thank you so much for your lovely comments yesterday. this week is busy with the final edits to the polaroid book (going to print within days!!), the first set of edits for the gem book and the final outlines for the kids book - craziness! in celebration of Instant Love going to print, i want to giveaway TWO SETS of both polaroid note card sets - so two winners will recieve both the original set and our new set that is a sneak peek to Instant Love.

all you have to do is comment and tell me your very favorite apple recipe OR your favorite fall ritual. yes - your working for this one friends. i have a peck of apples that i picked up at the apple fest this weekend; while many are destined for my maple-brandy apple butter - the fate of the others is still in question (that recipe, btw is for what i call "kinda-canning" - ashley is going to teach me the real way). as for your favorite ritual - we are looking for ways to continue to slow down and relish. i will pick my favorite from each topic - so GO!

next week den and i are heading to the Big 4 in nyc and staying in brooklyn the first couple of nights - i am so excited i just don't have words - i think i might be more excited about being in my old neighborhood than i am about the concert. maybe.

i will choose winners when i get back on the 16th - in the meantime - enjoy your days friends.

 

Comments

[azuree]

I am so excited for you girls and the notecards! They look so lovely from the sneak peeks I've seen! I am not cook by any means what so ever, so I'll have to go with my favorite fall ritual. My husband and I live in a teenie tiny apartment with our two bunnies and so we have to put our winter and summer clothes away in storage when we're not using them. I get excited to get last seasons clothes out of storage and sort it while sipping on some pumpkin spice latte and eating an entire pumpkin pie with whipped cream. I LOVE pumpkin pie something awful so whenever there's a hint of Autumn in the air I run out to the super market with hopes that in place of my beloved summer favorite, the watermelon, will be a nice lil pumpkin pie!

A silly thing to get excited about, but it's the little things, right?

[jen]

oh i love this. do you know why? i think i love pumpkin pie as much as you do! ;)

[andrea]

congrats on getting nearer and nearer to the book! i can't wait to see it! my favorite fall ritual is thanksgiving. i know it's clichéd, but i love all those thanksgiving-y foods: pumpkin pie, stuffing, cranberry sauce, crescent rolls, ham and pineapple, etc. and it's the only time i ever eat those foods together! seriously, food is the best part of fall for me :)

[Meghan @ Life Refocused]

Love, love, love those notecards :) Can't wait for the book. I love fall and all that it brings. I love the first lighting of the fire in our fireplace. I can smell it already.

[Kelly]

apple pie. or good old applesauce made in the crockpot. with cinnamon.

have a great trip!

[Anna]

Of course I have to comment now. :-) I keep seeing the pretty polaroids sets pop up in shops I browse online - so exciting! Fall Ritual: The boys and I wait anxiously for the leaves to turn...we watch with baited breath as the brilliant reds, oranges, yellows emerge, we take many walks and park outings. Then, at the first leaf fall of the year, we each choose a sturdy, old hard bound book, drive to a 'favorite street' (we keep our eyes on the most brilliant trees) and commence 'leaf gathering'....we don't stop until we've filled many pages of the books...and we leave them pressed there until some turn to near skeletons...at that point, we make all manner of creations with them - cards to send to loved ones who are hoping for a respite from winter....chain links hanging from the bedroom ceilings - whatever the hearts desire. I first took Solomon when he was only a month old in the stroller while I collected leaves (my own ritual) and determined at that moment that I wanted to include my children in the beauty of fall. I love letting the beauty of any given season envelope me. It just makes everything else seem so warm. (pie, thanksgiving feasts, etc) ;-) xoxox!

[Kimberly Taylor]

What a delightful giveaway! Favorite apple recipe is apple crisp with french vanilla ice cream atop.

[jen]

andrea - i love thanksgiving too - i always make the same recipes and there is such a sweet comfort in that!

meghan - yes! we plan on doing that this weekend - i can NOT wait.

kelly - mmm applesauce!

anna - so beautiful - i love this so very much...

kimberly - oh i had not thought of a crisp! those don't lastlong around here ;)

[Tina Riddell]

The polaroid note cards look fabulous! Cannot wait to see them on person, I must get myself a set!

I wish I could share an apple recipe but I cannot eat apples. :( (allergies)

But I do love fall and my favourite ritual is to take walks through local gardens and forests to collect dried leaves, flowers or other interesting bits to use in floral designs. I also enjoy photographing the stunning fall colours Ontario has to offer!

Happy fall to you and your sweet girls!

[Leah]

My comment is a combination of the two questions: Every fall at camp we make apple cider from the apples we pick off a random tree in my town. Fun tradition and DELICIOUS cider. We put lots of little red hot candies in it. They melt nicely and give it a cozy aroma and flavor. I love coming in from the chilly night to a big pot of that cider ready for us to ladle into mugs.

[Jeannie]

I live in Florida so fall here is not about leaves changing or that first hint of crispness in the air. Sweater weather is months away but we do have our own little rituals and my favorite is finally being able to turn off the ac and open the windows.

