The favorites list: Early fall.

As the light changes, the shadows lengthen, the sun sets earlier and the garden is getting tired, I think I’m getting ready, myself, for fall. Right now, these things are catching my attention:


During our all-too-brief January stopover in Paris, I picked up two 100% linen dishtowels, and they’re hands-down (pun intended) the best I’ve ever used. They improve in softness and absorbency with use and washing. I can’t find those again, but these plain white linen dishtowels from Fog Linen Works are on my must-buy list.

Totally dying to make homemade pasta ‘handkerchiefs’ with coarse pesto using the basil growing abundantly in the garden … while it’s still growing abundantly.

Every food blogger I follow has, it seems, raved about Marcella Hazan’s recipe for tomato sauce simmered with onion and butter. It’s on the short list of recipes to try very soon.

It’s completely illogical, because we don’t use THAT much mustard, but I’d like to try making my own.

Time to stock up again on Perfect Pizza Blend from King Arthur Flour for seasonally appropriate pizzas. Like this one.

How cool is this? A social enterprise in San Francisco enlists ethnic grandmas to teach culinary traditions to young people interested in cooking and eating good food.

Need to bring this to Rob’s attention: handcrafted infused syrups, perfect for cocktailing, from The Bang Candy Co. in Nashville. Habanero Lime margaritas, anyone??

2 thoughts on “The favorites list: Early fall.

  1. Oh, interesting! Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce recipe is my tomato sauce recipe. Looks like I’ve been doing something right!

    We have a jar of the best mustard that my husband picked up in Germany last year. So rustic and grainy, it made me consider tryin to make my own. That needs to go on my to-do list.

  2. I have grown fond of pesto with arugula in place of basil. Try it. In my restaurant I used to toss penne pasta with arugula pesto, arugula, home made oven dried tomatoes and fresh, grated pecorino
    Awesome!