The Kitchen Welcomes Fall

Thrifting WonderlandFlowers, Food, Photography, Quick & Easy, vignette22 Comments on The Kitchen Welcomes Fall

Fall is definitely in the air even if it is more in my imagination than what the temperature reflects. It is definitely time to spruce up the kitchen with a few Fall touches. The picture above is a new recipe I tried for Fig Bread. I was gifted some figs by a good friend and wanted to try my hand at this recipe. It turned out great and I will include the recipe at the end of the post. I altered it a bit from the original to make it a little less sweet and a little spicier. My Hubby absolutely loved it.

Grasses and Fall leaves in an earthenware container add color and texture to this part of the counter. I am fortunate to have a really large expanse of countertop in a large kitchen. It comes in handy since both my Hubby and I cook and we both need a lot of space.

This is the completed vignette. I grouped the earthenware container with a basket used for gathering apples and a casual towel. The “Happily Ever After” sign is part of the magic of Fall.

In another part of the kitchen a pottery jug made by a local potter is set on the counter backed by “Welcome Fall” on the chalkboard. A birch bark rectangular basket is filled with small pumpkins ushering in the season. The flowers are from the grocery store and the garden. Magnolia leaves are a staple In the South and look terrific in arrangements.

The baking area is ready with the Kitchen Aid set up and cookbooks just waiting to peruse for that perfect recipe. Some favorites are shown here but there are lots of other cookbooks that have great options.

Tucked in a. corner by the stove a simple tray promotes a vintage seed company from years ago. When were pumpkin seeds 5 cents?

Another part of the counter is shared between decorative rolling pins, hydrangea blossoms and a very tall pumpkin. The basket is enhanced by a ribbon embellished with Fall leaves. The hydrangea are from the garden and everything else was picked up at thrift Stores.

After a long day baking it’s nice to have some time together to celebrate one another and the gifts we’ve been given. One kind of happiness is definitely all about home. A nice glass of red wine is a pleasant break in the late afternoon or early evening. The glasses are Mikasa and were thrifted along with the towel and the tray.

I have a wooden island that sits in the center of the space at one end of the kitchen. I use it for prep every day and it is so handy. We’ve had it for 30 years and it moves with us whenever we change households. Today, it holds some homemade rosemary bread…freshly baked. It’s wrapped in a checkered towel. A stoneware pitcher holds some herbs from the garden. Ripe peaches sit in front of the pitcher waiting to be eaten. You can see the flecks of rosemary in the bread. The scent of rosemary fills the kitchen bringing thoughts of sun-kissed, crisp Fall days.

A wooden box, edged in copper, was made last year for me by my Husband. I love it and use it in lots of places throughout the house. Today it is filled with vintage 1/2 pint milk bottles. I used a variety of blooms and paired them with sage, rosemary and lemon verbena. I was really pleased with how this turned out. You can see the island in the background.

Here you can see a closeup of the bottles and their contents.

I love how the kitchen is filtered through the flowers.

This is a view of the kitchen from one end of the counter. We have a sitting area at this end.

Looking the other way you can see the Butler’s Pantry with the glass-fronted cabinets and the hydrangea.

This is such an easy kitchen to work in that I spend a lot of time here especially in the Fall and Winter months.

Now for the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 to 2 1/2 cups sugar (I sued 2 cups)
  • 2 cups ripe figs, mashed ( I soaked the figs in 1/4 cup of bourbon for about 15 minutes)
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg).
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, well shaken
  • 1 cup nuts, chopped

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.
  2. Heat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas 4. Grease and flour the bottom of two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans (or 3 small loaf pans).
  3. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs. Add the sugar and beat well.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, add the mashed figs and vegetable oil.
  5. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. (and nutmeg)
  6. Add the flour mixture to the first mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Beat until well blended.
  7. Fold in chopped nuts. (I used pecans and walnuts.)
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The center may sink slightly while cooling. Let stand for 10 minutes then turn the bread out onto a cooling rack.

Thanks for visiting today and I hope you give the recipe a try. Happy Fall in the kitchen.