James Henkel: Light Work, Nov.11

Beautiful imagery by James Henkel

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Neopolitan, Nov.11

I love the splash of pink (and peep of yellow) against the rich brown seating and chevron floors.



Doesn't it remind you of those funny little striped coconut candies?



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Grappling with apples, Nov.11

Apple picking this year was a full-day extravaganza of hiking, picnicing and playing apple-ball in the orchard. I came home with a bushel of rosy beauties and decided to revisit some tried and true recipes from last year.

I cannot stress enough the dee-lici-ous-ness of this Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust. I always add a little extra cheddar on top during the last few minutes of baking. The more cheddar, the better.

I also tried these Autumn In A Bite cookies again because last year I used homemade caramel sauce in place of caramel candies. This time around I made two versions - with and without caramels. Both turned out great, but a word to the wise: bake them almost twice as long as the recipe calls for. At 10 minutes they were still doughy and the caramels still stiff and sticky. At about 18-20 minutes they were browned and gooey. A pinch of sea salt makes a perfect bite.

What I love about apples is their versatility. They are just as good sweet as they are savory. For dinner one night I improvised on this recipe and made a Roasted Apple-Butternut Squash Pizza. I followed the dough recipe but mixed in some fresh thyme for a little extra oomph. For toppings, I thinly sliced 3 apples and half a butternut squash and mixed these with diced shallots, garlic, thyme, basil, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. I had to bake this a bit longer than 10 minutes as well, probably closer to 15 minutes. A sprinkle of parmesan on top as it comes from the oven is always a good idea. Buon apetito!

Finally, I got creative one night when I was too tired to really cook, and came up with Grilled Chicken Tacos with Apple-Radish-Shallot Relish. Boo threw some chicken on the barbie. I whipped up garlic-shallot black beans and made a quick relish of diced apples, radishes and shallots marinated in apple cider vinegar. I layered these delish ingredients on a corn tortilla, topped it with sliced avocado and went to taco heaven.


Other Apple recipes that sound amazing:

Rustic Apple French Toast

Ravioli with Apples and Walnuts

Praline-Apple Bread

Caramelized Onion Tarts With Apples


XO

Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn, Nov.11

I forget where I came across this slideshow of the world's best new affordable hotels, but I find myself scrolling through it at least once a week. Thought you might enjoy a little Saturday scrolling, too.

1, 5, 11 and 17 are of particular interest.

P.S. Take a peek at this one, too. (Doe Bay, represent!)

Great Crates, Nov.11

Brilliant storage idea:

1. Collect wooden crates of varying shapes and sizes.

2. Choose 3 or 4 paint colors. Or just mix 2 colors to create a range of tonal hues.

3. Paint the interiors of some, exteriors of others, just the edges of a few, and leave a few unpainted.

4. Spread them out against a wall, stack them on long and short sides to create variation of depth and height.

5. Fill them with your records, books, ceramics, lamps, photos, tchotchkes and teacups.

6. Sit back, relax and enjoy the view.

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