October Leaves (And Food)

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"-Psalm 118:29

It's fall, my favorite time of year, and as I sat by the window today with a cup of black coffee (wondering why in the world I was drinking it black) I spontaneously decided that today was a good day to start my own blog.

I didn't really consider the fact that I had nothing to write about and no one would read it, I just headed to the computer and...here I am!

I am an aspiring author, a health enthusiast, an equestrian, a follower of Christ, and a teenage girl.  My posts will probably mostly be about food, because I'm an avid baker and cook. Obviously I don't have much experience in this area, considering the fact I am only in my teens and I depend upon my Mom to bring home the groceries, but I'll do the best I can with foreign dishes, unique appetizers and, my favorite, rustic tarts.

My blog name is derived from the song "Dance of the Autumn Leaves" by Melody Boper, a song I fell in love with as soon as my best friend played it for me on the piano, it also ties into the theme of fall and all the amazing foods that come with it.

Listen here.

It's mid October, and we're just getting to that wonderful time of year where the air is clean and crisp and smells of rain. The leaves are in their full color in most places; even here in Southern California I'm excitedly waiting to pull out the scarves and fuzzy boots. The kitchen smells of pumpkin spice and warm apple cider and this is about where I start to get a warm feeling on the inside that makes me truly thankful for everything I've been blessed with. It's no wonder the Pilgrims had the very first Thanksgiving in November, how can you not be thankful at this time of year?

The Psalms speak of praising the Lord for his excellent goodness and bringing Him thanksgiving so often, sometimes I expect David to break out in hymns of worship for Pumpkin Pie and Cranberry Nut Bread. . . I guess I'll just have to do that myself.

In the book Pure Simple Cooking by Diana Henry she uses a lot of ingredients that are by no means simple to me. I most definitely did not grow up in a home where the words arroz con pollo y chorizo were used in a sentence, but that's what I love about the book and what made me keep using it. They really are easy recipes, but they taste so foreign and delicious and they have such weird names that they make you feel like an accomplished gourmet chef afterward. I never figured out some of them, and I'm still working through the recipes with ingredients that I know how to use, but the dishes I have tried have been completely delicious.

The other night I made a Rustic Onion Tart, and as soon as I took the first bite it soon became one of my all time favorite recipes and I knew tarts were the food for me. Montery Jack cheese has a subtle, delicous flavor so I used that and sausage to go in with the onions. As a side I decided to try Roasted Autumn Vegetables from Pure Simple Cooking and it just might have been the best veggies I had ever tasted. I just used dried Thyme, because like I said: Southern California + economy + teenager. You do the math. :)

1 1/2 lbs small waxy potatoes or larger baking potatoes

1 lb  carrots, trimmed and halved lengthwise if large

1 lb parsnips, trimmed and halved lengthwise

3 red onions, each cut into 6 wedges

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

leaves from a couple sprigs of thyme, plus 5 whole sprigs

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the potatoes into chunks the size of a walnut, though some waxy varieties are very small and may not need to be cut. Put all vegetables in a large roasting pan - they should be able to lie in a single layer - and add the olive oil, vinegar, thyme leaves and salt and pepper. Todd everything together with your hands.  

Roast for 40 to 60 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Give them a shake every so often, and add a whole thyme sprig halfway through the cooking time. Cover the dish with aluminum foil if some of the vegetables are getting too dark, though it's good if some of them end up slightly charred at the tips. 

The potatoes were perfectly cooked the whole way through, the carrots tender and bursting with flavor and the onions sweet and delicious. I would highly recommend the recipe and the book, because both of them are genius and the results of this one supper now have me hooked on rustic tarts and beautiful, artistic dishes. 

My cooking may not be classy, and as you can probably tell, I fail at all grammar and English tests...but my love for baking, my love for autumn and my love for Jesus I hope has been shown to you through this entry, and hopefully will continue to be through this blog. If you don't think I'm a total loser from this post, just wait. There's still more to come! :)