Cucurbita!

Whoohoo!  It's pumpkin season!  It's yummy and it's good and it's only here once a year so go CRAZY and buy EVERYTHING that tastes like pumpkin!  Last week Mom was here and we went to Trader Joe's and did just that.  I'm enjoying the benefits of our trip for breakfast this morning.  We bought some delicious Pumpkin Butter that I am having on toasted cinnamon raisin bread.  SO. GOOD.

I also picked up some pumpkin spice granola and a mix for pumpkin bread or muffins.  I passed on the pumpkin waffle and pancake mix.  What was I thinking???  Had a Pumpkin Spice Latte.  I have a  Pinterest pin waiting for my return to make pumpkin cream cheese.

Seems like we go a little crazy around this time of year.  But I know I'm not the only one, so I don't feel bad about it.

So what else did I miss?  How about this pumpkin pie lip balm?  Then you don't have to actually eat all the pumpkin stuff to get the flavor! Save on calories?

time out of town

The fall tends to be a busy time.  Actually, most of the year tends to be busy.  Possibly I lead a busy life. I can't believe that it is now December and we are in the midst of the holiday season, looking at the close of another year.  I don't know where the time went.  It feels like just yesterday that Stacy and I were huddled under an umbrella 15 blocks away from a sparkling sphere, squinting to see the globe that was to bring in the new year as it descended on masses of people.

I was fortunate during the fall season to take a few trips.  Unfortunately, I was too busy to write much about them.  First, I was able to spend a weekend in West Virginia.  Not too long after, I went to Montana for several days where I got to hang out with Ben, Jen, and little Joel, who is quickly becoming 'not so little' anymore.  He could be pretty wild at times, but all in all is a super cute kid.  I enjoyed reading to him, but he would read the same book over and over...and over...  I would think he would get tired of it, but nope.  He could have much worse habits, I must say.  I can't get over how demanding babies are.  Being a single lady in the city, I can't wrap my mind around this other person that needs your attention 24/7.  Entire days have to be planned around feedings, naps, moods... not much room for spontaneity in there.  Parents have a lot of patience.  When a kid is screaming all the time, I would want to put him in the closet and go shopping.  I don't think that's really an option though.  Well, it's fun being an aunt.  Not that being a parent isn't extremely rewarding, but I think I'll enjoy my freedom while I have it.  My day may come.

Last week, for Thanksgiving, I went down to Richmond to John and Pat's place.  A bunch of the WV portion of the family came out to meet us and we had a great time.  I was nervous to fly on Thanksgiving day, especially with the new scanners and pat downs that are all the drama in the news, but I had no problems.  In fact, the airport was like a ghost town when I left NY.  Coming back was so early that I was barely aware of what was going on anyway.

Next week a gang of family is coming to New York and the week after that I will be heading to West Virginia for Christmas!  I can't believe it's so soon!  I need to do some Christmas shopping asap!

a face for fall

Union Square Farmer's Market

Halloween 2010

Usually Halloween kind of gets on my nerves.  I often feel like I'm trying to come up with a costume idea at the last minute.  I don't get into getting ridiculously dressed up and I definitely don't want to spend a lot of money on some costume that I will never use again.  I prefer fancy dressed that I will never wear again...
I also hate that most girls use Halloween as a time to dress (or UNdress) like a skank.  I don't know when Halloween because a licence to go around half naked, but it's just not my thing.  Anyway - let's not get on that path.

I actually think this Halloween turned out pretty well and it was super easy so I am super excited about that.  We had some events at work and I participated in the pumpkin decorating contest.  I did not win, but I thought my Pumpkin Pi was quite clever and nerdy and I definitely get some points for that.

One of the orchestras I play in, the One World Symphony held a couple of concerts over the weekend too.  We had one in Brooklyn on Friday night and one in Manhattan on Sunday night.  We dressed up in costumes for those concerts and played fun "Halloween' like music.  I decided to go a Rosie the Riveter.  I think (and based on all the comments on my facebook pictures) that the costume came off really well.  It was super easy and a LOT of fun.  I love that all I really did was tie some fabric around my head and put on a denim shirt and there she was!  Yay!

It's Here!

The weather has changed.
The chill in the air.
The leaves begin to dry.
The time has come.
Today is the day.
The first soup of the season.

That is my poem accepting the fact that summer is gone and we will only see cooler days from here on out. Making my first soup of the season is a sure sign that I am embracing the new season, even if I am scared of the winter that is to come. This afternoon I mixed up a delicious pot of lentil soup. I do love soup and hope to make many dishes of it this year. With my new job I don't have a lot of time to cook during the week, so my goal is to make a few things over the weekend that I can eat throughout the week. By the way, I have Friday off - so this is technically my weekend.
I enjoy having a day off that most everyone else has to work. Although my favorite thing to do is hang out with my friends, it seems that when we are off work at the same time all we do is hang out and I don't get a lot done. This way I can take care of my business on Friday: cooking, laundry, shopping, etc. Then I will have Saturday to spend with friends and have fun. Ah, the organized life I have thrown myself into. It is amazing how having less time makes one more organized. Funny how I get much more accomplished when I have much less time.

