Friday favorites.

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Happy Friday! Since I work both weekend days and have Fridays off, I've started to really savor this day. While my schedule doesn't allow for what most people consider a "weekend," I've worked weekends most of my life anyway. And this just makes days off like today that much better.

Tonight we're having Andrew's friends over for dinner, and I'm excited to get our apartment all prettied up for a little party. And make butterscotch pot du creme, for a taste of home and MPLS in MKE. And go running, because it's beautiful outside. And study. And that's how a day off fills up oh, so quickly.

In the meantime, here are some additional links for anyone else hosting parties, including "Friendsgiving," this weekend, or are getting down to planning for the big day on the 28th:

I'm obsessed with Williams-Sonoma for Thanksgiving. And with their pumpkin butter. Here's a recipe to make your own!

I like gin. I like PAMA. I want to drink this.

If you've never hosted Thanksgiving and want to go all out for your first shot, NYT has published an everything-you-need-to-know Thanksgiving essentials guide.

One of my favorite traditions from growing up was Thanksgiving Eve. My aunt would come over, we'd eat apples and brie, and start preparing for the next day. Here's a lovely take on what to make for dinner on Thanksgiving Eve.

I'm still searching for one more dessert to make for Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe this one? 

Leaves and snow.

WI font yard. 

MN back yard. 

Both make me want to stay inside and cook soups. 

In the kitchen: roast pork loin with bacon and Comté cheese.

I've said it before, and I'll say it plenty more times: I have a fantastic husband. Not only is he extremely dedicated to his work and research, he's also a fantastic cook (I like him for other reasons, too, but for now, these praises suffice). This Sunday, after a long day of research, grading, and writing, he whipped up this for dinner.

Yes, that is pig, on pig (on pig). The kitchen smelled amazing as I walked into our apartment after spending Sunday at work. Andrew put his own spin on it by cooking the pork in the sous vide (see here for more), which ensured it wouldn't dry out, but the recipe below just requires regular roasting. As there are only two of us, this recipe left plenty (read, PLENTY) of leftovers, but I think it'd be great for a family get-together, too; maybe a pre-Thanksgiving dinner party?

Roast Pork Loin with Bacon and Comté Cheese, adapted from Stephane Reynaud's Rotis.** 

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2 lb, 12 oz. pork loin

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 sweet onions, peeled and sliced into rings

6 slices of bacon; cook until crisp and set aside. 

7 oz. Comté (or Gruyere) cheese, sliced

4 green onions, finely chopped. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a non-stick frying pan until lightly golden. 

Heat remaining olive oil in a roasting pan. Add the pork and brown on all sides over high heat. Once all sides are browned, roast pork in the oven for 1 hour, 20 minutes, basting it with its juices. 

Remove roast from the oven, let rest for about 5 minutes. Make 6 cuts about 2/3rds of the way through the roast; in each, place some fried onions, a slice of bacon, and a slice of cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Sprinkle with green onions. 

**This book is fantastic. Roasts are really easy (and generally quite hands off), but for some reason I find lot of people are intimidated by them. Rotis is the perfect cookbook to help you break out of that. And besides, who wouldn't want to make their home smell like a French kitchen? 

Saturday Post No. 9

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There are still plenty of pumpkins and Halloween decorations up in our neighborhood. People go crazy for Halloween here - so many front yards are overtaken by cobwebs, hanging skeletons, witches crashing into trees, giant spiders...honestly, I'm done with it. Pumpkins are good for a while longer, but not giant inflatable spiders.

I've worked many weekends in my life, but this is the first time I'm doing so for work. Real work. It was a long, challenging, but good day.

I have more reading I could be doing, but the knowledge that tomorrow is going to be yet another long day is preventing me from pulling out the books. Andrew is more productive than I am right now, as he just informed me that he's doing research for one of his final papers. I'm constantly impressed at how much he can get done in a day. Today, for example, he graded papers (freshman composition papers...a special kind of beast), researched for his own, read, bought groceries for dinner, and is now doing more research. And, he was super wonderful and bought us new coffee tumblers. Ones that are actually going to keep my much-needed coffee warm for more than 1 hour (goodbye, former coffee tumbler). Life is good with this guy.

And with that, it's time for wine, maybe some reading, and Saturday night college football. And candles. Definitely candles.

This Month.

November brings with it plenty of changes, but we're ready. A new schedule, a new job, even a new haircut! We're excited, ready to go, but still look forward to the end of the month when we get to celebrate one of our favorite holidays with our very favorite people. 

Life by numbers.

