Simple Delights
Sharing some goodness I’ve enjoyed recently.
I’ve decided that I really like November. I love when the weather turns cool, but it’s not yet cold. I enjoy all the colors and watching the leaves fall. I love blankets and cozy recipes. There is so much beauty and joy in this month. And I love the anticipation of Thanksgiving; making festive plans, setting yummy menus, pulling out the favorite recipes.
I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite delights from the month to share with you. May they carry you into your weekend and inspire you to see joy in the simple things.
I share with you a poem, a quote, a couple of recipes and a thought…
Poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth.
November November comes And November goes With the last red berries And the first white snows, With night coming early And dawn coming late, And ice in the bucket And frost by the gate. The fires burn And the kettles sing, Earth sinks to rest Until next spring.
Quote by LM Montgomery in Anne of Green Gables
“It was November-the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wild-songs in the pines. Anne roamed through the pinealand alleys in the park and, as she said, let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul.”
Some cozy recipes
Pumpkin pasta by Sfoglini (I mentioned this one in my last post.)
INGREDIENTS
1 box Sfoglini Zucca
1/3 cup almonds
3 tablespoons olive oil , divided
20 sage leaves
8 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 medium onion, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. Before straining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
In a small nonstick skillet over low heat, toast the almonds for 3-5 minutes. Remove and chop coarsely and set aside. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat, and very quickly fry the sage leaves (only about 30 seconds), working in batches and adding more oil as necessary. Once fried, place the leaves on a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Set aside.
In a larger skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Cut the remaining butter into a couple of pieces. Turn up the heat on the skillet to medium and add the butter. Stir continuously. As the butter begins to brown, after about 4 minutes, add the pumpkin and continue to cook for two minutes more. Add some reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce, and season aggressively with salt and pepper.
Toss the Zucca in the sauce, then divide into four bowls. Top with the toasted almonds, goat cheese, and fried sage leaves, and serve.
Beef & Guinness Stew by Holly at Spend with Pennies
The perfect cozy meal for a Tuesday stewday.
And a thought.
We recently were talking with some friends about personality types and childhood family culture and how different we all are as humans. I had a moment where I marveled at the complexity of who we are as people. How can these friends, the Professor and I could all be a part of the same conversation or experience, yet we all internalize and think about things inwardly vastly different than each other considering how we grew up and our own temperaments and dispositions. I don’t know if you believe in God, but in that moment I was really struck in awe at the complexity of how we are created. When I think about people that way, it helps me to be gracious and kind. Our inner beings are pretty incredible.
Happy Friday, friends! I hope this posts finds you well and you are getting ready to step in to a restful weekend. Thanks for reading.