Spicy Tomato Soup with Blue Cheese

The season of soups and stews is upon us, and this year I’m ready to fully embrace it. I don’t know what got me so jazzed for soups all of a sudden. Maybe it’s because I got a Le Creuset last Christmas and haven’t been able to use it regularly yet. Maybe it’s because I’ve been perusing my Pinterest during the changing of seasons and found some intriguing recipes (see here, here, and here). Maybe it’s because soup makes great leftovers and I’m getting sick of a kale salad for lunch every day. Either way, I made my first batch of homemade chicken stock last weekend and boy am I itchin’ to use it.

The Gnocchi Blues

Right now is the time for pumpkin everything, right? Duh, why am I even asking that, it’s October. Pumpkins are the essence of October. That’s why I took a vacation day just to visit a pumpkin patch on Friday. I had to get several small pumpkins and gourds for my fall tablescape…because this is what matters to me in the world. However, something had been troubling me all week; that something was pumpkin ricotta gnocchi.

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Coziness is one of my favorite feelings, and therefore “cozy” is one of my favorite adjectives. When you’re cozy, you feel safe and protected. I believe that’s why coziness is such a part of fall – it protects you from the sometimes harsh fall elements. Everything during this season emanates coziness: the food, the apparel, the setting. For the second year in a row, I spent a Sunday afternoon making pumpkin doughnuts followed by having a drink at a local bar. In the midst of all the warehouses and graffiti in my neighborhood, several quaint bars are scattered. During this time of year they decorate their exposed-brick interiors with festive fake cobwebs and romantic candles. It’s mad cozy, and I love it. To be honest, when I did this last year, it was all part of a hangover cure. It was so lovely that I just wanted to do it again this year, hangover-free. As it turns out, I needed cozy comfort badly this past Sunday. Let me tell you why…

Chorizo, White Bean, & Kale Stew

fuzzy photos of food courtesy of shaky, sick hands + amateur food photography skills

Happy October, everyone! To me, it doesn’t feel like fall has truly begun until October rolls around. I love a good, sunny fall day. You can wear a cute lil’ jacket and romp around the beautiful outdoor scenery, laughing into your infinity scarf, tossing leaves into the air. Maybe you go apple picking, maybe you go to a winery, maybe you even go find a corn maze. Hell, I’m hoping to do all of that one day in the not too distant future.

But I think my favorite part of fall is the dreary, drizzly days.