When I was a kid, every once in a while my mom would buy those Entenmann%u2019s marbled loaf cakes, (she still might) and I loved them. Chocolate and vanilla swirled into every slice. Super moist and rich with the soft, fluffy top. I would cut a big slice, toast it, then smother it in peanut butter.

Now when I see these cakes, well honesty, I think they kind of look sad. A cake such as a marbled cake, should not be squashed into a box, stacked away on some display case. No cake should have to deal with that. Cakes should be made then oohed and awed at from the comforts of home, only boxed if 100% necessary like in the case of bringing to a friend or giving as a present. Basically, what I am saying is don%u2019t buy pre-made cakes friends, make the cake at home yourself. The cake will like you better for it.

Anyway, I just was thinking about those cakes and my childhood in general and it made me want to make a quick cake all marbled because of the nostalgia and also, I mean, marbled cakes are pretty pretty and why the heck not. And because it is pumpkin season I had to go with pumpkin and chocolate instead of vanilla and chocolate because we all know it was the right thing to do.

Pumpkin spices, rich chocolate. Two flavors in one bite. Who could complain? I don%u2019t think my 10 year old self would have. I think she would have eaten the whole damn loaf (toasted with peanut butter of course).

Nw to the chocolate and pumpkin loaf cake..

The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, white sugar, oil, almond milk, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spices, coffee, and apple cider vinegar.

Quick and easy. Oil and sugars get a good mix in a big bowl then in goes the pumpkin puree. Mix that in with the milk and apple cider vinegar. Ina separate bowl, mix the flour baking soda and powder and salt. Mix the dry into the wet.

Split the mix in half (eye ball it) and add the spice mix to one bowl and the cocoa and coffee to the other. Mix them until the new ingredients are incorporated. You will then have a chocolate batter and pumpkin spice batter.

Grease a loaf pan then layer dollops of each of the batters into the pan until both batters are gone.

Before the oven and after of the oven.

Place cooked loaf on a wire rack to cool. Really. It needs it. Just wait a least 15 minutes, you can do it.

And then you cut into the load, marvel at the marble, and then eat it.

Two flavors, one mouth.

-C

makes 1 loaf

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup neutral flavored oil

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup plant milk

• 2 tablespoon coffee (or water if you don%u2019t have coffee)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 heaping tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or 2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, mix together the white and brown sugar with the oil until combined and there are no chunks of sugar. Add in the pumpkin puree and the milk and vinegar and mix until incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet and gently mix until just combined. Scoop half of the batter (eye ball it) into other bowl. Add the pumpkin pie spices to one bowl and fold it into batter until incorporated. Add the cocoa and coffee to the other batter and fold it in until incorporated.

Interchange scooping the batters into greased loaf pan. One, then the other, to create the marbled effect, until both batters are gone. Place pan into oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Remove pan from oven and pop bread out and place on a wire rack to cool.

Cut a slices, eat, be happy.

Store bread in airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature or just slice it up and freeze pieces.

Have you ever have lice as an adult? Wait hold on, let%u2019s back up. No I don%u2019t have lice, but I a few years ago I did and whoa that was some shit. (Thats what happens when you hang with littles all the time.) This week my head starting itching like crazy so there was a minute when I thought I might have gotten them again. But I have had it checked, a few times, and it is just dry skin. From all the hats. Because it has been pretty chilly and I have been cold. So no lice, just hats and cold weather making my head itch. Phew!

Anyway, week was up and down. Started off with camping which was amazing. The drive alone down there (Cooliadge State Park) was freaking fantastic. The peak of foliage and oh boy was it peak. And then when we got to the campground, we went on a nice long hike in the most vibrant world of colors. That was a A+ hike fore sure. Then back to the campground to make fire, eat food, cuddle cause it was super duper cold (got to 33) and crawl into the tent for the night. Woke up, very cold, jumped in o the car and hit the road. Back to town we came.

Then another week of stuff. Life stuff. Not fun stuff. Very very stressful stuff. But stuff that needed dealing and is still being dealt with. Mostly the mr, but when the mr is ain%u2019t happy, ain%u2019t nobody happy (HAHA!) so it was kind of another pretty stressful week. And so that is life.

But the good is still good. I don%u2019t have lice, the world is gorgeous, we had a chilly rainy day which are some of my favorite days. I picked up second to last farm share and heavy stocked up on squash and starting knitting a new hat. I made the cutest cookie ever and went to the dentist which actually sucked but is always good to go and be responsible about dental health. Made an ice cream cake and dinner for Barb for her birthday at my moms for her family party (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) The lady turned 20 and I can’t even. Then I made her birthday pancakes on her actual birthday and we went grocery shopping so she could run up and down the isles with the mr collecting all the packages of batteries. Because she is now 20 and needs batteries? Yeah, we will just say that was it. And napped. I took a nap this week and it was amazing. I don%u2019t think I nap enough.

Other then that, the week just flew by. Dealing with the stuff, hanging with the people, doing the work thing.

Now its Sunday and yes, we are doing it, camping. Second to last, if not the last time. Depends on if we get that rain next weekend that the weather people say we are suppose to get. So we are making tonight really count. Going to some land on a mountain out in the middle of no where. We are so in need of this, to get the heck away for the night. And it is going to be beautiful and amazing and we have a great hike planned out and there is not cell service. Winter jacket, hats and mittens, and all the blankets we can fit into the are. I am excited.

Interent links from the week.

-You can now live like Barbie. Oh freaking jeez. Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse!

–Am I Drinking Too Much Seltzer Water? Good question, one I hear all the time.

–Jesus Shoes. For real? For real.

-I want these toilets. I get these toilets. 10 Easy Pieces: Designer Toilets. Tankless toilet..what a dream!.

–Eat, Drink And Be Wary: Ex-CIA Officer Reveals How Eateries Are Key To Spycraft. Totally makes sense.

-Currently in the middle of reading this book. It is so good. Only problem is that I started reading it a few days ago and it is due back at the library in 2 days (I forgot I had it out). It is 550+ pages long and I am not sure I am going to be able to finish it before it is due back. Might have to occur some late fees for this one.

-Coffee without the beans. The day has come. Inside the Seattle Company Plotting Lab-Made %u2018Coffee%u2019 Without Beans

-Another reason to read. Reading Before Bed Might Make You Healthier and Happier

–What Does Sunny D Taste Like? My dad used to buy it when we were kids and all I can remember it tasting like was shit. I think it actually made me throw up once. I was way more a Hi-C girl.

–6.6 lb bucket of tahini%u2026.It%u2019s in my shopping cart.

Pictures from the week

The idea of turning on the heat hasn%u2019t really yet occurred to me. Sure I have been a little on the chilly side, but when I am cold my mind doesn%u2019t think about turning on the house heat, it thinks I need more layers, a hot drink, and to bake a loaf of bread. That being said, after the littles came over and were complaining about how cold they were, I finally realized that yes, we don%u2019t really need to be this cold. But I still didn’t turn the heat on. (I know, I am so mean.) We have one more week until the end of the month and then maybe I will switch it on. To keep the plant alive I suppose, and so I don%u2019t turn into a popsicle too I guess.

This week started as usual, with hiking and camping. We hiked to some waterfalls that were gorgeous but the area we went to was packed with smelly (Cologne and perfume.. gross) tourist so it was a little annoying. But then we made out way up to Belvidere and set up camp outside my families cabin in the woods . That was amazing and fresh and happy. There was no going inside (locked up for the year) but the land there is the most amazing place and we just soaked up the good, hiked around some more, the mr fished, we ate, watched the sunset, had a fire, then crawled into the tent. Woke up, packed up, drove back to life and that was that.

The rest of the week was the week. It involved another trip to the dentist. Not to get my permanent crown, but to replace the temporary crown that I accidentally swallowed. Yup. So new temp crown (which already has a chip in it. No I do not eat rocks but jeez, what the heck?) until my real one goes in sometime next week. Gotta say, I am pretty sick of going to the dentist. What else? Oh, there was farm share pick up, the last summer share of the year. A little sad, but not too sad because winter share starts in a two weeks and I have a freezer fulled to the brim with food so I will survive. Oh, and the dirt pile form the mr digging under the house that was in the middle of the back yard is gone thanks to my smartly pants self. Our neighbors needed dirt for a project that they are doing around their house and instead of buying it, I had the idea that they could just take our pile, and they did! They got free dirt and we got rid of the dirt for free (we were going to rent a u Haul this week to move it all). So success was had with that and I feel all sorts of smug about it.

