October Goodness

I was tagged last week by Katie at Queen Bee Swain and requested to reveal my favorite things relating to the month of October. I thought it would be a tuffie, considering I am still in all black for the death of summer but, I managed to rally and remind myself to appreciate the change in seasons...

Although it officially debuted in September, I will not allow myself to indulge in Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte til October. Some things are just sacred and cannot be rushed...

The fall in Charlottesville was truly beautiful with all the deciduous trees turning colors...

And I really miss our little cottage in the Farmington right about now...

October 1st marks the day I make the official switch from my spring/summer Chanel Christalle perfume to my fall/winter Lauren. Not a day sooner...

Nothing beats a run when all the leaves are on the ground and I'm only a couple weeks away from this small boost in helping me get out of bed to log my early morning mileage...

A true Eastern Shore gal knows that October enters with archery season and exits with muzzleloader...

And, all the good duds that go with the hunting life. Where did that old pair of Hunters vanish to?

And finally, I go weak in the knees for caramelized apples and no one does caramel apples each year like good ole Martha...

Martha Stewart's Poison Apples
Makes 15

15 Lady apples
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
Vegetable oil cooking spray, for baking sheet
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61% cacao), melted and slightly cooled

1. Poke a hole into stem end of each apple, and insert a clean 5-inch twig, small dowel, or skewer into each hole. Set pistachios on a plate. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Place sugar and corn syrup in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until mixture is dark gold, about 15 minutes. remove from heat, and slowly drizzle in heavy cream, stirring vigorously. Let stand for 5 minutes.

3. Dip 1 apple into caramel to coat bottom third, and remove immediately, allowing excess to drip off bottom. Dip caramel-coated apple into pistachios, using your fingers to help nuts stick to caramel. Transfer coated apple to oiled baking sheet, nut side down. Repeat with remaining apples, caramel, and pistachios. Let apples stand until set, about 30 minutes.

4. Place melted chocolate in a resealable plastic bag. Snip off the tip of one bottom corner to form a very small hole. Holding one apple by the twig, drizzle lines of chocolate onto apple, and let stand until chocolate is set, 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining apples and chocolate. Caramel apples can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Kindness of Katie at Queen Bee Swain for reminding me that fall ain't so bad...

Facebook Mail Bag Part Deux

Continuing with destination suggestions for my fellow never blond or tan enough friend Karin...

Tops on my non-Mexican list is Roundhill in Jamaica. Regulars here include the late Babe Paley and the Laurens. As in Ralph and Ricky. N'est-ce pas?

I know that Melissa C. Morris is a fan of Half Moon also in Jamaica. And, considering Mel's track record of fantastic taste and the fact that she has returned each year for as long as I have been reading her blog, I'm betting it's pretty top drawer...

The third island hot spot is the Turks and Caicos Amanyara where you may bump into Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Kelly mentions this place at least every other week on Live and I have mentally logged it in my virtual destination folder...

Now, if you're willing to take the requisite tan off the table I have one final suggestion...

The Mayflower Inn and Spa, located in the idyllic town of Mayflower, CT is magnifique according to Marina Rust Connor. If you don't mind the chill outdoors you can immerse yourself in massages and private nighttime yoga sessions in your room to ensure a good night's sleep...

Being the pampering co-conspirators that we are Karin, I feel quite confident that this is right up your luxury alley...

In fact, what were those dates again?

Kindness of Karin for not finding it too stalkish if she should happen to spy my familiar face whilst sunning or steaming at one of these suggested locales. Also, kindness of Unabashedly Prep for the addition of "top drawer" into my repertoire...

Facebook Mail Bag Part Un

Karin Lipinski October 1 at 1:10pm
Hi Alice! How is everything going? I was in g'town a few weeks ago and I miss it so much, I'm sure you're loving it. Rehoboth Beach isn't so bad, especially in the summer, but it's getting really quiet and I have to resort to almost all online shopping with the exception of Tickled Pink, haha!
Anyway I wanted to consult the expert on everything fabulous...my girlfriends and I want to plan a fun but not crazy trip the week between Xmas and New Years. I went to Harbour Island last year and again in April and we are going to West Palm in November. I want to try something new and of course preppy without it being St. Barts $$$$. Any suggestions?



Well, Karin, I think James Taylor sums up my current state of mind and the immediate direction I would send you and your posse...

If I wasn't fortunate enough to have my parents compound in Ixtapa to look forward to it would be Las Ventanas in Los Cabos I'd be scraping funds together for...

