On September 22, the first day of fall, that autumn feeling was in the air, and I completely switched into fall food mode. Even though here in the Bay area we keep swinging between crisper, breezier days and sunny, summer days, when my husband suggested we have something with pork for dinner, I jumped at the chance to make this whole pork loin atop apples. It is so simple I’m not sure why I haven’t made it in a few years, but I’m so happy I made a quick stop by the store for the ingredients this weekend. Pork + apples, it’s been too long! (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Sunday Suppers by Courtney

While we’re experiencing the last bits of summer here in the Bay Area, fall has been flirting with us a bit. Harvest has started in wine country, the summer fruits and vegetables are having their last harrah! in my backyard, football is in full swing, and the temps are occasionally dropping. My mind has been teeming with all the wonderful cool-weather foods I want to make, so I thought I’d not only share my lineup, but give a little order to the running list in my head. (more…)

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miscellany by Courtney

I’ve waxed poetic about Limerick Lane’s wines many a time on this blog already, but they really just put out such wonderful wines. This bottle of furmint is no exception, though I was a little puzzled as to what I should do with it once I received it. Such an odd sounding wine — “fur… mint” I kept saying to myself. It came in a small bottle, so it must be sweet, I thought. So I decided to do a little investigation before opening.

I consulted my What to Drink book first, which has a handy reverse lookup (basically, what to eat). (more…)

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Appetizers, Dessert, Drink Time, Wine pairings by Courtney

When September rolls around, I get all excited. There’s football, the weather stays warm, but we get a few nice, cool days that foreshadow the fall weather to come, and Oktoberfest begins, which gives me the perfect excuse to whip out this recipe and play some traditional German music.

I stumbled upon this recipe in a Martha Stewart Living a few years back. It was in an article featuring apples, and at the time, I wasn’t the biggest fan of cabbage. Actually, you could say I hated it and didn’t know why anyone would ruin a good sausage that way. Then I saw a picture of this dish; knockwurst tucked neatly into a dutch oven of apples (and cabbage), braised with apple cider and apple cider vinegar. I decided to overcome my issues with cabbage and give it a try. (more…)

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Dinner, German, Gluten free by Courtney