SouleMama

The Splendid Table Cookbook Giveaway

I'm getting excited about food right now. I think there's a late winter point of despair (to put it in dramatic terms) when I am so sick of soups and the dregs of the 'root cellar' foods. I'm anxious for green and red and oh so much more. While it's still early, I can at least feel it coming. I think it has something to do with making the last installment in our CSA payment for the year, and the promise that fresh! local! yummy! produce will soon be ready for us each and every week. Ah...

Anyway, in anticipation of all that, I've been food-inspired lately. Opening favorite old cookbooks to find new things, and finding new cookbooks to put a spin on the old. One new arrival has been The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award Winning Food Show. Amy shared a great review of it a few weeks back, and everything she said is so very true. I love the stories woven into the recipes. And the recipes are delicious, and well, 'different' than so very many other cookbooks. It feels like a 'fresh' cookbook if that makes sense.

I've actually photographed a bunch of the things we've made from this book in the past month, but this is the only one that I don't fear will have the effect of turning you away from the book. A food photographer, I am not (Delicious photos in the book - I'll leave it to the experts). Above is the Supper Tart of Red Onions, Greens and Grapes. See what I mean? "Different" - we make SOOO much pizza around here, and this was a perfect fresh spin on it for us - on puff pastry (I know, it's a tart, not a pizza, but the kids thought it was pizza). It was so good that looking at this photo is totally motivating me to make it again (for the fourth time) tonight. Yum. Another favorite has been Sweet Roasted Butternut Squash and Greens over Bow Tie Pasta. Again, just the right spin of yummy and new. Oh gosh, and the Retro Garlic Bread! Really good too.

Of course, I wanted to listen to the radio show after falling in love with the cookbook. And thank goodness for the internet (it's not carried on my local radio station), because you can listen to podcasts of the show on their website. (They've also got a really interesting year-long project going on, following 15 people eating a regional diet, each blogging about the experience - Locavore Nation).

As a little treat for YOU, the publisher, Clarkson Potter, has generously agreed to do a giveaway of The Splendid Table's new cookbook. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post before 7am (my time) tomorrow - Friday - at which point I'll choose a random number to send one copy of the book to, and announce it here at the end of this post. Good luck!

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Comments Closed. We have a winner! The Random Number Generator led me to Momma Roar, who wrote:

I'd love some new recipe ideas!! We live in PA in Amish country...where a lot of the meals I make are meat and potatoe AND basic. I'd love to have some new ideas!!

What fun!

Posted by: Momma Roar | May 01, 2008 at 04:45 PM

 

Congratulations! And thanks to everyone for playing!

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the sheep "on our farm"

(Looking for "Charlotte" at our CSA farm)

There are a lot of conversations around here that begin with "on our farm..." It's followed by any number of things, depending on who's talking. Because of course, our "someday farm" means five different things to all five of us. But we have so much fun dreaming about the possibilities, driving around perusing the possibilities (not yet! but it's coming soon...I can feel it), and talking about what we all do share in common for our farm plans. A near nightly conversation at the dinner table - always started by one of the boys - begins with "tell me the first three animals you want on our farm." Calvin's keeping track of it all on a pretty fabulous 7-year old version of a visual spreadsheet that I adore.

The chickens are a must (we all agree). A cow is a must (Calvin and I insist - Ezra's the swing vote, and we've still got some convincing to do with Papa). The donkey is uh, questionable (though Ezra is persistent on this one). As is the colt that Calvin wants to 'break' by his 8th birthday (just like Almanzo - his super hero). Adelaide will get her kitties. But sheep. Oh, the sheep are fast making their way to the top of my dream farm wish list.

Not helping has been the arrival of these two books in the past month. Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns and Miles of Yarn by Joan Tapper is a portrait of fiber farms in the US, with tales of their lives and animals, wonderful knitting patterns, and gorgeous photography sprinkled throughout. There's some knitting in here that I'm pretty excited to give a closer look at, but until then, this book sits on our coffee table for all to pour through the pages of farm life, and the amazing creative fiber works that come out of that (Calvin keeps stealing it away to his bed to look at the sheep -  I think I've got an ally on the sheep argument).