7: days since October began. OCTOBER, the tenth month of the year. While I'm not the biggest fan of how quickly this year is coming to an end, I do love the colors that are out this month. Anne, from Anne of Green Gables (my absolute favorite books when I was younger) says that she's "happy to live in a world where there are Octobers." I think she'd still feel the same way if she saw October in WI, or MN, for that matter, and not in PEI. 

2: the potential number of sibling visitors I'll get this weekend. I really do think I lucked out in this department - my brother and sister are pretty cool dudes, and I can't wait to see them! Oh, and they take good photos, too.

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5: pairs of glasses I'll be receiving from Warby Parker in just a few days. I can't wait to get new glasses. I've had my current pair since senior year of college...and I think maybe (just maybe) trends in eye wear have changed since then. Warby Parker lets you choose up to five pairs of frames from their website, then they send them to you for free to try on at home for five days! Once you've decided, you give them your prescription and place your order, all for a very reasonable price. And, for every pair that's purchased, the company gives a pair to someone in need. Win-win.

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46: days until Turkey Day 5k. I just registered for this - now it's really time to start running. My sister and I did the race last year and loved it, although I think I was more motivated last year to run than I am at this present moment...but I'll get there. Let's hope for good weather and no snow! 

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7: hours that my mom spent traveling to get to us in MKE last week, thanks to the silly train...but we loved having her here! We went to the museum, out for walks, to dinner, and just really enjoyed spending as much time as we could with her. And we're sorry that it took even longer to get back to MPLS (again, thanks, train).

383: miles between MKE and Des Moines, where we drove this weekend to celebrate John and Kellie get married! Andrew was an usher in their wedding, and we were so, so happy to be able to share in their day. We wish them nothing but the best - congrats, newlyweds!! 

A good WI-kend.

We had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. It's finally fall, my favorite season, and it feels like it, too...yay for sweater weather and boots! It's funny to me how tired I get of wearing boots into springtime, but how exciting it is to dig them out again once it starts getting cooler.


Andrew and I both had free time this weekend...and even if we (read, Andrew) actually didn't, we made time for it. This was one of the first instances that we haven't had to go anywhere on a weekend off; during the summer, free weekends weren't actually free but were saved for wedding activities or family events back home. Of course, this isn't to say that we didn't love going home on the weekends when we could, but it was a nice change of pace to spend some time on the WI side of the border.

So what did we do with all our free time? Friday we had friends over for dinner, Saturday we made pasta (stay tuned for an In the Kitchen post in the next few days!), and Sunday we went to Madison to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was a lovely weekend.

In fact, we've got a few lovely weekends on the horizon! My mom comes to visit a week from today (WOOHOO!) then we have a wedding in Iowa, then my sister comes the following weekend! AND, the fact that wedding photos are coming in is the cherry in top of an already pretty great start to fall. Seriously. I could look at our wedding photos all day, on repeat...more of that later this week!

This Month.

I've missed a few of these, but we've had a busy, beautiful summer. Even though I'm not in school anymore, every September puts me in "back-to-school" mode where I want to go buy folders and pens (and new clothes). Still, there's a sense of restarting in the air, of getting a new chance to make a good impression. It's as if everyone is starting a new grade...I think I'll forever be on a semester schedule, thanks to Andrew's classes and future career! Speaking of, I'm so proud of him - he taught his first two classes this morning!!

Wishing everyone a good year ahead, whether you just started kindergarten (my Bo!) or teaching college freshmen, and all those who are looking for a new start. We've got this. 

Blue is the color...

Congratulations, Mr. President! 

As I've mentioned before, we're definitely a House of Blues, but in more ways than one. After what has seemed like a never-ending campaign filled with negative ads, ridiculous and oftentimes hostile Facebook posts, and constant commercials for both parties, Barack Obama was reelected to the presidency. YES! 

Here are some more photos from last night (and here, like the ones above, both from the Chicago Tribune). And with all the electoral maps and state-by-state, county-by-county analyses from last night, the wonderful simplicity of this site says it all. 

We were cheering on Obama here in Wisconsin, and were thrilled to see our new state go blue. We closely watched all the proposed amendments at home, as well, and this morning we're both proud to be Minnesotans and happy to see so many other important social issues being brought to light. Obama's speech last night was inspirational and moving, but we expected nothing less than an amazing and unifying address. Even though I was almost sleeping, it was something I knew I couldn't miss. 

Here's to hoping that both parties can now move on and work together to get things done, and of course, to four more years! 

MN Mondays: A Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving.

