Happy Mabon!

We are now into the most magical season that I can think of! It's so full of vibe and joy that I can hardly stand myself! I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of this Autumn season and have many plans to get out there and smell the decaying leaves, oooo and ahh at the foliage and drink something pleasant and strong!

I realize that autumn decided to literally drop in on the 11th hour a couple of days ago. No matter, I'd been preparing mentally for days. My honey tried to throw a non magical obstacle in my path in the form of a technicality...."It's not fall until 11:09 tonight"....which somehow I already knew. But it's like a birthday! If you are born before midnight, no matter how late in the day, it is still the day you generally celebrate. Hence, we brought it in on the 22nd anyway!

We are very lucky in that we have the real Farmville on the land we live on. Apple, pear and peach trees, a garden full of veggies and chickens in the back who provide us with eggs.

I went out the morning of Mabon and collected apples from our trees.

There's something about picking an apple straight off the tree and using it right away.

When I was little, I thought those apples with leaves still on them in the grocery store were super special. Not something you see every day! At least not at a chain grocery store. So despite my honey really wanting to also make a pie his way, I went ahead with mine. My mate is a super good cook. I'll be that his perfectionist ways are going to land us an amazing pie. In the meantime, I had a holiday to bake a pie for and wasn't waiting for Julia Childs to walk in and guide me. Instead, I leaned on Pillsbury to help me out a bit with the crust. I've made exactly one crust in my life.

Hated it.

So in the interest of time and good vibes, I bought a ready to bake crust.

Here is the orchestra of players.

A handsome bunch if I ever saw one.

Turns out that 6 cups of apples does not resemble what we see here. It would probably show another 2 or 3 apples. That's when I flew in the Guest Apple. The Studio Session apple, as it were. The apple who plays keyboard for a song or two and then flits off with payment but no one knows who it was or even cares so much. We are grateful that this particular apple joined the party to help fill out the pie a bit. The leaves are not from this apple. I placed them there to make it feel more native.

Forty-five minutes or so later, the orchestra emerges....all playing a perfect tune. Including the Pillsbury Quartet. Not bad for a store made crust!

And now my pants might be a tad tighter and my stomach sorta hurts but 2 days later....there is maybe 2 pieces left. But what a fun celebration that night and for dessert, there was pie.

Kiss Me Sweet Sweet Love

Love. I have found love again. All over my tongue, smooth in my mouth with a light sweetness that I didn't know existed.

I closed my eyes and held onto the stovetop. Just heaven.

I've never had agave nectar before. I'm a nectar newbie. But I cut up a local MacIntosh apple and drizzled the agave all over it. Yes....All.....over....it.....

Nothing could have complimented that apple any better. Well....I'd almost vote for the caramel covering but it'd have to be without wooden stick.

I charged into the room, fork straight out like a spear in battle, toward Humanling.

"Taste this."

Suspicious and worried look. She knows me. A food politician. I'll tell her anything to get one bite into her mouth. I've bombed this test many times. The last one being a mere few days ago with a chocolate coconut bar that I was told would taste like a mounds. Sure. If I buried it in the yard and forgot about it for a few years, dug it back up and then fried it with red peppers.

Did I mention she hated the bar? As did I? And we ran through Borders from the kids section to the garbage covering our mouths, desperate for a napkin?

Back to what's on the fork.

"No really, it's like sugar, you gotta taste it, you'll love it, I promise."

She took the bait. And gave the thumbs up.

Awwww yeah. This diet doesn't suck.