Well, the soup is done and I think I need to test it out. And I have to say: I just love Hamilton Beach Immersion Blender. It is nearly the best thing on the planet. I use it at the end of the soup-making process to make it creamier...mmm... time to taste test. Bon appetit!

Happy Autumn!!!

Yes, it is a day late, but I can't believe it is fall already! Where did summer go? I do enjoy autumn, as it is probably my favorite season. I like starting to wear comfy sweaters and jeans. I love the colors of the changing leaves and I like the smell in the air as the humidity is replaced with a crispness in the evenings.

finding foliage

I love fall and missed it so much when I was living in the south. It just isn't the same down there. I am realizing it just isn't the same in this city either. The first sign of fall was cooler weather, but then it got gloomy and rainy. That's not the fall I am looking for!!! The weather did warm back up and it's been pretty nice the past week or so, but I want COLOR. I guess there just aren't enough trees here to give much color. So sad. I remember some really nice colors from last year, but that's what you get from those West Virginia hills. Maybe it is still early? Please tell me that the rest of the country is not colorful and beautiful. Oh well. I searched high and low and was able to find some orange in Brooklyn. It will have to suffice.

Soup and sick since Sunday

I made my first soup of the season! One of my favorite thing about that chill hitting the air is that I can bring out the pot and start throwing together some soups!
Unfortunately, this sudden change to soup must have confused my body and cursed myself. See, I eat a lot of soup when I am sick and once I made soup my body must have thought it was supposed to be sick, so here I am: sniffing and sneezing while drinking tea by the gallon.
Anyway, it's just a cold so I will survive.

The first soup of the season was Curried Lentil Soup, which was quick and easy to throw together. That's the way I like it... especially when it turns out to be yummy as well.

2 tablespoon veg. oil
2 cups chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup dried lentils
1 can garbanzo beans
3 3/4 cup water
1 can veg or chicken broth
1 tablespoon peeled grated ginger
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tspn. coriander
1/2 tspn. dried crushed red pepper
1/2 tspn. curry powder
1 cup seeded, chopped tomato
1/4 tspn. salt
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream

Basically you just saute the onion and garlic in the oil until they are nice and tender (about 5 minutes). Then add the lentils and ingredients through the curry powder. I used dried ginger because that's what I had. In general I cut the size in half for dried instead of fresh, but that still seemed like a lot, so I didn't use that much. I also took it easy with the red pepper because I was a little scared. Anyway - bring all that to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let her do her thing for about 25-35 minutes until the lentils are tender.
Next, stir in the tomatoes and salt.
Dish it out into some bowls and top with a dollop of Daisy.
There you go! Enjoy!

colors of fall

MIA?

I am still here - I just haven't blogged much lately. Fall is passing by and I try to get the most out of every day. A few weeks ago I found my way over to the New River Gorge Bridge and it's Bridge Day festivities. The weather was beautiful and the sights were amazing. The leaves were not as fully colored as I had hoped, but they were still something to see...especially for someone who has a "fall deficiency" as I had!
Here is a picture of the hills taken from the bridge. We actually walked all the way across (and back, of course). People were jumping off from a station set up in the middle of the bridge. I enjoyed watching the jumpers, but I know that is something I could never do. Each time someone jumped I would hold my breath and watch, amazed, until the parachutes would come out and the person would be safely floating to the ground. I wanted to "interview" someone just before they jumped. What does a person think about those minutes before he jumps off a bridge 876 ft. in the air? What kind of heart rate are we talking about here? Do you look before you jump or just take a run for it? I suppose it takes all kinds - the jumpers did seem to have different approaches. Some looked calm, almost prayer-like (can you blame them??? I'd be praying more than ever!), while others were getting pumped up and ready to go! Several people had interesting accessories, such as Santa hats or stuffed animals. Or how about this guy, the Barbie guy?
I guess if you are going to put something on your helmet, it might as well be a Barbie doll! Barbie has been everywhere else - now she's been over the bridge on Bridge Day!
I also thought it was interesting that several jumpers had video cameras on their hats. I would be afraid I was recording my own death, but I guess those guys have a little more confidence than me. My favorite was watching a pair jump: the first would jump backwards, with a camera on his head and the next person would jump forwards over him - that would be a neat video to watch. Here is a photo of that: this guy is just hangin' out on air before he decides to take the plunge.
I had a great time and I'm glad I saw this West Virginia tradition - but don't ever expect to see me doing anything like jumping off that bridge!