A Fine Fleece: Knitting with Handspun Yarns by Lisa Lloyd is another I've been daydreaming in the pages of lately. It has some great information about handspinning, wool, sheep breeds and other technical detals like that. And then 26 amazing knitting patterns - each featuring a handspun beauty as well as a more readily available commercial yarn. The designs are gorgeous - a little beyond my knitting skill, perhaps. But that hasn't stopped me from admiring them and scouting our yarn for a pattern or two that I'd like to give a go at.

For now and until the time is right, we're all quite happy to get our farm fix at our local CSA farm (where this new little one was born last week - just hours before we visited), where they're kind enough to let us hang out and pretend. Which is just what we do.

in the Spring Book Basket

While it's been officially spring for a bit now, it's only been these past two weeks that we've seen any evidence of it at all around here. But now, the spring book basket is active and full and pulled from each day for some springtime reading. (And my apologies to those of you in the other hemisphere! My "autumn" book list isn't done yet!)

Our Springtime Favorites

Spring - Gerda Muller
Always a favorite, especially in the younger years. Gerda Muller's four season board books are such a treasure - with no words, but simple illustrations full of all the wonder of the season for children.

Fruhling - Eva-Maria Ott-Heidmann
Quite similar to the Gerda Muller series in concept, this seasonal board book is full of watercolors slightly more dreamy. Paired together, I think they're a wonderful spring visual for the young ones. (Adelaide at 2.5 adores these books).

Spring Is Here - Lois Lenski
Another one perfect for the littlest ones. Sweet and simple tale of springtime treats - gardening, animals, flying kites - all in simple rhymes. And paired with Lenski's adorable illustrations. This is one I remember loving from my own childhood.

Under the Sun - Ellen Kandoian
This book is so wonderful for the way it explains the the path of the earth through the day - traveling with the 'sun' around the world in a day. I love it when science and nature can be explained in a fun story for children without getting too complicated or over their heads - and this does that. (I think this is out of print now - perhaps it's at your library?)

The Sun Egg - Elsa Beskow
I can't put a list together without including one Elsa Beskow. But this one is a favorite, and it's a perfect tale of spring. A young elf living in the northern forest discovers a mysterious 'sun egg' that has fallen from the sky, and the story is the tale of her travels to where it came from. This book has forever changed the way my family eats oranges.

A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox - Wendy Pfeffer
I really enjoy this series of seasonal books for the wide perspective of celebrations and traditions they provide. In addition to the science, historical and cultural tales of Spring, there are also recipes and activities in the back section of the book for doing your own celebrating of the season.

When Spring Comes - Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
I love this 'country' tale full of springtime adventures - sugaring, running barefoot, picking berries - all told from the dream of end-of-winter. A wonderful seasonal transition book - for when we're dreaming about the spring/summer which isn't quite here yet.

Spring's Sprung - Lynn Plourde
The spring colors incorporated into the illustrations here are stunning, and for that alone, this book is a gem. But I also love how these tales (she has one for each season) bring the season to life though a character, and this one brings to light a bit of sibling conflict - always a topic I'm happy to explore through story.

Inch by Inch: The Garden Song - David Mallet
Illustrations to go along with the sweet folk song, Inch by Inch - a favorite in our house.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together With Children - Sharon Lovejoy
Such a favorite here. This book is full of gardening activities and wisdom for families - those with lots of gardening experience and those with less (that would be me). Her approach that encourages children to play and explore really appeals to me.

Paddle-to-the-Sea - Holling Clancy Holling
Not a spring book, per se, but there seems to be a springtime tradition forming of us reading this book. And it does fit in with the season, with it's telling of boats, and water melting and new streams forming.  We like to follow along on the map as Paddle-to-the-Sea takes his journey from the Canadian wilderness to the Atlantic Ocean.

Nature Field Guides -
This is also a time of year when our bags, baskets and pockets are full of nature field guides for identifying plants, trees, animal tracks and flowers. I pick up a lot of the small, vintage "Golden Nature Guides" while out thrifting. They're super handy, and beautifully illustrated. We also like a lot of the DK field guides, as well as the Fandex Family Field Guides.

As I was thumbing through the basket, I realized just how many were bird related! So, I'm saving those for a seperate 'Bird Book List' - look for that sometime in the coming week or so.

As always, we'd love to hear your favorite family Springtime reads in the comments!

Happy Spring Reading!

my "urchin beret"

I'm pretty much in love with my new hat. And yes - I know I just said that about another hat. It's not that I'm a fickle hat lover - it's that I actually - and sadly -have misplaced that hat (I'm not calling it 'lost' yet). A bummer to be sure. But - it also gave me the perfect excuse to knit myself another new hat. A silver lining!

