Fall Saturday

Yesterday was awesome. We had absolutely nothing to do. So I decided it was time to stop mourning the passing of another summer and embrace the fall. Pretty much the best way to do this is to cook things that contain pumpkin, cinnamon and/or apples. So I did.

Seamus, don't you dare.

These pumpkin muffins were really good. I made them as soon as I woke up...somewhere around 10:30. You really can't beat that. Then with the rest of the can of pumpkin, I made this pumpkin apple butter recipe, courtesy of Nicole. It's pretty delicious, I was impressed with the texture, and how easy it is to make. Next time I think I might add more pumpkin than apple, since it basically just tastes like good apple butter. I used a honeycrisp apple because Kroger manipulates my eating habits by putting things on sale.

I also thought that this might be a good day to drag out this old bread board that used to be my grandmother's. It's a big flat wooden board that kind of latches onto the countertop so it doesn't slide around. I discovered that the back edge of it has our last name scratched into it, but uh, spelled wrong. Missing the "k":

So I didn't really feel like making bread, per se. Too much waiting and not enough instant gratification. So I decided to try my hand at some scratch made noodles. I guess you could say pasta, or spaghetti, but they didn't really resemble any kind of actual pasta, so let's call them noodles. I used this method.

Now there isn't anything particularly autumnal about this dinner. But c'mon, I made my own noodles, that's impressive, right?

Please excuse the ugly dishes. I've been eating off of these for close to 20 years and I'm not buying new ones until they all break.

The noodles came out a little rubbery. I'm thinking that this could have been caused by either 1.) overworking the dough, or 2.) overcooking them in the water. I have absolutely no way of telling, and nothing else to compare it to. So maybe I'll try it again sometime and do something differently. Or maybe I'll get the Kitchen Aid pasta attachment and they won't look like rubber worms next time. Either way, it was a delicious fall Saturday.

The Finest Bacon Money Can Buy

It's time for the world to know about Benton's. Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams. Benton's bacon. It's an authentic delicacy. It's only made in East Tennessee. It'll change your life.


This little hole in the wall on highway 455 near Madisonville, TN is a real deal smokehouse. It's every pig's nightmare. They smoke and cure country hams and their bacon is really something else. It's like no bacon I've ever had before. Think about that expensive thick cut applewood smoked bacon you can get at Whole Foods or Fresh Market, but ten times better. It's really meaty, and the hickory smoke is amazing. This stuff smells delicious before you even start cooking it. Open up the white butcher paper and the whole kitchen already smells good.


Foodies and chefs are obsessed with it. They ship bacon all over the country. But not many make it to their actual store. It's staffed by a crew of Tennessee good ol' boys who will answer any question with a smile. And...it's cheap. It's really a great deal. We got 2 lb of fresh cut slab bacon for less than $8. (They'll ship 4 lb of it for $21.) Yet another perk of living in Knoxville.

We finished out the order with 3 huge, beautiful NY Strip steaks, one of which he gave to us for free for some reason. Plus a little packet of Benton's prosciutto. "What? Rednecks in the holler making prosciutto? How do they even know what that is? Only Italians can make prosciutto." Don't underestimate a man who smokes pork for a living. It's effin' delicious.

Tomato City

Garden update: stuff grows. I've gotten at least three pints of cherry tomatoes already, and I'm about to go out and pick another bowl full of 'em. The first two big tomatoes are starting to turn now, and there are about a dozen more green ones. Bell peppers are growing, even though the plants never got very big. Not the poor little eggplant though...he never made it.

The neighbor just brought over 4 massive English cucumbers from his yard. Now I need to go figure out what to do with those. Tzatziki anyone?