Embracing the Season

Right now many of us are craving coziness and comfort. We want to make our homes warm and welcoming and spend time with our loved ones. November goes by so fast, culminating in everyone's favorite holiday -- Thanksgiving. In the spirit of creating some "comfort and joy," here are twelve things I am most looking forward to in November. It's all about slowing down and savoring the season.

1. The Days Getting Shorter

Believe it or not, I look forward to the days getting shorter. Being from the East coast originally, where the weather was cold and nothing felt better than getting home and warming up in front of the fireplace, I always loved the shorter days of winter. We may not have that cold weather right now, especially where I live, but as the nights arrive earlier it feels cozy to light the candles, set the table with flowers, and have friends over for a weeknight dinner. 

2. Some Really Good Television --

There is so much good television right now. I have been watching "The Crown" which is airing on Netflix. This beautiful new series, created by Peter Morgan, is about the life of Elizabeth II and begins with her accession to the throne at age 25 in 1952. Peter Morgan wrote the film "The Queen" and the play "The Audience;" "The Crown" feels like the natural next step in his work. I have watched the first five episodes and am riveted. I loved the actress Claire Foy as Anne Bolyn in "Wolf Hall" and she is excellent as Queen Elizabeth. And what a sumptuous production. It is filled with so much history, for example the Great Smog of 1952 in London. I didn't know about this. Have you started watching this series? The episode on the coronation is brilliant. Notice what a big role the Duke of Windsor has in this story. Which makes a lot of sense, since Elizabeth wouldn't have become Queen if he hadn't abdicated the throne. He changed history forever. I would love to know what you think!

3. Reading a Classic Novel --

It's the time of year to hunker down with some good classic novels and Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf is the one I am reading right now. "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers..." And so begins Virginia Woolf's modernist masterpiece which consists of one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. As she goes about her day getting ready for her party, we are in her head as she moves back and forth in time -- recalling her youth, interacting with the people around her and evaluating her life. Her loves, regrets, fears, joys, and general observations of life are all woven throughout this stream-of-consciousness novel. Her character is revealed layer by layer. At the same time we are in the head of another character, a young man named Septimus Smith who is suffering from shell shock after World War I. Through this character Virginia Woolf explored the topic of mental illness, a subject with which she was very familiar. Other characters are vividly portrayed: Peter Walsh, Sally Seton, and Richard Dalloway -- all have played an important role in Clarissa's life. And from their perspective, we learn of the impact she has had on them. Woolf was doing something new with Mrs. Dalloway -- writing a novel that reflects the way people really think. She also wrote some of the most beautiful prose you will ever read.   

4. Travel --

Fall is such a great time to travel, especially to the East Coast to see the glorious fall foliage. We were in New York in October where we saw the amazing exhibition Charlotte Bronte: An Independent Will at the Morgan Library and Museum. If you get to NY before the New Year, be sure to visit the Morgan. The Bronte exhibition will be up until January. This is the kind of exhibition savor. In fact, I will probably go again when I am in NYC in December. If you go, be sure to check out the original manuscript of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens which is always on display at The Morgan at this time of the year. The Morgan is a treasure trove and a place to celebrate the written word. It is one of my favorite places to visit and I go every time I am in New York.

5. Pumpkins and Mums

This is the classic combination for fall

6. The color orange

It really makes things pop! Here is our Thanksgiving table, 2015

And the garden, 2010

7. Plaid

Plaid feels tailored and crisp, just like fall.

These candles from Anta in Scotland would be perfect for the holiday season!

8. Cooking 

This weekend I had my family over for dinner and made Ina Garten's "Roasted Italian Meatballs" and "Kale Salad with Pancetta and Pecorino" from her new cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey. They were delicious!


9. Hot Mulled Cider

Tis' the season for hot mulled cider. Go here for my favorite recipe.
Photo via here

10.  A Delivery from Heywood Hill

I can't wait to see what Heywood Hill sends me for November. Go here to read more.

11. Listening to podcasts 

Listening to podcasts is another way to slow down and savor the season. Miranda Mills from Miranda's Notebook has just launched her podcast series Tea and Tattle and the first one is about Hygge, the Scandinavian philosophy of togetherness and coziness. Just what we need right now. Go here to listen.

