Fall Feasting

Since New York's famed fall foliage hasn't busted loose yet, I decided to bring the seasonal colors myself. Red and yellow--the best hues for leaves, condiments, and outfits.

Also good colors for fresh farmer's market fruit.

In celebration of my improved health and all the great ingredients coming into season, I whipped up a fancy feast for our Sunday dinner. On the menu: Butternut squash and parmigiano ravioli in browned butter, garlic, and sage--

Focaccia bread with scallions, rosemary, and sea salt--
And a sweet pepper and cauliflower salad--
Dressing ingredients--

(Recipes from Tanis's "The Heart of the Artichoke.")

Morningside Weekend

Autumn is slowly creeping around the edges of things. The trees are still mostly green, but there are tinges of gold and red, and the breeze is brisk. This weekend we knocked around our little neighborhood after I taught my Saturday high school creative writing class, so I'm wearing my most pseudo-professorial attire. Riverside Park, where we spent most of the afternoon, is long and thin (rather like Manhattan), and is made up of many different levels and staircases as it gradates down to the Hudson.

Aside from Riverside Park, another of the jewels of Morningside Heights is the Hungarian Pastry Shop, right across the street from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. I tried their strawberries and cream spongecake. It was fresh, light, and moist.

Our pastry-eating companion, one of the peacocks that lives on the grounds.

Quick State of the Cold update -- The real sign that I'm not sick anymore: Not only did I go grocery shopping, but I've started cooking again!
This weekend I made a menu from "The Heart of the Artichoke" by David Tanis, one of my favorite cookbook authors. On the plate: Peppery Oven-fried Chicken, Scalloped Corn (I made it with Greek yogurt and milk rather than half and half, and it was awesome), and Spicy Cabbage Slaw (which is simply purple cabbage, red onions, salt, pepper, lime juice, and jalapeño). Everything was really yummy. I'm cured!

Front Yard Food Faire

I'm stilly pretty sick, so out of my hiatus I bring you some snaps from last-last weekend's Autumn Festival, which shut down the North lane of Broadway for several blocks right outside our apartment. It was a nice surprise to stroll outside to run some errands and discover the street had been taken over by little stands grilling corn.

Aforementioned corn with jalapeño butter and cayenne.

Bar-B-Que chicken kebab.

What's better than things in miniature? Magnetized things in miniature!

Once I'm back in commission, expect some Oktoberfesting!

Care Packages

I've been immobilized for the past few days by some new-fangled East Coast cold that is foreign to my West Coast immune system. Devin has been taking really good care of me, keeping me in Advil, bottled water, and spicy chicken ramen with baby spinach.

A box from my mom in California arrived yesterday, but I was too under the weather to open it until this afternoon. Coincidentally (she mailed it before I got sick), it is the quintessential get well soon package!

Reading material! Reading is the only thing I've really been able to do, aside from watching Netflix and sleeping. Included are two of my favorite magazines, Bust and Whole Living (Martha Stewart Omnimedia publications, I cannot resist you), some comics from the San Jose Mercury News, and "The Young Unicorns" by Madeleine L'Engle, which happens to be set in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, right down our street.

My favorite tea from Peet's! I hadn't realized how many businesses were only California based until I left. Though there are Starbucks a plenty here, no Peet's!

The contents of my spice rack from home! Now I can whip up some delicious soup.

This beautiful blanket that now adorns the sickbed.

Group photo. Thanks, Mom! I'm feeling better already.

Blue Skies Over the Bronx

My brand-new nail polish somehow exactly matches the scarf that Julie knitted for me a few years back!

Devin's uncle (an ex-Michiganian) is a die-hard Tigers fan, and he was nice enough to take us to Yankee Stadium for Game 2 of the American League Division Series.