The Walsh Cookbook

The second the weather starts turns to fall, it's time for pumpkin bread! I usually try to wait until at least October before I start making this so I don't burn myself out by November but man oh man is it good. Half the reason I love making it is because it makes the kitchen smell so nice while it's baking. It's a serious struggle not to pull it out of the oven before its done and gobble it down.  This recipe is adapted from a recipe on the "Two Peas & Their Pod" blog which I found through foodgawker. I like this recipe because it makes 3 loafs of bread. You can either give them away or throw them in the freezer until you finish your loaf (I'm guessing a day, MAYBE 2)!   

This soup...  I had it the first time I went to Elephant's Deli in Portland ( here ) while I was there visiting Caity and my friend Sarah.  We went back two more times in the next 36 hours!  A guy who worked there finally noticed on the 3rd visit and asked us why we were there so often.  It was all worth it though, because this soup is incredible!  The orange is just enough that you notice it, but not so much that it's overpowering.  We had it last week when it was a little cooler with delicious grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, and it was the perfect end of summer tomato meal!  For that matter, it's perfect all the time... what you will need

This truly fabulous recipe is from a Sunset magazine article in 2000 about tacos in the Southwest.  The Pork Carnitas recipe from La Taqueria in San Francisco is the one that we really went crazy for and have been making it often ever since.   These carnitas are the real deal: slow-cooked, then finished up in the oven until they are crispy, flavorful bits, and the flavor is to die for--really, really amazing. It is always a huge hit every time we serve it and vanishes like crazy as people keep walking back to pick at it some more even after they are done eating.  The recipe is not at all difficult; just a bit time-consuming but so worth it.  So plan on being home for a few hours and make lots--it freezes wonderfully.  You could also start this in a slow-cooker, but with less water.  Let it simmer pretty much all day, then finish up in the oven.  Or, if you have a pressure cooker you could start it off in there, cooking until very tende...

Stop making that face just because you saw Spam.  Everybody I've made try it has always liked it, so be brave and try it because Spam Fried Rice is delicious!  I make it differently from my mom, and I think she makes it differently from Tutu (our Grandma), so maybe one day we'll all get our own versions of Spam Fried Rice up here!  what you will need

I love this corn dip for about a million reasons but the main reason is that it reminds me of my friend, Maddie Sweet, who shares my obsession with corn and is now far, far away studying at Hofstra Law School in New York. I miss her!  After I showed Maddie how to make this recipe she made it several times a week for a couple months. It IS that good! The original recipe is from Contemporary Southwest: The Cafe Terra Cotta Cookbook. In the book it is served as a side dish with salsa fresca, but we make it a little differently and serve it as dip with tortilla chips (but I bet it would be great with salsa fresca too!).