The pattern is the "urchin beret" from Twinkle's Weekend Knits: 30 Fast Designs for Fun Getaways. It's a beautiful book, and the designs really are unique - but wearable. Wearable is important. I've been itching to make a sweater, and I think it might just come from this book - I'm deciding between the Nimbus or the Cloudburst. Such fun names, aren't they? And it just occurred to me (sometimes I'm slow to catch on to these things) where the name "urchin beret' comes from for this hat. It totally does look like a  sea urchin from the top! And how much do I love the thought of walking around with a little bit of the ocean on me in the middle of the winter, even if only in theory? So much.

(all of these photos are by my very talented and sweet Steve by the way.)

I do realize (now) that I've knit myself more than a few green hats over the years. But - leave me wandering in a yarn shop with no pre-determined plan and there's a likely chance I'll walk out of there with some green yarn. (This is Cascade Magnum, from KnitWit - a favorite local yarn spot.)

Oh, and, this book is aptly titled - particularly on the 'fast' part. This hat - knit on gigantic size 17 needles - was finished before the end of a movie. (Jules et Jim - oh my gosh, I love that movie - I could listen to this over and over.) Anyway, that's a fast knit. I don't really think of knitting as something that needs to or even should be done fast, but sometimes it's kind of fun when it is. Especially when there's snow in the forecast (and in Maine this winter, when isn't snow in the forecast?), and I want to wear my new favorite hat. Like, today, for example.

(Hang in there, local peeps & similarly snowed-over friends! Spring will come. And for now, we have some beautiful snow. This is my February mantra.)

Wintry Weather Favorites

{Aw, thanks. You are very sweet. I really appreciate your kind words about our little calendar. We had such fun putting it together...and after a little break from my scanner (or perhaps a scanning lesson for Calvin), I can't wait to see what project we begin next!}   

So...we've had some serious snow around these parts.The word is that this is the most snow we've had this early in the season in something like 40 years. The kids are beside themselves with glee at the outdoor play land we've got going on: cross country skiing, skating, sledding, snowshoeing, and generally rolling around in the powder...and Steve and Calvin are downright giddy about hitting the mountains for some downhill action this year too.For now, and for the most part - I'm rather enjoying all the snow. It's beautiful out there!  And inside is the pleasure of January nesting - we're getting in some serious couch time; drinking lots of cocoa and tea; playing more Animal Yahtzee than I ever thought possible; making lots of everything; and doing lots of reading. The couch and quilts and a pile of books are where it's at right now. In that light, I thought I'd put together a reading list of our favorite books from our Winter basket, and perhaps share a new list as each season begins this year.

Our Favorite Wintry Reads!

(A few that made their way onto the holiday list I did in November that really apply here too: Owl Moon - Jane Yolen; Snow - Uri Shulevitz; The Big Snow - Berta and Elmer Hader; The Story of the Snow Children - Sibylle Von Olfers; Winter - Gerda Muller )

And the rest...

Snowflake Bentley - Jacqueline Briggs Martin
I love this story - I love finding children's books that tell the true story of people following their passions. This story tells the tale of Wilson Bentley, the snowflake guy! This book usually inspired a great flood of snowflake making in this house, which I feel coming on pretty soon. Gotta stock up on my coffee filters. I keep adding Snow Crystals - one of Bentley's books - to my wish list, but it hasn't made it's way in yet. Maybe this winter.

Flannel Kisses - Linda Crotta Brennan
This was a recommend from our last book list, and I'm so glad for it. It's a short, sweet, and simple story featuring so many things we love about winter - snow, quilts, soup, family, and coziness.

The Tomten, and The Tomten and The Fox - Astrid Lindgren
Adelaide has a big Tomten thing going on right now - I can't even imagine how many times I've read these books. I adore everything Astrid Lindgren did, but these are really special, sweet stories. And just the right length for my two year old.

Flower Fairies of the Winter - Cicely Mary Barker
I found this book (along with the others in the collection) on a recent clean-out of the basement. I think I had them before the children were born, and I'm so glad I found them at a time when they can be so enjoyed. The poetry is simple and lovely, and of course, her drawings of the fairies and flowers are stunningly beautiful.

