at the end of the growing season, i decided to take a chance on broccoli.  it does better in cooler weather and  thought it would be a fun experiment to see just how far i could push my garden without building cold frames etc.  lately, i had become convinced that i would be proven wrong by the weather and that these poor little broccoli plants wouldn't produce.  but yesterday a tiny head was discovered!  i know, that's like one bite of broccoli, but i was excited anyway.  it is possible!  i can grow broccoli!!!

and then i discovered this interesting fungus in the yard!  this is like THE time of year to find crazy puffball mushrooms and all kinds of other fungal delights.  a friend recently reported finding a puffball over 2 1/2 pounds in weight!! this one's for you farris :)

and the leaves keep on fallin

Fettuccine with Arugula-Walnut Pesto - Fine Cooking Recipe

Fettuccine with Arugula-Walnut Pesto - Fine Cooking Recipe

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so this was an interesting recipe...some pricey ingredients (mainly the walnut oil) and some hard to find stuff too.  one would think that with several specialty groceries and a co-op, i could find arugula...apparently not.  at someones suggestion on the message boards, i substituted the arugula for spinach.  while the result was alarmingly electric green pesto, the flavor was amazing!  also from the message board, was someone bitching about how this is too much work.  anyone that feels this recipe is too much work should just go ahead and resign themselves to the fact that they will eat take out forever.  go ahead and make it, the results are totally worth it.

a day in fall

Coffee-Toffee Pecan Pie - Fine Cooking Recipe

Coffee-Toffee Pecan Pie - Fine Cooking Recipe

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ok, so really.  this takes a long time as any good pie does.  it also takes a ton of ingredients.  i also spent over $25 bucks buying said ingredients yesterday (which is actually enough for 2 pies).  however, that does not change the fact that i think i have found the worlds best pecan pie.  and that it's worth every damn penny.

first of all, hats off to that lady that took her sweet time in front of me in line last week...without you "granny price squabbler" i might not have ever found the magazine "fine cooking."

secondly, i have made three recipes from this lovely publication (four if you count the piecrust) and haven't been disappointed in any of them. 

third...my fears grow as other food mags go under...what if fine cooking gets canned before i ever really had the chance to totally fall in love with it?!

but i digress.  back to the pie.  for you bloomington folks, or probably for anyone that lives near a nice grocery that carries lots of imported foods, you can find these ingredients.  i got lyles golden syrup (just the name made me quite curious) and the european butter at sahara mart.  they also had the instant espresso powder, but it was expensive so i subbed some of the liquid ingredients for a shot of regular coffee (thanks weezy!)

i did make the all butter crust mentioned in the recipe and although it was amazing, if you're pinched for time, i would imagine this rich filling would be fine in a nice premade crust.  i'm pretty sure this pie was in my dreams last night...yes, it's that good.  this would be a perfect thanksgiving pie, or anytime you feel the need for something totally over the top amazing.  i will never make another pecan pie again...this is it!

Autumn Vegetable Soup - Fine Cooking Recipe

Autumn Vegetable Soup - Fine Cooking Recipe

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i made this last night for janel and i....we're big soup eaters in the fall.  it had some wonderful ingredients, but in my opinion could have used a little more of them.  i suggest adding more kale...another cup would surely do it.  and more chickpeas wouldn't have hurt either.  oh, and at a minimum, another clove or two of garlic. 

it was a lovely soup, perfect with fresh bread and butter.  and filling, but not too filling which is good since i'd made the most delicious pie IN THE WORLD for dessert.  coffee toffee pecan pie.  OMG!!!!

Beef Ragù Over Spaghetti Squash with Garlic Bread - Fine Cooking Recipe

Beef Ragù Over Spaghetti Squash with Garlic Bread - Fine Cooking Recipe

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YUM!  this was so good.  as you know, we don't eat beef in this household, but Morningstar Crumbles worked really well.  this was easy, quite filling and an interesting take on beef ragu.

how to search zee blog

it has occured to me on more than one occasion, that i could probably help my readers out with better titles.  i post recipes under titles like "yum" or "holy shit go buy a pumpkin and make this right now."

obviously, this might make it hard to come back and find a recipe later.  so!  i've added a search box that you can find at the very bottom of any page within the blog.  for example, type in pumpkin seeds and then scroll back up to the top of the page.  there will be a nice little box containing any post i've mentioned pumpkin seeds in.  i wish that i could change this feature so you don't have to scroll all the way back up, but i'm still working on that.  in the meantime, i hope this helps ya'll find what you're lookin' for!

YUM!

i was in line behind a very unfortunate woman the other day...naturally i only had two items to purchase, while she was squabbling over the "clearance price" on medium sized pull ups, a princess party set and a pair of snazzy old lady pants.  little did i know this extended stay in the checkout line would put me face to face with an interesting publication called "fine cooking."
i've never seen this magazine before, but quickly found myself fighting the urge to pick up my very own copy...especially after reading a short section on nice ways to use pecans and sweet potatoes.  when i hesitated a little too long to put it back on the rack, i said screw it and bought myself the damn magazine.

so, tonight was new recipe night, pulled straight from the pages of that sweet magazine.  we're still on the $50 a week grocery challenge, and the dish i am about to rave over, fit nicely into the budget.

here it is.....

smoked salmon hash with chive sour cream!!!

serves 4

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 large red potatoes (or 1 1/2 lbs) cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, cored, seeded and finely chopped
kosher salt & pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbs. thinly sliced chives
1 1/2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 4 oz hot smoked salmon fillet, skinned and broken into large flakes (about 1 cup)

heat the oil in a 12 inch non stick skillet over medium-high heat.  add the potatoes, onion, bell pepper, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.  reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes more.  season to taste with salt and pepper.
meanwhile, combine sour cream, 1 tbs. of the chives, 1/2 tbs. lemon juice, the mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl and stir well.  set aside.
when the potatoes are tender, genltly fold in the salmon and the remaining 1 tbs. lemon juice and continue cooking until heated through, aboout 2 minutes.  transfer hash to plates.  garnish with the remaining chives and serve with a dollop of the chive sour cream.

my notes:
okay, first of all i never eat bell peppers.  never.  my mother had me convinced at an early age that they were the devil.  i get migraines every time i eat them...obviously the brainwashing worked mom!

second, i didn't have any dijon mustard and i couldn't find "hot smoked salmon" whatever the hell that even is.  the sour cream was FINE without the dijon and the regular ole smoked salmon from kroger worked nicely. 
i served this with roasted asparagus and a fresh spinach side salad.  they claim that this is a "breakfast for dinner" kind of dish, and i will agree that this would make a KILLER brunch dish.  i however, have decided that i can eat it any damn time of day.  it was amazing!!!