog updating duties so here is a little something to hold you over. Red quinoa cooking away on the stove obscured by condensation. A full serving of protien in every cup AND cool looking. Those Incas knew what was up!