THE WAITING

...is the hardest part. And I didn't wait long enough before I popped the raw garlic in my mouth - definitely not pickled yet. (Pickled carrots, onion, and our homegrown garlic.)

(DIS)COMFORT FOOD

When no one is looking, no one is judging, and your most secret cravings can come out, what do you eat?

Sometimes, I eat like a ten year old child. Not only do I like to eat crap, I like to eat a lot of it. Yup, that's an American grilled cheese sandwich with tomato, chips, carrot chunks and coffee. Two more cups of coffee and five more slices of cheese later, I was sick. Moderation is not a word in my vocabularly. I'm an all or nothing kind of gal. Goodbye cheese?

ALL THAT SHE WANTS

Without warning, it feels as if Fall is upon us. Soon, I'll be busy teaching full-time, working on some writing, and enjoying layers of clothing. Still the impending change has me longing for the wave of girl power I felt in late July.

I'm my most confident, fearless, productive self when I channel 1990s Katie. I was obsessed with cool-girl Hollywood actresses and Lilith Fair -esque tunes (and 90s rock because the boys were hot). On this rainy, end of summer morning I wish my walls were papered with posters from my youth - a time when I had no doubt I was a cool girl.

SIMPLE SUPPER



A frittata is my go-to quick anytime meal. This one was filled with red onion, corn, poblano peppers, red potatoes, sauce from canned chipotle peppers, and cheddar cheese. We ate the frittata with chickpeas in tahini and lemon and grape tomatoes, cold and dipped in s+p.

SWEET SUE'S

When I'm in the area, I like to hit up Sweet Sue's in Phoenica, NY for brunch. Lots of choices, fresh ingredients, awesome baked goods. It's especially great if you're a pancake person. Options like lemon-ricotta, cottage cheese, apple-banana-walnut-buckwheat-oat, chocolate chip, or mounds of fresh fruit make me wish I liked pancakes. Alas, with pancakes, there's just not enough diversity on the plate for me. I like to get the pumpkin seed-crusted tofu. This time, it was on a reuben, and it was delicious. Gid and I split the sandwich and huevos rancheros. The latter was a bit of a disappointment. First, Sweet Sue's will not poach eggs - my favorite! Instead, I ordered my eggs over easy, but they arrived over hard. On a morning when my heart beat for the fulfillment of thick, runny yolks, I was nothing short of bummed.

HOMECOMING

Gideon and I had a wonderful weekend in the Catskills. We spent time with my folks and his. I had a bit too much fun sitting by the fire with Dad and Gid, lost my footing, and dropped (and broke?) Gid’s really nice camera – our first night there! So, I snapped some shots with Mom’s little pink camera. It did the job, but I was looking forward to sharing some well-shot photos of home with you all. These pictures are of my parent’s yard. Low-key and peaceful. An altogether restorative weekend.

I've started crocheting again so, my mother gave me a few pointers. She makes a few scarves a week and gives them away to friends and her students. At the rate she crochet's, I need to set her up an Etsy site.

As a kid, I thought that someone painted a portrait of my mother and me. I proudly told my friends that we were painted by an artist. I continued the story, even after I found out that we were, in fact, not the mother and daughter in the painting.

TO MY TENDER GARDENER

I have a bit of a blogging history – one I’d like to forget. The first attempt was silly, embarrassing. The second: too intimate. The third, and birth of kat.tales worked for a while, but I was unsure of my focus. I bring this up because the new kat.tales mostly speaks to quick and homemade vegetarian cuisine. However, I want more for it. I’m putting this out there so you won’t be surprised by future posts that go beyond food.

I’m thinking/hoping this will expand to a forum for stories chronicling delicious food, the arts, nature, and my efforts to create a space for myself in the homegrown movement. Our long-term goal (5-10 year plan) is to set ourselves up on an off-the-grid, self-sustaining plot of land. I have dreams of spinning my own wool, making clothes and cheese, selling produce – but I want to maintain my position as a college English teacher. Suggestions for achieving this balance? By the way, it would be great if I found this balance on a farm in the Italian hills.

Speaking of hills, Gideon and I are off to the Catskills this weekend for a wedding.