Any who. Friday, after spending the day loading kilns at the studio, we had the littles over for a pumpkin carving party. It tuned mostly into a throwing pumpkin seeds and guts at each other party, but it was a party involving pumpkins no less. The thing with the pumpkins that we get from the farm is that they are supper heavy and hearty and thick. Like 3 inches thick and a bitch to cut into, making it hard for the littles to actually cut. The mr and I did what we could do for the young ones but we let Barb do her own because she is old enough to almost cut a hand off. All in all the pumpkins were cut up enough and turned out great. I got most of the guts wiped up and collected the seeds to roast. Then we all lit pumpkin, walked some of the marshmallow sugar off, and the mr and I sent them to watch movies in the nook while he did whatever he did and I passed the f out. Woke up, fed them, and sent them all home. I spent the rest of my day running errands and cleaning seeds and pumpkin guts off the walls. For real. All over the house. I don%u2019t know why I still get surprised when the littles managed to do the impossible when it comes to messes. When will I learn?

And it%u2019s Sunday. And yes, we are suppose to go camping. The last hurrah of the camping season. But here is the thing. It is suppose to rain all day. So the question is..do we go anyway? I say yes but I am not so sure the mr is sold. What I am thinking is I am going to go the gym, the library, and maybe stop at the coop this morning and be home by lunch. If it is pouring, well we might rethink our plans, but a little misty rain, we can take it. Because I need this. Our last camp. I am already sad that the season is over. What I am hoping for is the weather to be wrong and that maybe we will only get a sprinkle or two and today will be the best camp ever. Wish us luck.

Weekly internet stuff.

–Hocus Pocus%u00a0Sequel. Maybe I am being skeptical, but is it going suck? Maybe it%u2019s best they just leave a good thing alone%u2026. yeah right

-What do you think about this? I am kind of intrigued to tell the truth. Anything for a tree I guess. Halloween Trees Are Having a Moment%u2014Here’s How to Pull Off the Decorating Trend at Home

–Dog People Live Longer. But Why? Dog people know why.

–What Happens to Your Body When You Take Naps Every Single Day? Naps for the win. Now I need actually start taking them more often.

-Cemeteries are always so pretty, even the ones that are tucked away, into the trees. I think I actually like those the best. Here are 7 cemeteries with views to die for.

–Science can do cool things.Artificial Leaf to Replace Petrol? Find Out How it Works!

–Brooklyn Townhouse in Pinks, Greens, and Grays. I am not usually one fore dark surroundings, but I am into this house for sure.

–Want to Reduce Your Waste? Do This First.%u00a0 Reduce. Reduce REDUCE!!!!!

–How I Got My Job: Making Custom Ceramics for Restaurants. A potters life

–Weed over booze. What Does It Mean to Be %u2018Cali Sober%u2019?

Pictures from the week

Have you ever have lice as an adult? Wait hold on, let%u2019s back up. No I don%u2019t have lice, but I a few years ago I did and whoa that was some shit. (Thats what happens when you hang with littles all the time.) This week my head starting itching like crazy so there was a minute when I thought I might have gotten them again. But I have had it checked, a few times, and it is just dry skin. From all the hats. Because it has been pretty chilly and I have been cold. So no lice, just hats and cold weather making my head itch. Phew!

Anyway, week was up and down. Started off with camping which was amazing. The drive alone down there (Cooliadge State Park) was freaking fantastic. The peak of foliage and oh boy was it peak. And then when we got to the campground, we went on a nice long hike in the most vibrant world of colors. That was a A+ hike fore sure. Then back to the campground to make fire, eat food, cuddle cause it was super duper cold (got to 33) and crawl into the tent for the night. Woke up, very cold, jumped in o the car and hit the road. Back to town we came.

Then another week of stuff. Life stuff. Not fun stuff. Very very stressful stuff. But stuff that needed dealing and is still being dealt with. Mostly the mr, but when the mr is ain%u2019t happy, ain%u2019t nobody happy (HAHA!) so it was kind of another pretty stressful week. And so that is life.

But the good is still good. I don%u2019t have lice, the world is gorgeous, we had a chilly rainy day which are some of my favorite days. I picked up second to last farm share and heavy stocked up on squash and starting knitting a new hat. I made the cutest cookie ever and went to the dentist which actually sucked but is always good to go and be responsible about dental health. Made an ice cream cake and dinner for Barb for her birthday at my moms for her family party (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) The lady turned 20 and I can’t even. Then I made her birthday pancakes on her actual birthday and we went grocery shopping so she could run up and down the isles with the mr collecting all the packages of batteries. Because she is now 20 and needs batteries? Yeah, we will just say that was it. And napped. I took a nap this week and it was amazing. I don%u2019t think I nap enough.

Other then that, the week just flew by. Dealing with the stuff, hanging with the people, doing the work thing.

Now its Sunday and yes, we are doing it, camping. Second to last, if not the last time. Depends on if we get that rain next weekend that the weather people say we are suppose to get. So we are making tonight really count. Going to some land on a mountain out in the middle of no where. We are so in need of this, to get the heck away for the night. And it is going to be beautiful and amazing and we have a great hike planned out and there is not cell service. Winter jacket, hats and mittens, and all the blankets we can fit into the are. I am excited.

Interent links from the week.

-You can now live like Barbie. Oh freaking jeez. Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse!

–Am I Drinking Too Much Seltzer Water? Good question, one I hear all the time.

–Jesus Shoes. For real? For real.

-I want these toilets. I get these toilets. 10 Easy Pieces: Designer Toilets. Tankless toilet..what a dream!.

–Eat, Drink And Be Wary: Ex-CIA Officer Reveals How Eateries Are Key To Spycraft. Totally makes sense.

-Currently in the middle of reading this book. It is so good. Only problem is that I started reading it a few days ago and it is due back at the library in 2 days (I forgot I had it out). It is 550+ pages long and I am not sure I am going to be able to finish it before it is due back. Might have to occur some late fees for this one.

-Coffee without the beans. The day has come. Inside the Seattle Company Plotting Lab-Made %u2018Coffee%u2019 Without Beans

-Another reason to read. Reading Before Bed Might Make You Healthier and Happier

–What Does Sunny D Taste Like? My dad used to buy it when we were kids and all I can remember it tasting like was shit. I think it actually made me throw up once. I was way more a Hi-C girl.

–6.6 lb bucket of tahini%u2026.It%u2019s in my shopping cart.

Pictures from the week

It is kind of hard to believe that it is October already. I thought I was ready, but I feel a little like I am falling behind. There is so much fall stuff to do and I need to do it all. Like hiking up all the mountains and then a lot of sitting in a pile of bright fall leaves, wrapped in blankets, wearing my coziest socks, drinking hot drinks, and reading/knitting/napping. All three at once, while the apple and pumpkin things bake and the little paper bats hanging from the ceiling sway in the breeze. Yeah, that sounds about right. And I am getting some of it done, just need to get more of it done. Especially the napping. Haha.

Last week, camping at Zack Woods Pond, was for sure, some of the best we ever have done. Before we got to the middle of nowhere that was camp, we stopped at a harvest festival and did some poking around. Found letters for all the games, a washing machine, and unicorns. Then we drove away some more and checked out a chunk of land that we want to buy but won%u2019t because it is almost unaccessible in the best of times, so yeah no, not gonna work. But the search continues. After the land we headed to the place where we were camping but got a little lost. We had to go to a nearby state park to talk to the ranger and get a hand drawn map to find the place. Well hidden to say the least, but we found it and pretty sure not many other people know about it because we didn%u2019t see a soul. It felt like we had the entire world to ourselves. And oh was it beautiful. The colors were starting to pop, the air was crisp and clean and brisk. The campsite was, well it was a small rock fire pit and trees. Perfection. After setting up the tent we took the kayaks out on the pond and paddled around in all the greatness that was there. Then we hiked around and the hung out by the fire because it was cold. Had dinner facing the pond and all the pretty trees, then the mr did a little sunset fishing. More campfire sitting and off to bed. As it got dark out a couple girls ended up having a fire or something that far away where we couldn%u2019t see them, but we know it was a couple girls because they were very LOUD. And annoying, but they only stayed for an hour or so and their echoing mouths were gone and it was back to being the most silent night and back to sleep. Then the painful part. Waking up the next morning. 33 degrees was the number of the air. We didn%u2019t complain but we did packed up really fast, jumped into the car, and blasted the heat. Cozy and warm and full of happy outdoor feelings. The best way to start a week.

