Fall Trend: Turtlenecks

I was at my parents’ house this weekend, trying to clean out some old things, when I stumbled upon a set of old, barely worn, thin cotton turtlenecks. I remember buying them; they were $9 or something insane at Old Navy when I was in college. I picked up burgundy, oatmeal, brown, and gray, and then realized I felt too covered up and never wore them. I’ve been hanging onto them for years now, unable to justify tossing a staple item in good shape. 

And now it appears turtlenecks are sneaking their way to the forefront of fashion again. They’re popping up on the mannequins in J.Crew stores, on fashion blogs, and in magazines. I still can’t say I love them, but I do plan to bring them out again, just for a change of pace. 

I do love oversized turtleneck sweaters, and I also particularly like the look of layering thin ones over or under button down sweaters. But then again I tend to think any outfit looks better in layers- just seems a little more thought out. 

Below, some inspiration for wearing this year’s turtleneck trend:

Under a sweater:

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Monochrome:

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Layered under your winter coat

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With a skirt:

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Cropped with a matching skirt:

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The classic cozy, oversized sweater, made more interesting layered over a button down:

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Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce

I was surprised at how much I liked this pasta drenched in a butternut squash puree. Its orangey color made me think of mac and cheese, and I figured that I’d bite into it and just wish that it was mac and cheese, and not some healthy impostor.  But this had so much flavor, and was so surprisingly creamy, that I didn’t miss the cheese at all. For a cheese lover like me, that’s saying a lot.

I made a few modifications to the original recipe, which came from an old issue of Bon Appetit. First and least importantly, I changed the name. They called it a “squash carbonara,” but as it contains no egg, I think that’s misleading. Secondly, they also used prosciutto, fried up and crisp, with the onions cooked in the prosciutto’s rendered fat. I skipped this step as I was trying to keep the meal a little healthier and a little cheaper (the best imported stuff goes for $26/pound where I am!)  The good news is, it was still delicious.

Pasta with Butternut Squash Sauce, adapted from Bon Appetit
2 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes (about 3 cups)2 cloves garlic, smashed½ a small yellow onion, diced2 cups chicken stock1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves2 tbsp olive oil¼ cup grated ParmesanPinch red pepper flakesSalt and pepper1 box pasta (I used rotelle but think this would be great on linguini)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash, onion, garlic, pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper.  

Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add broth, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Reserve skillet.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente. Drain, reserving one cup cooking liquid.

Combine pasta and squash puree in reserved skillet and cook over medium heat for two minutes. If it seems dry, add ¼ cup of reserved pasta cooking liquid. Mix in ¼ cup Parmesan.

Serve, with extra Parmesan for topping.

Make Ahead: Squash puree can be cooked up to three days ahead. Let cool, cover, and chill.

Sunday Dinner

I love making elaborate Sunday dinners. Mr. B lounges on the couch and watches football, and I spend hours in the kitchen on something too involved for a workday. We eat dinner and spend the night on the couch together, catching up on our DVR shows or watching 60 Minutes. 

Last weekend, I put together a simple, satisfying meal of roast chicken, potato fennel gratin, and roasted brussels sprouts. It was comforting and delicious, perfect for the 9 degree weather we've been having here.

The recipes were pretty straightforward. I make roast chicken the same way every time- seasoned heavily with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic salt, and fresh rosemary, stuffed with a lemon, and baked at 425 for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until it's 175 in the thigh. I baked mine in a dutch oven with a cup of water added to the bottom to keep it from sticking and keep the dark meat moist. Perfect every time. 

Brussels sprouts were simply tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and about 1/4 cup of cubed pancetta pieces. These also cook at 425, for about 20 minutes. 

Finally, I used Ina's Potato Fennel Gratin recipe, only I swapped the Gruyere for fontina. Mr. B found the gratin a bit rich, but I ate almost half of it alone. It was delicious. A note, if you make this meal, the gratin cooks at 350, so adjust your other items accordingly, unless you're lucky enough to have a double oven. 

Thanksgiving Timeline

Now that I've shared my menu and recipes for Thanksgiving, I'll share what really helps me host it successfully: my timeline. It's borderline obsessive, but it allows me to know exactly what needs to get done, at what time, and makes hosting a lot more relaxing.  

I list out each dish that I'm making, and then detail what where I'm cooking and preparing each item in, and what I'm serving them in. That way I don't get the cooking started and realize I've planned to use my one baking dish for two separate sides! Plus, since I only have one oven, making a detailed schedule helps to ensure I'm not overloading it.

My schedule also indicates what can be done the day ahead, morning of, etc, breaking down my party into a super manageable list of tasks.

A copy of my schedule is below, clearly it's written out for the recipes I used, but feel free to copy the formatting, etc, if you are Type A like me and think this may help!
 

How do you prep for big parties? Are you a detail nut like me or do you wing it?