Grandmother Winter - Phyllis Root
I bought this book as a holiday gift after being reminded of it on the last book list. I'm so grateful for that reminder - it's such a sweet tale of the origin of winter, and we've been enjoying it's cozy tone.

The Snowy Day - Ezra Jack Keats
One of the few books I remember so fondly from my childhood. And my little ones love it too - of course, being by "Ezra" and all makes it a whole bunch more fascinating around here to my little guy. I love the simplicity of this story - and the 'blanket' of snow that arrives. Sweet, sweet.

Mr. Snow - Roger Hargreaves
I recently rediscovered these Mr. Men and Little Miss books when Edith & Edna started carrying them. Do you remember them? I remember reading them as a child, and my kids are as in love with them as I remember being. Reading them as a parent, there's a fine line between them irritating me and enjoying the simple stories. But these books have insipired a great deal of my kids' book making of their own characters, so for that I do love them.

Winter Waits - Lynn Plourd
I love this series by Lynn Plourd with of nature's 'family' personified through characters in each season. In this book, "Winter" is a playful young boy who sparkles in the snowy winter. This seems to be out on Amazon, but the Author (a fellow Mainer!) has links to purchase on her own website here.

Brambley Hedge Winter Story - Jill Barklem
Oh, the sweet mice of Brambly Hedge...this one tells the tale of them preparing for a magical snow ball. It appears to not be available on Amazon, or anywhere else I can find, though perhaps I'm just confused by the different editions. Maybe the library is the best place to find this tale - I do think it's worth it, espeically for those who are in between the picture book and chapter book stage.

Winter Tree Finder and Winter Weed Finder - Okay, these I don't have yet, but I just ordered them from my bookstore, and I'm really excited to see them. We have a lot of nature field guides, but I don't have any that are geared towards the landscape of winter. So I'm eagerly anticipating their arrival here for some exploring to begin.

Do you have a Wintry Weather favorite I haven't listed? I'd love to hear in the comments!  It's kind of fun to settle into a long book inside, that reflects what's going on outside, isn't it? We think so. And on that note (and in the interest of exercising your scrolling muscles) - this is what it does look like outside here now - taken over the course of a day.

Have a cozy weekend!

Our Winter Reading Favorites

A note about Amazon: Since the start of this little blog, I've always used and linked to Amazon as a matter of ease and familiarity - Amazon as a website is one of the tools I use to organize my own book lists, seek out new books, and generally gather information. With that 'information' - I then head to either our library (when my fines aren't too high!), one of our favorite local independent bookstores, Powell's, or yes, sometimes Amazon, too. I want to let you know that I have recently begun participating in the Amazon Associates program, whereby I earn a small percentage of all sales made via links through this site. So, for example, if you follow any of these links below, or the Amazon links in my sidebar, I would earn based on anything you purchase in that shopping trip. I made this decision with the confidence that one - nothing in my content has changed or ever will change; two - my own personal buying habits will continue to remain as they always have; and three - that the earnings will - in a small but helpful way - contribute to my family. If you have questions about any of this, I'll do my best to answer them in the comments. I am not, however, up for debate. I trust that you will make the best decisions for your family, and  ask that you respect the ones I make for mine. Thank you!

And now let's talk about books...

There are a lot of books in this house - thrifted books, vintage books, purchased books, hand-me-down books, library books. They're on shelves, in baskets, under tables and chairs and in drawers. Really. While sometimes that feels absolutely magical and limitless when choosing a book, sometimes I know it can feel overwhelming too. So, for us - a system that's turned out to be really helpful is to pull them into 'themed' baskets - some that stay the same and some that change frequently. (As a side note - the kids love labeling the book baskets, with little tags they make for them, "library books, winter books, etc".)

Around the transition of each season, I pull - from all the various spots - our favorite 'seasonal' books, and these stay in a basket close at hand for the duration of the season. So the books are always around - they're just pulled a little closer to view when they're something we're focusing on, or the appropriate time of year. (The exception to this would be the straight-up traditional "Holiday" books that do get packed away with holiday decorations, because I just cannot bring myself to read The Night Before Christmas in July. I just can't do it.)

I tried very hard to keep it to our Top Ten, but you can see I failed miserably at that. I couldn't imagine leaving any of these out - they're all quite treasured by my family. So without further adieu, I bring you the favorites of our Winter books.