Back home the days did their thing. Work, dealing with stupid stuff, me breaking everything. I dropped my camera and smashed the lens. My phone all of a sudden didn%u2019t want to work right and the battery is now basically dead. The shower head decided to break mid shower and spray water all over the freaking place. I broke a chunk of finger off pugging clay at the studio. Then the stem of my pumpkin broke off right before I broke a flower pot. All not the worst individually, but goodness gracious, give me a freaking break.. Ah hahaha. Oh well. Shit break I guess.

Other then all that, there was a 14th birthday party for Alex. I found a new cute pyrex bowl for 50 cent which made me happy. I went down to the farm mid week and picked bags and bags of parsley to freeze for the winter. Then there was actual farm share with celeriac back in rotation! I worked at the studio (the chunk of my finger is still there), did another birthday party for Coco, who is now 3, and took the littles pumpkin picking with the mr and Barb as per our tradition. They got their jack o lantern pumpkins, I got me my pie pumpkins, and we found a garden snake. A game of tether ball and that was that. I came home after dropping them off and spent the day trying to warm up because it was freezing. And yeah I know,I could turn the heat on but no, not yet. I refuse to turn the heat on for at least 3 more weeks. November 1st. Until then, all the sweaters and socks will have to do to keep me warm.

Today we are doing it, camping at Branbury State Park, even though it miiiight rain. Hoping that it holds off until at least 830 tonight (we will be in the tent by then) or maybe even until we wake up in the morning and are on our way home? That would be great. We will see, and either way it will be good. And not going is not an option. There are only 2 more weekends of camping before everything closes up and it starts to snow. Yup, before it snows. That is happening and I don%u2019t think I can convince the mr to set up the tent in the snow.

Links from the week from the internet of stuff.

-All the pretty colors! What Causes Leaves To Change Color?

-Got a garden? These are the Frost Tolerance of Vegetables. My tomatoes are caput but the chard is looking oh so fine.

–How Gen-Z Is Dealing With a Looming Climate Apocalypse. Yup, shits hitting the fan and everyone knows it,

-Kneadable erasers are the best and I guess work for more then there attended purpose. The best $1.50 I ever spent: a kneadable eraser

-Swetaer weather for sure, but what is sweater weather? What %u201cSweater Weather%u201d Is

–The Female Founders Disrupting the Vagina Economy. Of course they are not.

-Philip Pullman and his dark materials. A new book. I an SO EXCITED, I might just buy it!!! ‘The Secret Commonwealth’

–How to charge your devices the right way. I have been doing it wrong for so long.

-I am good. Actually, even better then good. I change towels pretty much every day. Here%u2019s How Often You Should Be IWashing Your Dish Towels, According to Microbiologists

-I am in love with this little place.

Pictures from the week.

Not just sweater weather, which it had been all week and I am LOVING IT, but it%u2019s lamp light weather too. I forgot that I had all these fantastic lights around my house and yesterday when it was dark out at 6 (it was raining so the sky was cloudy) I got to turn on a couple lamps that haven%u2019t had any action in months. It was soooo nice and cozy. This my friends, this is the best time of year!

Camping last week was great and not so great. The campground was pretty, but our fellows campers were very rawdy and loud and there was a party at the picnic pavilion that had a shitty classic rock cover band playing. The noisy people and shitty music echoed through the park for longer then anyone should have had to deal with it. But I guess that happens, especially on a long holiday weekend. And really, besides the buttheads, we had fun. We went for a nice hike through the woods and into giant fields of wildflowers and goldenrod then spent some great time in the kayaks on a nearby lake (away from all the people). Plus after eating dinner and then packing it in for the night, we didn%u2019t get soaking wet, which we could tell by the many car doors slamming and people screaming at 1am , a good few people did. Our tent stayed nice and dry inside and we even managed to stay dry when we got out of the tent and and realized it was sitting in a giant puddle. We even managed to stayed pretty dry packing up and getting on our way home, in the rain! It%u2019s because we are good at coming I guess.

Then the rest of the week came and went in a fast blur. Mostly some same. Had lunch with Barb, cleaned apartments for new tenants,, made cards for artwork, picked up farm share, and you know, other life stuff. I have been busy in the kitchen harvesting garden food and canning or freezing it as well. Trying to stock up on as much food as I can for the winter. Then the littles slept over Friday. We watched Dumb and Dumber and I fell asleep on the couch. Woke up made waffles (I was so excited to use my waffle iron. It%u2019s been too long) and sent them on their way home to be moody tweens because that is now happening.

Oh, and I can%u2019t forget about how some little shithead smashed in the back of our car. Yup, that happened too. But that is pretty much it. I think%u2026.

Now for today. Mt Auscunty State park if all goes to plan. Should be a fun one with lots of hiking and a big high tower and stuff. I know it is gonna get mighty cold tonight so I am packing my winter long underwear and a jacket, hat, and mittens. So excited!

Links to explore on the internet.

–Doctors are now prescribing houseplants to help treat anxiety and depression. Makes a whole heck of a lot of sense to me. And why not try this simple remedy before trying a bunch of drugs?

-I wasn’t;t surprised much when I read this. Junky processed food is so bad, especially if it is all you eat. .19-Year-Old Goes Blind Due to Diet of Pringles, Bread, Fries, and Processed Meats

–Lush Botanical Forms Translated Into Abstract Embroideries%u00a0. So very pretty.

-Another good reason to ditch that pessimistic attitude and to look at he bright side of things. It doesn%u2019t hurt to try. Optimists For The Win: Finding The Bright Side Might Help You Live Longer

–Why do clowns creep us out?%u00a0Because they are creepy, that is why.

-I want, no, I need this cabin. Totally Off-the-Grid Cabin in the New Hampshire Woods

–This Apple Might Be the Most Anticipated Piece of Produce in History. I heard about this apple few years ago. I wonder if it%u2019s gonna live up tp all the hype. We shall see.

-Why don%u2019t we have one of these? The Otter: The 1950s Amphibious Caravan That Time Forgot!

–Can Bullet Journaling Save You? I am a list maker in all the ways. I a ma doodler to no end. I love pretty things and I love hand writing and have a ton of sketch books but besides the occasional list of note in a sketch book, I have never really gotten into Buju. It%u2019s to time sensitive I think, for me anyway.

–Squeeze in a Quick Nap at Work with This Under-Desk Hammock. A new way to sleep on the job. HA.

Pictures from the week.

Feels like we are nearing the end of summer, no? I am all on board, feeling that feeling one gets when the season starts to change over. It%u2019s that deep down in my bones feeling, the feeling my body gets because it knows whats coming and is getting ready. The shift is coming on fast. Grasp those last summer days as much as you can.

Another intense week. After a super duper good camp at Ricker State Park, it was full steam ahead. The mr has been super crazed, all out, sanding and assembling bowling alleys into gigantic countertops for a local restaurant. Most days he is gone as I get home, home when I am in bed. But not quite as bad as last week. We have managed a few meals together and an adventure or two, like when we went to a church in the islands,, had ourselves a picnic and picked their apples. The apples were not good yet. But the church was lovely.

Other then being busy busy, there was other stuff. Barb and her man child came over for dinner and brought along Coco. We ate, he cried. I gave him a cookie, he laughed and ran around like a lunatic. (Coco, not barbs boyfriend) The older littles have been away at summer camp all week so we saw none of them.(We miss them!) We had dinner at my moms with the boys and Barb and I was lucky enough to see the world greatest tan lines ever. I also worked the last day of art camp (YAY!), picked blackberries, gave the mr a haircut, and scrubbed the shit out of the bathtub. All the fun stuff. Not fun stuff was when the car battery died when I Was trying to leave the house, the underglaze I was bringing home to use dumped all over me and the inside of the car (I was so pissed!) or when I was at the grocery store, lost my credit card, freaked out and ran around the store, then drove home, and back to the store looking for it, only to find it underneath one of my canvas bags in the shopping cart. The whole freaking time. At least I found it though cause I was about to cancel it. Look at me seeing the bright side.

Then I picked up farm share and all the tomatoes. Coming off of last weeks tomato hall, and all the tomatoes that are starting to come in in my garden, I am up to my ears in so many tomatoes. I have been cooking down pots and pots, freezing and jarring and of course eating. Eating so many tomatoes that my belly is on fire. And of course I have no help from the mr. He says he is officially tomatoed out. I wonder how is that possible? I think he is just being a butt is all. But whatever, no more tomatoes for him. (that he will know of. HAHA) And I%u2019l just have to keep on keeping on and eat them. The season only lasts so long.

