apple cinnamon baked oatmeal

My life is significantly better if I have prepared enough breakfast for a few days. I'm not so great at the morning portion of life and I tend to be running perpetually late. It is a great comfort during these moments to know that there is a tasty, healthy, portable breakfast waiting for me. It doesn't stop me from my usual morning flailing search for my keys and the other shoe to go with the one on my foot.

But it does slightly balm my nerves to have something to eat once I find everything.

a cake for fall: brown butter and toasted pecan

Always watch the sugar. 

That voice that tells you, when you put sugar in a dry pan on high heat, "Just go into the other room for just a moment, just turn away for a minute, you won't forget about the sugar, just leave it for a second, it'll be fine." That voice is a liar. Maybe you don't hear that voice, maybe you are better at recognizing that the voice is wrong, maybe you stay with your sugar. I listened. And of course I didn't come right back, of course I forgot there was sugar in a pan over an open flame cranked up to eleven. I started grabbing recipes, assembling supplies, puttering. By the time I remembered the sugar, my apartment was full of smoke. Can't-see-across-the-room kind of smoke. And the sugar wasn't just burnt, it was on fire. Flame actually leaping out of the pan: a blackened, charred, disgusting sugar inferno.  

And then all the fire alarms went off. In the whole building. On a Saturday morning. No one in the building could turn the fire alarms off, so the firepeople had to come, in a great big firetruck just to turn off the alarm. I'm pretty sure everyone who lives in my building hates me now.

So watch the sugar. 

healthier bran muffins

Despite the reputation muffins have for being healthy-ish, many bakery and supermarket muffins are nutritionally on par with a slice of birthday cake sprinkled with bran. White flour, shortening, lots of sugar...

Squirrel life: foraging acorns for dinner

I didn't know you could eat acorns until I read it in The Urban Homestead. They are edible but they need to be processed because they contain too much tannin to be eaten otherwise. They can make you quite sick in their unprocessed state, but they are so bitter from the tannins that you aren't likely to eat enough to be a problem.

Once I knew they were food, I was sort of floored looking around at all the acorns sitting around, crunching underfoot, going to waste. My environment seemed more productive, more fertile, more useful. I started to forage through the city for acorns when I was looking for apples and blackberries. I thought I would share the preparation method with you; I will post some recipes using the acorns in the next couple weeks. This a nice fall activity especially if you can rope in a few friends to help you work; have an acorn shucking bee.

A few things I love

I wanted to share some stuff that I really love right now with you guys, some of it fall-ish because it's fall now for real. Some of it not really fall-ish, but still great.

My new Tesla replica light bulbs. I bought them here. I wanted to bring some light to a dark corner of our living room. Instead I got some very pretty, rather dim, not very practical or bright lights. I like 'em pretty and dim I guess. They been mesmerizing everyone who walks by them.

The thickest, warmest tights. With a high cotton content, not wool it's too itchy. Cotton tights make wearing summery skirts and dresses possible in the fall and winter, for which I am very grateful. I highly recommend that locals (and tourists) head to Fan Tan Alley and pop into Heart's Content for warm tights. I recommend that everybody head to Fan Tan Alley even if they don't need new tights. It's awesome, just go.

Truffle oil. Truffles are one of these things that seem awfully snobby and intimidating and I have always been a bit afraid of them. I have been considering buying truffle oil or truffle salt for a while and having heard lots of opinions about what is and isn't worth buying. I was a little overwhelmed. The other day I just bought one that liked the look of. My roommate L came home with another bottle of truffle oil the next day. We are replete with the stuff now. It is topping popcorn, potato gratins and pasta in our home. The oil is expensive but I feel it's worth it. Use sparingly.

This book I found for my friend D. He is a Tintin fan and I saw it and thought he would love it and he did. If you have one of those Tintin lovers hanging around you might want to pick up a copy. It's pretty great.

Bulbs. I bought white tulips, white daffodils and white crocuses. All white. I love the way bulbs just hang around all winter, waiting for spring, waiting until I forgot I ever planted them and then they surprise me. Same goes for garlic. I am planting lots and lots of garlic, it just waits patiently, through the cold and wet. Very reassuring.

The brussels sprouts at Stage. Obviously everything on the menu here is great, but these sprouts are exquisite. If you are nearby you owe it to yourself to eat some.

Berets. Little known fact: berets are a habit forming substance. Charcoal, red, navy, camel, mint, black obviously...you really can't stop at just one.