Goodbye Farmer's Market

Saturday was the last Downtown Farmer's Market of the year. John and I both stocked up on groceries, but we were really there to get our favorite market food for the last time.

Our first stop was the apple cider donut stand for a sugar fix. I'm usually not a big donut fan, but these have such a great flavor I had one every time I was at the market this summer.

After picking up some vegetables we stopped at the papusa stand. I had a bean and cheese papusa and John had a pork papusa. I may have to try making them this winter, as I cannot imagine going six months without one.

After we finished breakfast #2 we stopped by the Blue Gate Farm stand so I could smoosh the hand-spun yarn one more time.

At the Maytag booth I decided to bite the bullet and get the cheese wheel. I eat blue cheese on my salads (and on flat bread with honey when my sisters are around). Maytag is much cheaper at the market than the grocery store, so I decided stocking my freezer was the right thing to do.

There are two indoor winter markets (the weekend before Thanksgiving and the weekend before Christmas). I will be at both of the markets. I'm also joining the Iowa Food Coop so I'll be able to eat local while supporting small farmers year round. Both the coop and indoor markets will help, but I'm still counting down the days until the 2011 Downtown Farmer's Market season begins.

Happy Halloween

I love Halloween. It's a holiday built around costumes and food. Those are both things I love. I decided to throw a party this year.

There was a lot of food...

...including condiments....

.....and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...

There was plenty to drink.

Some people were over dressed.

Some people didn't dress up.

One person was a costume thief.

Rabbit Bruno and World Peace showed up.

As did Dr. House and a Grammar Ninja.

An Iowa State Flood Victim and a guy in a t shirt also showed up.

It was a night filled with good times and great friends. I'm already looking forward to next year. I already know what kind of sandwich I'll be.

I Can't Believe I Made This Bread: Bread of the Week 44

This week I made Potato, Cheddar, and Chive Torpedoes. Of all the breads I've made this is the one that I am most shocked that I made. The loaves had all of the goodness of a grilled cheese in a slice of bread.

The top of the bread was sliced down to the cheese before baking, which meant that there were crunchy bits of burnt cheese on top of the bread. It was so delicious I may have danced around my kitchen while eating a slice.

Year In Pictures:Week 5

28:365 Ourtoberfest

This is the fifth year my friends and I have taken an afternoon in October off for a bar crawl. Stacey and Sarah were kind enough to humor me for a photo.

29:365 Sisters

OK, so technically this photo doesn't count, as I didn't take it. I like it so much more than any of the photos I took, so I decided it doesn't matter.

30:365 Sit a Spell

I spent a good portion of the week preparing for my Halloween Party. On Sunday Mary-Claire and I spent hours preparing. We went to the fabric store and made chair decorations.

31:365 Ribbon

On Monday I ran to Hobby Lobby before crochet class to pick up some party supplies.

32:365 Halloween Weather

On Tuesday it finally started to feel like rain.

33:365 Wine Charms

If you ever decide to throw a party I strongly suggest asking Mary-Claire for decorating advice. Not only did she come up with some great chair decorations, she also suggested using ribbon for wine charms. I looked up monster names and wrote the names on the ribbon. It was a fun way to keep the glasses straight.

34:365 Waiting

By Thursday I was ready for the party. It was hard to wait for Friday night for the fun to begin.

Maker Monday: week 43

Remember the broom stick lace I kept talking about? It's done and I love it. Mary-Claire was kind enough to pose for me.

I also finished a pair of socks. I've been working on these for well over a month. I finally set aside the crochet and finished them up. They are already my favorite pair. I think they look super cool.

Whole Wheat Bread: Bread of the Week 43

This week I made whole wheat bread. This is the perfect bread to make if you eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as often as I do.

This is a bread I hope to always have on hand. It's great as toast or for a sandwich. It's incredibly hearty, and has a great crumb.

Year In Pictures:Week 4

21:365 Chicago

On Friday John and I walked downtown from Mary-Claire's apartment. The coolest part was seeing the bean. John tried to eat it.

22:365 Wine and Couches

On Saturday night Mary-Claire and I left John at the apartment and got some wine at the wine store by her house. We were able to enjoy some wine in the fancy wine room with couches. It was a wonderful time.

23:365 Goose Island

We went on a brewery tour at Goose Island. The brewer was drunk. Mary-Claire and I entertained ourselves.

