I had a perfect fall Sunday — we picked up some pumpkins for our porch, played outside with Jane, and watched football. During Jane’s nap time I had a few items on my to-do list that needed to get done, so of course I decided to procrastinate and do a little baking. That perfect autumn weather was calling me — it was so nice to turn on the oven without worrying about heating up out kitchen. I was craving something sweet and pumpkin-y, but had a bunch of too-ripe bananas that needed to be used up. So I tested a banana-pumpkin batter to make these tasty little muffins. They have the density of banana bread, a sticky moist texture from the sour cream, and all of the flavors of sweet pumpkin spice. Jane woke up from her nap and was delighted to find the results of my to do list procrastination, she gobbled up a muffin in minutes and was standing on her tippy toes to grab a second one off the counter. Get the full recipe below!
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Is there anything better on this earth than climbing into a freshly made bed with crisp, clean white sheets? I actually get giddy thinking about it; I always have the best sleep on that first night that clean sheets go on and they’re tucked neatly around me. As fall weather rolls in I always love making the bed with the new season in mind – adding on an extra blanket, giving our duvet cover a wash, and laying out some pretty throws for extra warmth at the foot of the bed.
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I picked up the most amazing herbed cheddar cheese at a local farm store this morning, and came right home with it and a loaf of bread to make myself some savory grilled cheeses and soup for lunch. I opened up the cheese and bread to just have a little taste, and completely abandoned my lunch plans. We had no need to make these tasty ingredients into anything else, they were perfect just the way they were. After my impromptu cheese-plate lunch, I thought I’d share some of my favorite tips for building a beautiful and balanced autumn cheese board. It’s one of my favorite tools for entertaining!
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I’m taking my show on the road this fall to celebrate my new entertaining cookbook and will be popping up at some of my favorite bookstores and boutiques around New England for book signings, shopping events, and workshops. Find an up to date list of all of the events below. I hope to see you there!
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I sat down to write a different post today but was confronted with a bit of writers block. And then I went to tackle some other items on my to-do-list, and couldn’t quite decide where to start. My only next logical step was to go stand in front of the open refrigerator for 5 minutes, find a snack, and then make my way back to the computer for a little download of all of the stuff going on in my brain. A little bit of everything I’ve been reading, watching, and thinking about this week:
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As soon as that first drop in temperatures happens in September, I get SO excited about switching up my weekly dinner menu to bring in some autumn-inspired dishes. It’s so nice to get to bring some comfort foods back in the mix, and not to fear turning my oven up and overheating in my kitchen. When the cool air blew in last week, I got experimenting with this easy weeknight dinner full of fall-harvest flavors: Apple Dijon Skillet Chicken. Just seeing my skillet back on the counter is a sign of the seasons changing!
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I have a few fun pictures to share today of a little makeover we did to create a playroom nook for Jane off of our kitchen! There is a small room off of our kitchen that we originally used as a breakfast nook when we first moved in and over the few years that we’ve lived here it’s evolved into a sitting room, a space for me to shoot recipes (most of my cookbook was shot on the floor of this room!), and now recently into a play space for Jane. The play area came about after we finished redoing our living room — I loved how the space looked and wanted to reduce the toy clutter in the room. Jane also needed a spot to play that was scaled for her, and we set out to create a little spot off the kitchen that could be her own. 
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We had the best family getaway up in New Hampshire this past weekend — we went camping! Well, let’s call it what it really was: glamping. I couldn’t wait to get home and post these pictures because it was such an amazing time, and because I got a ton of questions about the experience from my posts on instagram. I’m sharing tons of snaps from our little adventure, more about the campsite at Huttopia, and how we did it with a toddler in tow!
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I had a giant craving for a taco salad this week, and got to work on creating the very best version I could dream up. I remember my mom making taco salad when were kids, and she would give us a scoop of tortilla chips that we could crunch up on our plates before adding toppings (which was mostly just cheese and meat as a kid, right?). My version has a little bit of everything, and a whole lot of color — ground beef with black beans and corn, yellow rice and crispy lettuce, tomatoes, olives and scallions, big slices of ripe avocado, and of course some cheese and tortilla crisps. I finished the salad off with a homemade honey lime vinaigrette; it’s easy to make in a small mason jar! Add in all of the ingredients and give it a vigorous shake before dressing your salad — and save the extra in the mason jar for taco salad leftovers for lunch the next day. Get the full recipe below:
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I recently had a chat with someone about our favorite seasons. My response was very specific – I love the first part of fall the best. Fall in New England has two distinct parts to me. That first part when school starts but the weather is still a little bit warm, and the days aren’t yet too short, and there is an abundance of beautiful colors in the trees and at the market. Then the second part is November, where it’s freezing and dark and we’re really just counting down until spring again! I do love those first fall days though, and can’t think of a better reason to savor those early warm autumn nights than with a pretty harvest-themed dinner party.
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I'm Kate, and I like to
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