Autumn Leaves

Despite the fact that we had a monster hurricane with ferocious wind followed by a nor'easter that dumped a bunch of snow on everything there are happily a lot of trees still holding on to their leaves. As weird as it sounds, and feels, I think that this Fall has lasted for quite a while longer than usual, which is wonderful since we can witness those ever changing leaf colors.

As the days have gone by they seem to intensify. The reds have turned into a glowing cranberry that just shimmers in the light, the yellows are deep and vibrant and just so intense in their hue.

Then there are the burnt oranges and all the shades of browns

and a little green still peeks through

It's just so breathtakingly beautiful

...and also a little dangerous. The road I take on my way to work goes through a mountain which is a nature preserve and I am surrounded on both sides by forests full of a huge variety of trees full of every autumn leaf color imaginable and it changes daily. It is impossible not to be awestruck by this amazing sight and I can't help but just stare with my mouth wide open which doesn't bode well for driving so I have to tell myself to snap out of it lest I crash into something. The other day the car in front of me almost swerved off the road which sort of brought me to my senses, now I'm sure to look straight ahead. So I'll enjoy it at my house

which probably won't be much longer

but it has been nice.

Right Max? He's depressed just thinking about it.

Scenes from a fortnight

The preparations

I forgot to buy bread.

 so I baked some.

...got to make the best of it

Luckily I have a thing about candles

because boy did we need them

for reading...

and cooking

and eating

shrimp gumbo

flank steak

tomato and brie salad

or for just sitting around

and wondering when the lights would come back on

or when we would run out of candles, or patience, or sanity. And on the seventh day, they did.

And so did the nor'easter.

but luckily by then we had heat

and the same President we started out with a very long week before

and somehow the milk didn't sour

and the streets were warm enough where it was all a memory very soon

so we can  return to the ordinariness of life.

And thank our lucky stars.

Powerful

We finally got our power back after it went out last Monday at 8:45 PM at the beginning of the storm. After a very difficult and uncertain week we drove home to find a street full of houses with lit windows including ours which had all rooms blazing light. I almost cried. I quickly hugged our little heater of the last week

who will soon be going back to his own bed

with his very own pillow and blanket.

Heart on sleeve time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all my blog friends who sent worried emails and queries about our well being. You have no idea how much it's meant during a very trying week. I feel very lucky indeed. Now I need to go and catch up with all of you...but not tonight.

Flowers in the Sandy house

No I'm not at the beach. Wish I was though; instead we're preparing for "Frankenstorm", "the perfect storm", "the mother of all storms"...whatever it is it's not pleasant. It's just plain nerve wracking. Last year we had Irene which was pretty bad and I erroneously and innocently thought this year that once we passed the I names we were sailing smooth waters. Boy was I wrong...S? I've never ever ever ever heard of an S named storm, uch! So here I am the girl who grew up in Florida and thought that I had left any worries of hurricanes behind when I left there 30 years ago. Well here's the scorecard: Miami 1, New Jersey 5-the higher number is the loser in this case. Lesson learned, or taught. What can you do? FITH party at Jane's who's getting hit worse than me.

the last of the zinnias and the most beautiful leaf/herb ever-sage

 mums,

and pumpkins

which wound up in the house for fear of high winds.

So batten down the hatches, hunker down, eat something stewy, drink some (lots)  wine and hope for the best.

Or maybe I'll just follow Max's example

take a nap until it's over, and don't open the basement door for three days.

Good luck to everybody in the Mid Atlantic Northeastern US.

Pumpkin Patch

I actually debated whether to buy a pumpkin this year which is not like me at all since I usually get several. But last year the squirrels just obliterated the one pumpkin that I did buy which was destined for Halloween carving. It never made it anywhere near Halloween. So I decided they would only be indoors and got some cuties at Trader Joe's.

But then driving home the other day I passed the church that covers their front lawn every year with pumpkins

and I came to a screeching halt. How could I resist?  Considering they had only been out for less than a week and this is all that was left, I better move.
So I got 6.

warty ones...

little,  medium, and big

...and sprayed them with hot sauce! he he.

Max approves.

October

October is my favorite month. I'm biased, I was born in it. I was really thrilled when I got old enough to bypass the birthday party present part of it and see the beauty of it. All those incredible colors of the changing leaves never cease to amaze me because regardless of how many times you have looked at the same exact tree and watched it go from green to yellow/orange/red/brown, it is never ever ever the same shade and it always glows in a different way. That is just beginning right now and hopefully it won't come and go in the blink of an eye as it has at times. This weekend we spent it cleaning out the fading garden; pulling out dry and spindly tomato plants yet leaving a couple that are still holding on with fat green fruit. The peppers are going real strong right now

these poblanos which didn't show fruit all year are suddenly full. Hopefully they'll mature enough to reach full size before the nights get to cold.

The Portugal peppers are also making a second showing, the first wasn't much but now they are teeming. This is the first time I plant them and I'm a little afraid of them; I mistakenly thought they were piri-piri and then found out they are super duper hot. We'll see.

I already have jars full of jalapenos and bags of frozen ones but they just keep going and going. Some people will get presents!

Most of the flowers are gone or fading, there's an occasional zinnia

here and there but the morning glories are making up for it

and since the days are cool they stay open way beyond the morning.

Day glories maybe?

We harvested all that was left of the basil and made pesto

which made the kitchen smell yummy

and made us a little dizzy.

And what's the best thing about this time of year? Stewy stuff!

Chili Verde, adapted from I Made That

2 lb tomatillos
6 garlic cloves, not peeled
3 Anaheim or Poblano chiles
3 Jalapeños, seeds removed, chopped
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
4½ lb pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes
Olive oil
2 small yellow onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP dried oregano
3 cups chicken stock

- Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down, along with 6 garlic cloves, on a baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

- Roast the Anaheim chiles over a gas flame or under the broiler until blackened all around. Let cool and remove the skin, seeds, and stem. Roughly chop.
- Place tomatillos, skins included, into a food processor. Remove the roasted garlic cloves from their skins and add them. Add chopped Jalapeño peppers, Anaheim chilies, and cilantro. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.

- Season the pork cubes generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven over medium high heat and brown the pork chunks well on all sides. Work in batches so that the pork is not crowded in the pan. Using tongs, lift the browned pork out and place in bowl. Set aside.
- Pour off excess fat, leaving 1 or 2 tablespoons. Place the onions in the same dutch oven and  season with salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until limp, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add the pork back to the pan. Add the oregano, the tomatillo puree, and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2½ – 3 hours uncovered, until the pork is tender.

- Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt. Serve with rice and warmed flour or corn tortillas.

Then take a nap, with the warm October sun streaming through

and dream of pumpkins and mums next weekend!