HOME

we thought about moving. but decided to stay. for now. it feels like Big Sur in here at night as we watch the days grow shorter. we lit the whole house by candles last night, played Christmas music, warmed ourselves by the woodburning fire, smelled oakwood, listened to the crackle and pop of the fire and the creak of the stairs...the same creak they make every night at sunset. i always wonder why...and smile. we sipped pinot noir and nibbled on nuts. we wrapped ourselves in sweaters and scarves and strolled up Chorro street....listening to the hoot of the owl that sits in the pine tree by our kitchen door, we slipped inside MEE HUNG LOW for a bowl of warm noodles. jazz music floated in the air. a band was playing up in the loft. jazz in a chinese restaurant. we didn't ask. we listened. people had their dogs with them . on their laps. feeding them noodles. it made us smile. we wished we had Teddy. next time. we walked home in the dark. we saw 3 houses with Christmas lights. we smiled... again ....as we strolled towards HOME.

Was That A Witch?

that glare in the window is the sun strating to set out here in california last night in my kitchen ...

i may have mentioned this before, but this TARTINE cookbook is one of my favorites. TARTINE is a wonderful bakery up the road a ways in San Francisco.

I have been making their pumpkin tea bread alot this fall. i made some late yesterday to take to teddy's groomer today. teddy is at The Golden Paw right now getting all ready for Halloween...

i added some candy corn and this little rat to make it a little more Halloween-ey...

the bread is easy to make...and it smells so good baking in the kitchen.

i just had to show you this...it borders on vintage. i have had it for so long...it is a witches cauldron and when you plug it in...the white material "flames up". i really can't beleive it still works. i got it at michaels about a zillion years ago. and i still love it. it just wouldn't be halloween around here without the "cauldron".

Pumpkin Tea Cake

adapted from :Tartine

serves 6 to 8

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cinnamon ( this seemed like alot, but it works )

2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoon Pumpkin puree ( not pie filling )

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups white sugar

3/4 teaspoons salt

3 large eggs

2 Tablespoons white sugar for topping

my own addition is 1 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl mix pumpkin puree, oil, sugar,and salt with a mixer

Add eggs one at a time mixing well

Scrape down sides and add flour, baking powder, baking soda cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves. add walnuts, if desired

Do not over mix or you will end up with a coarse, tough crumb

Transfer the batter to a buttered 9 by 5 loaf pan ( i know they call it a tea cake, but they make it in a loaf pan ) Smooth the top with an offset spatula and sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake about an hour. I check it at one hour and i always need to let it go another 10 mintues or so or till a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes then remove and let cool on a wire rack

Serve at room temperature

Because this cake is not too sweet, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream is nice and you can sprinkle the cream with some raw pepitas ( hulled pumpkin seeds ) for extra crunch.

One Week To Go

one week till halloween and we are still going over here... loving our dinosauer costume

my brother, mark made his skeleton crudite plate....

that's you-know-who.... your hostess...

made one more round of the caramel apples... these were a double delight..we dipped them in caramel and then bittersweet chocolate...

halloween wine, naturally...

some of our halloween cupcakes....

more cupcakes...these were tiny ones...

just a fun saturday...

making cupcakes...

on a rainy Fall afternoon...a week before halloween.

Teddy * October 22, 2010

i got out my old flannel camp blanket that i got in maine for teddy today. i threw it over the couch for him to get cozy in tonight. October 22, 2010. Full Hunter's Moon. My beloved Teddy.
6 months today he has been with me. filling our home with more happiness than we could have ever known after the loss of our precious Buddy.

The Great Pumpkin Contest

I have not posted one thing in almost a month. And I don't have a good excuse either. Just plain lazy.... they have a Great Pumpkin Contest here in downtown San Luis Obispo on the steps to The Old Mission Church.....

it's fun to go and see all the giant pumpkins that people grow every year...

but i just don't understand how people living in my own neighborhood can grow a pumpkin this big and I can't even get a regular pumpkin to grow. since we moved here 3 years ago my dreams of having a giant pumpkin patch have been dashed....i have not had one pumpkin. not one. i had better luck in cambria and it was foggy all summer there...... i just don't get it. i am just this close to taking this so called vegetable garden out and putting in a lawn.

the archway is the entrance to The Old Mission....just look at those beauties...all BLUE RIBBON winners in my book.

the pumpkins were of every size and color....i had serious pumpkin envy.....

all of the pumpkins were just wonderful to look at and admire....

as for me...i am off doing research on lawn...
i give up.

