THE VILLAGE VOICE

"Backward, turn backward, O time, in your flight make me a child again just for to-night!" ~ Elizabeth Akers Allen

"The love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies." ~ Gertrude Jekyll LAST DAISY of SUMMER (Daisy kisses bursting spore of Maidenhair Fern) ________________ BUTTERNUT WHEAT PASTA with PINE NUTS ~ Wholesome wheat pasta and creamy squash ... perfect autumn fare (adapted from Cooking Light) ______________ 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter 3 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 minced garlic clove 2 1/2 cups organic chicken broth (or water), divided 1 lb. peeled, seeded, and shredded butternut squash 1 tsp. sugar coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 12 oz. uncooked wheat penne pasta 1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add pine nuts and sage; remove from heat. Remove from pan and set aside. Heat olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan and saute 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 cup chicken broth (or water) and squash t...

"If God forbade drinking, would he have made wine so good?" ~ Armand Cardinal Richelieu LEELANAU PENINSULA TASTE THE BEAUTY & WINE OF LEELANAU (Click on photos to enlarge ~ purple link below will take you to each site) SHADY LANE CELLARS CICCONE VINEYARD & WINERY L. MAWBY VINEYARDS WILLOW VINEYARD BLACK STAR FARMS CIRCA ESTATE WINERY __________ "A glass of good wine is a gracious creature, and reconciles poor mortality to itself, and that is what few things can do." ~ Sir Walter Scott

"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." ~ Benjamin Franklin OLD MISSION PENINSULA (WINERIES OF OLD MISSION PENINSULA) click on photos to enlarge ... (purple names beneath vineyard will take you to each site) TWO LADS WINERY CHATEAU CHANTAL BRYS ESTATE VINEYARD & WINERY BOWERS HARBOR VINEYARDS PENINSULA CELLARS LEFT FOOT CHARLEY __________________ Simply a teaser ... for more info please visit http://www.michiganwines.com/

"I am beauty and love; I am friendship, the comforter; I am that which forgives and forgets; The Spirit of Wine." ~ W. E. Henley HARVEST TIME (Northern Michigan Wine Country) ________________________ THAI CRAB CAKES ~ From Amical , my favorite bistro on Front Street in Traverse City comes this delicious recipe from Chef/owner Dave Denison ( Savor Michigan Cookbook ) _____________ 2 cups cooked jasmine rice prepared with 2 Tbsp. red lentils 1 lb. canned claw meat crabmeat 2 chopped medium jalapeno or Serrano peppers 1 Tbsp. lemon zest 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves 1 juiced lemon 2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce 1 tsp. white pepper 2 large beaten eggs 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 1 Tbsp. olive oil Cook jasmine rice according to package directions. Add 2 Tbsp. red lentils 10 minutes before rice is done. Chill rice and lentil mixture . Drain crabmeat and pick through for shells. In large bowl gently combine crabmeat , cooked rice and lentils, jalapenos, lem...

"Give fools their gold, and knaves their power; let fortune's bubbles rise and fall; who sows a field, or trains a flower, or plants a tree, is more than all." ~ John Greenleaf Whittier GIFT OF GOLD ____________________ ROASTED VEGETABLE LASAGNA ~ Rich autumn flavors of roasted peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and caramelized onions blend for this old fall crowd- pleaser __________________ 4 red peppers 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach extra-virgin olive oil as needed 1 eggplant (about 1 lb.) cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices 4 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 1 large chopped onion pinch of sugar 15 -oz. ricotta cheese 4 large organic eggs 3 1/2-4 cups good tomato sauce combined with 1 Tbsp. basil 18 cooked* lasagna noodles (1 lb.) (*boil 5 minutes in salted water, drain, and cool under cold water) 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese chopped fresh parsley Broil peppers directly on ...

