My friend Kim had a wonderful idea to celebrate her birthday. She gathered 50 special friends, and asked them all to knit a scarf which would then be donated to the shelter for battered women. It was magical to see the wonderful scarves that everyone knit, and to think of the women who will enjoy them.
I don't really like contrived holiday decorations, but I couldn't resist. They are chocolate cupcakes with mocha buttercream, covered with chocolate cake crumbs ( dirt). The stones are my almond tart dough cut into strips and ripped on the top. I love piping with chocolate, but I ran out of time and so only did the usual rip. I would have loved to do bigger pieces with more gravestone scary images.
I have written before about how eating food we have produced ourselves has been a common rhythm in our lives since moving to Vermont in 1991. Yet, I am astonished each time we come in from the fields ( or the farmstand, now) with a dinner just waiting to be made. The fresh vegetables, simply prepared, taste just like you see in the image. I read a lot of cookbooks and cooking magazines, but when it comes right down to it, I love grilled vegetables with a simple vinaigrette, or corn just steamed slightly. I have not yet had enough tomato sandwiches or bread salad to last me until next year, but the weather certainly suggests we may have another couple of weeks until the cold catches us with mealy or green tomatoes.
Happy Birthday, Kevin! It was a giant fantasy cake with meringue trim, made even more fantastical with those sparkler-like candles. I need more of those for another upcoming birthday of the sparkly nature.