Yesterday the mr and I took a few hours to get away. We packed lunch and went in search of land. Picked a few properties to look at (but only made it to one) and hiked around the property. It was really nice, had a lot of what we are after but probably not THE property. But close so we are getting there and hopefully we will get there sooner then later. Ready to build our cabin life. And then we went home, I started cleaning and the mr went back to work and didn%u2019t get home until like 3 am this morning.

Not gonna lie, I am bumming. We are not going camping today because well, the mr is still working like a madman and installing those bowling alleys today and tomorrow and we just can%u2019t make it happen. So today, well I am going to make good use of it. Probably going to weed out some dead shit from the garden, maybe do a little replanting. Grocery shopping, clean the car, do a few loads of laundry, return books to the library, process food like a boss. (More tomatoes, hot sauce, freeze chard and pickles!) That and probably do some porch reading. And coffee all day. All. Day. It%u2019s no camping but it will do. Next weekend we are back at it.

Internet read by me, shared with you.

-Are you a camper? If you are, here is some things to consider to optimize a good time. 10 rules for picking the perfect campsite

-Eat all the plants. Gorgeous Portraits of America%u2019s Wild (and Surprisingly Delicious) Edible Plants

–You Should Pour Vinegar into Your Washing Machine%u2014Here%u2019s Why. What can%u2019t vinegar do?

-Always a good idea when you pack lunches or any food. HOW TO MAKE REUSABLE SANDWICH BAGS AND SNACK BAGS

-I don%u2019t consider myself a cat person or a person who wants a book of cats, but this book looks, well, it freaking awesome. A New Book Compiling Hundreds of Timeless Feline Photos by Walter Chandoha is the Cat%u2019s Meow

–Oatly and the quest for the perfect alt-milk. Have you had Oatly? I haven%u2019t but I do really like me some oat milk.

–Is crying truly cathartic? I think it can be. Can also be annoying and exhausting.

-Why does anyone ever listen to anything that guys says, ever? Greenland is not for sale. Seriously, why?

–Don%u2019t Burn Trees to Fight Climate Change%u2014Let Them Grow. I just thought that was common sense but what do I know.

-I don%u2019t know about you, but I start baking a lot more around this time of year. So this is good to know. The Best Substitute for Cake Flour and Self-Rising Flour in%u00a0Baking

Pictures from the week

August. Then gem of the summer. Warm days, cool nights. The knowledge that yes, it is still summery now, but soon it will be crisp, and cool, and all fall with sweaters and apples and%u2026 I am getting ahead of myself. Still summer here, and I should just enjoy it will it lasts. So that is what I will do.

This past week was busy and a little on the stressful side at times. It started with camping on Sunday which was good, maybe not the best, but no camping is bad camping, unless it is bad. It just that is was terribibly hot and there was a lot of people around and poison ivy everywhere which made me anxious because I was also getting attacked by mosquitoes so I kept thinking I was starting to get it. (I am very allergic to poison ivy). Also I woke up in the middle if the night to the mr yelling because someone was looking into our tent. I didn%u2019t see said person because I was asleep until I wasn%u2019t and I did questioned whether or not he might have dreamed it, but needless to say, I didn’t not sleep much after that. So yeah, other then that, not bad. And then we got out of the tent early, made the coffee and went on our way home. To life. We had (and still have) a lot of stuff going on, all at once because that is how it goes. But we got stuff done, and then some. And we even managed to get in a couple kayak sessions! First of the year because we are butts and also we just finally got around to getting racks for the car.(No more truck to throw them into. Sad). We also made time to look at a big chunk of land that I was sooooo expecting to love but nope, wasn%u2019t for us. We test drove a newer van that was awesome, but again,wasn;t for us. We picked up farm share together and ate ten thousand tomatoes, and are now officially 100% filed and finished our taxes. Checks were wrote, I might have cried a little, but done they are.

So yeah, the week went, we did, I am tired, the mr is really tired, and we are ready to get out of here for the night. Our camping stuff is packed and ready to go. Now where are we going is the question%u2026..Somewhere without night creepers would be nice.

Links from the internet for you to take or leave.

-Plastics Or People? At Least 1 Of Them Has To Change To Clean Up Our Mess. A beach of flip flops. How depressing. People, let%u2019s all just stop buying plastic!

-I don%u2019t know what the heck is wrong with people but curly parsley is the shit! It%u2019s delicious and I can eat handfuls of it. For real. How Did Curly Parsley Get So Uncool?

-Reading this made me sad and angry. Greenland Is Melting Away Before Our Eyes

–This Must Be What It%u2019s Like to Live Inside a Rainbow. I can appreciate it and I would love to say there but I don%u2019t think I could actually live with that much color. Sensory overload!

-Now these rooms. I could live in. Cool Pics Show Hotel Rooms of the U.S in the 1950s and ’60s

-This reminded me so much of my sister Erin. She would do something like this (or already has) Three Cats in Japan Have a Closet Full of Custom-Made Hats Felted From Their Shedded Fur

–This Remote Corner Of Nevada Is One Of The Darkest Places In The World. I want to go. I will go. And I bet everyone else wants to to, so lets all not be assholes and trash the place like happens when cool places are discovered.

-I am a slut for bedding. Just pictures of pretty textiles make me happy. BOHO BEDDING.

–At Burger King, Your Meat-Free Burger Might Come With a Coating of Real Meat Juice. This is another reason why I don%u2019t ever go out to eat. And this 1 In 4 Food Delivery Drivers Admit To Eating Your Food. I trust no one!

–Japanese Way of Making Iced Coffee. Do you drink Iced coffee? I love it but rarely drink it because I have no will power when it comes to coffee and will basically chug it and then it is gone and I am sad. Hot coffee slows me down, if only a little bit.

And pictures from the week.

Summer at it%u2019s fullest and greatest. And not so great, at it%u2019s hottest. At least this past week was freaking amazing, especially compared to last weekend. That humid heat damn near killed me!

The week started off with a soggy hike and a heat soaked day of camping and fun times. Groton State forest, at the Stillwater campground. The mr and I were both a little drained and tired from being so so hot but we managed alright, went and did some hiking, the mr did a little fishing, I sat around and read. The normal, just a little slower then usually. But it all changed that night. We woke up and walked down to the water to watch the sunrise and take in the fresh, glorious, air. It was not hot and humid and we was alive again. HA

Then after camp, home we went, back to the week. Stuff happened, like stuff that needed to happen, like those taxes that I have not wanted to talk about%u2026 They are pretty much done. HOORAY!!! All the ups and downs. The few tears, the rage, the anxiety. Over. And now I can stop worring about them for a least a few more months, until next year that is. Because every year. Blah. Stupid taxes.

Besides taxes, there was a dentist appointment that I sat around and waited for but never got to be seen. (SO PISSED) Paul came over for resume help and food. The mr, Barb, Coco, and I spent an afternoon at the park. I weeded for hours in the garden. And lets talk about the garden. Whoa it is going and going. Right now it%u2019s all about the squash, chard, and greens and the tomatoes will be booming soon!!!!!!!!!! That on top of farm share, well I am just one happy, full to the brim, lady.

The rest of the week was and went.

Friday I worked the studio all day then the mr and the littles picked me up. We ran to the store to get supplies, then went home for our first backyard campout. The rule was, besides me, no one was allowed inside at all until just before bed time to use the bathroom and brush our teeth. (Or to go number two. They needed to use the toilet for that. Ha). And so I got dinner stuff ready (In the house but I needed to use the fridge and because I could), we ate dinner at the picnic table, set up the tents, made a fire, did so-mores, played with fire, and the kids ran around hopped up on sugar. We went to the park, walked around the neighborhood, and when it got dark, lit up some sparklers. It was the best! The kids were so happy, the mr and I were happy to be camping again, even if it was just the backyard, and really, it just was so great. Even when we were in our tent trying to fall asleep and all I could hear was Miley and Judah whispering and giggling and playing cards in their tent. Because that is what you do when you camp and it had me falling asleep smiling.

When we woke up (I woke up 3 hours earlier then everyone, made a pot of coffee and read on the porch) the breakfast stuff was ready outside. Eggs and toast on the camp stove. Hot chocolate, and freshly picked raspberries from the bushes in the yard. Then back to the park, and home they went. Probably some of the best camping yet. And now that we know they are awesome in a tent, we are taking them to a state park in the next few weeks. That%u2019s gonna be fun.

