fall activites and pumpkin biscuits.

i love summer.
.....but, I am ready for Fall. There is something about Fall that everyone loves. The crisp, cool air is so refreshing after the hot humidity of Summer. Just last night, I stuck my head outside and took a big breath of the semi-chilly night. It smelled so sweet and clean, and was even my motivation to run. Couldn't pass up an evening so nice.

I absolutely love when the seasons change. The moment when the world is in between seasons, you can even see the changes before your eyes. My anticipation rises for all the fun things the new season brings.

Autumn brings lots and lots of glorious activities. My summer hiatus from cooking/baking will end, and I will spend lots of time in the kitchen experimenting and tasting. Last year I discovered my absolute favorite thing to cook with: pumpkin! Whether it is sweet or savory, pumpkin everything is incredible. Roasting your own small baking pumpkin is the only way to go. In a couple more weeks, when Fall is really in swing, I'll show you how to make your own pumpkin puree. Yum!

I gathered a list of fun things to do in and around Cleveland during the harvest. Enjoy!

music. (only bands I'm interested in - sorry)

• 9/16 Matt & Kim - Beachland Ballroom
• 9/19 Land of Talk - Beachland Ballroom
• 9/23 Gaslight Anthem - House of Blues
• 9/26 Built to Spill - Grog Shop
• 10/4 Band of Horses - House of Blues
• 10/13 Ok Go - Beachland Ballroom
• 10/14 SUFJAN STEVENS - Royal Oak, MI (totally going!!)
• 10/21 Deerhunter - Beachland Ballroom

food.

• Apple picking at Patterson Fruit Farm. Best time is mid-September through mid-October. Every Saturday and Sunday during that time, take a wagon ride and pick as many apples as you want.
• Shaker Square Farmers' Market - every Saturday (8am-12pm) through 12/18.
• RIPE! Food and Garden Festival at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, 9/24 - 9/26
• Whole Foods 5x7 is always is fun. Every Friday from 5 - 7pm, try 5 foods and 5 drinks for only $5.
• Great Lakes Brewery - Beer School. Go on the tour, have some samples, eat some (local) food, get a t-shirt and glass. $25 at 7pm on 10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 11/17. Must purchase tickets in advance, each session sells out.

fun.

• 9/17 Walk All Over Waterloo 6pm - 2am. Eat some food, play some records, get a new CLE shirt, listen to some live music.
• 10/2 Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes. Three mile walk around Downtown. Let me know if you would like information on how to get involved.
• Lake Farmparks Haunted Hayrides - every Friday and Saturday in October. All these sell out, buy your tickets in advance.

Google is my best friend. If you have any trouble finding the information, I can help.

eats.

Last night I attempted a couple new recipes - one was okay, the other blew me awayyy.

I adapted a recipe from Kitchen Daily and some vegan site for Jalapeno Corn Chowder. When I went to Heinens I started going a wee nuts altering the recipe, so this is totally my own creation now. I will definitely experiment more and change some things in the future.

First off, I was dared (dared, I SAY!) to make this in a Crock Pot (bad choice for a quick cooking soup). The Crock Pot was recently acquired from my mom and I was kind of dying to use it. Lesson learned. The chowder just heated up, didn't really cook. Needed to really cook on the stove to get the thickness that was needed. Well anyways, here's what I did:

• 1 cup creamed corn
• 14 oz. vegetable stock (Heinens brand rocks)
• 1 cup milk (I used skim. Half-and-half or 2% would have helped thicken more)
• 1/4 cup roasted red sweet peppers in a jar. Chopped.
• 2 finely chopped jalapenos. Seeded and ribbed.
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach. Thawed and drained.

There was no order really, just dump everything in a pot and cook til it thickens and is hot. Eh, 20 minutes or so.

It was good, not great.

So the recipe that blew me away....pumpkin biscuits. Holy crap, these are amazing. Eat them immediately.

• 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-1/2 teas. baking powder
• 1/2 teas. salt
• 1/4 teas. baking soda
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 3/4 cup canned (or fresh puree) pumpkin (I used canned, no pumpkins out yet!)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine pumpkin and buttermilk; stir into crumb mixture just until moistened.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Pat or roll out to 1-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. I free formed mine, doesn't matter. Place 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 425° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter. Yield: 6 biscuits.

Easy and delicious.
enjoy!