Category: Autumn

Craving Autumn

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Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. There is something about this particular seasonal shift that triggers certain welcomed cravings as the days grow subtly shorter, the air begins to cool and nature’s color palette turns to warmer hues. It is that time of year when pumpkin permeates your menu plans, the crisp autumn air is infused with cinnamon and the golden glow of turning leaves is reflected on your dinner plate. Unfortunately, in my hot little corner of the world, it does not feel like fall at all. Summer is making her traditional last stand, stubbornly refusing to give way. And while my fellow foodies indulge their autumn cravings, I am still desperately craving autumn.

Autumn Abundance Bowl

 

 

 

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Parsnips and Purple Potatoes

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After our lovely Labor Day backpacking trip last week, I decided to stay at home to rest my aching joints and tend the to-do list this weekend while my hubby headed out for a solo Sierra adventure. Anticipating a big day in the great outdoors, he kindly requested a burger for dinner. A homemade one…with hormone-free, grass-fed beef…on a gluten-free bun…and fresh hand-cut potato fries on the side…and a gluten-free beer? Pretty pleeeease? Well, how could I say no to that. Of course I will make you a burger and fries. Oooohhh…with fresh herb and garlic salt on my fries? Okay, buddy, now you’re pushing it. I agreed to the burger and fries, but drew the line at the fancy garlic salt. However, as the day drew on and I shopped and prepped for my hungry hiker, I found myself chopping fresh herbs, pressing garlic and making that darn salt. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of fancy salt to make someone smile. And I must admit, I do love making my special someone smile.

Fresh Herb and Garlic Salt

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Clouds and Cookies

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When I was a child, my grandma would always send the family a big tin or two of homemade goodies for the holidays.  Date pinwheels, persimmon cookies, chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate chip cookies…the contents never varied.  Opening that tin always felt like saying hello to old friends and getting a big, warm hug from Grandma.  The chocolate-covered pretzels were my personal favorite, but I always wondered about those persimmon cookies…what, on earth, is a persimmon?

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Giving Thanks

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Dirt beneath my boots, shadows on rocks, warm sun on my face, wind whispers in my ear, a crisp autumn chill and the company of my favorite friend…these things I love.  This is the stuff to pause for.  Breathe it in.  Soak it up.  In this season of gratitude we express our appreciation for the things we have, the people we love and the moments in life that fill our hearts with joy.  It is moments like these, for which I am most thankful.

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Treasure Hunt

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As autumn begins to creep toward winter,  our high altitude adventures go into hibernation mode as snow begins to dust those granite ridgelines.  And so begins our desert season.  This time of year, our explorations take on a whole new vibe.   Desert dunes displace Sierra summits, Jeffrey pines give way to Joshua trees and skycapes stretch far beyond what the eye can see.

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