12. Thinking about Christmas

This is the month to order tickets for "The Nutcracker." Going to this ballet in December is a magical holiday tradition.

By the way, I hope you had a fun Halloween. We went trick-or-treating with our little granddaughter who was dressed up as Madeline, the character from the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans.  She was adorable!

Cookbook Season

Happy October! This is the month when many of us get into the kitchen in a serious way. With the holidays coming up and all the luscious seasonal ingredients available at the farmer's market, fall is a favorite time to cook. Just thinking about making that first batch of pumpkin bread puts a smile on my face. It is also the month when many new cookbooks get released. I have been looking at a lot of the new releases and have come up with a list of the ones that look really good to me. Please let me know of your favorites as well!

Simple by Diana Henry

Diana Henry is a British food writer who lives in London. Though she is not very well known here, she is one of Britain's best-loved food writers. She has a weekly column in the UK's Sunday Telegraph and writes for several other British publications. I just picked up her most recent cookbook "Simple" and I can already tell that this is no ordinary cookbook. The food looks beautiful and delicious and the recipes look easy. I've already found half a dozen I can't wait to make, such as her Moroccan-spiced chicken with dates and eggplant. I love her philosophy about cooking: if you have a well-stocked refrigerator and pantry you can throw together delicious meals with very little effort. She is admired for the originality of her recipes, especially in the creativity of her flavor combinations. Food writers such as Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi sing her praises. I can tell this is going to be one of my go-to cookbooks. 

A New Way to Dinner by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs

Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs are the founders of Food 52, one of the best food websites around. If you love to cook and haven't checked out this website, please do. You will frequently find me there looking for recipes, especially those using seasonal ingredients. Now the two founders of Food 52 have written a cookbook called "A New Way to Dinner." It's all about efficiency for the modern cook. The secret is cooking ahead. It offers complete grocery lists and menus for one-week blocks. I haven't seen this one yet but, if it is anything like Food 52, I know I will love it. This book will go to the top of my wish list for new cookbooks this fall. 

Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten

Of course, I have to get Ina's most recent cookbook. I have all the others and they truly are my go-to cookbooks. I probably use them more than any other cookbooks in my kitchen. Ina's recipes always work and they are delicious. I remember when her first cookbook came out (so many years ago now!) and I learned about roasting vegetables, a technique I now use all the time. The vegetables cook perfectly and taste delicious, becoming golden-brown and caramelized. If you have Ina's cookbooks and have watched her television show over the years then you know what an important role her husband Jeffrey has in all this cooking. He is her chief taster. Plus he is adorable. Now she has written a book about Jeffrey's favorite recipes. They range from Friday-night roast chicken to the prosciutto-and -Camembert tartines they first tried in Paris. I don't have the book yet, but I noticed in "Food and Wine" magazine that one of the recipes is featured: "Crusty Baked Shells and Cauliflower." Boy, does that one look good!

Everything I Want to Eat: Sqirl and the New California Cooking by Jessica Koslow

Jessica Koslow's tiny cafe Sqirl in east Los Angeles is a gathering spot for Silverlake hipsters. It features global-inspired breakfast and lunch fare with house made jam. I have to admit that I haven't been yet but hear raves from everyone who has. They talk about burnt brioche toast with house-made seasonal jam and jam-stuffed brioche french toast. They also mention delicious, power-packed rice bowls. Now after learning a bit about this cookbook I am determined to go. Jessica's food is said to surprise and engage all of the senses. It looks good, tastes vibrant, and feels fortifying yet refreshing. In her first cookbook she shares 100 of her favorite recipes for health-conscious but delicious dishes. Some of the highlights are: raspberry and cardamom jam; sorrel-pesto rice bowl; lamb merguez with cranberry beans, roasted tomato and yogurt cheese; sticky-toffee whole wheat date cake; and Valrhona chocolate fleur de sel cookies. Sqirl opens first thing in the morning and closes at 4:00 pm 7 days a week and there is usually a line of people waiting to get in. The menu features morning food, sweets, savories, salads and bowls -- the kind of food you could crave any time of the day. I can't wait to try her restaurant as well as buy her new cookbook.  