Today we are heading south to camp. Lake St. Katherine or maybe Half Moon. Not sure yet. The plan is to get close and see which one feels right. We were going to bring the kayaks but It might rain and thunderstorm during the afternoon and tonight so I figured we can just go hiking instead. I would rather be in the woods and not in the middle of the lake during a lightning storm. That would kind of suck. But watch, it probably won%u2019t rain, and even if it does, I am ok with that. We won%u2019t melt.

Endeavors into the world wide web.

–IKEA Upcycles Furniture Into Homes For Birds, Bees, and Bats. Some sweet ass, fun-tastic looking homes for those birds, bees, and bats.

-I am not a beach person, partially because of this. Sun, Sand And Sewage: Report Shows Many U.S. Beaches Unsafe For Swimming. Happens here in Burlington too.

–What are algae blooms and why are they bad?. Another reason I avoid the beach.

–Questions We All Ask Ourselves: Why Does the Beanbag Chair Even Exist? Because who doesn%u2019t love to sink into big ol%u2019 bean bag?

-I can%u2019t wait until the fennel starts flowing at the farm. It is the BEST! Fennel: The Best Ways to Pick It, Cook It, and Eat It

–Why Science Can Be So Indecisive About Nutrition. There is always something about something. Heck, even kale was bad for you at one point.

–This common plastic packaging is a recycling nightmare. When is the plastic craziness going to stop? And when are people going learn that just because it says it is recyclable, doesn%u2019t mean that it is actually going to be recycled. We should just stop worring about recycling and focus more on reducing freaking plastic all together.

-Not sure what I think about this. Petition to change date of Halloween gets more than 80,000 signatures

-Soemthing about these photgraphs that I really like. Murky waters: Karine Laval%u2019s dreamy photography takes you from the deep end to a surreal space

–A Needle Pulling Thread. Sashiko is the perfect simple, low-cost hobby to get you off your phone. Or just have another hobby. I have been meaning to Sashiko all the big holes in my couch cushions.. Maybe it will be my winter project?

Pictures from the week.

Holy shit. I am so hot. Like heated to the very depths of my soul and can%u2019t even think straight, hot. And It sucks, but what can we do about it? (Apparently I can bitch about it. Ha!)

We started the week off in the woods doing the camp thing. The park, Allis State Park, was just gorgeous. Nice and quite, lush and green, with a really cool fire tower with views for days. (I climbed it, the mr stayed on solid ground) The weather was amazing and it really was just what we needed. We went for a good hike, made lentils and zucchini for dinner, then just hung around and chilled by the fire. The perfect start to camping season even though I forgot my camp clothes. We were coming from a visit that required me to look decent and I forgot to pack a change of clothes and only grabbed my thin thermal underwear that I sleep in. But lucky me, the mr let me wear his extra shirt so I managed alright. That mr. Always looking out for me.

Back in town we did life as usual although with the heat and all we, especially me, have functioned at a much slower pace. We did manage to go for a bike ride lunch, another couple small hikes, and pick lots of flowers on top of feeding Megans cat everyday. And my garden is growing at a rapid pace and is now on the verge of being overcome by the onslaught of weeds. I just haven%u2019t wanted to spend to much time weeding this week because again, heat and all. Other then that, same old, same old.

Friday I was really excited to spend the afternoon working at the studio. But when I got there, all the kilns were on and reaching maximum temperature so the studio was a bit toasted warm and not the pleasant cool I was looking forward to. After work, the mr and littles picked me up, (they just went to the movies and were complaining how cold it was%u2026 brat faces) we went home and I made them pasta because I couldn%u2019t do much more. They played in the sprinkler then we tried to walk around the block but they just couldn%u2019t make it around because of the heat, then Miley felt sick and had to go home. So the mr and Judah brought her home and went to get supplies. Ice cream and chips. We ended up watching Kindergarten Cop which I haven%u2019t seen in like 20 years (it was terrible and Judah loved it) then made Judah a bed in our room so we could all crank the ac for the night and not melt.

Woke up, did the pancakes, went on a few errands, and dropped the boy off to his air conditioned family. Then the heat really just plowed me over. My brain tuned to mush, I cleaned a bit, picked blackberries from the yard, and basically just laid around on the floor and sweated. It was nasty and I was miserable. Meanwhile the mr was outside mowing the lawn because he is a glutton for punishment. And crazy. And that was the day. I was showered and locked away in the bedroom with the ac on by 7. And it was nice.

Currently sitting in the living room, with no ac, at 4am and the tempature is 87. It%u2019s just not right.

Going onwards with the day we are headed back into the woods again and I am optimistic. Camping by a lake in a forest so we should be semi cool?? Or less hot then right now I hope. At the very least we can jump into water. But I am pretty sure the heat, or at least the humidity is going to break today. It has to or else I am a goner.

Hope you al are holding up better then I am. HAHA!

Linkage from the net.

-I am in the Spice Girl Generation. And yes, I loved them and still do. The Rise of the Spice Girls Generation

-The mr and I have been going back and forth between new sleeping pads or an inflatable mattress or just using yoga mats for camping%u2026. Maybe the hammock is the way to go. Camping hammocks free you from tent tyranny

–How changes in barometric pressure affect the human body. I am so so so sensitive to it. I get head pressure and joint aches when it fluctuates. It%u2019s annoying.

–Why Do We Yawn? Reading about yawning makes people yawn. You are probably yawning right now. I totally yawned.

-It is so hot so you should know exactly what your options are. What%u2019s the Difference Between Ice Cream, Gelato, Sorbet, and Sherbet?

-There’s An Explanation For Why You Always Get Sick During Time Off. I don%u2019t get %u201csick%u201d per say, but I definitely crash after a long stint of work.

-What the holy fuck. Arby%u2019s mocks the fake meat trend with vegetables made out of meat (or %u201cmegetables%u201d) But pretty dang funny.

-I love a good tile floor. Who doesn’t? CHECKERED PAST.

–Hiiiiii! THIS is how texting has changed grammar & the way we communicate. I think by now we all know that a period at the end of a text is hostile. HA

-This could be my calling, or just a good way to get out of the country for a few years because, well you know. New vacancy for sheep dyke warden

Pictures from the week.

It is kind of hard to believe that it is October already. I thought I was ready, but I feel a little like I am falling behind. There is so much fall stuff to do and I need to do it all. Like hiking up all the mountains and then a lot of sitting in a pile of bright fall leaves, wrapped in blankets, wearing my coziest socks, drinking hot drinks, and reading/knitting/napping. All three at once, while the apple and pumpkin things bake and the little paper bats hanging from the ceiling sway in the breeze. Yeah, that sounds about right. And I am getting some of it done, just need to get more of it done. Especially the napping. Haha.

Last week, camping at Zack Woods Pond, was for sure, some of the best we ever have done. Before we got to the middle of nowhere that was camp, we stopped at a harvest festival and did some poking around. Found letters for all the games, a washing machine, and unicorns. Then we drove away some more and checked out a chunk of land that we want to buy but won’t because it is almost unaccessible in the best of times, so yeah no, not gonna work. But the search continues. After the land we headed to the place where we were camping but got a little lost. We had to go to a nearby state park to talk to the ranger and get a hand drawn map to find the place. Well hidden to say the least, but we found it and pretty sure not many other people know about it because we didn’t see a soul. It felt like we had the entire world to ourselves. And oh was it beautiful. The colors were starting to pop, the air was crisp and clean and brisk. The campsite was, well it was a small rock fire pit and trees. Perfection. After setting up the tent we took the kayaks out on the pond and paddled around in all the greatness that was there. Then we hiked around and the hung out by the fire because it was cold. Had dinner facing the pond and all the pretty trees, then the mr did a little sunset fishing. More campfire sitting and off to bed. As it got dark out a couple girls ended up having a fire or something that far away where we couldn’t see them, but we know it was a couple girls because they were very LOUD. And annoying, but they only stayed for an hour or so and their echoing mouths were gone and it was back to being the most silent night and back to sleep. Then the painful part. Waking up the next morning. 33 degrees was the number of the air. We didn’t complain but we did packed up really fast, jumped into the car, and blasted the heat. Cozy and warm and full of happy outdoor feelings. The best way to start a week.

Back home the days did their thing. Work, dealing with stupid stuff, me breaking everything. I dropped my camera and smashed the lens. My phone all of a sudden didn’t want to work right and the battery is now basically dead. The shower head decided to break mid shower and spray water all over the freaking place. I broke a chunk of finger off pugging clay at the studio. Then the stem of my pumpkin broke off right before I broke a flower pot. All not the worst individually, but goodness gracious, give me a freaking break.. Ah hahaha. Oh well. Shit break I guess.

