New blog site

Devonly has moved! Please check out my new and improved blog here: www.devonly.com. All my past posts have been moved over to the new site, so everything I have done will now be available at that location. The new site will include all my recipes that have been catalogued for easy searching, a section dedicated to my jewelry and links to my Etsy shop, as well as all the other goodies that come with a blog. Please update your RSS links and bookmarks to make sure you stay close and updated on all the excitement here at Devonly. I hope to see you at the new site!

Roasted Acorn Squash with Grain and Warm Spice Salad

After an entire summer of light meals and fresh crisp produce, I start craving a warm hearty meal once the leaves start to turn. I know in some areas of the country it's still really warm, and turning your oven on sounds about as good as snuggling up to a porcupine. But here in the Pacific Northwest, fall has arrived! I absolutely love fall. It's by far my favorite season. Something about the crisp sunny days, bringing out the scarves and sweaters, the beautiful colors of all the leaves turning...and the food! I instantly want a slow-cooked roast, comforting potatoes, stews and warm fresh bread, ginger and cinnamon in everything, and squash. Oh, the magical squash! I don't think there's a thing I don't like about squash. Well, maybe that the majority of it isn't available year-round! There's nothing you can't really do with a squash. You can steam, boil, or roast it. You can chop it up, scoop it up, puree it up. It goes great in all kinds of stews, pastas, salad toppers, breads, pies, cakes, as a taco filling, a hearty addition to almost any entree, and in this case: it even acts as a bowl!

Which brings us to the humble acorn squash. It's small size and super-easy preparation makes it ideal for a quick, painless, week-night meal (and great for almost any number of people you happen to be serving). This "ease of use" so-to-speak, is why I've gravitated to it more and more over the years. I don't have to commit to a huge pumpkin or large butternut squash if I don't have more than one way I want to be using any said squash at one time. And not only are they so versatile and tasty, they're really good for you! Not only is it chocked full of vitamins (most noteably vitamin A, but in case you were curious, just the acorn alone has: vitamin C, manganese, potassium, folate, vitamin B complex, and omega 3 fatty acids [referenced here]), but fiber-rich and low in fat. And the ever-popular butternut is also high in folic acid. Now, what's not to like about all that!?!

So, if you haven't ventured down the gourd section of your local produce retailer, or think they are all solely used for decorating door steps and holiday table centers, I encourage you to pick up a little acorn squash and give it whirl. And if you end up not liking it plain, turn into these, which I know you'll love!

You will need:

1 acorn squash, cut in half and seeds scooped out

1/4 cup wheatberries*

1/4 cup couscous*

1 cup torn, packed spinach

1/4 cup golden raisins

2 TB pine nuts

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, finely shredded

2 TB lemon juice

2 TB apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 TB olive oil

1 TB honey

1/4 tsp. each: cinnamon, cumin

1/8 tsp. each: cloves, curry powder, turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash, cut side up, on a baking sheet or in a glass dish. sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dot with a little butter on the inside. Bake 30-35 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.

2. Meanwhile, cook grains according to package directions.

3. Place spinach in a large bowl and set aside.

4. Toss together the raisins, pine nuts, onion, garlic, and carrot in another bowl, set aside.

5. Whisk together the lemon juice through the spices in a small bowl and set aside.

6. When the grains are done cooking, drain if necessary and toss immediately with spinach, causing it to wilt slightly. Add in the raisin mixture and dressing, tossing well to combine. Spoon into squash halves and enjoy!

I do hope you get to enjoy some of this season's finest produce, and not just in the form of your Thanksgiving Day pie.

Devonly,

Yours

* These are just the grains I happened to have on hand. And in fact, the couscous was a harvest grain blend. Feel free to use whatever grains you like or keep handy. Even a mix of lentils and wild rice would be nice!

Four

Four years ago today, you made me your wife. Four years ago, I didn't know how happy I would be four years later. Thank you for being my other half. I love you more than words.

Happy Anniversary, sweetie.

All my love,

Devon

Finally! I'm getting to posting some of the jewelry that I've been working on! These few pieces were a commissioned group that I was handing over to the future owner, so I was forced to quickly photograph them before they left Devonly. But I also got a brand new lens for my birthday from my dear husband, so expect more (and much better) photos soon. And there is LOTS to photograph! However, not too soon - we're headed to EUROPE next week!!!!!!!!! Can I get some more !!!!!!!!!! (can you tell I'm a little excited?) Neither Jason or I have ever been, and well, needless to say (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) we're pretty excited about it.

Anywho....back to what I was saying....jewelry! These dainty, flirty little pieces are so fun yet simple to wear. I always get so many compliments when one is strung around my neck. The necklaces hook by threading the stone through the metal piece. Forgive me as I don't remember what that is called at the moment...do you know?

Hopefully, there will be more like these popping up in my Etsy shop very soon! Hope you like them! As for me, I'm off to get ready for our trip - the countdown has begun! And my list is ever so long, so friends and fellows, have a wonderful week!

Devonly,

Yours

Just do it

Don't think about this happy little accident I discovered. Just make it, eat it, savor it, and make it again and again and again.

