A lot of the past week has been spent dealing with a water-leaking-through-the-ceiling-and-subsequent-costly-repair situation. Normal me would be a little stressed but calm and collected. Increasingly pregnant and emotional me, however, has a much lower threshold for meltdowns and seeing our 90% remodeled living room torn down to the studs almost pushed me over the edge. Honestly, when Bisou started meowing like crazy to alert us to the indoor rain my first impulse was to lay on the floor and cry. My second impulse was to distract myself with pie, and that’s the one I acted on. Whew! I filled a buttery crust with a mountain of fresh apples, lots of cinnamon and a hefty drizzle of homemade caramel, then baked it to golden, mouth watering perfection. And it was gooooood. So good, in fact, that we temporarily forgot all about the plumbing disaster and that’s saying something!
You may have seen me post about these pink apples a couple weeks back on instagram; they’re called mountain rose apples and you can find them at a handful of Hood River orchards and Portland-area markets in the fall. They have sweet, bright pink flesh (really, they’re that pink in real life!) and a satisfying, crisp bite. I look forward to them every year and have been dreaming of turning them into pie since last fall (when I used my supply in this baked oatmeal). If you can’t get your hands on pink apples, any sweet-tart, crisp apple will work perfectly for this pie. I mean, what apple wouldn’t go with gooey salted caramel and a buttery, flaky crust? You can’t go wrong.
It’s been cold, gray and rainy here in Portland and when dreary weather hits the Northwest, there’s only one thing to do: embrace it, because it’s not going anywhere for the next several months! To me, that means bundling up, staying inside and eating and drinking everything cozy and indulgent – like this rich and silky black forest hot chocolate. If decadent, made-from-scratch hot chocolate isn’t made for this season then nothing is. This one’s a mix of melted chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla and milk that’s been infused with 
This was my first time trying black forest in non-cake form and I’m happy to report it’s just as tasty in a mug! The tea’s chocolate and cherry flavors aren’t overpowered in the hot chocolate–instead, you get a nice, subtle taste of black forest in every sip. It’s a black tea, too, and I very much appreciate the little caffeine kick now that the days are shorter and I have trouble staying awake past 5 pm. This hot chocolate is super rich thanks to the melted chocolate I stir in, so I like to keep the other flavors on the subtle side. But feel free to add a few more tea bags when you infuse the milk for even more black forest flavor! The same goes for the whipped cream–I only used a couple tea bags to infuse the cream because I didn’t want it to turn “tea” colored, but for a stronger flavor you can always use more. The lesson here is that you can’t go wrong with chocolate, cherry and vanilla. Mmm. 
First off, I know that post title is a bit of a mouthful. And that’s the pared down version! I also wanted to tell you right off the bat about the peppery watermelon radishes, crunchy, pink pickled onions, tender kale and nutty pepitas. Suffice it to say this grain bowl is bursting with flavors, colors and textures and is my new favorite make-ahead (and eat for days in a row because I’m hooked) meal. We’ve been stuck in a dinner rut for a while now and seem to make the same basic pastas, soups and pizzas week after week, and those old standbys have been tasting…blah. I’ve had very little appetite the whole time I’ve been pregnant (weird, huh) so the biggest motivator behind this grain bowl was making something really healthy and super flavorful, so even when I’m not that hungry I’m excited to eat it. And it worked! This is the first meal I’ve eaten in a couple weeks that I haven’t forced down half of, then passed off on Ponny, my dutiful husband/human composter. I’ve even gone back for seconds.
Let me tell you why. First, the corn salad – my inauthentic yet addictive version of esquites – is incredibly creamy yet fresh tasting, with a little bit of char on the corn and a sprinkle of cilantro and red onion. The chickpeas are wonderfully crunchy and flavorful thanks to a dash of cumin and cayenne. I love pickled red onions on anything and everything. Who wouldn’t!? And then the dressing. At first the cilantro is really bright and in your face and then, magically, it mellows out to a creamy, nuttiness with a subtle kick of garlic. It ties the whole thing together and I’m tempted to put it on every sandwich, bowl, pizza and sundae I make from now on. I cooked the brown rice in vegetable stock, so even the base of this bowl is extra savory.
When we bought our house this spring, one of my first thoughts was, “Yes! A backyard! I’m growing melons and peppers and poppies and carrots and beets and sunflowers, etc. this summer!” If you’ve been through the home buying and renovation process (or watched any HGTV ever) you’ve probably already predicted what happened next: about a hundred huge setbacks that go with the territory of remodeling a century old house in disrepair. Oh, and I got pregnant, leaving tiling, floor sanding and painting to Ponny alone. In the end we didn’t move in until August, much too late to start any produce in the backyard. Maybe next year, but I’m guessing we’ll be awfully busy with a new baby!
Fortunately, we live close to many well-stocked farmers markets and grocery stores, so there’s no shortage of fresh, seasonal produce in our house this fall. It turns out that when you make really tasty fruit and vegetable dishes, they’re no less satisfying because someone else did all the tilling and watering to grow the produce. Especially these days, when mustering the energy the cook at all feels like a huge victory. For me, pregnancy fatigue makes college finals fatigue look like a walk in the park. But it’d been months since I’d baked a cake and I couldn’t let the first weekend of fall slip by without whipping one up! 
I’m not a natural breakfast eater. I think it’s because I’m not a morning person, and I’d rather sleep an extra 15 minutes than spend that time eating. So in order for me to actually eat breakfast, my breakfast food has to 1. Be made in advance; and 2. Be tasty enough that it’s worth making time for. I’m happy to say these healthy (vegan and refined sugar-free!) and versatile (fill them with whatever you like!) oatmeal chocolate chip cookie cups tick both those requirements. Before I get to the recipe, though, some life updates!
But I’m starting to feel a little more like my old self again, and I think it’s time to dust off the blog. Now that I can eat more than saltines, my biggest priority is eating lots of filling, nutrient packed foods, but without compromising on flavor. If the healthy food I’m eating also tastes good, the chances of me breaking down and eating a tub of ice cream are lower, know what I mean?