Christmas Treasury - Jan Brett
I can't imagine winter reading without Jan Brett's stories and tales full of scandinavian traditions. The Mitten, The Hat, and Christmas Trolls are our favorites, but I just found this treasury with a few more pulled together as one holiday collection. (As a side note - if you don't know about Jan Brett's website, and you have little ones, you must pay it a visit. It will keep you busy all winter long.)

Snow - Uri Shulevitz
This classic is simple and sweet and beautiful. When the snow starts to fall around here, we find ourselves quoting this one to each other a lot. "'It's snowing' said boy with dog. 'It's nothing' said Man with hat." It's one that contains enough repetitive phrases and such that it's a perfect read for the very-beginning readers among us.

The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice - Wendy Pfeffer
A wonderful non-fiction picture book which explains the significance of Solstice, as well as some of the traditions and ways that cultures throughout history have celebrated it. There are activities and experiments as well, making this one a really wonderful homeschool or classroom resource.

The Little Fir Tree - Margaret Wise Brown
I found a vintage copy of this one illustrated by Barbara Cooney that we adore, which includes music for the carols. I haven't seen the illustrations in the new one I've just linked to, but the story is a lovely one of a living pine tree and it's presence in a family's holiday. Brown's rhymes are so sweet and the story is soothing.

The Return of the Light: Twelves Tales from Around The World for Winter Solstice - Carolyn McVickar Edwards
This collection contains traditional tales that tell how different cultures celebrate the magic of solstice. While the faiths and different cultures vary greatly, the connecting themes of 'renewal' and 'change' and 'light' connect us all, and this collection is a wonderful demonstration of that through story.

Ollie's Ski Trip and Peter and Lotta's Christmas - Elsa Beskow
Two wonderful stories by one of our favorite author/illustrators. Calvin claims Ollie's Ski Trip to be his very 'favorite book of all' - (and we have a little bit of Jack Frost  in our dress up rack). It's one of mine too - full of magic and wonder at the winter season. Peter and Lotta's Christmas is equally as beautiful as Beskow's other stories, and includes a few sweet Swedish Christmas traditions in the tale.

Owl Moon - Jane Yolen
Owl Moon is essential winter reading! Jane Yolen so perfectly captures the simplest of activities and the magic and wonder and beauty within it. A walk in the woods to look for owls turns out to be a beautiful tale of all the magic of parent & child, nature & animals. This book has inspired many a nighttime walk around here. They're definitely magical.

The Big Snow - Berta and Elmer Hader
A wonderful tale of the animals of the wood preparing for winter, with a little help from some human friends. The children love to identify the 'signs' of winter that the animals sense. "They just know winter is coming, Mama!"

Nutcracker and Swan Lake - Lizbeth Zwerger
I fell in love with Lizbeth Zwerger's illustrations after recieving The Wizard of Oz from Amy a couple of years ago. Since then, our books illustrated by her continues to grow, and theyr'e always some of our favorites. These two tales are no exception - her illustrations bring these classic tales to life in a new way. In putting this post together, I discovered her illustrated version of The Night Before Christmas. I had no idea this one was out there, but it will most definitely be on the top of our wish list this year.

Winter - Gerda Muller
Gerda Muller's four seasons board books are one of my favorite newborn gifts to give. Without words, the pictures tell the tales of the seasons - in nature, animals, and people. I always think my children will have 'outgrown' this book, but they continue to love it. (It seems to not be available on Amazon, but it is available here at Nova Natural, where you can find a lot of the books I have in this list).

The Story of the Snow Children - Sibylle Von Olfers
Is there anything more magical than the thought of staring out the window at the snowflakes and having them turn into little snow children that carry you away on a magical winter adventure? Oh my. So much delight and goodness. The illustrations in this are simply stunning. (Not available through Amazon, but I did find it here at Three Sisters Toys.)

Nutcracker - E.T.A. Hoffman, Pictures by Maurice Sendak
Yup, two versions of the Nutcracker. Who can resist Maurice Sendak? Not I. The boys and I actually really love finding different illustrated versions of the same book - it's so fascinating to them to see how differently artists can interpret the same words. And well, this Maurice Sendak Nutcracker is a lovely one, and it's with the original text so it's a hefty and wonderful read.