You will need:

Juice from one lime

Half of one small red onion, thinly sliced

Radishes, sliced

Feta cheese

1. Toss the red onion in the lime juice and allow to sit for 3 hours to one day until "pickled".

2. Toss together desired amounts of the onions and remaining ingredients and serve. Toss with a tiny bit of balsamic vinaigrette if desired.

I have been so in love with quick-pickled veggies this summer, especially red onion. And steeping them in lime juice is a quick easy way to do that while avoiding all the sugar from more conventional forms of pickling. This little salad would be a perfect side to pulled pork, grilled chicken salads, or just in mass quantities, as I've been enjoying it over simple greens. It's the perfect mix of salty, tangy, and has that umami sensuality to it.

Devonly,

Yours

Lavender-Fennel Ice Cream with Fennel-Black Pepper Shortbread

I love to experiment with odd combinations of flavors, and have really begun to explore more spices/herbs. I also have been tumbling around the idea of a fennel seed-inspired ice cream flavor in my brain for quite some time. Fennel and black pepper, fennel and strawberry, fennel and ouzo…(my culinary imagination can really run wild sometimes!). Then low and behold, the talented Miss Orangette posted a straight-up fennel ice cream recipe! So, I thought, well I should give this a try just plain and taste my way through different combinations with this fennel seed that has been captivating my attention for some time. However, being the procrastinating type that I am, I had yet to make this ice cream when I found and impulsively bought (and proceeded to impulsively eat) a lavender-fennel goat cheese from my local Whole Foods. Aha! I found my combination! I had been perfecting my lavender ice cream recipe for a few months now and have finally found one that is a cut above the rest. So, why not just add some fennel seed to that? So I did. The combination of the aromatic lavender and the subtly pungent fennel seed is just plain delicious. I know it sounds a little odd, but the fennel is rather subtle sly in this combination. The lavender is the first taste you get and the strongest, but if you close your eyes and think fennel, you get a soft ending to your bite of the mildest licorice. And for those of you not crazy about fennel, or a licorice of any kind, you will probably not even know it’s there. It’s sweet, refreshing, and oh-so-summery.

So now that I found my simple yet complex ice cream, I needed to flair it up a bit. So I whipped up a batch of what I like to call “crookies”. It’s kind of a cross between a cracker and a shortbread cookie. I took a basic shortbread cookie recipe and made it savory with lots of black pepper and more fennel seeds. Just in case you didn’t taste it the ice cream, you’re sure to get a punch of the fennel in the crookies. To eat with afternoon tea, made into ice cream sandwiches, or gobbled up straight out of the cookie jar!

Lavender-Fennel Ice Cream

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons dried lavender seeds

2 Tablespoons dried fennel seeds

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

1 Tablespoon raw honey

1 cup granulated sugar

10 egg yolks

1. Combine the whole milk, lavender, fennel, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-high heat until milk begins to boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and honey in a non-reactive bowl and whisk until well incorporated and the mixture begins to lighten in color.

3. Strain the lavender-fennel seeds from the milk and slowly begin to temper the warm milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly.

4. Return the mixture to the large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken, 5-8 minutes. You will know it will be thick enough when you draw a line across the back of the wooden spoon and it holds those borders.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the whipping cream. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, preferably overnight.

6. Follow manufacturer’s directions on an ice-cream maker and freeze until firm, at least one hour.

Fennel-Black Pepper Shortbread “Crookies”

1 stick butter, at room temperature

½ cup shortening

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried fennel seeds

1 egg white + ½ teaspoon water

freshly ground black pepper and crushed fennel seeds for rolling

1.Combine the butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl and beat on low until well combined.

2. Add the flour, salt, black pepper, and fennel seeds and beat until mixture begins to ball up.

3. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and roll into a log, covering entire log with the wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Place the black pepper and crushed fennel seeds onto a cutting flat surface, such as a cutting board or large plate. Brush the outside of the log with the egg white and water mixture and roll in the pepper and seeds. If the log is too soft after rolling in the seeds, re-wrap in the plastic and refrigerate until firm again.

6. Cut into 1/4” slices and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until slightly golden-brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

Serve cookies and ice cream together, as a sandwich, and enjoy!

Devonly,

Yours

Monday Morning

Look what was waiting outside my front door on my lavender to greet me this morning!

After some light research, I discovered this is a yellow crab spider. Luckily they are not poisonous and avoid humans at all costs. I also learned that they are sometimes referred to as "flower spiders" because they tend to wait on the petals of flowers to catch their prey, or "wandering spiders" because they do not build webs, but are more active hunters. They are also found mostly in Kentucky. Poor little guy is a LONG way from home!! It caught my eye right away as I walked outside - the contrast of colors from his bright yellow body to the purple lavender is stunning!

Oh, and if you ever wanted to do any research on spiders via the inter web, I must advise you not to have just eaten a hearty breakfast if you get slightly queazy at the sight of very large spiders on your computer screen. I might be a little green still...

Devonly,

Yours