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." ~ Stanley Horowitz AUTUMN MOSAIC _________________ PORK MEDALLIONS with MICHIGAN APPLE & CHERRY CHUTNEY ~ A savory melding of rich autumn flavors from a favorite cookbook ~ BETWEEN THE LAKES (A collection of Michigan recipes) _____________ 2 lbs. pork tenderloin 1 cup flour 1 tsp. coarse salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 2-3 Tbsp. canola oil Apple & Cherry Chutney Trim the fat from the pork. Slice 1/2 inch thick. Place pork between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound 1/4 inch thick. Dust pork with flour, salt & pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and saute on both sides until browned and cooked through. Serve pork with Apple & Cherry Chutney. (4-6 servings) APPLE & CHERRY CHUTNEY 1 Tbsp. butter 1/4 onion, chopped 1 peeled and diced apple 1/3 cup dried cherries 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar pinc...

"Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower." ~ Albert Camus APPLE MAPLE PANCAKES ~ The smell of Michigan autumn is in the air! (Delicious recipe featured by Kate Lawson in The Detroit News ~ Jan 24, 2009) __________ 2 large room temperature eggs 1/4 cup AP flour 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup pure Michigan maple syrup 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 2 Tbsp. butter 1/2 large firm apple (Gala or Fuji preferred) thinly sliced 1/2 cup dried Michigan cherries or cranberries Confectioner's sugar and cinnamon for dusting Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine eggs, flour, cream, maple syrup and salt in a blender and combine well. Melt butter in and 8-inch heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add apple slices and dried cherries or cranberries and saute until soft and apples are lightly browned. Whirl batter again until frothy and pour into the skillet, pushing fruit back into the batter. Let skillet sit for a few seconds and place in oven. Bake until pancake is puffed, golden...

"Listen, the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, We have had our summer evenings, Now for October eves!" ~ Humbert Wolfe OCTOBER EVE (Hubbard Lake) ___________________ FUSILLI with FRESH TOMATO & FETA ~ A 'simple' family favorite, perfect for the fresh tomato and basil harvest ____________ 2-3 lbs. ripe Italian plum tomatoes 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 6-8 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley 1 coarsely chopped red onion 1 tsp. coarse salt freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 lb. good fusilli (whole wheat pasta is also great) 6-8 oz. crumbled feta Seed and dice tomatoes. Place in large bowl. Add vinegar, olive oil, basil, parsley, onion, salt & pepper. Toss with tomatoes and let marinate at room temperature at least 1 hour. Cook fusilli in large pot of boiling salted water according to directions (tender but still firm). Drain well. Toss fusilli with 1/2 of fresh tomato sauce. Se...

"Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon takes up the wondrous tale, And nightly to the listening earth Repeats the story of her birth." ~ Joseph Addison FALLING LEAVES MOON Ginaakwe - giizis ( Ojibwe ) _____________________ CORNISH GAME HENS with APPLE THYME GLAZE ~ Savory taste of autumn, company fare, or perfect for a simple Sunday supper (October1992 Bon Appetit ) ___________ 1 large Cornish Game Hen (pheasant or duck also good), cut in half, backbone discarded coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper 3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. minced shallot 2 Tbsp apple jelly 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme ( 1/2 tsp. crumbled dried) 2 tsp. cider vinegar Apple slices Fresh thyme sprigs Preheat broiler. Heat 2 tsp. oil in heavy small saucepan over low heat. Add shallot and saute until translucent , about 2 minutes. Add apple jelly and chopped thyme and stir until jelly melts. Mix in vinegar . Set glaze aside. Rub hen halves with remaining 1 tsp. olive oil. Season with ...

BALED HAY (Hubbard Lake) ________________ BALED HAY "Wheels of baled hay bask in October sun: Gold circles strewn across the sloping field, They seem arranged as if each one Has found it's place; together they appeal To some glimpsed order in my mind Preceeding my chance pausing here -- A randomness that also seems designed. Gold circles strewn across the sloping field Evoke a silence deep as my deep fear Of emptiness; I feel the scene requires A listnener who can respond with words, yet who Prolongs the silence that I still desire, Relieved as clacking crows come flashing through, Whose blackness shows chance radiance of fire. Yet stillness in the field remains for everyone: Wheels of baled hay bask in October sun." ~ Robert Pack HUBBARD LAKE COUNTRYSIDE ______________ (Click and join Carolyn for October Garden Muse Day)