A Philosophy's Pot Pie

March creates some bipolar weather in Utah. Wearing sunglasses today could quite possibly mean donning galoshes tomorrow. For the fashionable foodie, rejoice.  It's not quite time to box away your lined coat, but depending on the day you can also safely unpack your sandals. Warm days also mean summery desserts (like blackberry pavlova) but rainy days create an excuse for one more chicken pot pie before "comfort food season" ends.  Food52's recipe created a loose outline for the format and this pie was whipped up with the ingredients had on hand-- with rave reviews. While some ingredients were pantry staples (read: frozen chicken breast, regular russets, and carrots spared from lecture hall munching)  some more upstanding additions were included (read: fresh peas frozen from last summer's farmer's market, and flaky pie crust left over from an apartment pie party).  1 pie and 3 girls resulted in needing only the pint sized tupperware for tomorrow's lunch.  Not a bad meal for college students, right? That being said, I don't think I fit the ramen-noodle stereotype, unless you mean homemade ramen...then I suppose I do.

The evening ended with a few friends stopping by for a chat, which evolved into a discussion on some hefty topics.  Sunday evenings often result in a casual gathering that evolves into some pretty dense topics.  This week tackled Duchamp's "The Fountain" with mixed results. Though I may have not convinced the Thomas Cole fan the value in less-idealized, more-conceptual art, I allowed the pot pie to count as my victory. According to Emily Ruth, the modern-art intolerant should watch out for next week's philosophy Sunday. 

One Iced-and-Gingered Man, Please.

The classic white Christmas waited until the last possible moment (Christmas Day itself) to finally made an appearance. Though inches of the chilly white stuff isn't required for decorating a batch of the crunchy and spicy cookie, it added a lovely atmosphere. Dark molasses creates a gorgeous rich cookie color that makes creamy white royal icing the perfect medium to dabble in. Self proclaimed icing artist aside, I felt these little masterpieces turned out just pretty enough to eat.

 Gingerbread seemed to scream"holiday break" and with the fluffy white stuff falling from the sky it seemed the perfect afternoon activity. I phoned a good friend my high school to make her way up for a good chit chat. Gingerbread decorating fosters a good backdrop for catching up on past memories. Chatting about future plans, we iced the afternoon away (and had our fair share of munching on the mistakes).  Thin and crispy, these little men cause much less drama than the combined (less than savory) real life dates myself and Ms. K have experienced as of late. I'll take a snowed-in chat with a friend with a cookie...or several, please.

Roast. Sugar and Spice. Puree. Spread. Spread on Everything.

Stretching out the last bit of fall constitutes taking advantage of a trip to the orchard for some apples, and some winter squashes - Jonathon and butternuts to be precise. The Jonathons have another destination, but that squash was going to meet its end in the form of pumpkin butter. And it's about as good as it sounds.  Found on food52, I could barely wait for Friday to come to make it. Crank up your oven, and roast that squash until tender, resisting the urge to eat it hot and steaming straight from the pan with a spoon.  (That can come later, but this squash has a delightful chance to become something better...Shocking, I know.)   Scoop out the flesh and add more than enough cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and brown sugar, and butter for good measure.  Roast again-this recipe really tests your patience. In between reading assignments and writing that big senior paper, be sure to stir that mix every few minutes or so and evenly distribute the caramel color that deepens as time goes by.  Whirl through the food processor and fill a big quart sized mason jar with this spread.  As good as it was on a spoon, a hot-from-the-oven bagel (slathered with the stuff) was a better vehicle.

Note- this is also delicious stirred into oatmeal, shmeared on toast, and I anticipate, nearly anything else. Quintessentially fall, this packs handsomely and was much appreciated by fellow foodie friends...the bit that I was willing to share.