i have found myself easing up a bit in the last few days. crispy blue skies and chilly mornings are helping me, as are productive school days and a few recent gatherings with friends. i think a bag full of apples from Christina's tree and a dinner last tuesday have sparked the fall cravings. a friend of ours had somehow acquired a huge turkey breast and wanted to cook for us, so he and his roommate made an amazing dinner of roasted turkey and garlic & cheese mashed skin-on potatoes (yay, Idaho!). not to be too ahead of things, they were sure to include fresh corn on the cob to keep things a good mix of soon-to-be-gone summer and almost-here autumn. it was quite a great preview of what's sitting on the horizon, but the kicker was an AMAZING wine our friend Becci brought over. she's just returned from her annual vineyard visits in Oregon and arrived with two reds that just about have me sold on the next season. some years there's a sip of red that just makes me sigh and want to sit outside and enjoy a cool evening by a fire with friends or with my Mister under a blanket and stars. that sip of a big, nice red wine after months of white wine & summer ales alongside the bright, fresh farmer's market fare of summertime just changes things. i had that sip last tuesday. the vineyard was Palotai and it was called "Bull's Blood." yeah, i know, but it was really, really nice. it made me want fall.
and then there was apple pie. i'm so annoyed with myself because i did not take any pictures of the process. this is mostly because i was multitasking like crazy and was just that at the moment--crazy! it's also partly because i realized the pictures of the peach pie from last fall are not entirely appetizing. i'm still working on getting photos to do their subjects justice. that's a whole other project! anyway, i am very proud of this pie. i had my doubts, but went with it and was so happy with the outcome. it got good reviews (and was brought up twice the next night when we were all out downtown) and have filed it away into the Make Again pile. i had a bunch of apples from the same garden as last year's peaches and it was time to do something with them. they were sour as could be, so i was unsure of how they'd work in a pie, but i looked into it anyway. i googled about pie with sour apples and came up with an interesting one. it had a super fun secret ingredient: chili powder! i did a recipe mash up with my old standby and her recipe and adored the result. i will be making this pie again. and again and again. mostly i just followed her apple cutting steps and used her idea of adding heat by using the chili powder, but i will go back and do another with the citrus. the whole thing just sounds bizarre, but i'm willing to give it a whirl. i used my crust--just a bottom, no top--and the filling recipe from last fall's pie post. i used vegetable oil this time instead of olive, and added a light dusting of chili powder before i stirred it all together. meanwhile, did i just make a topless pie? scandalous.
and finally, the week ended with a farewell dinner for a friend at Jaker's, a local steakhouse that is really good. coffee rubbed tri tip?! yes please!!! another night with great company and wonderful food, and three bottles of red (there were eleven of us!). i tried a glass of a great blend called Cashmere Cline that was really great, then had a glass of Idaho's own Pend d'Oreille, a fall-is-here-break-out-the-long-sleeves cabernet. SO good.
wherever you are, and whatever the weather or season, i hope you're having a great time and enjoying your days. hopefully i'll still be coat-free by next posting.
not missing air conditioning,
katie
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