The two sisters

The oldest, B, and her husband recently made the move out West from the Carolinas. They are getting accustomed to life in the country and becoming a student once again for the mister. The youngest, A, and her husband made a short move within the Carolinas for the mister to once again, become a student.

When we both found ourselves in similar situations - moving and the misters going back to school - but far apart from one another, we thought a blog would be a great way to still do something together and for family and friends to keep up with us. Follow us as we share our love for cooking, the great outdoors, and home.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Best time of year

Okay, I'll admit that it is just a matter of opinion, but I firmly believe that fall is the best time of year. The smell of fireplaces being lit for the first time in months, leaves changing, pumpkins, Halloween, and cool, crisp air. And yesterday, I walked out the back door and caught a nice view of an early fall moon.
The leaves are starting to change around here, and the nights are getting chilly!

Out of our own backyard, we've got grapes! They are a little tart but ready for picking. The vines are a gnarly mess right now, but I am digging in as much as I can.


As I mentioned last time, we have been loving our local farmer's market. We stocked up on tomatoes recently. I just can't resist a summer tomato. The first dinner I made was roasted tomato soup. Perfect for a chilly, fall evening. Toss halved, seeded tomatoes in olive oil, garlic and herbs. Then, roast in the oven. The rest I can't remember (haha) but basically put together a few simple, classic ingredients and blend into a soup. Some chicken stock, onions, fresh basil, and a little half 'n half should do it. I quickly sauteed some bread cubes in butter and garlic for homemade croutons.The second recipe the tomatoes went into...pickled vegetables. Okay, you have to really like vinegared, pickled things to try this one. I found some cukes at the farmer's market to add to this as well. Quarter tomatoes, slice fresh garlic cloves, quarter yellow onions, and add pickling spices to glass canning jars (Mom hooked me up with a bag full). Pickling spices are whatever you want them to be. For me, yellow mustard seeds, whole peppercorns, sliced horseradish, basil leaves and dill sprigs. Dissolve kosher salt in cider vinegar on the stove and then let the mixture cool. Add the cooled mixture to the jars and put in the fridge. The longer they sit, the better they are. I did the same thing with cukes and red onion.
B

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