Confession: nothing gets me more excited for Thanksgiving than walking into Williams-Sonoma. And with less than three weeks to go until Turkey Day, I'm just itching to make it out to W-S as many times as I can, but visiting the website is a good substitute (they have so many great recipes!). The store is filled with gorgeous cookbooks, knives, cast iron pans...it's definitely our happy place, and we get inspired to cook something new each time we're there. 

Whether it's July or the beginning of November, the mulled cider smells of that store always make me crave Thanksgiving dinner. When we were little and growing up, my mom always hosted Thanksgiving at our house. The preparation for this food-filled, family friendly holiday always included a trip (or several!) to Williams-Sonoma where we would pick up Thanksgiving essentials, including pumpkin butter, the annual Thanksgiving Guide, and a few new "kitchen toys" that we knew we just had to have to make the perfect meal. Every year she set a beautiful table and cooked her heart out, and it's no surprise that Thanksgiving dinner has become one of our favorite holidays. I'm also not surprised as to why I love hosting dinners and parties so much: I know I learned it all from her! 

Last year, Andrew and I hosted both our families at our apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. While it wasn't always the easiest to cook for nine people in our tiny kitchen, everything turned out wonderfully; we cooked all day and spent time with our favorite people, which to us, sums up a perfect day. This is a picture of our fridge last year, stuffed to the doors with everything we made from scratch, from turkey stock, to green bean casserole, to crème brûlée!

We absolutely can't wait to go home for Thanksgiving, and will be trying something spectacular for the turkey this year: SOUS VIDE! We first attempted this last year for our "Thanksgiving Round 2" that we made in March (yes, March), and Andrew, my sister, and I all agreed that this was the best turkey we've ever had. When we were home last weekend, we started discussing the details of Thanksgiving dinner, and after little to no argument, Andrew said he could be persuaded to bring along the sous vide machine so we could recreate that turkey. And of course, we'll have (THE BEST) stuffing, our homemade version of green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes: all the classics that make dinner so much fun. 

What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods - are you sticking with the tried-and-true recipes or will you be making something new, perhaps a classic with a twist? I'm getting hungry just thinking about all the possibilities! 

Happy Monday, friends! 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, friends!

May your night be filled with ghosts, pirates, princesses, and superheroes. And how adorable is this costume?

Since we live in an apartment building with few kiddos, it's unlikely that we're going to get many trick-or-treaters, but I'm guessing our neighborhood will be crawling with dressed up monsters and fairies. Tonight, we'll be making pizza, having some wine, and I'm going to make these: peanut butter brownies. We've been wanting something chocolaty and gooey, and this seems like the perfect treat. Maybe we'll catch up on some Walking Dead, too - zombies are super scary, best enjoyed on Halloween!

Enjoy all your candy! I really can't believe it's the end of October...

P.S.: if anyone is hosting a party this weekend, I think this is a genius idea!

Photos via apartmenttherapy.com and ohhappyday.com.

MN Mondays: Weekend update.

What a fun fall weekend we had, and it was so, so great to be home. What did we do, you ask? Well...

I was sworn in as a licensed attorney, 

we had lovely family dinners with oh-so-delicious fall recipes, 

we cooked some, 

we celebrated some, 

and laughed a lot. 

We also carved pumpkins with these monsters: 

It really was just the best time, and we cannot wait until Thanksgiving (only a little more than three weeks to go!) until we're home again. Love to all our family and friends - thank you for everything!! 

From the lake to the City of Lakes.

In less than two hours, we'll be hitting the road to head home!

We're excited for family, pumpkin carving, some wedding planning, and nights out with friends. There's also the swearing-in ceremony on Friday, which will make bar results official and me a licensed attorney.

I'm off to finish packing, which is presenting a mental challenge for me at the moment. Here, it's currently sunny, 73 degrees, and humid: summer is making a comeback for the last full week in October (but HOW is it the last week in October already?). Tomorrow, the weather in the Cities is supposed to be rainy with a high of 42. I guess we'll be bringing the boots and raincoats, and I'll ignore the fact that I ran outside in a tank top this afternoon!

We can't wait to see all our family and friends - let us know where you are and let's get together!

Pumpkin doughnuts.

Andrew and I have yet to find a doughnut place we love in Milwaukee. When we first moved here, we went on a scouting adventure in an attempt to search for a bakery or store that would have our favorite doughnut available: maple long johns. And do you know who makes the best ones? Lunds. I never would've guessed that Lunds (a grocery store near our old apartment) would be our favorite place to go for doughnuts; I have no idea why I love these so much, but oh my goodness, they're so good. We've shopped around at the grocery stores and bakeries here but haven't found anything close to the maple ones from home. Sure, there are lots of regular doughnuts: chocolate glazed cake doughnuts, vanilla long johns, and even the fancier crullers; some might even argue these are better than Lunds. Nope. I don't believe you. 

