Autumn is hands down my favorite season. I love the sunshine, warmth, and profusion of growth that happens in summer, the sweet new buds and gentle feel to the air of spring, and there is nothing better than a romp through the snow in winter, especially with my two fluffy Pyrenees, who remind me of joy as they cavort through a wintry wonderland.
But something about fall just gets me. Well, lots of things, actually:
– The vibrant transition of green to yellow and red of deciduous trees and plants.
– The days when the rain pours so hard on my roof that I get goosebumps as I lie in bed listening to the storm outside.
– The crisp, cool feel to the air and the colorful scarves, hats and fingerless gloves that I love coming out of storage to keep me warm.
– The way my woodstove just seems merry, happy to be put to use as something other than a plantstand as it hisses and pops, a kettle of aromatic water and essential oils steaming on top.
–Halloween. Because who doesn’t love a good dress-up?
–Thanksgiving. I love having dinner with family, but each year I host a “Friendsgiving/Framily” celebration. Because we have family we are born with and family we choose. It is one of my absolute favorite things to sit with my chosen tribe; people I care deeply for, eating good food and exchanging “Thankful” lists.
– I am a voracious reader, but in spring and summer I often feel much too busy to sit on a cozy corner of my couch with a cup of tea, lost in a good story for hours on end. But in fall, the garden, plants and lawn begin their own downcycle and suddenly my time becomes my own again. So that downtime often becomes my story time.
– Gluten free pumpkin scones and steamed cold brew from Woods Coffee. Seriously. So ridiculously good. It’s lucky that I live in the sticks because I would spend far too much $$ and eat far too many calories if I was closer.
I could probably wax poetic for hours about the many reasons I am in love with this season, but perhaps my favorite is how autumn, more than any other season, inspires me to get in the kitchen and create. Something about the creative process of coming up with healthy, nourishing, delicious new ideas – or improving upon ones I already use – cooking and baking warm foods, especially, just does it for me. When I’m in the kitchen on a stormy day I can’t help but feel both joyful and peacefully calm all at the same time.
This morning I woke craving biscuits.
But biscuits, like every other bread product, are a tricky thing for me. I have been gluten free for nearly ten years now due to the inflammation that happens in my gut when I eat glutinous foods, causing intense pain and wreaking havoc on my bodily processes from thyroid function (foggy brain, anyone?) to pooping. (Not a good time) I occasionally indulge in gluten free goodies from places like the 5 B’s bakery in Concrete, (awesome ginger-molasses cookies) The Wild Oat, or the Bellingham Flatbread and Bakery, Woods Coffee, of course, and others.
But I try to eat a mostly whole food, low-sugar diet. Which means pretty much everything I get from restaurants or bakeries is out for regular consumption, as most gluten free goods are simplex-carb rich. But I don’t like to feel like I am being denied so I do a fair bit of baking using a combination of almond, flax, and coconut meal, occasionally adding some oat or lupin for a softer consistency. I use monkfruit to sweeten my baked goods and though I haven’t figured out how to make a cinnabon-type cinnamon roll yet, most of my goodies are really good in spite of being much, much healthier than store or restaurant – bought foods.
The biscuits I made this morning were no exception. They were so good that I ate two in quick succession, one with butter, so hot I burned my mouth a little. The second I topped with avocado, egg, and a veggie provolone cheese. Did I already say so good? That. So darned good.
But before I actually ate the finished product, as I was mixing the ingredients for my biscuits, (eggs, flax, chia, coconut oil, butter, buttermilk, almond flour, coconut flour, lupin, salt, baking powder/soda) I was thinking about a store-bought gluten free pot pie I had tried recently. Blake’s. It wasn’t awful, and it was nice to have something that I could just throw in the oven and serve with a salad on a night when I don’t actually feel like cooking. But it wasn’t fabulous, either. So as I added my ingredients into my food processor, I decided to make a double batch of biscuit dough for a topping to create my own “pot pie”.
Last night I had tossed a large spaghetti squash into the oven, intending to use it today as pasta for a marinara I had in my refrigerator. Instead, I oiled and buttered the bottom of a cast-iron baking dish and pressed the cooked, seasoned squash in to create a “crust”. Baked the crust at 425 for 20 minutes to crisp it up a little then added my filling – roasted garlic, onions, potatoes, butternut squash, chicken sausage, chopped water chestnuts, marjoram, bay, garlic, salt, pepper. All leftovers from a previous meal.
I had also tossed the filling with a homemade alfredo (I used RylieCakes Roux Mix as my “flour” base) before adding to the crust. I topped this concoction with my extra biscuit dough, rolled thin, and spread on a little egg wash, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese.
To be honest, I was already super full from the breakfast I had eaten when the pie came out of the oven, (did I mention the flour mix is high fiber?) but of course I had to try a little, and Damn. This healthy, nourishing, stick-to-your-bones-because-its-fall pie just hit it out of the park. And so pretty, though next time I’ll add a maple leaf biscuit cutout to the center because I do love to be a little extra. Don’t you?
O.K., friends. I just told you a whole lot about why I love fall. Your turn. What is your favorite season and why? Do you have any amazing recipes to share? I’d love to see! Much love;
- Terah
This Blessed Sacred Life 