RMRF 37: IT RAINED, ITS FALL, WE LIVE IN A REAL NEIGHBORHOOD!

Tonight, I was so glad that my pasta smelled weird (does dried pasta go bad?) and I had to start over cooking it again – because that way Morgan got to go out and play kickball in our neighbors’ front yard before dinner, and I got to go out to the front porch 20 minutes later, cup my hands, call “Morgan, dinner!” and watch her sprint across the street. Its almost like we live in a real neighborhood. That, and rain all day yesterday, is what makes life in LA bearable, almost like we’re living in the idyllic small town land of Beverly Clearly that Stockard Channing brings to life so beautifully on my stereo every day as Audrey listens to their books obsessively (check out the Ramona audiobooks –they’re great).

Meanwhile, Gourmet magazine has expired, but I can’t really complain cuz I’ve contributed to its demise by using its website Epicurious far more than the magazine for my recipe research. But more importantly, my friend Lauren has a bunch of pumpkins in her garden, and there’s apparently a dearth of canned pumpkin due to low pumpkin harvests last year, so we’ve all got motivation to eschew the canned stuff, pick up those cute little 6 “ pumpkins from our gardens, farmers’ markets or local TJ’s and make that PUMPKIN PUREE ourselves. Then put it in PUMPKIN PIE or PUMPKIN NUT MUFFINS. Audrey loves em both.

Not so much did Audrey love the BROCCOLI FETA HERB BULGHUR SALAD, nor the PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND KALE – which Morgan ate in 4 minutes flat so she could go out and play more kickball. But they were very nice, very easy, very autumnal weeknight meals that I will enjoy having for lunch the rest of the week! Finally I am including my recipe for CORN MUFFINS – SWEET. They were good as a side for the Bulghur salad (OK –that is what Audrey ate) but I love em with breakfast, too.