Topping the list of Things Lizzie Does Not Do, Or At Least Does Not Do Very Well, But Likes To Think She Can Do:
Cooking.
I am not a natural in the kitchen. My latent klutziness, my inability to thoroughly read the directions before I start cooking, and my tendency to experiment usually paralyze me in the face of all things edible. I have, in fact, been referred to once as a "culinary catastrophe." Ouch.
I dropped hundreds of dollahs yesterday to replace basically everything one would need for a functional kitchen in preparation for becoming an independent young lady again. My purchases have my head all up in the clouds imagining the delicacies I shall effortlessly prepare with/on/in them (perhaps while sporting an adorable Anthropologie apron? Yes.). It being fall, and fall being a season that lends itself so nicely to cozy, delicious cooking, I went on a Pinterest binge this evening and started a Fall Recipes board. In my mind, I'm going to cook these pretty, sometimes nutritious, always crowd-pleasing recipes for my scads of elegant and witty friends and just totally channel some combo of Martha Stewart and Julia Child.
Um, right.
At any rate, though, fall is a great season for cooking. Squash- and pumpkin-based dishes abound, apples are fresh-picked and ripe for use in everything, and flavors like cinnamon and salted caramel and cranberries just seem autumnal.
So, that Pinterest board. Here's what's actually jumping out at me, both tried-and-tested and new-to-me:
Soups and Salads:
-This maple bacon, brussels sprout, and pear salad with blue cheese from How Sweet Eats.
-This blender-made butternut squash apple soup from Just a Taste.
-This slow-simmered Apple French Onion Soup from Closet Cooking.
-This crispy autumn kale salad, also from the lovely How Sweet Eats.
Pastas:
-This vegan butternut squash linguine from Cookie+Kate.
-This roasted pumpkin risotto with gruyere and sweet Italian sausage from The Cozy Apron.
-I've actually made Pinch of Yum's butternut squash mac and cheese with caramelized onion, apple and bacon, and it's delicious in the most unholy way.
-When I was in London, we ate a lot of Tesco's walnut gorgonzola ravioli. This recipe from Columbus Foodie looks like it could approximate my old favorite.
Sandwiches and Pizzas:
-This arugula, apple and chickpea wrap from The Kitchn looks easy and yummy for work lunches.
-This pesto-and-butternut squash pizza from Yummy Mummy Kitchen.
-This bacon and apple grilled cheese from Recipes for Our Daily Bread.
-This caramelized onion and pepper bacon flatbread from How Sweet Eats has a whole-wheat crust.
Breakfast:
-These pumpkin-apple muffins from Cookies and Cups combine two perfect fall flavors.
-This apple pie oatmeal from Family Feedbag.
-These pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon syrup from Tastes Better From Scratch.
-And this pumpkin hot chocolate from Food Doodles to wash it all down.
Dessert:
-Kaitlin and I made these Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies from Parent Pretty last fall and they're delicious. I'd love to pair them with this Picky Palate brown-butter pumpkin spice frosting.
-These salted caramel apple pie bars from Sally's Baking Addiction.
-This pecan pie cake from Sweet Jeanette.
-These maple pumpkin blondies from Desserts With Benefits.
Whoooo's coming to my autumnal overdose dinner party? I can promise a crackling fire, some hot apple cider, and maybe a Notre Dame game on TV!!