autumn + normandy apple bread

Every morning the girls come out and say, "Mommy! The leaves are falling down!" 

{We will miss this neighborhood. So much.}

This week I made some long-awaited loaves of Jeffrey Hammelman's Normandy Apple Bread.

It was totally worth waiting for.

Thanks for all the Pin-Did enthusiasm! Can you say jazzed?? (jazzed.)

Happy day, friends!

sunday dinner: zuppa toscana + olive levain

While at a church work party last weekend, my friend Tammy served up this amazing soup.

Oh. mah. goodness.

Sausage. Potatoes. Kale. And some cream (mmm).

I could eat it every day for a week.

We had it for dinner tonight with the remnants of some olive levain loaves from earlier in the week.

My sweet man is not a picky eater. But he truly hates, despises, and loathes olives.

So when I asked him last week--

"Love, how disappointed would you be if I made olive bread this time?"

and he said--

"Pretty disappointed."

and then--

"But I know you really really want some. You should make it. Really."

I half-heartedly protested for all of maybe 5 seconds before giving in.

Oh it was so good.

(I think this was one of our last outdoor/barefoot meals for the year. What a beautiful day it was.)

ps! In case you missed it -- I got to guest post for Candace over at Sparkle Power this week while she's busy with her sweet new baby boy. Hop on over for my roundup of freezer meal recipes!

navy + dots

I guess it's not just me.

{via Modcloth}

{via Modcloth}

{via Ruche}

Louise had the brilliant idea of adding lace to the bottom of my too-short dress (see below), so maybe we'll see what we can whip up over the weekend.

Also on my mind today --

Ms. Horner's unfailingly perfect color instinct --



Further adventures in sourdough (look how happy my starter is!) -- and the suspicion that some pain au chocolat might be in my near future --



And this happy reminder --



Stay snug this weekend!

YES! yesyesyesyesyesyesyes

It’s alive! Practically overnight, my starter went from producing a thin layer of bubbles to breaking forth in rolling, bubbling foam. The magic key: aeration. In Whole Grain Breads, Peter Reinhart suggests whisking up your starter a few times a day as a simple cure for sluggishness -- and boy howdy, zippity doo dah, and hallelujah, it worked!

This is the best bread that’s come outta this kitchen yet. (By the way, this is Vermont Sourdough with Rye from this indispensible book...if you want one serious book about sourdough, this is the one.) It would be hard to overstate how excited I am. Amped, people. I have been trying (granted, in a very on-and-off fashion, but still) for five years to get this right, so I am totally totally totally stoked to continue on this path and try more advanced formulas. CAN I GET A YEE-HAW!!

I really hope this is not a fluke.

I could kiss every single one of you on the mouth.