The Sunday Post: holiday DIYs, historical photos in color, and 90s music

Hey friends, 

It's been a while since my last Sunday post, so I thought that I would once again direct your attention to some of my favorite things from around the interwebs.

But, first, I want to let you in on a little something.  I've spent the last couple of weeks working on building a WordPress site to house my blog.  A few things still need to be tweaked, but I'll be revealing the new site (complete with a new name) sometime next week.  I'll be moving everything from this blog over to the new one, so the recipes, links, et cetera, will still be accessible.

In the meantime, enjoy:

1. While I don't think anything is better than getting an invitation, card, or letter in the mail, Paperless Post provides a convenient and environment-friendly method of sending well-designed cards to friends and family.  Many of the designs are free and others cost around fifty cents a pop, meaning no one has an excuse for not sending out a holiday card.  Does that mean I'll send one out?  Probably not.  

2.  We've all seen these images, but perhaps you haven't seen how they've been altered. Recently, artists have been adding color to historically significant photos.  Although I was skeptical at first, as I scrolled down the page I was blown away by how the change brought the photos -- and the events they capture -- to life.

3.  60 songs from the 90's.  Jordan and I may have stayed up late one night this week watching these music videos, dancing, and giggling like the middle schoolers we were back then.

4.  These DIY imprinted clay bowls would make such lovely homemade gifts!

5.  I've wanted to make an Advent Calendar for a few years.  Here is a great list of 35 homemade options. 

6.  Trust me, visit Happyolks and spend a few hours there.  You'll thank me later.

7.  An artist mom let's her daughter finish her drawings.  The result is pretty magical.  

Grilled Brie, Butternut Squash, Apple, and Sage Sandwich

A few weeks ago, we had lunch at Devil's Backbone in Nelson County with new friends, Kristin and Shane.  I work(ed) with Kristin at Cranberry's and we decided that our husbands needed to be best friends forever.  No pressure. 

I've been thinking about Kristin and Shane a lot lately.  I say that I "work(ed)" with her because Kristin is on maternity leave, awaiting the arrival of their baby boy.  In a matter of days, they will be parents, their lives changed forever.  How terrifying, how miraculous, how wonderful.  It's crazy how much I already care about this kid, the unborn child of a new friend.  Two and a half years ago, my dear friend Jackie was pregnant with her second baby, Rowan.  That little girl and her older brother, Gavin, are the most phenomenal beings.  Every time I see them, they have further developed their personalities, their independence, their fight.  I am dumbfounded by how much I love those itty bitty people.

I cannot fathom a mother's love.  I think that is what I am trying to say.  Having my world turned upside down by a seven pound creature is unimaginable to me.  The thought of that same creature co-opting my life from that moment on is baffling and, honestly, rather undesirable at the moment.  But, then, I see those of you who have brought new life into this world and who have joyfully sacrificed sleep, entertainment, quiet, order, dreams, careers, hobbies, and so much more, and I get it.  For a flickering moment, I understand.  I want to tell you that I honor you.  I honor the love that you have for your children, the dedication with which you care for them, the selflessness with which you serve.  Thank you.

Alas, I have no plans to create life any time soon, so for now I'll stick with creating recipes.  Today, a grilled cheese sandwich that'll knock your socks off.  I promise.  

When we visited Devil's Backbone with Kristin and Shane, Jordan and I split a grilled gouda-butternut squash jam-apple sandwich.  This sandwich, a little less sweet and a little more savory, is inspired by their menu item.  

Oh. Yeah.  Look, this sandwich is good.  So good. 

First, let's talk about the Butternut Squash Puree.  A touch of agave (or maple syrup) produces a subtle sweetness.  A pinch of cloves and a dash of cayenne creates a soft warmth.  A dollop of coconut oil grants the flavors an intriguing depth.  This puree could be served as a side dish or used to create a number of recipes.  I think it would be absolutely divine as a base for a pasta dish.

Butternut Squash Puree
(makes slightly more than one cup)

1/2 butternut squash
1tbs coconut oil
1/2 tbs agave or maple syrup
heaping 1/8 tsp cloves 
small pinch cayenne
1/8 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Remove outer layer from butternut squash and chop.
Bring quart of water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, add a pinch of salt.  Add butternut squash.
Boil until the squash has softened, 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain.
Transfer squash to food processor and add all other ingredients.  Pulse until smooth.
Store in an airtight container.  Will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.