Small Victories by Julia Turschen

I love the sound of this cookbook: "recipes, advice and hundreds of ideas for home-cooking triumphs." Julia Turschen is a writer, recipe developer and co-author for best-selling cookbooks such as Gwyneth Paltrow's "It's All Good," and Dana Cowin's "Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen." She shares more than a hundred lessons she's learned in the kitchen through a lifetime of cooking thousands of meals. She celebrates the "aha" moments, the epiphanies of cooking. One example is when she discovered that for a chicken skillet pie recipe she could substitute store-bought creme fraiche for homemade bechamel sauce, saving a lot of work. Each recipe ends with "spin-offs" so that cooking one thing can lead to another meal. Ina Garten has written the foreword and highly recommends this book. It is said to be a beautifully curated, deeply personal collection of easy and delicious recipes. One of the highlights is brisket with apricots and prunes, a dish that can be make entirely ahead of time and reheated in the oven. Sounds perfect for fall!

Happy cooking!  

Dinner in the Garden

The garden on the morning of our party

Thursday is the first day of fall but here in Los Angeles we're still hanging onto summer. The daytime temperatures have been in the eighties which makes the nights beautiful. This weekend I gave a birthday party for my sister. Dinner was on the patio and we stayed outside until until after dark. The weather was perfect!

I set two tables with Heather Taylor Home linens and flowers from Hollyflora

Everyone arrived at 5:30 and we had plenty of time to enjoy the garden

We started with Greek mezze appetizers

I went to our local Farmer's Market in the morning and bought an array of Greek specialties from a wonderful vendor there. They included stuffed grape leaves, feta with herbs, hummus, tzatziki sauce, roasted red peppers, olives and tapenade. We made our own pita chips. I loved serving it on this three-tiered stand that I found at Rolling Greens Nursery. This appetizer turned out to be a good thing for dinner as well since there were three vegetarians in the group who just piled more of the yummy Greek appetizers onto their dinner plates. 

Buffet table

I was very excited about the menu. My sister lived in San Francisco for many years and each time I visited her we went to Zuni Cafe, the popular restaurant on Market Street owned by Judy Rodgers. The restaurant's signature dish, the one we always ordered, is Zuni Cafe Chicken with includes luscious croutons soaked in juices from the chicken on a bed of arugula.

I wanted to recreate that dish for my sister's birthday dinner. I found the perfect recipe from Ina Garten. We made her Lemon Chicken with Croutons and served it with a big arugula salad. Everyone just piled the salad onto their plates and topped it with the chicken and croutons. We also served rosemary and Parmesan polenta and a big platter of roasted vegetables.

Dessert was Pumpkin Spice Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

This cake is always a winner and I love to make it in the fall. Decorated with flowers and kumquats from the garden it was special enough to be a birthday cake. Go here for the recipe.

Are you still hanging onto summer in your neck of the woods?
Even though our weather feels like summer, I'm very excited to be entering the fall season!

Pleasures of the Season

What is it about celebrating with girlfriends at this time of the year that is so comforting? Maybe it's because this is the season to count our blessings. And friendships are one of life's greatest treasures. It's the time of the year when we celebrate our friends. If you're like me you probably belong to a book club, bridge group or other organization with girlfriends. Most women I know love to have a reason to get together on a regular basis. Maybe it's over work, books, art, writing projects, knitting, golf or philanthropic activities. In the best of circumstances, these groups give women an opportunity to talk, listen, support, and encourage each other. Getting together on a regular basis keeps the connections strong. And appreciating each other during the holidays with a festive get-together is a wonderful way to end the year.

Yesterday I hosted a holiday lunch for my bridge group. I see these women each week for bridge and I treasure our regular get-togethers. We always manage to catch up with what's going on in our lives. And each December we make time for a holiday lunch. This year we had a potluck. My job was to make soup and savory scones. My friends brought salad, a gorgeous cheese board and a luscious chocolate cake. It was a cozy lunch on a cold December day here in Los Angeles. The fireplace was lit, spiced apple cider was simmering on the stove, and spirits were high. It's the kind of celebration I love during the holiday season. Sometimes the simplest pleasures are the most meaningful. Spending a cozy afternoon with friends brings a little extra joy to an already wonderful time of year.