24:365 Coffee

Every night before I go to bed I get my coffee ready for the morning. At the moment coffee is a real treat - I have Fair Trade Organic Chocolate Almond Toffee coffee from Cup of Joe in Cedar Falls.

25:365 Blurry Delicious

This picture does not do my dinner justice. Sauteed vegetables in a spicy peanut sauce over brown rice. Hearty and warm.

26:365 Time Suck

Yesterday I got sucked into watching Andy Rooney on YouTube for longer than I care to admit.

27:365 Last Run

Tonight I ran in my summer running visor for what is probably the last time for several months. It's getting colder and darker after work, I don't need the wicking and sun shielding properties as much. I have my winter hat ready to wear, but I hope I get to use the visor a few more times.

White Bread: Bread of the Week 42

This week I made white bread. I usually opt for whole wheat bread when it comes to snacking or sandwiches. It's more filling and has more flavor. The exception to that is when I'm grilling. I love a white bun to hold my hamburger or hot dog.

Instead of making a loaf of bread, I made hot dog buns.

And hamburger buns.

These were the best buns I've ever had. In my next house I'll have a big freezer in the basement where I can keep buns on hand. I long for a world where I never have store bought buns again.

Year In Pictures:Week 3

14:365 Crab Rangoon Pizza

This is pizza so good I was delighted to capture Jen's first taste of it. This delicious pizza is so rich I only get it about once a quarter (unless Mary-Claire is in town).

15:365 Jen meets Des Moines

I spent last weekend showing Mary-Claire's friend around Des Moines. I had a great time and hope she moves here soon.

16:365 Decorations

On Sunday I finally got around to decorating my house for Halloween. Well, at least I started too. The week got away from me and I still have few more decorations to put out.

17:365 Crochet

On Monday nights Sarah and I have crochet class. Now that we are in the fourth week it isn't as frustrating. I've even learned that middle aged church ladies have filthy senses of humor.

18:365 Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I decided to make some healthy cookies to take to Chicago. They are chewy, cake like cookies. I like them a lot, but they are not as good as chocolate and are not a suitable substitute.

19:365 OUCH!

I threw my neck out in the middle of the night on Tuesday. I spent most of Wednesday on the couch with a heating pad high on Vicodin. How I remembered to take a photo is beyond me. My neck is doing better, but still hurts a lot. I probably shouldn't drive until I can check my blind spot without yelping.

20:365 Daisies

Yesterday John came over and made me dinner and brought me flowers. I love it when he brings me daisies because I get to spend the next week being reminded of how sweet he is each time I see the flowers. It also helps to distract from the mess that is my dining room table.

Maker Monday: week 41

Crochet is sucking up my knitting time. The sock I want to finish sits forgotten on the coffee table, waiting for me to start the gusset. I don't even want to talk about the knitting pressure November and December will bring as I rush to finish knitting my presents.

On a positive note, my broomstick lace scarf is coming along well. I hope to have it finished by next week. This week in class we learned the afghan stitch. I am glad I'm taking a class because if I was teaching myself I would have given up on crochet a month ago.

Vienna Bread: Bread of the Week 41

This week I made Vienna bread. It was a good bread for sandwiches, but overall it was unremarkable.

I worry I'm getting to the point where a bread has to be truly outstanding for me to get excited about it. Or maybe I'm just too tired to come up with a good way to describe this bread.

Year In Pictures:Week 2

7:365 Tacos

Friday night was a bonus taco night at the Cumming Tap. John and I biked out for dinner. It was a great way to start the weekend.

8:365 Burning Bush

The burning bush in my front yard is just starting to turn. It is so beautiful in the fall.

9:365 Fall

On Sunday John, Emily, Jeff and I went to the Farm Crawl south of Knoxville. It was a beautiful day and I took a lot of pictures.

10:365 Guilty Pleasure

On Monday I finally made it to the grocery store. I was in a rush and hungry when I got there. I could not pass up one of my favorite cereals.

11:365 Late Night

On Tuesday I didn't get home until 8:30. I'm glad my Tuesday night class is now over so I can have a little bit more time at home.

12:365 Friends

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Once a month I get together for dinner with friends from my old gym. We met through a running group. When I signed up to train for my first 5k I had no idea I was going to make three of the best friends I've ever had.

13:365 No Touchy

I was able to meet my Mom and Aunt Kathy for lunch on Thursday. After lunch we headed to Java Joe's for coffee. They humored me and posed for a photo. Kathy and Mom are always good sports about posing for photos.