Lately

Harrison turned 1 month old yesterday. I really love spending my days with this sweet boy. I'm just head over heels for him. And even though I feel like an outing to Target is a crowning achievement, I'm gradually beginning to find my footing in motherhood. I took this photo of Jonah and Harrison a couple weeks ago. Harrison looks so tiny, I can't even take it. This is basically what our life looks like lately, catching up on sleep whenever possible and snuggling with baby boy. Thanks for bearing with me and the intermittent blogging. I hope to have a semblance of a schedule in the very near future, and I'm excited for some holiday posts, gift guides, Christmas sweets, all my favorite stuff.

This weekend, we're packing up the car and driving to Savannah to spend Thanksgiving week with my family. I'm pretty sure we're crazy to drive 17 hours with an infant and a dog, but I'll let you know just how crazy once we get there. Anyway, I'm really excited about introducing Harrison to his great-grandmothers ... and also for sweet potato casserole.

Apple Cider Granita

A frozen dessert isn't something I'd normally serve this time of year, but when I happened upon this apple cider granita recipe, my curiosity won out. The pairing of cozy fall flavors with something cold and refreshing is surprising and delicious and lets you enjoy apple cider in a whole new way. It'd be a great addition to your dessert table if you're celebrating Thanksgiving in 70-degree weather, or it would make a perfect Turkey Day palate cleanser.

Apple Cider Granita
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit

4 cups apple cider
1/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 whole allspice
3 cinnamon sticks

Stir ingredients in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cover and let steep 1 hour. Strain mixture into 8-inch square baking pan. Freeze until edges begin to set, about 2 hours. Whisk and freeze again until mixture is slushy, about 3 hours. Whisk again to blend well. Freeze without stirring until granita is frozen solid, 4 hours or overnight. Using a fork, scrape granita until entire mixture is mass of crystals. Cover and freeze until ready to serve. Scoop granita into 6 chilled glasses.

Beanie Baby

When I was younger, I wore hats all the time. It was sort of my trademark. But as I grew older (and more self-conscious), hats were pretty much cut from my wardrobe. The one exception is when cold weather strikes. I just can't resist a cozy knit hat and usually add one to my collection every year. Here are a few possibilities for this winter.

[found here: chunky ribbed hat; grey beanie; patterned pom pom hat; green beanie with stripe; pink stripe beanie; orange knit beanie; honeycomb pom pom hat; metallic knit beanie]

Pumpkin Biscotti with Maple Glaze

I've made pumpkin pies, muffins, parfait, bread, icebox cake and cookies, so while pondering other pumpkin possibilities, I decided pumpkin biscotti were worth an attempt. I topped them with a maple glaze for an added dose of fall and loved the results. I'm already thinking about these, a cup of autumn spice coffee, cozy socks and the Macy's parade on Thanksgiving morning.

Pumpkin Biscotti with Maple Glaze
Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup of pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and spices into a large bowl with sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée and vanilla extract. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Give it a stir to generally incorporate the ingredients. The dough will be crumbly.

Flour your hands and a clean kitchen surface and lightly knead the dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the dough into a large log, roughly about 15-20 inches by 6-7 inches. The loaf should be relatively flat, only about 1/2 inch high. Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F, rotating pan once halfway through baking, until the center is firm to the touch.

Let biscotti cool for 15 minutes and then using a serrated knife cut into 1-inch wide pieces. Turn the oven to 300°F and bake for an additional 40 minutes, flipping biscotti over halfway through baking. Cool completely. Makes about 15 biscotti.

Maple Glaze
1/2 cup confectioner's' sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon milk

Whisk sugar, syrup and milk together until you reach a pourable consistency. Drizzle over biscotti and let set before serving.

Gifts for Kids from UncommonGoods

I'm trying my best to get a jump on Christmas shopping this year before the holiday rush sneaks up on me. I can't even believe it's November already! I tend to do almost all of my shopping online, so when UncommonGoods contacted me, I jumped at the chance to pick out some of their cute and clever items. You can check out their gifts for men here and gifts for women here. I decided to sift through their gift selection for kids. Now that we have a baby, I'm definitely making myself more aware of unique goodies for little ones. UncommonGoods has a wide selection for all ages, and I love their focus on handmade goods, American-made items and their mission to work with artists and small manufacturers. It was tough to choose just a few things, but I decided to order these classic wooden alphabet blocks, a fish rattle and a pair of cute animal booties. I think Harrison will be a fan once he gets a bit older. He's enjoying looking at all his new stuff in the meantime. Check out UncommonGoods to see more of their gifts for kids. I'll definitely be looking through their items again before Christmas rolls around.

Autumn Spice Coffee

Recently, I've been incorporating a little fall flavor in my morning cup of coffee. I add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg per cup to the coffee grounds before I brew a pot. I skip the sugar (and don't even miss it), add cream and top with a little more nutmeg. It's like a mug full of coziness.