come on over

We will be having a cooking class this saturday. It will be quaint and intimate because it will be held in my own home. I would love to have you over, to share some conversation, probably a few laughs (and blunders) and a warm, seasonal lunch this weekend. Hope you can come.

Soup, Salad and Sandwiches Class 

October 22, 2011 - 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.

class venue :: Johnson residence in Provo,Utah
(address given after registration)

price: $35
 

roasted tomato soup

autumn vegetable minestrone

gruyere and kale pesto grilled sandwich

  caramelized brussel sprout salad 

free form apple and lemon balm galette

REGISTER HERE.

baking an apple tart

If you're in south jordan, come say hello along my race route! It's always fun seeing supporters cheering you on. Even if the cheers are meant for someone else, they make my steps a little lighter.

a few links for you this weekend:

+ I love Sheena's reply to the view that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are not Christian. We believe in Christ. Really, I do.
+ I love Susan's series of her favorite instagram photos, I love when things relate by chance.
+ The days that I have been following Robin's 100 ways to thank your body, my body has been thanking me.
+ I know Halloween isn't for a few more weeks, but I am so excited for Christmas!
+ Recipe for this apple tart on zupas today.

have a lovely one friends.

listening to food

So remember how I ran a half marathon back in June? And remember how I scoffingly said meh I'm pretty much halfway there, may as well keep running? Well I did. I kept running; and running; and running. I ran so much I had to buy new shoes, and new shorts, yes I even got a new running top (or four). I also got a visor which may or may not be the most fashionable clothing purchase I've ever made but gracious I love that thing, especially in the rain.

I ran so much these past 16 weeks that I am days away from running my first marathon. Yes, I am officially one of those crazy masochist people who will be voluntarily putting my body through a ridiculous amount of strain (it's actually not so bad when you take it on gradually), all for the glory of a free t-shirt and a knick knack of a medal (where do I put/do with them?) I guess it's not really official until I finish, I will finish.

During my training, I have missed the conversation I had with my running partner before she moved away. I couldn't go back to listening to music, especially for my longer runs. I needed the real time of a voice, of conversation, something that engaged me mentally and intellectually. So I started listening to audio books and podcasts, many of which (surprise!) dealt with food. I now realize just how obsessed I am.

Here are a few of my favorites..

soup and sweater weather

When I was in elementary school, I was given the nickname "sweater girl" by one of my 6th grade teachers. During the autumn months whenever I saw her, if I was wearing a sweater, she would comment on the knit I wore saying it was a new one she had never seen before (even if it wasn't). When she saw me without, she'd ask if I had lost it; my sweaters and I were inseparable. I blame my love for this season as the reason I remember something so trivial. She noticed that I loved sweaters (and obviously had a lot of them), and by saying something to me about it I noticed that she noticed me, and that meant something. If she saw my wardrobe now, I'm pretty sure she'd still call me by that name, sweater weather is still my favorite sort of weather, although I've branched out to collect other seasonally relevant things like gloves, scarves, hats, and soup recipes. I have about as many favorite soups as I do sweaters. Okay I probably have more favorite soups.. luckily they go together perfectly.

raspberries!

This past saturday marked the second year of our conference weekend tradition, picking raspberries at a local farm properly named, the raspberry patch.

We gave our little one a jar to fill with her own plump berries, but it never had more than one berry in it (I think I put it there), and that lone berry wasn't in the jar any longer than a minute. I think part of our berry picking tradition will be rounding our berries weight up a quarter pound, I'm sure it's a close estimate to the amount of berries she ate straight from the bush, and many times from our main harvest. For the short time we were there, she wasn't idle for a minute of it.

cook, reduce, intensify

The forecast for the week declared the first snowfall in the higher mountain ranges (still to happen). Overnight, and after a number of hours of cold wet weather, the tips of the mountains that loom over our little big town were bursting with the varying shades of fall, even moreso than last week. It was almost as if the trees knew they would soon be covered in snow and needed to show off for at least one day. It made for a beautiful view during my run this morning. I repeatedly pointed my little one (cuddled up and mostly dry in her jogger) toward the west range, showing her how beautiful her hometown is in October. We even took a drive up the canyon and filled our home with multi-colored boughs of oak, maple and aspen.

With the mixture of general conference weekend (continually the most inspiring weekend of the year), raspberry picking, putting up halloween decor, making warm food (soup!) to fill our bellies, knit sweaters, socks, and closed toed shoes, it's official. Fall, how I've missed you.