Other then all that, there was a 14th birthday party for Alex. I found a new cute pyrex bowl for 50 cent which made me happy. I went down to the farm mid week and picked bags and bags of parsley to freeze for the winter. Then there was actual farm share with celeriac back in rotation! I worked at the studio (the chunk of my finger is still there), did another birthday party for Coco, who is now 3, and took the littles pumpkin picking with the mr and Barb as per our tradition. They got their jack o lantern pumpkins, I got me my pie pumpkins, and we found a garden snake. A game of tether ball and that was that. I came home after dropping them off and spent the day trying to warm up because it was freezing. And yeah I know,I could turn the heat on but no, not yet. I refuse to turn the heat on for at least 3 more weeks. November 1st. Until then, all the sweaters and socks will have to do to keep me warm.

Today we are doing it, camping at Branbury State Park, even though it miiiight rain. Hoping that it holds off until at least 830 tonight (we will be in the tent by then) or maybe even until we wake up in the morning and are on our way home? That would be great. We will see, and either way it will be good. And not going is not an option. There are only 2 more weekends of camping before everything closes up and it starts to snow. Yup, before it snows. That is happening and I don’t think I can convince the mr to set up the tent in the snow.

Links from the week from the internet of stuff.

-All the pretty colors! What Causes Leaves To Change Color?

-Got a garden? These are the Frost Tolerance of Vegetables. My tomatoes are caput but the chard is looking oh so fine.

–How Gen-Z Is Dealing With a Looming Climate Apocalypse. Yup, shits hitting the fan and everyone knows it,

-Kneadable erasers are the best and I guess work for more then there attended purpose. The best $1.50 I ever spent: a kneadable eraser

-Swetaer weather for sure, but what is sweater weather? What “Sweater Weather” Is

–The Female Founders Disrupting the Vagina Economy. Of course they are not.

-Philip Pullman and his dark materials. A new book. I an SO EXCITED, I might just buy it!!! ‘The Secret Commonwealth’

–How to charge your devices the right way. I have been doing it wrong for so long.

-I am good. Actually, even better then good. I change towels pretty much every day. Here’s How Often You Should Be IWashing Your Dish Towels, According to Microbiologists

-I am in love with this little place.

Pictures from the week.

As of right now, these are by far the best cookies I have ever made. Look at them. They are SO CUTE!. Worth all the effort, seeing that I do not own a ghost cookie cutter (although I think my version of ghosts are pretty fantastic) and had to hand cut out each cookie with a knife and a ghost cutout I made a few weeks back. They make me happy just looking at them. That right there is saying something. And I don%u2019t know about you and where you are, but it is getting pretty freaking cold out and I refuse to turn the heat on for a few more weeks so I do what I need to do to stay warm. If that means turning on the oven to bake cookies, then so be it. I have a feeling I am going to be making a few more batches of cookies before the months over. HA! (For reals though.)

These cookies are more or less a traditional sugar cookie with a chocolate ganache type filling, both with a hint of coconut flavor from the use of coconut oil. Something about the whole combination; the cookie, the coconutieness, and the chocolate that really had everyone (I gave them out a Barbs birthday party) praise my amazingness. I guess they are pretty freaking delicious.

Cute and delicious. Best kind of cookie!

And quick note. Yes these are ghosts but think of all the fun shaped sandwich cookies you could make. I am thinking moose shaped cookies next or maybe Christmas trees%u2026 Oh the possibilities!

Now, to the cookies!

The stuff. White sugar, coconut oil, flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, almond milk, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. For cookies and filling.

To make cookie dough. Beat toghetet the coconut oil with sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add in all the dry ingredients and the almond milk and mix until a dough forms.

Wrap dough in plastic and squish tight. Place in fridge for an hour or up to a day.

After dough has had time in the fridge, grab it and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut out cookie shapes. If you want to cut out eyes or a few different shapes, remember each cookie needs a top and bottom so even numbers folks.

Place cut out cookies on a baking sheet then into the oven they go.

Bakes and ghostly! Place them on a wire rack to cool and keep baking the rest of the cookies.

While cookies are cooling, make chocolate filling. Super soft, almost melted coconut oil goes in a bowl with vanilla and gets beaten together. Add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar and pinch of salt and kept beating slowly anding in a bit of milk until the whole shebang comes together into chocolate filling awesomeness.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, fill them. The filling might have tightened up a bit so if it is not spreadable, pop into microwave for like 8 seconds to get it to move. Scoop or smear equal amounts of filling onto the bottoms of the cookies and top them off with their tops.

Done, and ready to eat.

Ghosts cookies for all your ghost fueled festivities.

-C

makes at least 16 sandwich cookies

For the cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extact

• 2/3 cup soft coconut oil

• 5 tablespoons plant milk (I used almond)

For the filling

• 1 1/2- 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

• 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2-3 tablespoons plant milk

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350

In a bowl beat together the white sugar with the coconut oil and vanilla extract. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and start to mix with a spoon or fork, adding in the milk as you go. Keep mixing until completely incorporated and turns to a ball of dough. Gather together into a ball and wrap in plastic. Pat flat and place into fridge for an hour or up to a day.

To cut out cookies. Roll fridgerated dough out on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out shapes, making sure to have a top and bottom for each cookie. Gather left over dough into a ball and repeat until all the dough is used.

Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes or until they are just starting to lightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cook.

For chocolate filling. Beat together the melted coconut oil with vanilla. Add in the lesser amount of powdered sugar, salt, and cocoa powder. Beat on low, adding in 2 tablespoons plant milk. Beat until mixture comes together into a thick but spreadable consistency. If it seems too thick, add more milk, too thin, a little more powdered sugar.

Cookie assembly. 2 cookies at a time. A top and bottom. Spread about a tablespoon of chocolate filling to bottom cookies and pop the top on.

Eat cookies. Store what is not eaten in a airtight container for up to a week, but these ghosts will definitely not last that long.

Every now and then I make something for me. All for me. This is one of those dishes that was not destined to be shared with anyone. That I had no one else in mind to eat besides me. No worring about what anyone else with think. Just a simple little dish that I was craving and wanting.

So I made it and man, was it so freaking satisfying. Cooking for oneself is very much a gratifying experience.

Celeriac, or also know as celery root. Have you ever had it? If not, well duder, you need to. It is in my top 3 favorite vegetables and that is saying a lot. So anyway, celeriac, has a slight celery taste, but also kind of earthy and nutty. It pairs well with anything that a potato might, but also is amazing on it%u2019s own. Roasted, steamed, raw. Just really fantastic. And it is in season so get on it and go find yourself some.

And lentils. In my top 3 favorite foods. Made them crispy because pureed celeriac and crispy lentils just sounded right and I love me crispy things. Again, I was making this dish fo me so crispy was happening.

Together, the creamy, delicious pureed celeriac covered with a bunch of spiced, crispy lentil%u2026.Amazing. Eating it, I couldn%u2019t have been happier. I did myself one good with this one.

I might even have to make it to share someday.

Now to the celeriac and lentils!

The stuff. A bulb of celeriac, some cooked lentils, salt and pepper, chili powder, garlic powder. mustard powder, and oil. (oil is optional)

The celeriac. Ok, so most people peel it. I actually get weird looks from people when I tell them I don’t , but let me do me, you know. So anyway. Peel it if you want, or not, just cut it up into chunks.

Place cut up celeriac into a pot and cover with water. Place on stove on medium heat and cook until fork tender.

Lentils meet spices and get mix all together. Add a pinch of salt and lots of cracked pepper too.

Spread now spiced lentils onto a baking sheet, pop into oven, and bake until crispy. Easy peasy.

And to puree the celeriac. Strain any extra water into a cup. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and grab the hand blender (or regular blender) and blend it, adding back in some of the strained water as needed, to get to a consistency that you like. Me, I liked it pretty smooth, but also with a little chunk. Heck, you could leave it really chunky or go all out completely smooth. Up to you. Also if you want a creamier texture, add in a teaspoon or so of the olive oil. That is a taste preference. I didn’t add oil this time, but I have before. It%u2019s good both ways.

And there you have it. Add the celeriac puree to a bowl, top with crispy lentils, and garnish with something green if you want.

Then eat it.

Not going to lie. After this picture was taken, I busted out the spicy mustard and covered everything with it. And it was amazing.

-C

serves 1 as a meal, or a few as a side dish

• 1 1/2 cups cooked green lentils

• 1 large celeriac bulb (soft ball sized)

• 1 teaspoon chili power

• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• salt and pepper

• olive oil (optional)

Grab celeriac and peel if you want, or just give it a really good wash. Cut into chunks and place into pot. Add enough water to just cover the celeriac and place on medium heat on the stove. Cook until fork tender.