.....................................................................................................................................

Now, the sandwich.

Grilled Brie, Butternut Squash, Apple and Sage Sandwich
(for two sandwiches)

4 slices whole grain bread
thinly sliced Brie  (enough to cover two slices of the bread)
1 small Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
8 sage leaves (more or less, depending on size of leave and taste preference)
2-4 tbs Butternut Squash Puree
butter

Heat frying pan or grill on medium-high heat.
In a small amount of butter or olive oil, expose sage to heat for several minutes, allowing the leaves to soften and become fragrant.
Butter outer side of each slice of bread.
Assemble sandwiches by placing Brie on bottom slice of bread, adding apple, sage, and butternut puree.  Cover with second slice of bread and place in pan or on grill.
Grill sandwich for 2-4 minutes on each side.

Once your sandwich has reached what you consider to be grilled perfection, slice, transfer to a lovely plate, and nosh.

With love (and butternut squash),

Lindsey

Spiced Pumkpin and Oat Smoothie (and a word of thanks)

Every November, my Facebook feed is full of people giving thanks on a daily basis.  They give thanks for their jobs, their families, their friends, their cats, and their pumpkin pie.  I really love the idea of this month-long project of announcing gratitude to all who care to pay attention.  I always intend to join their chorus of thanks giving, but inevitably November 6 or 15 or 20 rolls around and I realize that I have neglected the discipline and decide that I cannot possibly join ranks with the grateful so late in the game.  

Still, I want to say that I am thankful for you.  You, the one reading this blog.  One day, I intend to write a post about why I have chosen to take a few hours each week to dedicate to blogging.  In large part, I do it because I see it as part of my journey of self-discovery and expression.  It is part of my attempt to be where I am and who I am in this moment, without apology but while striving to deepen my knowledge and expand my capability.  

So, in reading this, you are joining with me in this journey.  You are watching as I write long and awkward sentences full of unnecessary commas.  You are gazing on, and maybe sometimes wincing, as I attempt to learn the art of photography.  Chances are, you'll try one or two of my recipes and find one of them to be rather dull or even gross.  I want you to know that your engagement with me, with this content, means a lot.  Your supportive comments, whether on the blog, on Facebook, or in person, give me the courage to do this.  I know it may not seem like a big deal, but this is all about being vulnerable for me.  So, thanks.  You're great.

Speaking of great, have you tried Cranberry's Pumpkin Pie Smoothie?  It is so delicious.  I've actually only had a few taste test sips, but I crave it all of the time.  The eatery's smoothie is all vegan, but with vanilla soy ice cream, pumpkin pie filling, and extra sweetener, I would call it a rather decadent treat.  I decided to try to create a similar smoothie that was guilt-free and breakfast worthy.  Here's what I came up with:

Spiced Pumpkin and Oat Smoothie (vegan, GF option)

1 cup milk (almond, soy, oat, regular, etc.)

3 tbs canned pure pumpkin

1 small frozen banana 

1/4 cup oats (for gluten free, make sure your oats are labeled GF)

1 tbs pumpkin butter*

1 tsp agave or maple syrup (optional)

scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon

scant 1/8 tsp nutmeg

scant 1/8 tsp ginger

sprinkle of cloves (about 1/16 tsp)

*I used Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter because I had it on hand.  If you don't have pumpkin butter around, just add a bit more sweetener and a smidge more spice.

Throw everything in a blender and blend until smooth.  But you already knew that, didn't you?

 

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins with Cardamom and Ginger

 

Every year I dread the end of summer.  I scowl in the face of Autumn's approach.  I whine about the coming cold, my heart sinks with the turn of the first leaves.  And then, it happens.  I fall in love.  The crisp air clears my mind, the dancing leaves hearken my inner child, the colors inspire.  

Last Thursday, Jordan and I finally scrounged up the time for a hike.  Nothing calms my spirit like taking a walk with Jordan and Lucy in the woods.  If I have ever lived a perfect day, it was October 24.  

