I can't believe the winter is rapidly approaching! I had to dig out my heavy winter coat today. As usual, autumn comes and goes too fast. This year we celebrated the fall by inviting 16 of our closest friends to a harvest inspired dinner party. We took care of the main dishes and sides (a beautiful butterflied pork loin rolled with goat cheese, spinach, and sun dried tomato, my favorite tangy beef brisket recipe, and a few sides including a new recipe we tried, Giada De Laurentiis' Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto. This dish was so hearty, warming, and fragrant. I highly recommend it! We followed the recipe, but stirred in a little cayenne for a kick at the end. Delish!
Giada's Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto
I wanted to do something interesting with my lone pumpkin on the dining table and found this great DIY pumpkin etching tutorial at
Southernliving.com complete with printable templates.
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from Southernliving.com
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The directions suggest using a paring knife, but I found using a linoleum carving tool worked much better. Once you etch away the skin, wash the pumpkin well with antibacterial soap and coat the carved area with some petroleum jelly to keep it from rotting. Below is my attempt at etching a branch design into my pumpkin. This will last for about a month, then you can still cut it open and toast the seeds!
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| My dinner table |
