Falling

How many more posts can I do on how the-more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same? Once again, like last year, fall finds us marveling at the beauty of autumn in Virginia, and reflecting on new beginnings and fresh starts and trying to find a place to put down roots. Of course, we're so lucky to have so many places to call home, and so many people laying claim to us (okay, mainly to Eden). But it does make life tricky in a bittersweet sort of way.

Anyway, enough of that. Here are some pictures of fall in Virginia this year.

I realize this one is a little Bigfoot-sighting-esque. But it's the first time I've ever seen a (live) fox in the wild and thought it bore magnification.

Free cookie and hot chocolate this weekend!

The only thing better than a $10 date is a FREE ONE, which looks like we'll be scooping up at Barnes & Noble this Saturday. There's one well within walking distance of our place, which is awesome given our recent commitment to keep Eden out of the car.

Speaking of yummy ways to celebrate fall, we're hoping this weekend to make up some Apple Cider Doughnuts and possibly some pumpkin bread pudding. We made these pumpkin pancakes last weekend with some canned pumpkin we got from the eviction, and there's more in the freezer. The pancakes were pretty delicious (though despite others' comments, we did find it needed a generous splash of additional milk), but pancakes have never been my forte--the standing around, the burning of outsides, the undercooking of insides. Bread pudding seems like a surer bet.

And speaking of freebies, tomorrow is the last day to answer a trivia question for a free lunch coupon at Ted's Montana Grill. We've each racked up a few of these but haven't been out to get them yet.

Salmon chowder

I couldn't find a recipe for the kind of salmon chowder I wanted to make, so I had to come up with one myself.

Salmon Chowder

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp dill
1 Tbsp parsley
~1/2 lb salmon fillets
3 medium carrots
2 medium stalks celery
2 medium potatoes
1/2 onion
1/4 cup butter or lard
1/4 cup flour
1 cup frozen, fresh, or canned corn
4 cups of whole milk
2-3 Tbsp salt
Sprinkling of cracked pepper

Heat oven to 450. Drizzle the melted butter in a 9x9 or similar pan that the salmon will fit in. Sprinkle herbs on top. Place salmon, skin side up, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another side or until salmon is flaky and opaque. Peel off skin, flake salmon, and set aside.

Melt the 1/4 cup butter or lard over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the vegetables, saute 5 minutes or until lightly cooked. Add flour and stir until vegetables are coated and flour is lightly cooked. Add milk and simmer until thickened, 10-15 minutes. Stir in salmon, corn salt, and pepper, and simmer until vegetables are soft.

I give this a 10 and Matt likes it quite a bit too. Creamy, a little bit sweet, and not too fishy at all. There would probably be an easier way to cook the salmon--maybe poaching in the milk or a little broth?--but this is how I'm used to cooking it and so it works well that way for me.

Reston Oktoberfest

This weekend we found some time to hit the Reston Oktoberfest, as well as lunch at Uncle Julio's one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. (Which is, happily, within walking distance.) As you can see, a good lunch was had by all--even our smallest member.

Perinatal

On Wednesday, Eden and I had the good fortune to attend the Perinatal Symposium on contemporary birthing practices and birthing rights. It was organized by Jessica Clements, an acquaintance of mine who has recently become a friend. I volunteered to help pull some of it together; my brother even did the website design. (Thanks, L!) Some familiar names were there, like Henci Goer and Robbie Davis-Floyd, and Debra Pascali-Bonaro, along with some that were unfamiliar to me, but no less impressive--like Shafia Monroe and Aravinda Pillalamarri. I was blown away by the true multidisciplinariness of the event--midwives, doulas, nurses, lawyers, anthropologists, artists, and even belly dancers all came together out of concern for birthing women. Many of them spoke of the need to secure a safe birthing tradition for our daughters, something which had a new resonance for me as I've attended many birth conferences, but this was the first in which I had my own fuzzy-headed, chubby-cheeked little girl in my lap.

One of my other favorite things about the conference was that it was the first time I've been in a context where women were openly and proudly breastfeeding. From five-week-old twins to babies in arms to toddlers who ran up to their mothers to nurse, there was a whole lot of breastfeeding going on, and it was a wonderful thing to be a part of. Unfortunately, in our culture, breastfeeding is nearly always a solitary event, as opposed to more traditional cultures in which it is a normal, social part of everyday life. It made me realize what I'm missing out on the rest of the time. While so many babies and children meant that at times things were a little rambunctious and the speakers were hard to hear, it was also neat to have a constant undercurrent of squeaking, sighing, murmuring (and occasionally shrieking) baby noises as an appropriate accompaniment to the topic at hand, and as a reminder that to all of us there, it was of far more than just passing or theoretical significance.

Jessica introducing the panel

Debra Pascali-Bonaro

Shafia Monroe

Lynn Griesemer

Just in time for fall...

...a mac and cheese recipe that is SO GOOD! We are huge fans of the creamy Wisconsin Mac 'n Cheese from Noodles & Company, and this is a lot like it. I found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen and basically halved it (with some rounding here and there) since the original recipe serves 12 and calls for more cheese than even we usually have around. I have also found you can reduce the amount of cheese in the sauce by about a handful, and increase the salt a little, and it will be just fine.

This is one of "those" M&C recipes people love to complain about--those which Involve a White Sauce. Making a white sauce is one of those things that personally I think takes longer to complain about than it does to DO. Just do it already! If you're not comfortable a flour-and-fat roux--the base for every gravy, white sauce, cream soup, pot pie filling, and other velvety delight known to the kitchen--it's time to get comfortable. It really couldn't be easier. Video tutorials abound, but basically, just cook the oil in the bubbling fat already. Then stir in your broth or milk or other liquid, bring back to a boil, and whisk together until thick and smooth.

Our butter is expensive, so I use lard.

Martha Stewart’s Creamy Mac-and-Cheese
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics

Serves 6

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
2-3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for water
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-1/4 cups (about 9 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
1 cup (about 4 ounces) grated Gruyère or 3/4 cups (about 2-3 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I actually used about 1/4 cup Parmesan)
1/2 pound elbow macaroni

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. (I use a 9x9 square pan.) Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.

2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. (I put it in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Combines a step and saves a dish.) Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 1.5 cups cheddar cheese, and Gruyère (or Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.

5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes (though we needed a bit more time to get it brown, but your oven may vary). Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

I also cook the macaroni first and make the cheese sauce in its pan while it hangs out and drains in the colander. Maybe Martha has somebody to wash all these dishes for her, but I don't.

Anyway, a great make-ahead meal and just all-around delicious!