Everyone loved the menu and I wanted to share three of the recipes with you:

Mulled Cider with Winter Spices

18 cups apple cider

1/3 cup orange juice

Peel (orange part only) from 1 large orange, cut into strips

1 bay leaf

1 and 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

3 whole cloves

3 whole allspice

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt

2 and 1/4 cups applejack brandy (optional)

Mix first 10 ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer mixture 30 minutes to blend flavors. Strain mulled cider into mugs. Serve cider, passing applejack brandy separately, if desired. Garnish each serving with a cinnamon stick. Serves 16.

Sugared Lemon-Rosemary Scones

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 and 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed

3/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing

In a food processor, pulse the flour with the 1/3 cup of sugar, rosemary, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-size pieces of butter still visible. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the 3/4 cup of cream until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead just until it come together. Gently roll the dough into a 14-inch log, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the log into 8 rounds and transfer to the baking sheet. Brush the scones with cream and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the scones are golden. Let cool slightly before serving. Serves 8.

Smoky Split Pea and Root Vegetable Soup (go here for recipe)

Enjoy! 

Carolers' Warm-up

Lately my kitchen has been a hub of activity. Between planning for Thanksgiving, baking for my granddaughter's first birthday party and keeping my family fed, I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. We are having house guests next week and I wanted to have some go-to meals in the fridge that I can rely on for nights at home. Last Sunday I made a big pot of Smoky Split Pea and Root Vegetable Soup. We had it for dinner a couple of nights and I put the rest in the freezer to have on hand for later. Soups freeze so well.

This recipe is very special. I found it years ago in the "Bon Appetit Christmas" book. It was the main course for a party called "Carolers Warm-Up." The idea of Christmas carolers stopping by to sing and then being invited in for soup and hot spiced wine sounded delightful. There was something so quaint about this idea, right out of Currier and Ives. I used to go caroling as a child and remember being offered cookies and hot chocolate. If you grew up in a cold climate on the east coast, you may have done the same. Trudging through deep snow all bundled up and singing with your friends seems like a long-ago tradition. When I first discovered the "Carolers' Warm-up" menu in my Bon Appetit book, I made the whole thing for a tree-decorating party. I served it with cheddar-dill scones and a big salad. Of course everyone got a mug of hot spiced wine. Dessert was gingerbread. 

I have been making this soup ever since and it has become a family favorite. Carrots, parsnips, leeks, onion, bay leaves, marjoram and thyme cook together slowly in melted butter over low heat. Once this mixture is tender, chicken stock, split peas and smoked ham hocks are added. I couldn't find ham hocks so I used a smoked turkey leg and thigh that I bought at Whole Foods. I liked it even better this way. After the mixture simmers for 45 minutes, you take the turkey meat off the bone and cut it into small pieces, adding it to the soup. This gives it incredible flavor. And nothing tastes better on a cold winter night.

Smoky Split Pea and Root Vegetable Soup

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 large parsnips, chopped
2 medium leeks (white and light green parts), chopped
1 large onion
2 and 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
2 bay leaves
11 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 cups split peas
1 and 1/4 pounds smoked ham hocks
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Melt butter in a heavy large pot over low heat. Add carrots, parsnips, leeks, onion, thyme marjoram and bay leaves. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add stock, peas and ham hocks. Bring to simmer, cover partially and cook until peas and tender and soup thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Remove ham hocks and cut meat into small pieces. Discard bone and fat. Return meat to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Add parsley and serve.

Speaking of nostalgic cooking, did your mother use this when she made her pumpkin pies? I haven't seen pumpkin pie spice forever until the other day when I found it at Bristol Farms. I bought it in honor of my mother.

Happy cooking!