In the mean time, mix all the spices and a good pinch of salt and lots of pepper together with the lentils. Dump them and spread them out onto a lightly oiled baking sheet. Place in oven and turn to 400 degrees (you can start cooking the lentils while the oven is preheating). Bake for about 20 minutes or until lentils are crispy.

Once the celeriac is tender, strain water into a cup and either with a hand blender or a regular blender, blend until smooth, adding in some of the poured off water as needed. You can puree as smoothly as you like or leave a few chunks.. Also, you might want to add in a teaspoon or so of olive oil for a slightly richer and creamier taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ehen the lentils are done, take them from oven. Place large amount (or all) of the celeriac puree to a bowl, cover with some (or all) of the crispy lentils and that is that. Eat away.

Serving suggestion%u2026. Mustard. Any kind. So good.

The idea of turning on the heat hasn’t really yet occurred to me. Sure I have been a little on the chilly side, but when I am cold my mind doesn’t think about turning on the house heat, it thinks I need more layers, a hot drink, and to bake a loaf of bread. That being said, after the littles came over and were complaining about how cold they were, I finally realized that yes, we don’t really need to be this cold. But I still didn’t turn the heat on. (I know, I am so mean.) We have one more week until the end of the month and then maybe I will switch it on. To keep the plant alive I suppose, and so I don’t turn into a popsicle too I guess.

This week started as usual, with hiking and camping. We hiked to some waterfalls that were gorgeous but the area we went to was packed with smelly (Cologne and perfume.. gross) tourist so it was a little annoying. But then we made out way up to Belvidere and set up camp outside my families cabin in the woods . That was amazing and fresh and happy. There was no going inside (locked up for the year) but the land there is the most amazing place and we just soaked up the good, hiked around some more, the mr fished, we ate, watched the sunset, had a fire, then crawled into the tent. Woke up, packed up, drove back to life and that was that.

The rest of the week was the week. It involved another trip to the dentist. Not to get my permanent crown, but to replace the temporary crown that I accidentally swallowed. Yup. So new temp crown (which already has a chip in it. No I do not eat rocks but jeez, what the heck?) until my real one goes in sometime next week. Gotta say, I am pretty sick of going to the dentist. What else? Oh, there was farm share pick up, the last summer share of the year. A little sad, but not too sad because winter share starts in a two weeks and I have a freezer fulled to the brim with food so I will survive. Oh, and the dirt pile form the mr digging under the house that was in the middle of the back yard is gone thanks to my smartly pants self. Our neighbors needed dirt for a project that they are doing around their house and instead of buying it, I had the idea that they could just take our pile, and they did! They got free dirt and we got rid of the dirt for free (we were going to rent a u Haul this week to move it all). So success was had with that and I feel all sorts of smug about it.

Any who. Friday, after spending the day loading kilns at the studio, we had the littles over for a pumpkin carving party. It tuned mostly into a throwing pumpkin seeds and guts at each other party, but it was a party involving pumpkins no less. The thing with the pumpkins that we get from the farm is that they are supper heavy and hearty and thick. Like 3 inches thick and a bitch to cut into, making it hard for the littles to actually cut. The mr and I did what we could do for the young ones but we let Barb do her own because she is old enough to almost cut a hand off. All in all the pumpkins were cut up enough and turned out great. I got most of the guts wiped up and collected the seeds to roast. Then we all lit pumpkin, walked some of the marshmallow sugar off, and the mr and I sent them to watch movies in the nook while he did whatever he did and I passed the f out. Woke up, fed them, and sent them all home. I spent the rest of my day running errands and cleaning seeds and pumpkin guts off the walls. For real. All over the house. I don’t know why I still get surprised when the littles managed to do the impossible when it comes to messes. When will I learn?

And it’s Sunday. And yes, we are suppose to go camping. The last hurrah of the camping season. But here is the thing. It is suppose to rain all day. So the question is..do we go anyway? I say yes but I am not so sure the mr is sold. What I am thinking is I am going to go the gym, the library, and maybe stop at the coop this morning and be home by lunch. If it is pouring, well we might rethink our plans, but a little misty rain, we can take it. Because I need this. Our last camp. I am already sad that the season is over. What I am hoping for is the weather to be wrong and that maybe we will only get a sprinkle or two and today will be the best camp ever. Wish us luck.

Weekly internet stuff.

–Hocus Pocus Sequel. Maybe I am being skeptical, but is it going suck? Maybe it’s best they just leave a good thing alone…. yeah right

-What do you think about this? I am kind of intrigued to tell the truth. Anything for a tree I guess. Halloween Trees Are Having a Moment—Here’s How to Pull Off the Decorating Trend at Home

–Dog People Live Longer. But Why? Dog people know why.

–What Happens to Your Body When You Take Naps Every Single Day? Naps for the win. Now I need actually start taking them more often.

-Cemeteries are always so pretty, even the ones that are tucked away, into the trees. I think I actually like those the best. Here are 7 cemeteries with views to die for.

–Science can do cool things.Artificial Leaf to Replace Petrol? Find Out How it Works!

–Brooklyn Townhouse in Pinks, Greens, and Grays. I am not usually one fore dark surroundings, but I am into this house for sure.

–Want to Reduce Your Waste? Do This First.  Reduce. Reduce REDUCE!!!!!

–How I Got My Job: Making Custom Ceramics for Restaurants. A potters life

–Weed over booze. What Does It Mean to Be ‘Cali Sober’?

Pictures from the week

Soup. No joke (although people make jokes about me), is eaten in my house, at lunch and sometime even at dinner. Every. Single. Day. There is just no going wrong with a big pot or veggies, spices, sometimes beans, sometime not. I make it in big batches, in small batches. Sometimes it%u2019s more a bisque, or a chili or a stew, or just a really really spicy broth. Whatever I have in the fridge or freezer, the stuff that might not be great eaten fresh, sad spinach%u2026. It all turns in soup.

Does that make me some kind of weird soup freak? Maybe, but I am ok with that. And to those who see me walking down the street and yell silly things about me having to get home to eat my soup (it happens more then you know) well, you know you are just jealous and secretly wish you were eating soup with my too. So %ud83d%ude1d.

Are you a soup person too? I mean, who isn%u2019t, especially right now that is is fall time and it%u2019s getting chilly and darker out and all we want to do is hibernate. Definitely a soup time if there was ever a specific time for soup. And this soup, made even more hardy and comforting with the addition on dumplings. I actually made it specifically for the mr because, well just because I love him and thought he would enjoy it. And well, he loved it because dumplings of course. Light and slightly chewy, soup thickening dumplings with hot and comforting soup. A perfect end to a day of him working outside in the cold.

So soup. Make it. Dumplings. Add those too. You will be a winner with food, and in life.

To the soup and dumplings!

The stuff. A few stalks of Swiss chard, a couple carrots and a few potatoes. An onion, dried navy beans, some cherry tomatoes. Then there is flour, with salt and baking powder, a little oil, plant based milk, and salt and pepper.

Veggie chopping time. Dice the potatoes, the onion, the carrots, and the stalks of the chard into small mouth sized pieces. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and the chard leaves into small ribbons. Set the tomatoes and greens aside.

Dump the carrots, onion, chard stalks, and potatoes into a very large pot, add all the spices, a good pinch of salt, lots of black pepper, and a few splashed of water. Cook on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes to just kind of sweat the veggies a bit.

Add in beans and water. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to medium and let cook for about an hour. Just give it a stir once in a while.

After an hour check the beans. If they seem close to being done (almost squish in between fingers), then add in the tomatoes, the chard greens, and a few more cup of water. Keep on heat and start the dumpling batter.

Dumpling batter. Mix together the dry ingredients then add in the wet. Mix until combined.

Soup. All nice and looking just about done. The vegges are soft and tender, the beans are cooked. Check and season for salt now then get ready to drop dumplings.

Drop the dumplings. Tablespoons of batter go right into the soup. Thencook, with a lid slightly covering pot, for about 15 minutes.

Look at that. Soup with soft, fluffy, dumpling ready for consumption.

Now all you have to do it serve it up and eat it up.

Soup all day. Every day. Dumplings too!

