Fall is definitely my favorite season in New England. Beside the beautiful colorful foliage that cheers up the country and city parks, there are winter squashes. Butternut, acorn, red kuri, pumpkin. Oh, there are so many of them, in so many original shapes and attractive colors! I am always waiting for this time of year to bring them to our dinner table–at least twice a week, most likely more. Lulu, too, approves.

This recipe is a good example. It’s a savory crumble that I created for the Boston Globe Food section. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

Take a sweet crumble and replace the sugar with cheese, spice and herbs, and the fruit with vegetables and more cheese. Variants are endless, and this one is only one of the many savory crumbles that I enjoy to prepare.

Think about it as a side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner. Something new and distinctive to bring to the table to surprise your guests.

Follow the link here for the recipe.

You probably recall that I recently wrote about making nutritious healthy baby food. What I didn’t tell you then, I realize, is about the utensil I actually use to prepare meals for Lulu. Magical! Oh how grateful I am to own a Beaba Babycook! It’s really the best kitchen gadget for a new maman! Perhaps you think you do not need one, and that’s fine too, but I must say that, it’s really simplified the preparation of Lulu’s foods. The bonus? It’s useful for that purpose and for whatever else you want.

So I wrote about it for Short Orders in the Boston Globe’s food section–and the article can be found here.

Today, for example, I prepared a white sweet potato, purple turnip and chicken meal for Lulu. I flavored her food with garlic and coriander. She ate the whole thing, with red quinoa on the side. Meanwhile, I was having a carrot and parsnip soup with coriander too. She ate some of that as well! And I ate some of hers.

We were in fact both enjoying one of the last supplies of local vegetables from our farmer’s market. I told Lulu how sad I was to see them go for the winter. She gave me a cuddle. Then we went to the park and she would not love the swing.

It made the two of us happy. With very happy bellies too.

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When I traveled to France this summer, my family and I had lunch a few times at the restaurant l’écluse 16–only ten kilometers away from where my parents live. I really enjoy the place, not only because of its quiet, off-the-beaten-path location by a canal, à la campagne (in the countryside), but also because Leroux, the chef and talent in the kitchen, is a man who creates inventive eye-catching foods that showcase the best local ingredients. I wanted to write about the place. And so I did, in the Boston Globe food section last week.

If you are interested, especially if you plan a trip in this part of France, you can find the article here.

In the meantime, here are a few snapshots I took when we ate there in the summer. And oh, yes, if you wondered, we ate all the foods that you see. Vraiment délicieux ! and worth the détour.

If you recall, last year, I told you about the first cookbook I contributed to, styling and photographing the foods. Jennifer, the author, came to my house for a few days to work — we immediately became friends. Her cookbook was just published and I am so honored to have been able to work with her and the people at Chronicle Books.

It’s a book about Gingerbread and every goodie that comes with it. It’s funny to think about it. I was three months pregnant when I worked on this project last summer. It was so hot, I remember, and I was completely morning sick, but it was a marvelous experience to team with Jennifer. She’s funny and witty, and full of energy–we worked really well together.

Her book is now available in bookstores and amazon, if you are interested. And, since I baked all the recipes with pictures attached, I can tell you that they work fantastically! So if you like gingerbread, you know what to do next. It’s the season!

Note that the second picture (a gingerbread I baked from her recipes) in this post is not in Jennifer’s book, but I just liked it so wanted to put it here! Simple and tasty!

I’d been thinking about spending a long weekend on Martha’s Vineyard island for a while. Ever since we’d returned from France in late August. I knew we would wait until the summer crowds were gone and the place would become tranquil, with the exception of the activities of the locals and occasional visitors, like us.

At first, I tried to reason myself, though, thinking ce n’est pas raisonnable Béa!, but the thought faded. Really vanished, in fact. And fairly quickly, I could hear the pleasing melody of an insisting voice whispering softly into my ear: Just do it, you’ll love it!.

And this is where the story started.

One morning, in early September, I told P. in an assertive tone: “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!” I remember him looking back at me without showing any sign of surprise. And then he smiled. “Ooh, je sais!” he said. “I know you well enough!”

And so this is how on Saturday of last week, with the car loaded with luggage, a loaf of chocolate cake , fresh produce and groceries, we hopped on the ferry that took us to the island.

And ooh how glad I am we made the trip!

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