-
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin bread made with sweetness, spice, and olive oil satisfies the need for simple and delicious baked goods that can be enjoyed throughout the day. A thick slice is perfect with morning tea or coffee and even with a seasonal lunchtime salad, which is how I have been eating it lately. While I won’t be ready for pumpkin pie (or rather my strawberry pumpkin tart) until Thanksgiving, this pumpkin bread recipe keeps me inspired with cinnamon, nutmeg, and all the cozy spices. Olive oil lends both moisture and a lovely, nuanced flavor to the bread, but feel free to spread some butter on top for extra deliciousness. When selecting an…
-
Pumpkin Tomato Soup in a Whole Pumpkin
A roasted pumpkin serves as the bowl and a key ingredient for this creamy soup. Instead of carving a jack-o’-lantern, try carving a soup bowl this autumn for a dinner that makes an irresistibly seasonal presentation. Fire-roasted tomatoes keep the soup bright, and while I add cream, it can be omitted or substituted with a non-dairy alternative toward the end of cooking. Everything is cooking directly in the whole pumpkin before being blended smooth, and Gruyère-topped croutons take it over the top. Recently my mother gifted me a beautiful plate with wintry oranges reminiscent of the clove-studded ones she would make each holiday season. She continually has gifted me a…
-
Fall Table Decor with Dried Flowers
As we head deeper into autumn, now is the perfect time to preserve the beauty of your garden through a dried flower arrangement. While tending to the garden recently, I decided to snip some blooms to create a table centerpiece that would last through many dinners and remind me of the variety of flowers thriving outside. If you start now, in about two to three weeks, you will have preserved the most gorgeous flowers you have been growing (or ones picked from the market), and be able to turn them into a centerpiece for the dining room table, kitchen island, or any part of your home ready for a touch of…
-
Fall Baked Beans
These baked beans are the perfect plant-based dish for autumn meals, with maple syrup and seasonal flavors that will take you right into cozy sweater weather. They hit all the notes I need in homemade baked beans from nuanced sweetness to the woodsy quality of thyme. In this recipe, tomato puree lends more brightness than commonly used ketchup, and rye whiskey adds the necessary touch of smokiness. When you return home from picking apples, remember to save one for this recipe. A brief cook prepares chopped apples for the baking dish and ensures they cook up tender but not too soft. Before reading through the ingredient list, you can watch…
-
Summer Pasta Salad
On summer days, I look forward to checking the tomato vines, watching jalapeño flowers transform into peppers, and grilling as much zucchini as possible. I hold onto the season as I make overflowing salads and enjoy the abundance that only late summer holds. Often I combine what is ready to be picked into my ultimate cold pasta salad, which can be served for dinner as easily as lunch. Sweet corn from the farmers’ market and other gathered vegetables make this dish a true celebration of everything that is summer. In my creative salads cooking classes, we explore recipes and methods using garden fresh ingredients. Each forkful of this summer pasta salad…
