So Long Summer

Our favorite beach on the last day of the season

I’m happy to brag that the term lazy doesn’t even begin to describe our Labor Day weekend. We’ve been traveling, reorganizing and working so much recently, that I didn’t feel a bit guilty about doing next to nothing. Sure, we made the requisite stops at the Farmers’ Market, the beach and the library, but other than that, we basically basked in peace and quiet. We met our goal of cooking a lot and not going out to eat once, we watched a decent amount of HGTV and college football, and I developed a not so subtle addiction to Pinterest that embarrassingly resulted in a stiff neck and a sore-from-flicking-through-images arm.  (Psst...Visit my finds here)

This time of year always makes me slightly sad, but with the sadness also comes excitement for impending New York Fashion Week coverage, falling leaves, hearty crock pot meals, nubby sweaters, boots, new TV series, and the rollout of Halloween decorations. Until I can satisfy myself with those signs of early autumn though, I’ll cling to these few reminders of the last official week of summer 2013.

Calm, crystal clear lake water

Late summer vase filler

Early fall colors and textures

Decadent, cloud-shaped challah french toast inspired by Ina Garten and enjoyed on a cool Sunday morning

Sand Tarts

Last year at this time, I was fantasizing about sandcastle cakes. Now, I’ve decided to celebrate the birth of this blog with Martha’s fittingly adorable sand tarts. The recipe is simple, relatively mess-free, and yields the perfect treat for the special occasion. Though my boyfriend and I will be enjoying most of these tomorrow, I’ve tucked a few away in the freezer, with plans to take them down to the beach in my picnic basket as soon as the temperatures turn.

Shortcut Pot Pies

This never-ending cold spell recently put us in the mood for chicken pot pies. Although I wish I could say that I promptly whipped out my food processor and got to work on some pastry, I admittedly cut some corners and adapted this recipe to use what I had on hand.  Luckily, it didn’t matter because the filling is so incredible that store-bought rotisserie chicken and thawed fillo dough did nothing to detract from this comforting creation.  Leave it to Ina. 

Rocky Road Brownies

My aunt gifted us with this delicious dessert-in-a-jar for Christmas, but we only recently cleared the pantry of all the holiday food so I didn’t get around to using it until now. I’m glad I waited because these things turned out to be the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. Whether you give the jar and accompanying recipe as a gift or whip up a batch for yourself, you will want to make time for them this week.

Ingredients included in the mason jar:

1 cup sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup miniature marshmallows (wrapped in plastic wrap and put in as the final layer in the jar, reserved until after the mixture has baked in the oven)

To this, you add the following wet ingredients:

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Lightly grease an 8” x 8” baking pan
• Remove marshmallows from the jar and set aside
• Add the wet ingredients to the remaining jar ingredients and stir until well mixed
• Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set
• Sprinkle the top of the brownies with the reserved marshmallows
• Place the pan back in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the marshmallows puff up and slightly melt
• Cool in the pan on a wire rack
• Pour a big glass of milk and enjoy!

Monkey Bread

What’s a girl to do when she wakes up on a lazy Sunday and her boyfriend randomly requests Monkey Bread? In my case, the answer is simple: pull up Pioneer Woman’s unbelievably easy recipe and get to work….

Because, often times, the boyfriend isn’t the only one wanting to pull off and eat gooey pieces of sugary, buttery goodness early in the morning. And sometimes, when you’re in denial that winter is creeping in, the only thing that makes the idea tolerable is an excuse to get out your snowflake plate.