Friday, October 25, I got sick.  A week later, I am still coughing, congested, achy, and exhausted.  Sickness aside, the Leahy family had a bad week.  It was a one-thing-after-another kind of bad.  You know the kind.  

I'm sure you can relate to this, but being sick takes a toll on your psyche as well as your body.  It's hard feeling, and being, unable to  contribute to your household, your workplace, your world.  That familiar feeling of failure crept in and stayed.  Some of the week's events played into that feeling and, by this Thursday, I wanted to wallow in a puddle of I'm-good-for-nothings.  

At some point during the time I spent laying around and moaning, I stumbled across this Steinbeck quote from East of Eden:

And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.

And then, this:

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?

The second quote is not, of course, from Eden, but from Travels with Charley: In Search of America.

I spent the better part of the last week with the first line churning in my mind.  I think the second quote gives some shape to my thoughts.  A bright and breezy 85 degree day in July is my idea of perfection. Yet if every single day was a sunny 85 with a light wind, I would find another kind of day more desirable. 

A few weeks ago, Jordan and I went to Shark Mountain Coffee Company in Charlottesville.  (If you live in the area, go there.  Take an entire afternoon and spend it there.  You'll thank me.)  The owner, a great guy named Jonny, explained that his aim is not to find the perfect cup of coffee, but to experience the diversity inherent in the beans, their regions, the processes by which they are roasted, and the method of brewing.  I think he made a powerful statement that extends far beyond coffee.  The attempt to achieve perfection requires that one place limitations on that which she tries to perfect as well as her own experience of it.   Perfection denies diversity and complexity.  In the case of coffee and so many other things, it denies creativity and ingenuity.

I think that perhaps finding the "good" in our lives and in our world requires that we stop trying to be perfect.  We really must stop trying to homogenize every aspect of our lives.  Life is a journey.  We're all going to have bad weeks.  More often than not, our failures will be the source of them.  But, as cliche as it is, we wouldn't know a good day without the bad.

And, miraculously, there is beauty everywhere everyday.  Even when we are sick or angry or hurt or are the perpetrator of hurt.  Now that we don't have to be perfect, we can see the raw, brilliant beauty bursting out from ourselves and our friends and the strangers on the street.  We can heal and we can forgive and be forgiven.  We can be good.  We can experience the goodness of being alive.

Case in point.  These muffins.  I put these into the muffin pan and into the oven before I put the flax "eggs" in them.  After they had been baking for a minute or so, I noticed the flax mixture on the counter, congealed in a bowl.  Expletives.  One leap to the oven, two steps to the bowl, six frantic scoops, tentative folds, six scoops, crossed fingers, batter back in the oven.

And I call myself a baker.  

Good.  Not perfect.  Right? 

Great news.  They turned out.  And they are good.  So good.

Apples, cardamom, ginger, a touch of cinnamon.  Yep, I'm officially in love with fall.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins* with Cardamom and Ginger (vegan option)

(makes 12 muffins)

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used a mixture of white whole wheat and regular whole wheat)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar 

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp cinnamon

6 tbs butter (for vegan, use Earth Balance sticks -- not tub)

2/3 cup butter milk (for vegan, combine 2/3 cup soy or almond milk and 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, allowing to curdle for 5 minutes before use)

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs (for vegan, combine 4 tbs flax meal and 6 tbs warm water and allow to congeal for 3 to 5 minutes before use)

1 tbs fresh ginger, grated

2 small granny smith apples, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray or butter a muffin pan.

Combine dry ingredients by whisking them together in a large bowl.  

Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Turn off the heat and add buttermilk, whisking together.  Whisk in vanilla.  When the mixture is no longer hot, but is warm, whisk in eggs or flax "eggs."  

Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour the milk mixture into it.  Stir lightly with a spatula until the batter is fairly smooth, but not overmixed.  Fold in grated ginger and apples.  

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops are firm, toothpick comes out clean and muffins are golden brown.  Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before removing muffins from the pan

Eat for breakfast.  Then, take a drive to a quiet spot and go for a walk in the woods.  Breathe deep, you don't have to be perfect. 

*Inspired by and adapted from Sur La Table's Easy Morning Muffins found in The Art and Soul of Baking