I’m starting this draft on the evening of November 3, Election Day in the U.S. I’m setting on my patio watching the sun go down, enjoying a wonderful Indian Summer evening, sipping a cocktail, listening to a Wilco station on Pandora, and smelling the aromatic pinion wood burn in our chimenea. (It’s too early to start watching election results.)
It’s a perfect evening.
I hope that whatever the outcome of the 2020 election that things are just as calm and peaceful as my evening was as all the votes are counted.
We shall see. Fingers crossed. I also hope we all work together, listen to conversations, and come out of 2020 all the better, health-wise, socially, and mentally.
What was new in my kitchen in October? Let’s take a peak.
Holiday Tea
This is the best stuff. I can find it at World Market. It’s a bit pricey, but I stock up as soon as it hits the shelves. I bought these two cans at the very beginning of October. I need to go back and buy a few more. I ran out around June this year. I love drinking it (and rationing it) throughout the year. The aroma of it always reminds me of the holidays.
The weekend of October 24 found us moving all the plants from the patio into the greenhouse. (That’s a chore). It also found us in the garden picking tomatoes and peppers and eggplant. I had to preserve the late harvest.
I started to try to pickle the eggplant but I read that “Pickling eggplant is unsafe in the U.S.” Is that prophetic? I stir-fried it instead. But I did pickle the jalapenos.
Candied Jalapenos and Pickled Jalapenos
And lots of green tomatoes.
Green Tomato Relish
This is my grandmother’s recipe. We’ve never figured out why it was called “Celery Relish” when it calls for a peck of green tomatoes and only three stalks of celery. 🙂 I remember this stuff with such fondness and nostalgia. It seems like she always had a gallon of it in her fridge.
Habaneros 
I dried the habaneros (and there might have been some other kind of hot peppers in the mix) and then pulverized them into a powder.
I did have to wear a mask while I processed the dried peppers in the blender. I love the color. We’ve used some of the powder in a rub for a pork shoulder. Delicious (in small amounts).
Pre-freeze pickings
There were also a few tomatoes and these great peppers to pick before the freeze.
These are a great sweet pepper. I’ve seen them called starfish peppers and lipstick peppers. Love them. These got sliced up for a pizza.
I bought this cookbook, Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gatherings, for a wedding present and had to peruse through it before it went into the gift bag. I’ve always been a fan of Fixer Upper and I do admire some of Gaines’ products in Target. I have to say that I was impressed with this cookbook. I made notes and copied a few recipes like Shepherd’s Pie; Brussels Sprouts w/Crispy Bacon, Toasted Pecans & Balsamic Reduction; White Bean Hummus; Party Queso (w/cream, two kinds of beans, and the obligatory Velveeta); Layered Arugula Salad; Flatbread Pizza (w/Prosciutto & New Potatoes); Jalapeno Drip Jam (a new concept); Orange Scones; Savory Ham & Cheese Bread Pudding; and Eggs Benedict Casserole.
The photographs are fabulous. I also appreciated the hednotes to each recipe. Each one tells a bit about the recipe and sometimes some family lore like with Syrian Donuts. All the recipes seem very doable (and delicious).
Without sounding like an old fart, I think this book is perfect for a young newlywed. Gaines includes a list of items for the pantry, essential tools, and ideas for planning family gatherings. The introduction begins with a narrative of Gaines’ first few months of marriage. I loved the story about “It doesn’t taste like my mom’s spaghetti.” (I have a similar potato salad experience from my young married life of long ago.)
I hope to post recipes soon from this cookbook. This book might make me check out the sequel, Magnolia Table: Volume Two.
In My Kitchen is hosted by Sherry’s Pickings.
I’m also linking up with Foodies Read for the cookbook review. 
What’s my curveball this month?
Sedaris’ latest…hot off the press. Cannot wait to read it. Hopefully it will provide some smiles. I’m so excited about this book that I also celebrated it on my last post.