more things to love about fall...

1-  nesting

i love candles and the warm glow they bring to everything.  i use them all year round but
there is something really special about them when the weather gets cooler.

2 - cozy blankets

i love having piles of them around so you can just grab one and toss it on to ward off a
little chill, after all, who doesn't like to snuggle?

3 - fall wardrobe update
i am suppose to be trying to purge my closet.  but...

Of course I had to have these  and this vest  for those long walks i plan on taking

4 - beautiful cool mornings that turn into gorgeous blue afternoons
spectacular color is every where.  grab your camera and head out, you will be amazed at
what you find.

5 - all the comfy fall foods

i have piles of recipes i want to try. now with our recent vacation i really think i need to
try to master a croissant recipe.  but in the mean time we are using up all the great
vegetables from our garden.

roasted veggies

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups black rice
2 tbsp. butter
2 shallots, peeled and diced
1 cup pecan pieces
zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 butternut squash, peeled seeded and diced
1 bunch of carrots (a colorful variety will make the dish more beautiful!)
4 beets (we found golden and red beets, but any variety will do)
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
preheat the oven to 450ºF
wash the beets and carrots and trim off the greens, leaving a bit of the tips on the carrots. peel the carrots. place them both in a large stockpot with cold water and bring to a boil, adding 1 tsp. of sea salt.
once the water is boiling, let the carrots blanche for about 1 minute, leaving the beets in for another 5-7 minutes. (you can pierce the beets to make sure they’re tender before removing!). rinse both under cool water after removing from the pot.

for the butternut squash, i like to place it in the oven for about 5-10 minutes to get it soft enough to easily peel and chop. cut the squash in half and remove the seeds before placing it on a baking sheet to pop into the oven. just enough to get the tough outer skin soft.
once all the veggies are prepped, you’ll want to toss them in olive oil and sea salt before placing them on a baking sheet. the squash should be diced while the carrots can be cut in half, and the beets sliced. i added a bit of thyme and extra salt and pepper once they were on the baking sheet, then popped them into the oven for about 15-20 minutes—until the edges start to brown. you can flip them halfway through to get them roasted evenly. in the last 2-3 minutes add the pecans to one of the trays to toast them up.
directions: rice
put a saucepan over medium heat, and adding the butter and shallots to sauté for about 2 minutes. add the rice and toss to coat. add the water as directed on the rice package, and about 1 1/2 tsp. of salt. bring to a boil, and then stir and lower the heat to let simmer until cooked through.

once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and add the orange zest, thyme and cumin, then salt and pepper to taste. you can drizzle a bit of olive oil in with it if it’s become too sticky to mix well.

to assemble  lay down a layer of rice and place the roasted vegetables on top.  it's such a beautiful fall
dish.

enjoy, xo