Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy has had such a powerful impact on so many people all over the world. In the days since the storm touched down on the Jersey Shore, it's become more and more evident that the aftermath has been life changing for most, and deadly for far too many. I live in coastal Connecticut, and we were braced for the worst. Many waterfront communities were under emergency evacuation orders, and between the full moon tides, an anticipated slow moving storm, and the rainfall expected during it, we were in for a rough time.
Many of the photos in this post were taken at 9:30am last Monday, or 2 1/2 hours before the first high tide of the day. As you can see, flooding was already wreaking havoc on many homes and businesses. But as bad as it seemed at this time, and as heartbreaking as it was to see the path of devastation left behind after the storm had come and gone, our community was spared when compared to others.

Many coastal areas here in Connecticut, some just blocks from my front door, had their homes flooded and their belongings destroyed, and millions lost power for what seemed like an eternity in 40 weather, yet much of what was forecasted to happen here didn't. The second high tide, expected at midnight, was predicted to occur while Hurricane Sandy's storm surge peaked, and that would have been disastrous. But thankfully, the storm moved through this area faster than predicted and we were spared the second blow that would have surely devastated thousands more.
However, there is really no way to compare or diminish people's suffering. The fact is millions are suffering in towns all over New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Like many out there who are counting their blessings, I wanted to know how to help.

There are many grassroots efforts happening right this very minute, on the ground in the areas worst hit by the storm. I have gathered a list of those I've discovered and I'm sharing them below (I will update this post if I come across more, so feel free to comment here, or contact me if you know of others I should add). In the unlikely event that there's anyone out there who doubts the level of devastation in the wake of Sandy, I'm also sharing links to some emotionally powerful stories and images I've come across in the past seven days. For those who have asked, my family escaped relatively unscathed and we are very grateful. As a former resident of both Brooklyn, NY and Jersey City, NJ, when I see the devastation there I am filled with both shock and sadness. My thoughts are with all of the families, right here in South Norwalk and beyond, who have lost loved ones, homes, treasured memories, and to anyone who's lives have been changed forever by this disaster.

Happy Halloween

I'm starting to think Mother Nature has a vendetta for trick or treating because this is the second year in a row we've been hit with a mother of a storm in October. But after a fair amount of sulking, my kids have realized that we have it really good right now compared to many folks, and we've got nothing to complain about.
We walked to our neighbors houses tonight collecting candy (not many because of the situation here), and stayed up late carving pumpkins since there's no school this week. I have much to share here, but my Internet has been out. I hope to catch up soon!
Hope all of you are safe after the storm, and that you and your little ones had a great Halloween!

Happy Weekend //

We are expecting to receive the {possibly intense} remnants of Hurricane Sandy early next week. Even though I'm usually not one to fall prey to all the hype, a phone call from our Mayor warning us to prepare for the worst has added a few more to-do's to the weekend. Storms can be fun, as long as no one gets hurt, and we don't lose electricity for too long. Another thing to look forward to - it will mean there's something else filling the airwaves besides the latest election poll results.
I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the storm won't be bad as Hurricane Irene, or spoil our Halloween again. We'll be hoping for the best and going about our Halloween pumpkin carving and decorating as planned. It will be a busy weekend! Hoping yours is a bit more relaxed and you can spend some time cooking up something ghoulish...
{1.} spooky fried mozzarella eyeballs | foodie crush {2.} baked pumpkin oatmeal | the faux martha {3.} petite pumpkin spice donuts | blue-eyed bakers {4.} chai concentrate | a dash of faith {5.} roasted butternut squash & red onion with tahini sauce | the flour sack {6.} roasted acorn squash & black bean tandoori enchiladas | good things grow {7.} butternut squash & pancetta orecchiette | spoon fork bacon {8.} fresh apple cake | a cup of mascarpone {9.} meringue bones | bite delite {10.} pumpkin whoopie pies | chasing delicious {11.} voodoo doll cookies | sprinkle bakes via etsy blog {12.} how to carve a pumpkin | food52 featuring maniac pumpkin carvers
Enjoy!

Butterflies & Dahlias

My yard has always been something I've dedicated a lot of time to. I take great pride in my gardens - I love having my boys grow their own vegetables, keeping herbs close at hand for cooking, and planting an assortment of flowering perennials, so I always have something in bloom. However, not unlike everything else in my life, I've been so busy my yard has been neglected. I had so many weeds to deal with, they were beginning to outnumber the desirable plants!

This, combined with the fact that I had my Mother coming to stay with us, motivated me to finally dedicate a weekend to tackling the yard. It was no easy task, and it's still not completely done, but I got enough accomplished that it feels good to step outside and admire the yard.

In Connecticut, we've had a very wet and unseasonably warm Autumn so far. Because of this, many of my plants are still colorful. The bugs, especially the bees and butterflies are enjoying this Indian Summer we've been having as well. Towards the end of the day last Sunday, I grabbed my camera to capture the show Mother Nature was putting on outside - most abundant of which were the Painted Lady butterflies and Dahlias.

Savory Roasted Tomato & Manchego Clafoutis

This month's issue of Whole Living magazine has the most exquisitely delicious looking spread of healthy breakfast recipes - all of which are gluten-free and written by Aran Goyoaga, of Cannelle et Vanille. I have a feeling I will end up making every one of them at some point, but I started with this recipe, which had me instantly intrigued by the list of ingredients alone.
I am not very well-acquainted with French cooking, but I did know that a traditional Clafoutis {pronounced klafuti} was a cake-like dessert made with fresh cherries. This savory, and eggier version was new to me, but reminded me of one of my favorite egg based casseroles - a strata.

I also have a few cherry tomato plants that have managed to remain alive and producing fruit, even as we enter October {I didn't have quite enough for this recipe, but I supplemented with some store bought grape tomatoes I had hanging around}. I was eager to use them as the main ingredient in something special, and this was the requisite recipe.
Instead of making mine as one larger casserole, I loosely halved the recipe and divided it among a pair of 4-inch skillets. This produced two main-course sized portions, but could have easily been stretched to four if being served alongside other brunch fare.