avocado

I can't believe I'm the first to mention Pepsi Kona

From the freezer, a piece of pumpkin walnut cheesecake I made for Thanksgiving. I ate it frozen. This was in addition to two donuts, a chocolate chip bagel, and about half a pound of peppermint bark I made for a care package. Don't worry, Ling, I'm not trying to unseat you as the Reigning Queen of Sweets, but I could be a pretty strong contender...

New York Strip, cooked medium and sliced on top of greens, radishes, red onions and spiced pecans. Dressing was Green Goddess from Penzey's mix. To drink, Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, the cheap kind from Whole Foods, which went well with the steak. There's nothing like a big plate of salad to justify the juicy, fatty meat on top of it...

Hee hee! I totally forgot about your penne, Wendy! So true, so true. We ARE great! ← Hey girls.. I had penne carbonara on Tuesday! ← I had penne carbonara TWICE last week! It's the perfect dinner for one after a long day at work. In a big bowl, hunk of bread, so comforting....

This is positively fascinating! Thanks, Bubblehead! My question is: I know you said you crave anything fresh when supplies start to run out. What's the first thing you run for when you hit dry land?

Has anyone ever tried Abuelita (made by Nestle), found in the "ethnic" isle of the grocery? It's Mexican-style, a tablet you blend with milk in the blender. I didn't buy it because I was afraid it was just be a "Mexican" answer to Nestle instant hot cocoa, which to me has always tasted like a stale gas-station chocolate donut.

Hi ChardGirl! I live in Madison, WI- a very agricentric town with a gorgeous farmers' market. Thanks for the glimpse into the lives of the people I buy from every Saturday. I'm really enjoying this blog.

Ling, how was it? I'm always curious about those "teas," and I bought a seasonal eggnog flavored one the other day ( ) but I haven't tried it yet.

Late-autumn dinner party for 5: Chuck roast, braised all day in the Crock-Pot with carrot, celery, onion and Herbes de Provence; Yukon Gold garlic mashed potatoes; my special Brussels sprouts with bacon and orange glaze. For dessert, chai-spiced rice pudding and warm Tom and Jerrys. Perfect. At one point, my friend looked up from her pot roast, closed her eyes, and said quietly, "Mmmm, I am so happy right now." Couldn't ask for better praise than that!

^ Those santa and snowman stars are precious! I'm adding them to my list this year.

I had an omelet filled with roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions and asiago cheese. Yukon gold/ sweet potato home fries on the side. Afterwards, I couldn't resist the still-warm orange cardamom sweet roll in the case by the register. This restaurant is a brand new find- all was organic and carefully prepared by a young hippy-ish couple and served on mismatched dishes in an old downtown flat. The experience would have been much more enjoyable if my sugar-phobic dining companion hadn't made a scene because they didn't have any Equal for her coffee....

Nowhere near Manhattan- I'm in Wisconsin. I didn't stop to think that the pie really would be 4 days old. But after Luckylies' testimonial, I'm so torn!

I'm thinking of ordering the sour cream apple pie from The Little Pie Company (www.littlepiecompany.com) for Thanksgiving. I saw it in Rachel Ray's magazine (someone else's copy, I swear!) and it looks delicious. Anyone ever have a pie from here? They're pretty expensive and I'd like to know ahead of time if it's worth the price.

10-inch chef's knife fell off the magnetic strip and hit the back of my ankle. Nicked my achille's tendon. Didn't walk for three weeks.

I picked up a tub of this at Whole Foods: Quark, made by the Vermont Butter and Cheese Co. It's soft, with a texture more similar to thick yogurt than cream cheese. It's also sharper than cream cheese, with an almost goat-cheesy tang. So far I've just licked it thoughtfully from a spoon- anyone know how it's meant to be eaten?

My favorite "garnishes" from that cookbook: A whole tomato A miniture plastic charcoal grill Whole eggs Plastic ivy

whole foods bakery pumpkin pecan bread with orange marmelade.

It is a complete departure from traditional pumpkin pie, but the best pumpkin dessert I've ever had was made up of a thin layer of flourless chocolate cake acting as a "crust" with a spicy pumpkin mousse on top. I think chocolate and pumpkin/spice is a fabulous combination.

Turkish eggs- garlicky yogurt topped with fresh spinach leaves, a poached egg and paprika and olive oil. Whole wheat roll for sopping. Very comforting.

There's a couple-page spread on kumquats in this month's Bon Appetit.

Mmm, Alinka, that looks so warm and comforting. Any chance you'd share the recipe, or an approximation of the method? Seems like just the thing for a gray, raining fall day like today.

Raspberries with sour cream and brown sugar. Something made me do it when rasperries were at their peak this summer, and I was hooked. Now I'm feeding the addiction with frozen rasperries, and it's still good. Mm. There's something about it, I just can't stop.

I once had a really delicious butternut squash creme caramel, and it was served with a yogurt anglaise. The squash with the sweet caramel and tangy yogurt was really very nice. That could be an interesting jumping-off point.

I made the Green Tomato Soup recipe from Epicurious. It was good, if a little boring. I used ham as the recipe specified but I think it would be superior if I had used bacon. Also, next time I would puree it instead of leaving it chunky. The recipe has potential though if you really have a bumper crop and the will to experiment.

Thai Basil Chicken Salad courtesy of the fast-food-Asian-fusion place. To my dismay, I discovered that all the spicy thai basil deliciousness was in the creamy dressing which I did not want to eat. So I doused it in rooster sauce and hot mustard. Yum.