AfricanKelli

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I’m in one of those happy, giddy, goofy moods today. Everything is making me smile. Finding Fall shades around the house and garden, for example; thinking of my brother today, as he turns 24; planning recipes and ingredients for this weekend’s baking session; dreaming of Thanksgiving.

I hope your Friday is as cheery.
~K

My favorite colors change with time. While I was once a turquoise and purple girl, much influenced by my mother, I find orange and pink drawing my eye more these days. I simply love these colors paired with the dark, chocolate brown. This mystery project is a surprise gift for a friend. More details in a few weeks when it’s posted and received.

~K

Claudia of Chestofdrawers has generously shared her favorite Fall recipe — pumpkin scones. Claudia is Australian, but now lives in Austria. Her blog is a treat of art, craft and travel photography. She also has this incredible Sound of Music-esq view from her kitchen, where she whips up such sugary goodness. I am going to bake these this weekend. Yum!

PUMPKIN SCONES
Preheat oven to 200° celsius
You need:
1 Tblsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup cooked mashed pumpkin (cold)
2 cups Self raising flour (or 2 cups plain flour plus 1 teaspoon baking powder)
Method:
Beat together butter, sugar and salt with electric mixer.
Add egg, then pumpkin and stir in the flour with a spoon.
Turn on to floured board, knead lightly until the dough comes together, roll out to a thickness of 3cm and cut rounds with a cookie cutter. Place scones right next to each other on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper
Place tray on top shelf of hot oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or cold with butter and jam.

Anyone who thinks frisbee is for dogs and weenies, beware. Ultimate frisbee is for people who love to run around like maniacs for two hours and then drink like fish afterward. I skipped the drinking and instead got up to meet my running partner this morning for a few miles on the canals. Oh, what a silly, silly move. My legs still haven’t recovered. Thankfully, she was understanding and we trotted slowly through a couple of miles with me promising a Kenyan performance on Friday’s run. I’m ever the optimist.

While I am more tired today than I have been in a very long time, I can’t wait until next week’s game. Apparently I’ve been bitten by the frisbee bug. My team has a ratio of 3 men to every woman, so we get to play a ton. And the men seem sincerely interested in letting the women play, which is very nice. Week one was a success.

Although my athletic performance left a bit to be desired, the pistachio cookies were a big hit. One guy even noticed they matched our team colors. Next week I’m thinking dark chocolate cupcakes with a splash of cream cheese pistachio frosting on top.

~K

My all-call for pumpkin recipes and Fall customs rang true to many of you. Have you seen the lovely pumpkins Catrina painted? Or the beautiful topiaries Autum created for her dreamy porch? (Yes, I guess I’m officially old. I just called a porch dreamy.) Everyone in this hemisphere seems to truly be on the Fall train, with the next stop being Pumpkinland. For my Aussie and South American friends, we are envious of you celebrating Spring!

Today’s recipe, from my favorite penpal Shelley, comes from Italy. Pumpkin ravioli. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I mastered a homemade ravioli recipe in college, but would stuff them with mushrooms and pesto. This sounds much more seasonal and healthy — although if you cover it in a cream or butter sauce you’re doomed nutritionally.

If I were going to make pumpkin ravioli tonight, I’d serve it without sauce and instead add just the lightest drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pepper. I’d complement it with a spinach (e-coli free, mind you) salad, with cherry tomatoes and pears.

~
Tonight I begin my latest foray into the crazy world of team sports. A friend has long played on Ultimate Frisbee leagues. After two seasons of pushy men on co-ed softball teams, I decided a new sport was in order. (There are only so many times I’ll allow a man I’ve just met to boss me around on the field and cover my position when he thinks I can’t do it. Men who cannot control their competitive edge in co-ed sports are such a turn off. Let the girls play already!)
So, frisbee starts tonight. In the recent practices, I’ve run around like a sweaty idiot without a clue, but had fun. My team’s color is pistachio and we should be getting our shirts tonight before the game. What to do when you know no one on a new team sport? Bribe them with sweets, of course. I’m whipping up a batch of pistachio sugar cookies after work to bring to the field. I’ll win them over with my baked goods far faster than my athletic prowess. The pistachio sugar cookie recipe is fairly simple: take your favorite sugar cookie recipe and add one package of pistachio instant pudding to the mix. Bake accordingly and serve with a sprinkle of sugar on top. Photos tomorrow, perhaps even of my continued attempts to play frisbee without looking like a golden retriever, tongue wagging and all.

~K