Things I'm excited about right now:

          

Downton Abbey Christmas Special - somebody get me a sexy farmer please. Just kidding, my city boy is pretty awesome, but I wouldn't say no to a few chickens... 

Quince - I know I'm late to this party, but they make seriously good pie!

Sunday Suppers - does that not look like the coooolest place to work? I'll be hosting my own friendly supper this Sunday, a Feastival if you will, to practice for Thanksgiving and because do you really ever need a good reason to be merry with friends? No, you do not. 

Also... the NJ Turnpike - Typically I am not a fan, but something about driving home for the holidays with Jeff and Taco and a car full of gifts for everyone makes me feel all warn and fuzzy. I am such a winter baby. Actually they all sound good right about now - trains, plains, automobiles, you name it!  

Not exciting, but worth mentioning:

One of my guitar strings snapped a little while ago and I'm embarrassed to say I've never replaced them (owned the thing for a few years) so someone tell me what to buy!! 

That's all for now :-)

My Grown Up Halloween

I did not buy any candy for Halloween this year.

I also didn't work very hard on my costume either (I got very lucky and found everything I needed at a rummage sale earlier in the month). I did however, attempt making caramel for the first time (pictured above). When I need a recipe for something sweet I typically start with David Lebovitz. He tells lovely stories about his life as an expat in Paris.

Caramel is tricky, and a bit dangerous if you're not careful, so I was nervous (especially since baby Taco was weaving around my feet throughout the process, and I did not want him to get accidentally spilled or stepped on).  I should not have doubted Mr. Lebovitz, though, because the recipe worked perfectly.

Not really being sure what I would use the caramel for I decided to keep it simple and just let it harden in a baking sheet instead of turning it into some sort of fancy sauce or toffee. I scattered a few crushed pecans and some chia seeds to add texture and I'm pretty happy with the result.

Instead of the typical rager one might attend for Halloween while still in college, my friends and I had a pretty tame night wandering around the east village drinking pumpkin beer :-)

The best costume I saw was a man disguised as a bush. 

And here's Dolly - 

...workin' 9 to 5 oh what a way to make a living...