I’ve had my nose buried in this book for the past couple weeks.

Something about the cool weather of fall has gotten me in the mood to bake bread; it’s sort of romantic I guess. Cold, rainy, windy outside only to retreat inside our cozy warm little apartment with the smell of fresh yeasted bread baking as you walk through the door. Well friends those recipes are to come, but this one I wanted to share with you today is as simple as it gets.

We woke up later than normal Saturday (after 9 eek!) and this was the perfect thing, simple ingredients and done in 25 minutes. Not to mention only one dirty pie plate later breakfast was served. This is a mix between a pancake and a popover, just lovely with your morning coffee, not to mention the smell of the cloves will send you in a fall frenzy; that is if your not there already.

Apple Pancake Sam
recipe from The Tassajara Bread Book

• 2 tbsp. butter
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 med. apple, sliced into wedges
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. milk
• 3 eggs
• Ground cloves
Put butter into 9 inch round pie plate, heat in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Don’t brown. Squeeze lemon juice over apple slices and toss with brown sugar. Set aside.Combine flour, a pinch of ground cloves, milk and eggs; whisk briefly. Batter will be lumpy. Remove baking dish from oven. Pour in batter. Arrange apples in circle around dish. Top with the remaining lemon-brown sugar mixture. Bake until firm and puffy. Dust with ground cloves. Serve with warm syrup. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.



Images: sammyw

I am always searching blogs, magazines, cookbooks you name it for new and different seasonal dishes, but sometimes you gotta resort back to what you know. Here’s a look at some of my favorite fall yummies…

This cream cheese pumpkin bread was a huge hit with my hubs.

Or how about this Farfalle with roasted butternut squash, pancetta and sage? It’s squashes galore here in Seattle.

Mmm I remember these muffins, perfect to bag up and bring to your friends and neighbors.

Caramelized Brussels sprouts make a perfect side dish to any dinner.

Forget the pasta when you can have Garlic & Shallot Spaghetti Squash.

This caramel apple dip is crazy good, trust me.

And if you make nothing else do yourself a favor and make these, they are my favorite and I promise they will quickly become yours as well.

Images: sammyw

Rain, warm socks, soup, farmers market, flowers from my hunny sitting on the kitchen table, reuniting with old friends…hope your weekend is delightful as well.

Rustic Potato Chowder
recipe adapted from 101 cookbooks

• 8 to 10 slices bacon
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 shallots, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 4 cups unpeeled new potatoes, cubed
• 2 t salt, divided
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 4 cups organic milk
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• freshly ground pepper
• fresh chives

In a large pot cook the bacon according to package instructions, until browned and crisp. Cool and chop into small pieces. Set aside. In the same pot add the extra-virgin olive oil, onions, shallots, and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to get soft. Add the diced potatoes and teaspoon of salt and saute for about two minutes. Now add the mustard and milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the soup thickens and the potatoes are soft throughout. Whisk in the Gruyere cheese, another teaspoon of salt, and a couple pinches of pepper. Garnish with the bacon, fresh chives.

Image: sammyw