Bring in the Flavor of Fall

There are some days when you wake up knowing that it's going to be a good day.


The sun is shining in a blue sky and the rural landscape seems to come alive. When the ramshackle barns that dot the farmland seem to beckon, almost like they will finally tell you all they have seen.


A day when the horses frolic in the grasslands slowly turning to hay.


This is one of those days that I wish I could ride. With the sun shining down on me and the wind in my hair, I would be the one flying. Instead, I stood there and dreamed.


You also know that just as you want to bathe in the colors of the changing season, you also want to do your best to bring it home.


Granny Smith apples and fresh cranberries. The warm comforting smell of buttery goodness of a crumble.


We could quibble about crumble versus crisp and crisp might claim victory but the real winner is you; for you captured the essence of fall.


Cranberry-apple crisp à la mode. Just perfect.


So perfect that I thought I would have at least two smiling neighbors. But only one family was that lucky.


And you should be so lucky, too. The recipe is over at Jen's. Make it.

16 comments:

Anita said...

Looks like an idyllic fall day! The views, the dreaming, and then home baking!
I have been craving a baked dessert since yesterday...Have apples...

Kitt said...

Delightful! A crisp day is perfect for a crisp.

Love your little pots, too. I covet them.

Priya Suresh said...

Wow beautifull clicks..little pots looks cute..

Anjali Koli said...

The writing and then the pots aha! How big are those pots? Or were you cooking for an army?

Pelicano said...

"Crumble" and "crisp" look fairly interchangeable. I remember an article in Marta defining all of these, but do I recall? Is that issue handy? Would I refuse a piece?

I actually just landed on a big bag of apples and was considering making them into cider and then vinegar, but then I thought to myself: Pel, when was the last time you used the apple-cider vinegar you have now? The only reason you want to go through all of that fuss is so that you can say you made it. But how handy would it be for sharing with guests that drop by? What're you gonna say? Here...want a swig?

I think your idea is much, much better... and if you have that daydream again, just watch Mr. Ed re-runs while sitting sideways on the back of the sofa. With the blinds drawn.

Finla said...

Beautiful pictures and that crumb looks so yumm.
You did make a lot any left overs for me ;-)

Rajesh &Shankari said...

come on..I thought I was so lucky that you were planning to fedex me some.

"With the sun shining down on me and the wind in my hair, I would be the one flying. Instead, I stood there and dreamed." - These lines remind me of a M&B I read (just one and then I had it)..you have a beautiful way of expressing yourself, that makes things seem real.

Meera said...

Just loved those pretty fall pictures. Reminded me of our Colorado Springs trip few years back.

Thistledew Farm said...

You inspire me - so I awarded you an Excellence Award on my site today! Go check it out!

sra said...

I loved this post - very laidback, pastoral and poetic.

Bharti said...

beautiful pictures. I think to myself everyday, I'm going to click pictures today after I drop the kids to school. There is just that one week in Fall when everything is in perfect sync. When all the trees are just the right vibrant color..I have to learn photography..some day.
Apple crisp looks just perfect, I agree.

Indian Food Rocks said...

Anita, it was. Yesterday was not. Today is crisp and gorgeous again!

Kitt, I bought the set about this time last year mainly for what I call the mother pot, a 3.5 qt Dutch oven, and it really is your fault. I needed a large enough Dutch oven or something to make your no-knead bread in. Sam's might carry them again. It is stoneware and not cast-iron. If I see them again, I could pick up a set for you. Or there is always ebay.

Priya, Picasa seems to have fiddled with the colors when I uploaded them. So the first one is not as compelling as it should be. :-(

Anjali, the army cook resides closer to you than me. These are small pots - 16oz. :-D

Pel, there are so many names for the same thing that I never know what to call it. Pizza is a pie. Pumpkin pie is also a pie. Cobblers, crumbles and crisps confound me. I would willingly call them a pie, just upside down.

You might have no other option but to make apple cider or ACV considering that you landed on them poor things. What a mess it must be!

Drawn blinds? What? Suppress the exhibitionist in me? No!!

Happy Cook, it is all gone! Medha found it too tart on the first day and I think that was largely because she had other expectations. But she liked it so much the next day that we had to negotiate how many of those servings I could share with my neighbors. She feels that I give away the best stuff to other people so I had to prove her wrong! She liked it cold, too.

Shankari, M&B? No! No! No! I do protest!

Meera, Co Springs is gorgeous - did you take the Cog up to Pikes Peak?

Thistledew Farm, I'll send you an email in a bit!

Sra, this is the wild west, you know! Thanks! :-D

Indian Food Rocks said...

Bharti, take your camera along with you and you will find yourself pulling over to take pictures. The key is to start taking pictures, and then join a friendly photo forum or a photo-sharing site like Flickr where there is a community to support you. You will find a ton of information and learn how-to through other people's pics. And make the apple crisp! It's the season!

bee said...

there's something for you at THAT PLACE.

Priya said...

M&B!! .... M & B....
Shankari is awesome :)

Rachna said...

ahh delectable, this dish looks....