chapel hill, nc: the poster child for fall

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Today was the most perfect of fall days. If from here on out it gets cold and rainy and dark, it will all be ok, because of this one perfect day. 

Within the past three days, Chapel Hill has decided that it is definitely, officially fall. I noticed it driving home from work on Thursday, and had a few minutes where all I wanted to do was turn off the radio and just be in AWE of the colors that were surrounding what had previously been a very long, very uninteresting commute. I called Brandon just to freak out about it, although being from North Carolina, I guess he is used to this kind of seasonal gorgeousness us Floridians can only dream about. 

Days like these are made to be Saturdays. They are days for driving on country highways to yard sales filled with rose chintz and sconces. They are days for kale and bok choy and peppers all over the farmer's market, for the bee guy's bounty. They are days for eating BLTs and crepes outside while the sun warms your face in the almost chilly autumn air. Fall in this state is incredible. 

Days like today make me want to go home and roast something. And then knit something. And then sip on something warm watching old movies. I may have just outlined my plan for the evening. If you need me, I'll be the one snuggling on her couch with the best boy in the world. 

-Abby

friend weekend.

Don't you love it when friends come to visit?

This weekend was pretty much the best friend weekend ever. It involved staying up way too late on Pinterest, wedding dress shopping, cupcake eating, venue exploring, brunch munching, and so much laughter. I was completely overjoyed when Jordan told me she wanted to come in for a weekend. Living so far away from friends is a sacrifice I gladly made to be with this wonderful man, but it is so wonderful to see them when they can come! I felt like we got so much accomplished this weekend on things I really needed to jump on, probably because they were just so much better to do with a friend. 

Love you to pieces, JR! 

(Also I live in a pretty cool city, I've decided. It is just gorgeous in the fall)

xoxo. Abby

a speckled hat!

Whenever I walk into a yarn store, it's a dangerous thing. Especially when the cold weather is finally maybe sort of starting to show up and I have about a million projects stored in my Ravelry favorites that I want to tackle so bad. This hat is the product of my most recent trip and I am so happy with how it turned out!

I generally used this pattern, although my yarn wasn't quite at worsted weight, so I increased my cast on to 96 stitches instead of 72 to make the gauge right. Even so, it is not quite as slouchy as the pattern, but that is alright with me. The delicate speckles are super cute and the yarn is very soft, so I call this pattern a success! It is definitely a great launching point for a bunch of other projects I'm working on this fall!

Some other modifications I made (in case you were wondering):

-Again, because I wasn't using worsted weight yarn, I also increased the total rows to make the hat big enough for my head. I worked the color chart three times instead of just two.

-With the increase in stitches, my decreasing pattern wasn't exactly the same as the one listed in the pattern. Honestly, I don't think this made a ginormous difference so if you find yourself in the same shoes, don't stress too much about it.

What are you excited to be making this fall? :)

xoxo,

Abby

september days.

The last of summer flowers // stuffed peppers for two // the beginnings of my first color chart hat

I think I heard someone say once when I was in school that life only gets faster after you graduate. At the time, this was incredibly hard for me to believe. Now I see that whoever said this was right, but not in the way that I anticipated. Sometimes, it feels like the days move so slowly, but the weeks move so fast. 

This week Brandon and I celebrated his birthday just the way he wanted: with time with friends and dinner out at a restaurant we had never been to before (Pooles. Highly recommend if you're in Raleigh). And in just two weeks we will be in Nashville. It's crazy to think it's already been three weeks since we went for Labor Day.  And yet yesterday was the first day of fall, I started working on the first of my fall and winter knits, and Halloween pop-up stores are already showing up next to my Trader Joe's. 

I am at a weird place in my life right now where I'm alternating between wanting life to slow waaaaayyy down and wanting it to hurry up and get here. I'm figuring a lot of big life things out as I'm learning not just to transition into "real life" but also adjust to the idea of my life being the way it is for the forseeable future. And most of all I'm trying to be content and realize the gift that today is, and what to do with the waiting in-betweens. 

Happy fall, y'all, and thanks for listening to my ramblings,

Abby

life of pies

A few weeks ago, I had a craving for pie. Pies are by far my favorite dessert, to be sure, and there's just something wholesome and satisfying about pulling a pie out of the oven. So I went a little crazy, and had pie for dinner too, as quiche!