Kitchen Comforts

With the holiday season coming up, I seem to be spending a lot more time in my kitchen. Which is exactly where I want to be. When I went to Connecticut last month (go here to read more) I took along Ruth Reichl's book My Kitchen Year and was very moved by her story of finding solace in the kitchen. I feel the same way. Nothing beats getting into the kitchen and baking something as a stress reducer. This is the time of the year when I pull out all my favorite seasonal recipes in preparation for the holidays. Thanksgiving is next week and soon after that every day will be building up to Christmas. I like my little rituals of making soup on Sundays or baking on Mondays to stock up on fuel for my family during this hectic time of the year. It feels good to get in the kitchen and whip up something for the in-between time.

Which is exactly what I did on Sunday. I pulled out one of my favorite cookbooks by Sara Foster. Her book The Foster's Market Cookbook is a treasure trove for anyone who loves to bake. Her gingerbread and pumpkin bread are to die for. The book also contains a fool-proof recipe for the best banana bread you will ever taste. It is perfect for an autumn afternoon with a cup of tea. I've made so many of these already this year. There is something comforting and nostalgic about banana bread. Our mothers and grandmothers made it and it feels good to continue the tradition. The house smells glorious as it bakes and it costs next to nothing. All you need are four very ripe bananas, one cup of walnuts, and the rest you probably already have in your pantry. It's great with coffee in the morning or tea in the afternoon. And if you make two, you can stash one in the freezer and save it for the holidays. When your house guests get a little peckish in the afternoon, it's very impressive to have one of these on hand!

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Sara Foster's Banana-Walnut Bread

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4  ground cardamon
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 very ripe bananas, crushed
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9 by 5 by 3-inch baking pan and set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cardamon in a large bowl and stir to mix. Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until well blended. Slowly add the beaten eggs while continuing to beat. Add the bananas and vanilla and stir to mix. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until all the ingredients are moist and well blended. Do not over mix. Fold in the walnuts and stir just to blend. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and let it settle to the sides; tap the pan on the counter a few times to even out the batter. Bake one hour or until the bread rises and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. The bread will be slightly brown and cracked on the top. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm or place on a baking rack to cool.

One caveat: I couldn't find ground cardamon at the market, so I added 1/4 tsp. more nutmeg. It still tasted delicious. I hope you enjoy this!  

Fall Cookbooks

Happy October! One of my favorite things about fall is getting into the kitchen and cooking seasonal recipes. Using ingredients such as apples, pears, pumpkin, ginger, molasses, butternut squash and fresh sage is my idea of heaven. There are always fabulous new cookbook releases at this time of the year. Here are the ones I am most excited about.

The Violet Bakery Cookbook by Clare Ptak

It's wonderful what you can learn from your favorite bloggers. Miranda Mills of Miranda's Notebook is one of mine. For so many reasons, not the least of which is I met her on my last trip to London. It's one of the best parts of blogging, meeting your fellow bloggers. We got together at the very chic Quo Vadis over a glass of wine. Miranda writes about London and personal style in a lovely and refreshing way and, since I adore London, she and I are a natural fit. On our wine date I learned about her love of writing and her dedication to her blog. She writes a post five times a week. As a frequent traveler to London, I am always taking notes on her recommendations of things to do. And I have noticed she often mentions Violet Bakery.

I started following Violet Bakery on instagram and was enchanted by its old-fashioned baked goods as well as tantalizing photos. I learned that the founder is Claire Ptak, a California girl who used to work at Chez Panisse. She has also worked as a food stylist for Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and others. That sounded like a guarantee her book would be beautiful! I just bought it and I was right. It is truly a little piece of heaven for those of us who love to bake and view the kitchen as the heart of the home. The recipe I am most excited to try is her ginger molasses cake!

My Kitchen Year, 136 Recipes that Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl

 

Ruth Reichl understands the restorative powers of the kitchen. In fact, that is what her new book is about. It also includes a plethora of fabulous recipes. After Conde Nast closed down Gourmet magazine in 2009, its editor in chief Ruth Reichel floundered for a while. She really only began to heal when she started cooking in her Berkshire country kitchen. This book tells the story of that cooking and healing year, season by season. The recipes look wonderful and her story is fascinating. It begins with this: "Mysterious, misty morning. Crows wheeling, cawing. Storm is on the way. Coffee black. Eggs fried. Toast burnt. Gourmet's over. What now?" During that year of cooking she learned that the secret to life is finding joy in ordinary things.

