Pumpkin Pie Spice

It was...a heckuva a week. In between Halloween, a family emergency (don't worry, everything's fine), and just general stuff, I was a leetle busy. Also, I met my future self at Fresh Market's Thanksgiving sampling event.

Okay, so I know there are 1,284,792 "recipes" for pumpkin pie spice floating on the interwebz. This is my personal version. It's heavy on the cinnamon with a floral finish from cardamom.

You'll need: freshly grated nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger.

Pumpkin-Yogurt Bread

Pumpkin bread might be my favorite of the quick breads. Or maybe that's just the fall-euphoria talking. Oh who am I kidding, I've never turned down a piece of bread in my life. But! This bread is not so bad for you, seeing as it only has half a stick of butter and is mostly non-fat Greek yogurt and pumpkin. It's practically healthy. Except for maybe the powdered sugar I sprinkled on top.

Pumpkin Bread, Y'all!

Fact:  I was bitten in the face by a bug.  In my sleep.  I'd like to thank the good sweet Lord that it wasn't poisonous and that it's in a relatively inconspicuous spot on my jawbone.  Small favors.

In lighter, brighter news, I made my first pumpkin bread of the season!  This is easily one of the best I've made, especially because of the glaze I came up with.  It's stupendously moist, even after sitting out a few days.  In fact, we were going to share it at the tailgate Saturday, but my sister decided that she wanted to eat it more than she wanted to share it.  And well, I'm not gonna argue with the pregnant lady about food.

Fall Weather

Today and tomorrow are going to be fabulously cool.  As in I had to buy jeans because it's gonna get a little chilly.  After a week of temps in the 90s, 65º is just downright magical.  So much so that I had to go to one of Columbia's new coffee shops for a hot latte and a chill vibe to match the chill in the air.  I know it's only for a couple of days, but glory it feels wonderful.  Thanks, Peace, Love, and Rocky Roast.  Yeah, it's a 60s themed place.  The gelato looks divine, but I'll have to wait on sampling that.  They roast their own beans and....just go to the website.

Mmmmm, a soy latte.  Just what the doctor ordered.  Well...I'm not a doctor, but I do have a Master's!

Obviously those people had no idea I was picture-taking.  I'm stealth like that.  Actually, I just figured out how to turn the flash off my phone.

Check out some of the fun wall art.  The whole place is one big mural.  I think I'm sitting next to Jerry Garcia, but I can't be sure.

In honor of the fall weather, I'm going to make pumpkin bread today.  I love pumpkin bread.  Especially if it has a cream cheese glaze.  And why wouldn't you want a cream cheese glaze?  We will glaze, my friends.  Yes, we will glaze.

Starch Is Friend, Not Foe

The seasons are a funny thing in the South.  It's almost September, and I feel like I should start transitioning into fall.  But you see, fall in South Carolina doesn't mean cooler temperatures and pretty falling leaves.  It's hot.  I've seen Thanksgivings with temps in the upper 70s.  Of course I've been to Carolina games in October and frozen my behind off (no easy task, mind you), so there's just no guarantee what the weather will be like on any given day.  I don't think that's a complaint, just how it is.

I thoroughly enjoy fall flavors.  Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, warm spices, pumpkin, squash, pears, pumpkin.  It's a wonder I don't turn orange by November.  I feel like we're in a transitional period, so I wanted a dish that reflected moving from summer to fall.

Mushroom-corn risotto.  Ta-da!  Baby portobellos give the risotto an earthy quality that's reminiscent of autumn.  The white corn is one of the last vestiges of summer.  Together, they make an interesting risotto that's not quite fall, not quite summer.