frame.of.mind: fall

fall

The weather around here is already doing that tricky, "now you see me now you don't" thing with summer, leaving you never quite sure if you have a stretch of Indian summer left, or if fall is right around the corner.

I am a summer child through and through, so I am always a little bit sad to see it go, but I have to admit, autumn holds such a special place in my heart. Summer is never quite long enough, but this year our A/C decided to quit on us in the thick of it all, and so I'm a little more ready to see the seasons change.

Fall brings scarves and hats and cozy layers, tall boots and socks and frothy lattes, vibrant colors, earthy tones, and a crisp breeze, and it kind of makes you feel like anything is possible. Launching that Etsy shop you've always dreamed of, writing that novel you've always wanted to, or just being braver than you've ever been before.

I'm not sure if it's the back-to-school shopping or the leaves turning or the slight shift of summer craziness to the structure of fall, but something just feels so inspiring and new. Sometimes the change from summer to fall feels like a fresher start for me than even the beginning of a new year.

And so before we start dreaming of bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils and flannel shirts, I will try to quickly squeeze in a few more glimpses of summer.

Long past "blueberry season" I was feeling like we hadn't stored enough away for winter and wanted to make one last pass through the berry patch. My hopes weren't very high but I went anyway and my fears were confirmed.....barely a berry to be found. But the girls still had so much fun, reaching and hunting and picking that we lingered for a while, and I figured it was still a cheap, fun field trip at least, so not all was lost.

Jocelyn loves taking pictures with my camera and I hope I don't stifle any budding photographer dreams, but sometimes it makes me so nervous watching her handle that thing! Most of her pictures are a little off (above), but every once in a while she snaps one that completely surprises me, like the one below!

The blueberries left a lot to be desired, but the peaches were in full glory, so we went home with a bowl of those and promptly scoured Pinterest for all of the best peach-y recipes, and this is one you simply HAVE to try:

Peach Crumble Bars

Ingredients:

For the Crumble:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 egg, lightly beaten
For the Peach Filling:
5 cups diced peaches (about 7 peaches, peeled)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

For the Crumble: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon on low speed. Add the butter, toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Add egg and mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. Place reserved half aside. Place the pan and the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

For the Peach Filling: In medium bowl, gently toss diced peaches and lemon juice together; set aside.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over the peaches and mix gently.
Spread the peach mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the peach layer.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely on wire rack then transfer to the refrigerator to chill before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Source: adapted from Brown Eyed Baker originally adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Allrecipes

Via Sweet Pea's Kitchen.