Simply Nigella, Feel Good Food by Nigella Lawson

Of course, Nigella Lawson is the queen of  kitchen coziness. Which is why I have all of her cookbooks. She gets in the kitchen, starts whipping up a chocolate cake, and somehow makes us feel all is right with the world. I have loved her television shows and wonder when she will do another one. My two favorite books, the ones I cook from the most, are Feast and Nigella Christmas. Be sure to try her Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Pancetta and all of her chocolate cakes from Feast. She has come out with a new book and it has gone to the top of my Christmas list, if I can wait that long. This would make a great holiday gift for your friends who love to cook. And like all of her other books, this one will be loaded with luscious photos!

She writes, "How do you find a way of incorporating all the different demands that are placed on you in life and still interact with food in a way not just to solve a problem but can actually create joy. So it's finding the quickest, easiest route to a fantastic supper at the end of a long working day or making it easy to invite friends over without it becoming a stress-inducing nightmare."

The Year of Cozy by Adrianna Adarme

Another instrgrammer I follow is Adrianna Adarme, author of the blog A Cozy Kitchen. Her photos have me lusting after her cozy version of life. And now she has a book, The Year of Cozy. The holidays always bring out the nesting instinct in me and the idea of a "year of cozy" sounds pretty good right now. I haven't gotten her book yet, but from what I have read it seems to hit all the right notes for domestic bliss. As she writes on her blog, "The book is really about being happy. I cook and create because nothing makes me happier. And I firmly believe that this is the reason you probably do it, too. These recipes are meant to bring sparks of joy in the midst of our mundane and sometimes challenging lives. We can't always control the larger things in life, like our jobs and relationships and family problems, but we can control how we spend our Saturday morning. This book is about living with a bit of intention."

Maple by Katie Webster

And, finally, any cookbook based on maple syrup will win me over since I am a New Englander at heart. This one gives us the history of maple syrup as well as 100 sweet and savory recipes featuring this luscious ingredient. The author Katie Webster is a food stylist from Vermont and knows a thing or two about ways to use maple syrup in the kitchen. I have read that two of the best recipes are the maple and Meyer lemon whiskey sour and a German potato salad made with maple syrup.

I would say that all of these cookbooks are guaranteed to bring "sparks of joy" to the holiday season!

Happy cooking!

Ready for Fall

I don't know about you, but every year at about this time I start to crave fall. The middle of August feels tantalizingly close to September and I am ready for the crisp and cool weather of the upcoming months. And right now we are in the middle of a heat wave. Although the weather continues to be hot here in September, the month brings shorter days and with that comes a sense of the changing seasons. So even in Los Angeles we start dreaming about pumpkins and apple pie.

But in my opinion, there is no place more beautiful in autumn than New England. One of my favorite things to do in October is travel to the east coast and stay at a country hotel such as The Pitcher Inn in Warren, Vermont. This year we are going to New York -- we got tickets for Hamilton! -- and then on to rural Litchfield, Connecticut for some leaf peeping and all the other things that go into a New England fall. We were there many years ago and loved it. I remember gorgeous gardens, antique stores, great restaurants, Federal style architecture and country walks. Every porch is decorated with chrysanthemums and pumpkins. I can hardly wait!

With fall on my mind, I began to think of my favorite things to do at this time of the year.

So here goes:  

Ten Things About Fall That Make Me Very Happy

1. Traveling to New England

Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts
Photo via here

One of my favorite places to visit in New England, especially when we are staying in the Berkshires, is Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts. The village consists of one street lined with 18th and 19th century houses that have all been restored to their original condition. Each one is like a little museum.

Here are some other things I like to see and do in New England in the fall. The list is far from exhaustive and in no particular order, but includes some of my favorites.