Christmas in Noisy Village - Astrid Lindgren
This tale of Christmas contains all that I hope my children will remember from their own childhood holiday seasons - handmade gifts, baking, singing, celebrations with friends and family, and much joy.

I know there are other wonderful Holiday/Seasonal Book Lists going on out there in BlogLand, so if you've made one on your own blog, be sure to leave a link in the comments so we can see it! Additionally, if you have a favorite that hasn't been mentioned, let us know that too!

Happy cozy winter reading to you and the little ones in your life!

making books

- - "Amy [Amanda] my lazy sister is thirteen years old. She talks on the phone for an hour or two at a time. She has her own room and it is a mess. She always keeps it messy. When she goes places with her friends she always dresses nice and leaves her clothes on the floor."

- - "When Calvin was about to climb up the swing, he saw something. A turkey! Then he showed the turkey how to do flips. They were both wearing clown ties."

- - "Then he went home. Then he played soccer. Then he went home. Then he ate corn on the cob. Then he played soccer again"

Excerpts from my three favorite books - My Lazy Sister by my sister written many years ago when she was 8; a collection called Stories By Calvin, written by Calvin two years ago; and Mr. Soccerball, written by Ezra just this summer (the sequel for that one is in progress at the moment-I can't wait). These books are so very dear to me - I read them over and over and over and smile, and I will most assuredly treasure them forever. These were the first, but there are piles of these books now - in various stages of completion - among our things.

I keep a supply of these simple little handmade books accessible and at the ready for when the kids' book-writing inspiration strikes. The construction - on my end - is basic - heavy card stock folded in half, with 10-20 pages or lightweight paper on the inside pages, all stapled together on the fold. I started making them this way after receiving some similarly made and loved books from the Grecos. They're quick and easy, and yet, an absolute favorite thing for the kids to work on.

Our bookmaking has been fueled in recent weeks by the arrival of two wonderful bookmaking books.The first - How to Make Books: Fold, Cut and Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book is a guide to basic bookmaking, containing step-by-step instructions on a variety of methods. It's got me itching to take the needle and thread to some paper. Calvin's often asked about the construction of books, and this has given me lots of answers on the different ways it can be done. Though I think it's really geared towards an adult reader, the kids have been really interested in what's inside it too - I see some fun collaborations happening.

The second book that's being fought over explored daily around here is The Book Book, by Sophie Benini Pietromarchi. This book is really hard to explain - it's such eye candy and poetry and instruction and inspiration all rolled into one. It's written for children and covers not only the how of bookmaking, but the what to include in your book - characters, themes, ideas for inspiration. Really really good stuff, and put together so creatively. It's got everyone around here thinking differently about our bookmaking - and including things like fabrics, found objects, and food (!). The Book Book is published by Tara Publishing - a small and amazing (I'm in love with nearly their whole catalog now) independent publisher out of India. In addition to Amazon, it's also available on the their website here (where there's free worldwide shipping and screen printed gift wrap - ah! - before the holidays), and of course - also available by request from your local independent bookstore. 

Ah...new fresh inspiration for the little and big writers / illustrators / poets / bookmakers in the house. We're going to have fun with these...

new cool-weather favorites

I received a copy of The Yarn Girls' Guide to Knits for All Seasons: Sweaters and Accessories for Men and Women a few weeks back. The style is what I would expect based on their past books - lots of accessible, modern, and mostly fast-knitting patterns. This latest book is full of knits for all year round - from sweaters to tanks and a few smaller things too - for both men and women. I was very excited to get knitting something in here.

Because I was in an instant-gratification kind of knitting mood, I went with a hat. From the book, it's the "Out of Retirement" hat, knit with Misti Alpaca Chunky from my stash. It knit up quickly, and seamlessly (well, actually there is a seam, but you know what I mean). Really - any wearable knitting pattern that knits up fast and calls for the use of a big ole' button? A winner, for sure.

Can I tell you how much I love this hat? No, really. I looove this hat. So much that I've been wearing it everyday nearly all day - even yesterday when it was (a very crazy) 75 degrees. Yup. I love this hat. It even warranted it's very own pair of fingerless mitts (knit from the pattern in Melanie' Falick's Weekend Knits). We're not going to talk about how many pairs of these I already have, or how ridiculous that might be, because the reality is that they just make me happy. And fingerless mitts and this new hat together? Makes me very happy. Bring on the real fall.