Around The House And On The Farm

With the First Full Day of Fall I decided to finish off some of my Fall decorations... a beloved collection of black Steiff Halloween cats....

more Halloween..old candles, a lantern, some paper mache....

i love these old owl candles.....

some more owls....

more candles and paper mache....

vintage candles...always a favorite...fun to cruise ebay for....

i love this guy....

here the 2 pumpkin people are from jen murphy of jen murphy bears...and the scarecrow pitcher is from my friend julie of julie whitmore pottery....

julie whitmore pottery....

a pitcher from julie on a stack of ironstone plates and tiny apples....

some old Halloween chocolate molds....

made a few caramel apples from Gopher Glen. when we got to Gopher Glen the chalkboard said they had an apple called SWEET AUTUMN.....what? is that for real? is there REALLY an apple named SWEET AUTUMN...that sounds too good to be true. the lady said it was true..a new variety for this year...well, let me get a bag...and wait just a minute...does that also say LIMBERTWIG? my FAVORITE apple of all. YES...we have LIMBERTWIG today. I asked her aren't they usually ready around Halloween...she said they are early this year..well, give me another bag....Limbertwig are THE BEST for making caramel apples cause the apple is very tart...

so we gathered some apple twigs in the orchard and came home to make caramel sauce.....

what an early Fall treat we have for tonight....

after Gopher Glen we made our way out to The Avila Barn...baskets of apples are everywhere now....

pumpkins and gourds have arrived.....

what a sight....

the farmer was just unloading the pumpkins.....

pumpkins and hay....

the view from the back of the barn looking towards the Pacific ocean....the ocean is only about 3 minutes away....the sycamores line the creek leading to the sea...they are just starting to turn color.....the field is a pumpkin field...they give tractor rides on the weekends to go and pick out your pumpkin.....

there he is...he is at The Barn every year..isn't he just adorable...

i don't know his best side..the back or the front...i think the back.

another fun day picking out all of Fall's bounty....

Eclair Bakery in Arroyo Grande, CA

We took a drive south through the Edna Valley and made our way to The Eclair Bakery in the village of Arroyo Grande about 10 minutes south of San Luis Obispo. With Fall in the air I am really on the bakery hunt..... for the old fashion ones...the ones that remind me of The Cream Puff Bakery in my hometown of Los Gatos, California. We used to go there alot in the Fall because across the street was a Sprouse-Ritz. It was one of those big old drug stores with the wooden floors and all the Halloween candy. In the Fall they had stacks and stacks of the Halloween costumes you used to get in the box. We made my mother take us in that store almost daily. By the time Halloween rolled around we each had about 10 different costumes. My mom would call the neighbors the week before Halloween and ask if Kary and Mark could come trick or treating. We loved it so much we never could get enough. I still can't get enough.

and the Eclair really reminds me of The Cream Puff....could it be the name? They had some nice looking raspberry tarts....

this cute little sign was by the cash register....

this is the outside...as you can see it is very old fashion....

and they had lots of eclairs...

look at that...cherry strudel...wouldn't that be nice with a cup of tea?

simple white cupcakes....

the pie offerings for the day....

they had a nice collection of old cake stands. I LOVE vintage cake stands and have a large collection of them myself.... well, I like anything that is old and has to do with cooking and baking....

old cake decorating boxes.....

cute box of old birthday candles....

some of their vintage cooking untensils....love that egg beater..remember those?

a box of cake and sandwhich cutters...for bridge, luncheons and party occassions...who spelled sandwhich wrong..them or me?

and as you left out the door another nice collection of glass cake stands. we had a nice time and made our way back home skipping the Highway 101 and taking the Old Biddle Road instead....just old fashion.