-C

makes 4-6 servings

• For the soup

• 1/2 cup dried small white beans

• 1 large onion

• 2 carrots

• 2 small red potatoes

• 3 Swiss chard leaves and stalks

• handful of cherry tomatoes (about a cup or so)

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon dill

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1 teaspoon ginger

• 1 teaspoon marjoram

• 1 teaspoon ground mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon sage

• 1/2 red pepper flakes

• 12 cups water

• salt and pepper to taste

• For dumplings

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoons oil

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 cup warm water or plant based milk

Couple quick notes. I use water but if you really want, use veggie stalk. I find stalk overpowers soup and makes it taste salty, even when it is low sodium. Plus water is there and free but again, use stalk if you want. Also, you can use just about any veggie that you like so if you want to replace chard with celery and spinach or throw some red peppers into the soup, go for it.

Start by small dicing the potatoes, the onion, the carrots, and the stalks of the chard. Dump it all into a large pot, along with all the spices and a good pinch of salt and pepper, and place on the stove on medium high heat with about 1/2 cup water and cook for a few minutes. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and cut the chard leaves into small ribbons. Set aside.

Once the veggies and spices have had a few minutes on the stove, add in the dried beans and 10 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a medium heat. Cook for about an hour, giving it a stir once in a while. After an hour, check beans for doneness but removing one or two and pinching between fingers. . They should be close to done by now. If they are still really heard, cook for another 20 minutes, if almost cooked through, toss in the tomatoes, the chard greens and the other 2 cups of water. Keep cooking.

In the meantime, make dumpling dough. Mix the dry together then add in the oil and milk. Mix until just combined. Set aside.

Once the soup is done (the veggies are all soft and tender, the beans are cooked through which should take a total of 1 1/2 hours), it%u2019s time to dumpling. Turn the soup up to a medium high heat and carefully drop tablespoons of the dumpling batter right into the soup. The batter will float. Once all the dumplings are in, half cover the pot and let the dumpling cook for 15 minutes or until the dumplings are big, light. and fluffy.

Remove pot from heat and serve and eat right away. Big bowls, Big spoons. Pinch more of salt if needed. Lots of pepper.

The week started off a okay because camping and camping is camping and is always good. We went to Branbury State Park which is right in between Lake Dunmore and the Green Mountain National Forest. We didn%u2019t bring kayaks because we wanted to spend most of the time hiking plus I can%u2019t get wet and be outside in these temperatures%u2026. I will freeze to death. After a nice drive of foliage peeping, we got to the park, picked our site, made tea, and as we were setting up, the mr somehow knocked over his cup and covered his socked foot in boiling hot water. Blisters, big nasty ones, formed right away, but he championed on. Even managed to hike around all afternoon which in hindsight was not the smartest because his sandals were digging into the burns. But he survived and we camped on. He fished, I read, we ate dinner, watched the fire, crawled into the tent, and listened as the rain began. Woke up at the usual time in a slight puddle (it rained hard) tossed the wet stuff into the car, and headed on home to tend to wounds and the business of life.

The rest of the week, well, not going to lie, has kind of sucked for reasons that I am not going to get into. But let%u2019s just say that sometime people can really fucking suck. The shit show has been mostly affecting the mr but the stress is palpable. On top of dealing with our usual life stuff, he has been making so many phone calls, dealing with unhelpful people, driving back and forth long distances on a moments notice. I have been trying to make things easier on him by not being a pain in the ass, making him pumpkin bread and wearing strips on prints and all the bright colors. I think the outfit might have been lost on him, but it made me happy. And he liked the pumpkin bread so that was a win.

Anyway, even as things are kind of shitty, there was still some good things, like having dinner with my mom and Paul, farm share a plenty, and harvesting the scarlet runner beans (the prettiest bean ever!). I got into the studio to glaze my ceramic pumpkins and ghosts with Barb (I dropped a pumpkin and smashed it. That was after I cut my hand open an hour before. Good times) and I saved a kiln from being misfired which I patted myself on the back for. We also stopped over and hung with littles for a hot minute just because we missed them and then made the realization that we just need to get the hell out of here for a while. Fresh places, fresh faces, you know?

Back to Sunday. As of right now we are camping tonight. Suppose to go to Coolidge State Park in the heart of the peak of the foliage with lots and lots of hiking to be had. Hopefully there isn%u2019t more shitty shit that will prevent us from taking off. I will probably lose it if we don%u2019t go and end up running away into the woods anyways. Then maybe someone will find me in a week of two. Yeah, at least a week of staying away from the crazy cray cray. But it would be nice to take the mr with me. He needs the break more then I do.

Internet from the week

-Dressing up for Halloween? Here is some inspiration. 8 Sexy Outdoor-Themed Halloween Costumes. Sexy Matterhorn%u2026.Done.

–California’s massive power outage is a wake-up call for the whole country. Is this going to be a new normal? Shit is getting real, for real.

-Noodle art is cool. Meet the Illustrator Who Turns Noodle Soup Into Art

-There is a whole lot of snow meatless meats these days and it can be confusing. Everything You’ve Ever Wondered About Meatless Meat, Explained

–It’s so much more than cooking. I felt like I cold have wrote this article%u2026.. Soooo much more then cooking.

–Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore. Real life.

-Beans or soup. Soup or beans. Why not both? When You’re Cooking Dried Beans, You’re Already Halfway to Soup

–Water Bottles Have Long Been the Unexpected Status Symbols of High School. For real. I was part of the colored Nalgene wave%u2026. Blue with a yellow top and covered in Phish stickers because that was how I rolled.

-Eat them all, except the ones that are not edible. The Ultimate Guide to Winter Squash (for Your Front Stoop & Your%u00a0Stew!)

–The 4 Ingredients That Make Up the Perfect Reading Space. I agree but would add one more%u2026.quite!

Pictures from the week.

Have you heard of switchel? A lot of people haven’t so don’t feel bad if you don’t know what the hell I am talking about (like my computer. It keeps auto correcting switchel to switched). So switchel. It’s basically a drink made from water and apple cider vinegar. But wait, don’t grimace and click away, it’s also has fresh ginger, lime, and maple syrup mixed in and is really really really freaking refreshing and tasty and just really good. I guess it was even used back I the day as a sort of sports drink, like Gatorade because it has all sorts of electrolytes and anti-inflammatory properties from the ginger.%u00a0%u00a0Plus apple cider vinegar has got all sorted or health benefits,%u00a0so it’s a tasty treat with benefits. Who doesn’t love the benefits?%u00a0

You can drink the switchel %u00a0straight up hot or cold, add it to seltzer for a bubbly soda like drink or even %u00a0mix some cocktails with it. I enjoy a nice cold glass when I am feeling thirsty but what I usually do it fill up half a %u00a0jar with boiling water, then fill the rest of the jar up with the cold switchel. It’s a nice tangy, spicy,%u00a0refreshing and warming drink that I look forward to every day. I even got the littles to try it.%u00a0%u00a0One thought it to be nasty (can’t win them all), but the other one really liked it too, so you know it’s not just me that thinks it good.%u00a0

The stuff. Apple cider vinegar (the good stuff that is raw and has the mother), fresh ginger, limes, maple syrup, and water.%u00a0

Fresh ginger is the best. Give it a little peel with a spoon, just to maximize gingerness exposure then chop into small pieces.%u00a0

Ginger and water goes into big pot. Bring it to a boil then turn down to a high simmer for 10-15 minutes to really get the ginger infused into that water.%u00a0

After it’s cooled a bit, strain the now ginger water into a pitcher or a big jar.

Add in the vinegar, the juice of the limes and a bit maple syrup. Start off with a little maple, you can alway add more later if needed.%u00a0

After the switchel has some time in the fridge to cool (at least 2 hours, but I like it best when it’s sat overnight) grab a glass ,some ice cubes, and a slice of lime. It’s go time.%u00a0

A drink to you my friends

-C

Makes bout 6%u00a0 cups%u00a0

• 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother. Braggs is a popular option)%u00a0
• 5-6 inch piece of fresh ginger%u00a0
• 2 limes
• 5 1/2 cups water
• 1-4 tablespoons maple syrup%u00a0

With a spoon, gently peel ginger . Not perfectly, just get some of the skin off. Chop it into small pieces and place it into a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Strain ginger water int a large pitcher or jar.

Add in the apple cider vieager, the juice of the limes, and a tablespoon or two of maple syrup. Give it a good stir then place in the fridge until cold (about two hours but overnight is best)%u00a0

When it’s cold, give it a good stir again, taste, and if it needs more maple, add it in. And then it’s ready.

You can drink it on ice, maybe add some seltzer to it, or mix it into some fancy cocktail. It can also be reheated for a nice spicy warming treat.%u00a0