Gluten Free Girl, by Shauna James Ahern

I grew up eating what most of us in this country were eating in the 70's and 80's. My sisters and I joke about the point - well into our teens - at which we learned you could bake a cake without a Betty Crocker box, or the discovery of lettuce other than iceburg. Oh, the food of our childhoods - The brands. The salt. The sugar. (and for me, like many others - the childhood ulcers, asthma, and allergies that went along with the diet). Oy. I remember clearly the moment when I was 13 years old and babysitting in another home - and opened the fridge to discover shelves full of green stuff. I had no idea what any of it was. But I knew I wanted it - needed it, in fact. Next came the discovery of an old, worn and tattered Moosewood Cookbook that I opened like it was some sort of precious artifact (well, it is, really), and brought home with me to devour the unfamiliar words in the recipes. It was then - much to my parents credit - that I began doing my 'own' grocery shopping. Wandering around the natural foods aisle grabbing tofu and fantastic foods mixes - having no idea what to do with any of it, but knowing that it was a start. I've learned a lot about food since that point 20 (gulp) years ago, and I'm still learning a lot about food. I can happily say that my fridge looks more like that one full of green stuff than I ever thought it would. Good food is important to me - important to my family. And the most basic - and yet, revolutionary - thing I've learned about food is how directly it is linked to every sense of my health - of mind, body and spirit.

I've had these food memories and thoughts on my mind since receiving Shauna's book last week, and reading her story of finding the 'right' food for her. And today, I'm honored to be a stop on her virtual book tour for the release of Gluten-Free Girl: How I found the Food That Loves Me Back & How You Can Too. The book arrived last week - and I gobbled up the entire book in one day's worth of our adventures - sneaking reads whenever I could until I reached the end. You could say I devoured it - laughing and tearing up throughout it. Shauna writes from such an open and honest heart - the one we've come to know through her blog - and the result is a truly beautiful book.

And, you might be wondering, no we are not gluten-free. This is a book about food, love, health - the whole 'life' picture. The story of her path to wellness through food is so inspiring. And throughout the flow of her storytelling in the book, she weaves in information about Celiac disease, tips on living gluten-free, and an array of delicious-looking recipes. Anyone already living gluten-free - or just beginning that path - will surely find much in this book to add more beauty, joy and good food to their lives. And everyone else who reads it will think a little differently about the food they eat, where it comes from, how it is prepared...and the kind life in which it all happens.

This weekend we made the Curried Carrot Soup from the book. It was a big hit - sooo good and deep in flavor, and so perfect for the fall evening in which we ate it, after a long walk in the woods.

Cheers, Shauna! It's a beautiful book you've shared with the world!

Apples for Jam

I might as well admit it. I originally bought Apples for Jam : A Colorful Cookbook for the cover (see below - next to the cake!). Sight unseen - I ordered it entirely based on the cover photograph. Crazy, I know - but luckily in this case, it turned out to be a really good choice. With a staggering amount of recipes (200 to be precise); stunning photography and writing of food, family and life; as well as artwork by her children scattered about - I really like this book. Oh, and the whole thing is organized by color. By color. Oh, so visually dreamy. I don't think I've ever had a 'cookbook' I've looked at like this one.

The recipes (oh right. the recipes! it is a cookbook after all) are really good, too. They're simple in nature and construction - family food, if you will. And with a little tweaking here and there, I think a lot of these will find their way into our own family food repertoire. We started with a dessert - we happened to have everything it needed on hand, and well, desserts are always a good place to start, don't you think? With some butter and buttermilk from dear Dulsie, and the very last of our backyard blueberries of the season - it made for a super yum mid-day, early afternoon snack. We barely saved enough for Papa's arrival home from work. (But we did. We would never forget Papa with the daytime dessert making.) And yes...I do know that this makes perhaps recipe #4 that I've shared that involves a baked blueberry thing. Hmn. Well. I don't really know what to say about that. Blueberries are good!

Berry and Buttermilk Cake, Adapted from Apples for Jam

1.5 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
freshly ground nutmeg - a few grinds
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh berries
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (for topping)

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk eggs until fluffy in another bowl, then add all wet ingredients. Mix dry and wet gently until combined. Spoon mixture into a 12x8x2 inch pan. Sprinkle blueberries on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool in pan before cutting.

(Oh, and since writing this post, I've made the winter squash fritters from this book, too. Um. Soooo good.)