breakfast

*Many of us need a little extra comfort in our lives right now. I know I do. I wrote this post before the election. Before most of us woke up to confusion and extreme disappointment.

I believe in the healing powers of making something good for the people you love. It is important that we all keep our spirits up so we can continue to fight for what is right. For me, making a pie for the ones I love is just the right medicine. The best thing we can do right now is to be the antithesis to hate. Share a meal with your neighbors. Reach out. Help someone. We have so much work to do, but first, let’s share a slice of pie.

So, we went apple picking. When I say apple picking, I mean APPLE PICKING. Between Evan, I and our two bags, we picked 90 pounds of apples! And it was awesome! It was a perfect afternoon. We went for a quick hike, stopped for BBQ and on the way home visited a pick-your-own orchard. We romped with our dog to the farthest end of the orchard and picked our way back to the farmstand. It didn’t take very long until we were both gleeful and tired hauling our bags. We left feeling strong (I carried a 46-pound bag of apples uphill!) and dreaming of all the things we could make.

Did I temporarily forget I work for a produce company? Yes. Does this amount of apples we picked for the two of us make is prepsteaders? Possibly? It is now four weeks later I still have a lot of apples.

There have been many apple projects happening at our house. Our kitchen smells pleasantly of apples all the time. I have chipped away at our supply with pies and crisps. Honestly, we are not complaining….

I mourn the loss of summer every year. I always want the longer warm days to last longer. It doesn’t feel right for dusk to come before seven pm. I still want more swing time in the hammock and time in the sun playing with my dog.

I am certainly not ready to say goodbye to summer produce. Pumpkin-spice-everything began showing up at the beginning of August. I am not a fan. It seems sacrilege to pine for summer weather, foods and adventures all winter only to hasten fall flavors in the dead of the most anticipated season. Let’s savor summer while we can!

Every time I think my garden is done producing tomatoes, I turn around and find another basketful ready to harvest. We have eaten tomato everything this summer. There have been gallons of gazpacho and panzanella every which way. Now that it is a little cooler I am ok with turning on my oven to roast the last tomatoes of the season. I expect my plants to stop producing sooner or later!

My friend Josephina made me biscuits and gravy for the first time a few years ago. I don’t know how I had missed this perfect hearty breakfast for so long! Josephina’s methods are based on family tradition. She uses her grandmother’s recipe for buttery biscuits smothered with a creamy roux thickened gravy and browned sausage links. Josephina’s biscuits and gravy were a treat and kept me satiated long into the day. This is the breakfast one needs when there is a long day of work to do or adventures to be had.

…

Apple Pie with Cheddar Buttermilk Crust

Chive Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and Roasted Tomatoes