Friendsgiving

For the third year in a row, my husband and I have hosted "Friendsgiving," a pre-Thanksgiving meal where we cram too many of our friends in our small apartment and stuff our face with turkey and cranberry and alcoholic cider. It gets hot and crowded, but it's always a ton of fun.

I do the bulk of the cooking, with my girlfriends supplementing side dishes (those are marked by an asterisk) and the boys bringing booze and dessert. This week, I'll share my tried-and-true recipes and my intense timeline, both of which allow me to pull this off successfully without going crazy.

Our Menu (I'll be adding more links as I post this week):

Antipasto of Brie Cheese, Olives, Crackers, Prosciutto
Butternut Squash Galette*

Lemon Rosemary Roasted Turkey & Gravy
Italian Sausage Stuffing
Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Parsley Dressing
Green Beans with Shallots
Mashed potatoes
Mashed sweet potatoes*
Cornbread*
Cranberry Sauce*
Cape Cod Chopped Salad
Baked Pasta with Kale and Butternut Squash*
Caramel Vodka Apple Cider

Dessert was buffet of apple pie, cookies, pumpkin bread, and fruit salad. The boys also randomly brought a giant bag of Airheads and Starburst, so we had a little Halloween throwback as well.

Stay tuned for the recipes, just in time for actual Thanksgiving!

I will not be sharing carving tips, I hacked that turkey up. Please share your tips with me!

Cape Cod Chopped Salad

This salad is ridiculous. It’s so good, and my photos are not doing it justice.  I expected to hate it, since I hate sweet/savory combos and this salad has both maple syrup and dried fruit, but I was genuinely surprised at how great it was. The dressing flavors blend together and have a wonderful depth, and the combo of arugula, nuts, blue cheese, and bacon is absolutely delicious. 

How silly of me to doubt the Queen (Ina Garten).

Try this classy salad out, it’s perfect for Thanksgiving!

Cape Cod Chopped Salad, from Ina Garten  

For salad:
8 oz bacon, cooked (to make life easier, I use the pre-cooked kind)
8 oz baby arugula
1 large Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
½ cup toasted walnut  halves (I used hazelnuts)
½ cup dried unsweetened cranberries
6 oz blue cheese, crumbled

For the dressing:
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp maple syrup
Kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Toss all salad ingredients together in serving bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. You can prepare these a few hours ahead of time and keep them separate.

When ready to serve, toss the salad with enough dressing to moisten (you may not need to use all of it). Serve immediately.

Roasted Delicata Squash and Cauliflower

 

I’m obsessed with Wegman’s grocery stores. Great prices, great atmosphere, delicious catering, awesome cheese section, love the liquor store…I could go on and on.

But my favorite thing about them is their genius marketing. Every quarter, they put together their “Menu” magazine, full of quality seasonal recipes that use Wegman’s brand ingredients. For example, they’ll suggest a beef stirfry recipe, and you can go to the meat department and find “Beef for Stirfry” strips already cut and sized to the recipe, and then head on over to the vegetables and find all the items in the recipe precut, measured, and packaged. It’s not necessarily my favorite way to cook, but it’s brilliant marketing: make the cooking easy, approachable, and then sell everything needed for it. (Oh, and if you don’t want to cook, the recipes are obviously available ready-made in the Prepared Foods section).

Seriously, my dream job is to work for this magazine, if only their HQ wasn’t in a place I’d never live. 

 

Anyway, my number one Thanksgiving side dish recipe, Roasted Delicata Squash and Cauliflower, comes from an old issue of the Wegman’s magazine. It’s simple, healthy, and delicious, and it reheats beautifully, so you can make it the day before a party.

 

I wrote the recipe using Wegman’s ingredients, but if you don’t have a Wegmans nearby, I provided alternatives in parenthesis. I’ve done this recipe both ways, and it’s always delicious.

 

 

 

Roasted Delicata Squash and Cauliflower, from Wegman’s

1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into bite size pieces

1 20 oz pkg cleaned and cut delicata squash (alternately, a 1.5 lb delicata or butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces)

¼ cup Wegman’s Basting Oil (alternately, olive oil and your favorite dried herbs and a ½ tsp garlic salt)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 6 oz package baby spinach or arugula 

 

Preheat oven to 450.

 

Toss cauliflower, squash, and oil together. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 30 mins, until browned.  (Can be made at this point up to one day ahead. Cool, refrigerate, and reheat for 20 minutes at 350 before serving). 

 

Add spinach to a serving bowl, top with hot cauliflower and squash mix, and toss. Serve.

 

Serves 6-8.

 

This is also good at room temperature, which makes it great to take to a Thanksgiving potluck.



Goodbye October

October is my favorite month of the year, and I always get a little bummed when it’s over (although, thankfully I have glorious November and Christmas to look forward to!)

In honor of the end of the month, I rounded up a few of my favorite autumn images. They remind me of everything I love about October- crisp weather, pumpkins, changing leaves.

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What's your favorite part of fall?

Fall Dinner Party

My in-laws came over for dinner this past Sunday, and I figured I’d share our simple roast chicken menu.

