Smoked Gouda Gougères

My idea Thanksgiving meal:

Tomato Tian..YUM 

Sautéed brussels sprouts with bacon and almonds

Smoked Gouda Gougères

Sausage, Sage, and Thyme Stuffing (best part)

Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb

Plus:

My grandma's baked macaroni and cheese. It has FOUR kinds of cheese and bread crumbs baked on top! 

As far as dessert... I have no idea. Pumpkin pie, shmupkin pie. It just does not do it for me. Fruit tarts... now they, they do it for me.

Buuuummer. This recipe was a huge fail. I was really excited about it and it turned out really bland and really underwhelming. Orzo with roasted butternut squash, garlic, onions, dried cranberries and spinach. I still can't accept that it was so boring, but I guess everything can't turn out completely satisfying.

So many treasures today. It's such a great thing how $10 at the farmers market can go so far. I went to one on my lunch break and loved all the festive fall/halloween goodies! I went looking for butternut squash and ended up with an small assortment of fruits and vegetables. I REALLY wanted to try out beets and radishes (I want to try radishes with butter, it's a french delicacy I recently learned about which sounds really interesting), but I figured I'll wait for next time.

I also stopped in this little Jewish grocery store down the street from me and literally fell in love. It's a small little family-run shop with everything you could want, ranging from a deli with fresh cut meat to aluminum foil to imported oils from around the world. Spending 45 minutes in this new found humble oasis, I left comforted, knowing that a place like this is right around the corner.

These are the things in life which make me happy.

Susina Cafe on Beverly Blvd. New found gem. This place will hold a place in my heart for a very long time. Beautiful pastries, ranging from bite size to full pie. I guarantee you try something new if you venture here. This box of 2 of every cookie was $10.00. Added a jasmine tea and it was a delectable night.

Roasted beets with goat cheese, diced apples, arugula and candied pecans. This is not an actual picture of the one I had, but one which will have to suffice. I just needed to share how much I loved beets and goat cheese together. I think it's my new favorite snack.

So… I am at my parents house watching my dogs. Conveniently, there has been a Top Chef:Just Desserts marathon on today… naturally making me want to bake something. I really don’t prefer to bake, but on a day like today it sure sounded nice. Only one problem-the pantry is BARE. I found maple syrup, molasses, flower and baking soda. After searching online, I found a maple syrup muffin recipe. Surprisingly, they were pretty good! With a little butter and sugar on top, it was the perfect comfort for the night.