This Week In My Kitchen :: Blog Hop

I'm joining in with Heather again this week, and cheating a bit by dipping way back into September for some kitchen photos. Because I only did the one post in September, don'tcha know.

That top photo was my birthday cake this year. It's the Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Vanilla Spiced Cream from Paleo Sweets and Treats. Gorgeous, and the cake was delicious but I wasn't super crazy about the cashew cream. Maybe if I'd used fresher cashews (I store raw nuts in the freezer and some of them have been in there a while, ahem). I think next time I'll try a whipped coconut cream or meringue topping instead.

The cupcakes were Danielle Walker's Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Italian Meringue Frosting from her first cookbook, Against All Grain, and they were absolute perfection. Delicious cake, delicious (and easy!) honey-sweetened meringue that I can't wait to make again. These were for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration, which was awesome!

I'm still soaking nuts weekly for homemade nut milk (I also use the recipe in Against All Grain for that!) and I'm so happy that it's kale chip season again! I suppose you can do other things with kale, put it in soups and make salads with it and whatnot, but I don't know why you would when there are KALE CHIPS. I'm a little bit addicted.

Also really happy that okra is in season, though I guess it's probably on its way out in most parts of the country by now. We can still get it here, though, and I love it so much -- roasted, grilled, sauteed with bacon, it's all good!

And pears! I seriously can't stop eating them now that organic varieties are showing up in my local store. I always forget how good they are and their season seems so short.

And finally, I am drinking herbal teas by the truckload lately. Because guess what else is in season right now where I live? RAGWEED. My nemesis. I don't have photos of the bone broth I made yesterday or the lemon-ginger-cayenne kombucha I bought at Natural Grocer or the other 4,718 varieties of medicinal teas I have in the pantry, but I am determined to kick ragweed's ass this year. BEGONE, FOUL PESTILENCE. And take the Fall Elm pollen with you! (Also the mold. And the mosquitoes. Enough with both of those, seriously.)