  

We started with some simple appetizers of hummus and crudités (not pictured). In all honesty, I can’t think of anything more boring to start a meal with, but it’s my mother-in-law’s favorite, so I went with it.

I threw together a mixed green salad, no real recipe here, just a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, and those beautiful watermelon radishes.

I also roasted a chicken (I had the butcher cut it up into 8 pieces, so much easier). It was done very simply, with olive oil, garlic, lemon, and lots of salt for a crispy skin.

On the side, I made Roasted Root Vegetables, with carrots, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts.  We also had Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan, a deliciously cheesy take on plain old mashed potatoes.

 For dessert, I threw together Ina’s Blueberry Crumb Cake, another no-fail recipe of the Barefoot Contessa’s.  

Overall, it was a simple and satisfying Sunday meal!

Fall Entertaining Favorites

Today, I have a roundup of some elegant fall entertaining items. I have plain white dinnerware, and I love updating it seasonally by adding new linens or a fresh serving platter. I'm especially obsessed with the table runner below, which would look great set against those gold chargers. And the bronze tiered tray is perfect for Thanksgiving appetizers or dessert. And I had to include a Lenox platter- the Autumn pattern is my mom's wedding china, and I love it for the fall.

Gold napkin ring, $2.95, Pier One

 Decorative pumpkin, $9.95,  Pier One

 “Autumn” serving platter, $279, Lenox

Cake stand, $45, Martha Stewart 

Table runner, $25, World Market

Gold charger plates, $9.99 for 6, Bed Bath and Beyond

Red Cambria dinnerware, $32-$115, Pottery Barn

Mustard napkins, $9.99 for 6 World Market

Tiered serving tray, $40, Pier One

 “Gratitude” script placemat, $5.95, Pier One

Smitten Kitchen Apple Cake

Officially, this is my favorite cake. I don’t have a gigantic sweet tooth so I tend to avoid buttercream layer cake confections. I prefer homestyle, cozy creations, so to me, this apple cake is perfect. It’s incredibly moist, cinnamony, and full of soft, delicious apples.

I first tried it for Rosh Hashanah this year, then got requests to make it again for Yom Kippur, and then made it for my parents when they came for dinner. I have never liked a cake enough to make it three times, especially all within a month of each other, but that is how good this one is.   It’s also incredibly easy to put together, as it doesn’t require a mixer, and stays moist and fresh for a few days if you need to bake it in advance.

Try this, you’ll love it. 

Smitten Kitchen Apple Cake, from Smitten Kitchen
6 apples (SK recommends McIntoshes, I used half Macs and half Ginger Golds)
1 tbsp cinnamon
5 tbsp sugar

2¾  cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I am sure you could substitute lemon as well)
2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional; I’ve made it both ways)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core, and chop apples into 1 inch chunks and toss with the 1 tbsp of cinnamon and 5 tbsp sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl, whisk oil, orange juice, sugar, and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into dry ones, then add eggs, 1 at a time. Scrape down bowl.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Pour half the apples over that.  Pour the remaining batter over, and top with the remaining apples. Bake for 1 and a half hours, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool completely, then turn out of tube pan. You can sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar before serving, although I didn’t. Cake will be good at room temp for up to four days.

Fall Nails

I’m normally very straight-laced with my nails, wearing Essie’s sheer pink Limoscene 90% of the year.  But lately I’m kind of obsessed with all the glitzy jewel tones popping up for fall.

I’m particularly into Revlon’s Elusive, a deep sparkly blue-green, reminiscent of outer space: (seen here with a glossy topcoat, it actually dries matte):

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I love the colors in Deborah Lippman's Jewel Heist collection. What a perfect expression of fall trends:

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OPI’S “In The Cable Car Pool Lane” is a deep berry that’s perfect for the office (unlike some of those above shades!)

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And I must get my hands on Bewitched, by Laura Mercier- what a deep, gorgeous shade of green!

 

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While we’re on the nails topic, check out “Gotham Polish,” a blog about nail style in New York City.  

 What shades will you be rocking this fall?

Skirts and Sweaters

It’s the season of the sweater- crazy how such a basic wardrobe element can be suddenly become wildly fashionable, but I’m loving it. How great is it that when you just want to be cozy and comfortable, you’ll look trendy too? Take your pick of Aran knits, printed crewnecks, or turtlenecks, which feel freshest when paired with a swingy skirt.

Get inspired:

 

 

Get Shopping:

 

J. Crew Tippi

H&M

H&M



 

Animal Print Accessories

I don’t think a fall season goes by without everyone proclaiming animal print is totally in, and fall 2013 is no exception. This year, I’m loving it for accessories, especially leopard print done in black and white.

 

Cap, J. Crew
Clutch, Lauren Merkin
Sunglasses, Roberto Cavalli

Watch, Anne Klein

Shoes, Enzo Angiolini
Tote, Kelsi Dagger
Scarf,  Tasha