Shop at the antique stores in Woodbury, CT

Visit the covered bridge in Kent, CT

 Go to The Mount, Edith Wharton's home, in Lenox, Mass

Drive the beautiful Mohawk trail in Western Massachusetts and admire the stunning fall foliage of the Berkshire mountains

 See art in Williamstown, Mass. The Williams College Museum of Art and the Sterling and Francine Clark Museum have stellar art collections

  Visit Stockbridge, the idyllic Berkshire village painted by Norman Rockwell

 While in Stockbridge, stop at the Norman Rockwell Museum
Explore Woodstock, VT, one of the prettiest towns you'll ever see 

Go to nurseries in the area, such as the White Flower Farm in CT
Visit my alma mater Bates College in Maine and walk on the Quad which is carpeted with fall leaves
Eat a bowl of clam chowder at M.C. Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine

 Admire the fall displays of mums and pumpkins that are everywhere!

2. Fall Cooking

There's nothing like cooking up a Wild Mushroom Risotto such as this one from Judith Jones' The Pleasures of Cooking for One to get you into nesting mode. This is a great dish for a cozy night at home. Go here for the recipe.

3. Flowers

I love the colors of fall flowers. These are from a flower arranging class I took last year. 

4. The beach

I have always thought that the beach is at its most beautiful in the fall and winter months. This photo was taken on a gorgeous day in November. There is something about the light at this time of year that makes the air crystal clear and the water glisten.

5. Sinking into a classic novel

I have just started rereading "To the Lighthouse" and am swept away by the beauty of the writing.

6. Adding some tartan to the house

I think that tartan looks especially good in the fall. It has the same crisp and tailored feeling of the season. These dishes finally arrived from Scotland and they remind me of my wonderful trip in June and my visit to the Anta store in Edinburgh, which has to be the the mother lode for all things tartan. I love the way the dishes look on the kitchen table!

7. Pulling out my favorite cookbooks

There are certain cookbooks that do seasonal recipes really well and Nigel Slater's Notes From The Larder is one of them. His pork chops with pears and cream is one of my favorites. Go here for the recipe.

8. Taking out fall table accessories

I have been collecting table ware with fall motifs forever and it's so much fun to take them out once October arrives. This table runner is from Italy and the leaf candle holder from a trip to Paris almost 20 years ago. The amber tea lights I bought in bulk one year for a party.

9. Lighting the candles at dusk on a fall night

As the days get shorter, candlelit tables bring a glow to the house and make staying inside feel very  cozy!

10. Wearing my Bloomsbury poncho

 Having lived on the east coast for so many years, I have been guilty of buying too many sweaters and coats for L.A. But it does eventually get cool enough here to wear some of them. This year I can't wait to bundle up in the Bloomsbury-inspired poncho I bought from Burberry last year. It was part of the Fall/Winter 2014 The Bloomsbury Girls collection and I got it on sale. After learning about the literary and artistic heritage behind this collection and Burberry's support of Charleston, the country retreat of the Bloomsbury Group, I was so happy to have one of these pieces. It will be perfect for a crisp day in October.

Have you travelled to any of the beautiful New England Inns during the fall months? 

I would love to know your favorites!

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Cake

If kitchens have a life of their own, then mine was feeling a deep sense of contentment this past weekend. My family was coming over and I wanted to make an old-fashioned country dessert for our Easter brunch. I found the perfect vanilla cake recipe in Barefoot Contessa Parties. This cake is light, moist and delicious. I topped both layers with the vanilla buttercream icing from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook and then decorated them with strawberries. It couldn't have been easier and my family loved it. This is the perfect dessert for springtime celebrations. I love how fresh and old-fashioned it looks.

Vanilla Cake

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 and 1/2 sticks) at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 extra-large eggs at room temperature

3/4 cup sour cream at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Stir together the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 - 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature.

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Traditional Vanilla Buttercream

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pint of strawberries

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of the sugar, the milk, and the vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency and extra-creamy.

Cover the bottom cake layer with half of the icing and decorate with strawberry slices. Repeat with the top layer. Put one whole strawberry in the center.

Enjoy!

My kitchen in the late afternoon after everyone has left. All cleaned up, it feels peaceful and happy after a day of cooking and celebration. A gift of flowers and the remnants of an easter basket make me smile. At this moment, all is right with the world... 

I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.
What is your favorite dessert to make for springtime celebrations?