[jen]

tina - can't wait to see the colors here in north carolina too - going to be amazing!

leah - red hots in cider?! brilliant!

jeannie - open windows are pretty blissful right now ;)

[Loring Pfeiffer]

Man oh man, are those notecards ever lovely--it'd be such a treat to win them!

As for apple recipes: how about Smitten Kitchen's apple and cheddar scones? I haven't yet made them, but they look delicious, and I trust everything Deb does! Here's the link: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/10/apple-and-cheddar-scones/

[Amber]

Hi Jen,
The note cards look lovely and congratulations on the book! I have to say that I've been craving Tarte Tatin these last few days as I've seen the new crop coming in from Eastern Washington at the farmers markets (have you been to the Ballard Farmers Market?) As summer dies down I look forward to indulging in richer foods and wearing boots and sweaters... so lush! I found a classic video to share with you and your readers -- Julia Child making Tarte Tatin. The segment just happens to have been sponsored by Polaroid too!

http://video.pbs.org/video/1166840087/

Happy Autumn to all!

Amber Share

[brooke]

the new notes look lovely :)

one of my favorite apple recipes is to slice them and sautee them with sweet onions in olive oil, and serve them under cast-iron pan baked pork chops...it's also our camping favorite!

[Rachel]

I don't have a baking bone in my body, but I do have a ton of fall favorites...
Going to Northern Wisconsin to see the warm and vibrant colors of fall.
Jogging through the woods and smelling the leaves on the ground.
Eating apple cider donuts and hot cider at my favorite apple orchard.
Pulling on jeans, a sweater and scarf, going to get a decaf Americano, and walking down the treeline streets of Chicago on Saturday mornings.
Happy almost fall!

[beth]

oh beautiful! favorite apple recipe... probably caramel apple pie.
just like regular but you make a caramel sauce for the inside before you bake it :)

[Hanna]

Hmm I love everything about fall! I haven't made it myself, but I love apple cider so that would probably be my favorite recipe.

[Kiersten Johnson]

My favorite fall activity is going to a fall festival and drinking apple cider. I also love going to an Oktober feast and indulging in all things German. What I like to bake is pumpkin pie bread from fresh pumpkin. It is amazing!

[Grace]

A simple recipe perfect for little ones...
"Apple Nachos"
Top triscuit crackers with a slice of apple and a slice of cheddar cheese- melt in microwave (or warm in oven) and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Enjoy together while snuggling under a cozy blanket!

[Lizzie]

I love this really simple one, it is great for guests as it is speedy and you can cook it whilest they are there and the smell of it cooking and sizzling is part of the goodness.

Slice your apples fairly thinly, put in in a frying pan with butter...sizzle sizzle....add some raisins, sultanas, maybe some plums if you have any or some almonds...sizzle sizzle... add in a slosh of maple syrup or golden syrup, sizzle sizzle...sprinkle in cinnamon and add in a little brandy if you want (I want!)...sizzle sizzle... Serve, add a blob of vanilla icecream and if you want even more sugar, some brown sugar is nice.

mmmm I smelt the aroma of autumn leaves this evening :)

Lovely cards by the way. x

[Debbie Ealer]

my favorite fall tradition...going out with my now grown kids,,acting like small kids and doing all the corn mazes we can find in a 60 mile radius of us!!

Gorgeous cards,,hope you and Den have a great mini vaca to NYC!! enjoy it, I havent been in years and years

[patricia]

what a treat! as i am wrangling with 75 lbs of the last of the summer's big red georgia peaches and preserving them, i happened upon this, must be tuning into your brainwaves...

i'm a halloween baby!!! communing with the spirits passing through on all hallows eve is my favorite way to celebrate the season by far. and my late grandmother's apple torte is a recipe that i am dying to make on my own very soon: whole roma apples that have been cored and stuffed with chopped walnuts and jam of your choice, 1/2 bake the apples in the oven until soft in a pot large enough to cook the whole cake in. the apples are arranged about 5 or 6 in a circle and one in the middle. pour a simple batter to fill in completely, then bake. once out of the oven and cooled, flip over the pot to release the cake (carefully, like a tarte tatin) and garnish with fluffy peaks of sweet whipped cream. the jam and apple juices combined make for a divinely moist treat! for the whole recipe, email me!!!
aren't you lovin' the south? so homey and earthy goooood
xo

[jessica]

my favorite fall ritual, thus far, is so simple but so enormous to my heart... bike riding with my little family. through the leaves, camera in tow, exploring and taking in the evening fall air and the colors everywhere above... <3 favorite favorite favorite {oh, and baking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!! that too!}

[Courtney Patch]

oh i love these! and i love fall. as soon as the air turns crips i like to get my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. pumpkin spice latte with soy milk is my fav. and our family (from the time i was little) always went to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkin and grab some apples for pie and apple crisp baking. it's something i plan to continue as a newlywed, and when i have kiddos of my own!