Comforts

Today was my work's annual luncheon, our biggest fundraiser for the year. The event continues to grow in attendance and revenue. Everything was great about today - great audience, great vendors, great stories told. But I think the nicest part of my day was back at the office.

Fellow staffers opened up a few of the leftover bottles of wine and we toasted our organization's work and our successes; I had kicked off my shoes. Everyone who was in the office this afternoon was crammed into the office's kitchen. And it was nice. It's important to me to really want to be at work - especially when it means time away from Jack and Jossie. I care about these people and they care about me, and that's comforting to know.

I was ready to order take-out when I got home tonight but had one last burst of energy and made this fairly simple pasta for our dinner instead. All of the comfort of macaroni and cheese with a bit of autumn thrown in:

Linguine with pumpkin Parmesan sauce

1 pound long strand linguine
1 tablespoon butter
2 small shallots, diced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 15-ounce pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

In a saucepan heat the butter until just melted and add the shallots. Cook the shallots until soft, about 8 minutes. Add salt. Pour in the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, and chicken stock.

Stir the mixture well over medium heat until smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan until just melted and serve with cooked linguine.

This is a great kid-friendly dish with pantry ingredients. I think next time I'll add a little sage.

Jeremy is on a business trip tonight. It's a rainy night in Chicago, and I have a glass of wine to cozy up with. The kids miraculously went to bed early, so I can just relax my aching legs. Good night, my friends.

Golden day

I wish I had a term for a day that makes all other days of work worth it. It's a day when everything aligns - the kids are in a good mood; the weather is picture-perfect; and Jeremy and I are just living in the moment.

Yesterday was one of those days. We started our day with the most perfect food: Doughnuts.

 

I thank my lucky stars I live in today's world...a world with over-priced fancy doughnuts. Glazed and Infused is great - ridiculous varieties (maple with bacon, chocolate chip cookie and salted caramel crunch), strong coffee, and a relaxed vibe. Except when children are there. Especially children who have just eaten a lot of sugar.

Best Friend has always been raving about The Morton Arboretum in Chicago's western suburbs. I finally took her words to heart and off we went after our power breakfast. We were incredibly lucky that one of my work colleagues/friends was also there with her family - they welcomed us as we arrived and set us on our way of fun.

Hi, gorgeous...yes, spending a day at an arboretum at the height of fall is the bee's knees. And the Children's Garden there was great fun - a ton of mazes, tree houses and great climbers.

 

Jack asked me if I "made this place." One of the causalities that comes with having a mother who works in the conservation field!

How does one end a perfect day? Well, with pumpkin of course. I 100% stole this recipe from this clever blog. This recipe is so easy and gives you bite-sized, portable pumpkin pies.

Impossible pumpkin pie cupcakes

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon cloves)

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup half and half (or evaporated milk)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and half and half until well combined. Add in dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of flour remain and batter is smooth.

Fill each muffin cup with approximately 1/3 cup of batter.

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan. They will sink as they cool.

Chill cupcakes before serving. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream. Makes 12.

Yum!

Weekend brunch

My parents visited this weekend, and it was a whirlwind weekend of visiting and eating. Jeremy and I pulled together brunch Saturday morning of muffins, an omelet for many and a platter of fresh fruit.

Pumpkin muffins
From Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes from Foster's Market

Makes 12 large muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups golden raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin.

Stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl.

In a separate large bowl, stir the sugar, butter and eggs together. Stir in the pumpkin puree, milk, and raisins and pour into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened; do not overmix.

Using a 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Bake the muffins on a center rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Country French omelet
From Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients

(We adapt this recipe by making 1.5 times the ingredients - it typically serves 4-6)

1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (1-inch-diced) unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned but not crisp. Take the bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until very tender and browned, tossing occasionally to brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same plate with the bacon.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together with a fork. After the potatoes are removed, pour the fat out of the pan and discard. Add the butter, lower the heat to low, and pour the eggs into the hot pan. Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes, and chives evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven for about 8 minutes, just until the eggs are set. Slide onto a plate, divide in half, and serve hot.