First day of fall

It's been a good day.
My good friend Frida is visiting from Germany. We spent the morning and afternoon drinking coffee, eating flavorful vegetables ("weggies" ;) ), searching small shops for treasures and walking about. The weather has been wonderful! The clouds have been so varied and are constantly changing... they sure are beautiful.



I've officially broken out my tights, boots and scarves. One of the things I love about fall is how I can wear so many layers and be a bit more creative with my wardrobe. Today's outfit was fairly simple, but comfy.



Other things I love about fall:
The leaves change into brilliant colors of red, orange and yellow. Candles add a lovely glow on those cloudy, dreary days. A hot cup of coffee, tea or apple cider will always warm your bones. You can curl up with a good book and bury yourself under a heap of blankets.

What are your favorite things about fall?

A simple dinner creation.

Cooking is something that I've always enjoyed, but lately I learned how much more fun it is for me if I can cook something that is delicious AND pretty enough to photograph. The photos below are of a simple vegetable recipe I made up for dinner one night. In case you're interested in trying it I'll include the ingredients and how I did it below.





(Because I love to listen to foreign music when I cook...)



Ingredients:
one small eggplant
one small zucchini
one medium, thinly sliced tomato
a garlic clove
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups of shredded (I used Dubliner) cheese of your choice
a few leaves of basil
1 cup of flour seasoned with salt + pepper in a bowl
a bowl of water
olive oil

Directions:
Preheat over to 300 degrees.
Peel the eggplant and slice it into half inch pieces. Thoroughly wet slices in the bowl of water, then dip into flour mixture and lay on a greased cookie sheet individually. Proceed by cutting the zucchini the same and then lay on top of the eggplant. Drip a bit of oil on top and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until it browns slightly. While that's baking, mince the garlic and sauté it with the onions until it's nearly done, adding the mushrooms at the end so they aren't over cooked.
Take the cookie sheet out of the over and begin to lay a slice of tomato on top of your eggplant + zucchini patties. Next, sprinkle your shredded cheese on top. Put it in the over again for about five more minutes or until the cheese melts. When it's done, take it out of the over and transfer to a plate, put the sautéed mix over the top of the patties and garnish with a leaf or two of basil.


Bon appétit!