Or, the One & Only Palmilla in Cabo San Lucas where it's highly likely I'd be rubbing elbows with Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox...

And lastly, there's Las Brisas in Ixtapa where I have fond memories of crystal clear water, my first taste of octopus, the grownups indulging a teenaged me in Tanqueray and tonics and, one killer tan. I can hardly wait til January myself...

Stay tuned tomorrow for some non South of the Border recommendations...

MRR Design Pour Moi

I love it when the mailman knocks on my door with an unexpected delivery of a package that's too big to fit in my box. Annnd, we especially love it when there's something as pretty as this pink MRR frame waiting inside the package...

Marnie over at MRR Design blog sent me this handmade thank you for mentioning her in a post a couple of weeks ago...

Pshaw Marnie...Patricia over at PVE should get all the credit for discovering your beautiful preppy wares. And, also some serious credit for my new favorite header illustration...

Even le commandant Pilgie recognizes Patricia's signature talent when he sees it...

Either that or he's jockeying for space deciding that his likeness will be the lucky picture chosen for this newly acquired real estate...

Kindness of Marnie at MRR Design for my much appreciated frame and for Patricia who initiated the relationship with her generous gesture for Emma and Hilary...XXOO

Fun Aunt Genevieve

I just hate when I see the suitcases come out. I instantly go into a funk cuz I know it means mummy and daddy are leaving...

I tried staging a lay-in on mummy's clothes so she couldn't pack but, then I cheered up cuz Aunt Genevieve arrived to kitty sit us for the weekend. She's great cuz we get a vaca from grooming, she doesn't make the bed so we can play fort all day, she doesn't run the dreaded vacuum, annnd we can strong arm her into getting out of bed in the middle of the night to play or open the closet door for us.

It was exhausting having so much fun and, now that the Mistress of the Manor is home, the suitcases have been unpacked and put away, we're groomed, and the place has been swept, Swiffered and vacuumed to within an inch of it's life, all is right in my little world and I can catch up on some much needed sleep...

Kindness of Aunt Genevieve for coming all the way from the beach and taking such good care of us all weekend...XXOO

Lethal Elbow Inheritance

I've always been really curious about the origin of my lethally pointy elbows. Neither of my parents have these extremely curvy hinges so who did I inherit them from?

It's a curiosity that has randomly crossed my mind as it did last night while brushing my teeth at my parents house. As fate would have it, I went from my oral hygiene routine right into rifling through old family photos and voilà...

Mystery solved! My Papa's elbows apparently skipped a generation and reappeared on moi. Makes me wonder if years from now someone will be referencing old family pictures and pinning their crazy bones on me...

Kindness of Deb Voos for appearing dangerously close to my lethally pointy elbows in both pics...

Chef Gwynnie

When Gwyneth Paltrow announced the The River Cafe as one of her favorite and most used cookbooks during an episode of Spain...On the Road Again I logged onto my Amazon wish list without missing a beat. On the heels of this golden recommendation was a River Cafe mention in Town & Country. Gwynnie...Town & Country...the bifecta of good taste...

I have an enormous weakness for Italian food and a history as a child of asking Santa to bring me spaghetti. Poor Santa, if only my tastes had remained a smidge more Chef Boyardee and little less Van Cleef and Arpels...

Unfortunately, my palette has also graduated and dessert has usurped any main course on my list of culinary priorities. So, naturally I managed to ferret out the most decadent offering once my copy of the The River Cafe Cookbook arrived. The entire cookbook is fabulous, and I would expect nothing less from a Gwynnie recommendation, but I plan on hanging my hat on the Chocolate Nemesis. Also referred to as, "the best chocolate cake ever" by the authors...

Serves 10-12

1 1/2 lb bitter-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces

10 whole eggs

1 lb, 5 oz caster sugar

1 lb unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 12 x 2 in cake tin with greaseproof paper, then grease and flour it.

Beat the eggs with a third of the sugar until the volume quadruples - this will take at least 10 minutes in an electric mixer.

Heat the remaining sugar in a small pan with 8 fl oz water until the sugar has completely dissolved to a syrup.

Place the chocolate and butter in the hot syrup and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Add the warm syrup to the eggs and continue to beat, rather more gently, until completely combined - about 20 seconds, no more. Pour into the cake tin and place in a bain-marie of hot water. It is essential, if the cake is to cook evenly, that the water comes up to the rim of the tin. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until set. Test by placing the flat of your hand gently on the surface.

Leave to cool in the tin before turning out

Kindness of reliable ole GP...