If you do not currently own a cookbook by Mollie Katzen, you are missing out, dear friend. My two favorites of hers are the Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. I always have so much respect, as a former vegetarian, for cooks who can make delicious meals where you don't even miss the meat. I recently also made the Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie from TEBF and it was equally as amazing.

The basic, easy formula for quiche is this (according to Mollie):

1. Get yourself a delicious crust
2. Spread/sprinkle/layer a bunch of cheese on the bottom to act as a moisture barrier for your eggs
3. Add herbs and veggies (I used oregano, thyme, spinach, mushrooms and cheated with some tiny pancetta cubes. Worth it).
4. Add egg mixture overtop of everything
5. Bake!

For exact recipes for these quiche and the apple custard pie at the top, I definitely encourage you to check out Mollie Katzen. Going into pie season (aka fall, duh), you will be happy you did.

What kind of flavor combinations will you try in your quiche?

lots of love,

Abby

(P.S. - Mollie Katzen did not sponsor this post. She is just that amazing)

K + C Wedding Photos Preview

Y'all.

These pictures.

They slay me.

I cannot WAIT to see all of the talented Shea Christines' work! For now, here is a link that she released today with some teasers on it.

Thanksgiving 2012

I love Thanksgiving. A lot of times I think that it doesn't get enough space during the holiday season, quickly overshadowed by Christmas (now some holiday sales starting on Thanksgiving itself!), but I am one of these terrible offenders, so I guess I can't really complain. This year I spent Thanksgiving with two of my siblings (the third still on his honeymoon), my parents, some old family friends and, of course, apple cinnamon roll pie.

Hoping your Thanksgiving was full of love and gratefulness! Christmas, here we come!

Crock Pot Apple Butter

Growing up in sunny Orlando, I wouldn't exactly say that I grew up "southern". In the south? Yes. But not very "southern" (And to anyone who wishes to say otherwise, please drive toward the airport and count the number of billboards that you read in Spanish). My dad, however, spent most of his growing up years in Charlotte, North Carolina, and between growing up with him and his brother just a street away and many trips to see my Aunt Bee (aka a prettier Paula Deen), I certainly got a taste of what Southern cooking was like. They did southern right: shoo fly pie, okra and tomatoes in the skillet, cornbread and, maybe not my favorite, livermush, for breakfast! One of my dad's favorites to bring home from a trip up to North Carolina was always apple butter, so this fall I decided to try my own hand at apple butter in my newest addition to my kitchen, my crock pot.

The recipe can be found here, and would be delicious in this apple butter pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Happy fall savoring on this Thanksgiving eve!

Fall love and pre-Thanksgiving excitement

It's getting to be that time of year again. That busy, crazy, wonderful holiday season where you can find yourself both more stressed and more overjoyed at the same time. As I'm overwhelmed this week with exams and papers as the semester is quickly approaching its end, I'm trying to get excited about a few special things.

Watching these two get married in less than a week!

Gathering decorating inspiration for the apartment this year. Check out my Christmas pinboard here!

Editing these beautiful photos of some of my sisters

Peace, joy and gratefulness this week.

A Good Dinner

An adventure this season has been learning how to cook for myself. It's something every girl in her twenties probably goes through at some point or another (unless you're my roommate and you insist that dinner is much easier and better for you from a box :) ) and it is something I am finding a lot of joy in! I love being in control of what I make for myself and having a real kitchen to cook in for the first time in three years (go dorms).

Last summer Brandon had me over to his house for a dinner with his housemates, and one of his roommates made a chickpea stew that I thought was just amazing. While I haven't plucked up the courage to email him and ask him for the recipe myself, I have found that this dish, a spin-off version, is so simple and easy and is good for at least two, if not three, meals in a week. And with a schedule like mine, I'll take it!

Chickpea Stew

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups spinach
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to your liking)
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp cumin

Combine chickpeas and tomatoes in a large skillet over medium heat. When the tomato sauce begins to boil, add spices and turn down to a simmer. Cook until the chickpeas are soft, about 10-15 minutes. If you would like more sauce, you can add half a can of water to the stew halfway through. Add spinach last, combining and allowing to wilt for 1-2 minutes before removing from heat.

Serve over rice.