Old loves; newly obsessed.

In the cool fall months I get to be a little obsessive about being "warm & cozy," an elusive experience that involves big chunky socks, sweaters and scarves, several quilts, beautiful dishware and many, many kinds of "warm & cozy" foods to fill them. Here is what I'm currently over the moon for:

Mark Bittman's Banana Bread.

Oh. Em. Gee. Granted, I change the recipe a little (no unsweetened coconut on hand, plus I like my b-breads as moist as possible, so I use half white sugar and half brown [at least] and I added a 1/2 C of homemade cinnamon applesauce). I recently discovered that storing the loaf in wax paper is KEY to keeping it moist. A few days ago I made the batch in a mini loaf tin and now I have 8 tidily wrapped breakfast-to-gos for the week! Almond or peanut butter is my favorite topper.

Roasting Veggies.

Obsession is an understatement... it doesn't matter what kind of veggie it is, because if it came home with me this season it's going into a bowl to be tossed with olive oil and sea salt, then on to the cookie sheet and into the over for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. I'm doing this with everything from sweet potatoes to parsnips to cauliflower to carrots, but especially to...
BEETS.

Can't get enough. My favorite combination is a beet-brussel sprout-sweet potato dish, whose leftovers get reheated in Brianna's artichoke dressing and served on a bed of mixed greens. Too. Much.
This is the best tea in the world. Ever. I'd back that statement with money.

Quinoa!!

When I was sick as a child, my father made quinoa soup: a bland, chicken stock base with this magical grain in it that I could stomach regardless of how much gatorade or saltines hadn't stayed down. I'm currently sipping on a quick bowl of my grown-up version: veggie stock, quinoa, mushrooms, onion and spinach. Que rico.

Orange iPod shuffle.

This little guy is my running buddy, pushing me up hills to LMFAO and Jay Z while all that cozy rich food settles. I don't know what I was thinking trying to run outside before without an iPod, or even with one of the old nanos that didn't rock the super-convenient clip feature (I used to wedge it into my sports bra or waistband instead, and wouldn't you know that the things are not sweat proof at all).

Soon I'll update about my recent birthday, which included some more delicious foods and a gorgeous autumn hike up one of Roanoke's most picturesque mountains. Happy fall!