This morning, I was trying to figure out what to do with my leftover pumpkin from when I made bread last week. Browsing online, I happened to come across this recipe; pleasantly surprised that I had almost everything on the ingredient list, I decided that these looked simple enough to make and could, just maybe, satisfy my craving for my maple doughnuts, at least for long enough until we're home next week. 

The recipe was really easy to follow. I only changed the glaze a bit, by reducing the amount of powdered sugar to 2/3 cup and adding some whole milk to create a smoother consistency. The tiny doughnut holes are the best - they remind me of the "munchkins" we used to get at Dunkin' Donuts when we were little.

I was also able to get more than nine doughnuts out of the recipe; I don't know if this is good or bad...and while they didn't quite taste like our maple favorites, they're a sweet fall treat that will be great with coffee over the next few days. 

P.S.: more pumpkin recipes here! 

Cranberry-pumpkin bread.

When my mom was in town a few weeks ago, we decided we were going to make our cranberry-pumpkin bread. To our dismay, we couldn't find fresh cranberries in any of the stores. How could this be, I wondered; we were in WISCONSIN, cranberry country, after all! Disappointed in WI's lack of fresh cranberries (especially because, as my mom reported, MN stores had already been carrying the bright red berries for a few weeks), we gave up our search. 

Earlier this week, as I was shopping for ingredients for our stew, I happily came across several bags of cranberries nestled in between stacks of carrots. I immediately texted my mom to let her know of my discovery, and added the bread to our "to-make" list for the following day. 

We found this bread recipe quite a few years ago, on Thanksgiving Eve, as we were getting ready to host our family for dinner. As was our tradition, every Wednesday before Thanksgiving my aunt would come over to our house, we'd eat shrimp, apples, and brie, and prepare for the next day's meal. This particular evening, we were pouring over cookbooks and magazines to find out if there were any new dishes worth trying; this bread was one of them. We decided to tweak the original recipe just slightly, and have been following our version (reprinted below) ever since. It's so easy, fast, and tastes just lovely, very Thanksgiving-y. I'm craving turkey and stuffing just thinking about it. 

Cranberry-pumpkin bread.

1 1/8 C sugar

1/2 C pumpkin

1/3 C oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 Tbsp vanilla

1 1/8 C flour

1/2 C chopped pecans

1/2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 Tsp baking soda

1/4 Tsp salt

1 C chopped fresh cranberries. 

Makes 1 loaf.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; spray loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs, and vanilla, mixing well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine remaining bread ingredients except cranberries. Make a well, then pour the pumpkin mixture into the center. Using a wooden spoon, slowly blend, mixing until dry ingredients are well combined. Fold the cranberries into the batter.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan; bake, 55 minutes to one hour, or until tester comes out clean. Remove the loaf pan from the oven, and place on a wire rack to cool about 10 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan.

The recipe can easily be doubled to make two loaves, which we'll usually bake on Thanksgiving morning, saving one for dinner and snacking on the other throughout the day. If you make two loaves, the bread freezes well, so you can hide one away for later. Or, better yet, make both, keep one, and take the other over to a friend's house to share!

Happy weekend baking!

A full day in the kitchen.

Thanks to the lovely care package Andrew's mom sent (it's true: I LOVE magazines, especially cooking ones! THANK YOU!), I was inspired to cook and bake all day. The other day, we talked about how the weather was calling for a warm and hearty stew, given that the high temperature just barely made it to 50 degrees. Of course, when we make stew, we have to make bread, as well. So, plenty of pots and pans later, here's a quick recap of all that our kitchen churned out yesterday: 

A fresh loaf, using the Artisan Bread in Five recipe for dough (here's the link to forming a two-pound loaf!).

A beef and Guinness stew, which we decided was our favorite one we've ever made.

Cranberry-pumpkin bread! I'll post the recipe later, but it's been a family favorite for many fall seasons now! 

The apartment smelled so, so good coming in from outside! It was an entire afternoon of baking and cooking delight, but today, it's time to run off all those lovely treats (only 42 days left until Turkey Day 5K!). What is everyone up to today? 

Fall colors.

When we first moved to Shorewood, I knew that the many trees lining the streets in our neighborhood would be just gorgeous in the fall. I looked forward to watching the colors change and the leaves scatter along the paths by the lake. Last week, my mom and I were able to go on many walks and see for ourselves just how lovely the autumn colors can be. Below, some shots of our neighborhood dressed up for the fall party...no wonder it's my favorite season!