Just right

Ok, so I still haven't quite gotten the hang of this everyday thing. I'm working on it, guys, I swear. After realizing that tumblr felt a bit too much like a 4am bar, NTYMI is making its home at blogger. So far, we're hanging out in sweats with a mug of tea here and it's feeling right.

Besides the technical difficulties, we've had a few scares in the family over the last few days (we're all fine thank goodness). It seems almost every good novel is filled with the seesawing, caterwauling dramas of life. Love. Heartache. Sickness. Health. Birth. Death. Deception. Friendship. Good fortune and bad. But when those events occur in real life, happy or sad, seeing the forest for the trees is much easier said than done.

That whiny dirge about the gray days I just posted? As an addendum of sorts I thought it best to share Friday night at our little place on the hill here in Seattle.

After a warm bath, bedtime story, and some daddy nuzzles and mommy cuddles, sleepy baby Ben drips off my arms into bed.

There's a pear at its peak sitting on the counter. If Ben could speak, I'm convinced he would tell us pears are his favorite. He makes a happy mnnmm sound every time we feed them to him. So that fat juicy little pear is poached and whirred in the Baby Bullet (can't thank my sister enough for this gadget), ready to be mixed with some brown rice cereal tomorrow.

Meanwhile, grownup food needs to happen as well. The chill in the air feels just right for an easy oven meal. DH makes a decadent baked mac and cheese, which I truly love. For about three bites. In my search for a somewhat lighter version (though not so light that it's no longer comforting) I ran across this old Yankee Magazine recipe and bookmarked it a while back. I had all the ingredients, which is pretty much the determining factor in any given evening's menu, and so it was. Subbed in brown rice pasta, a smidge less butter, and a smidge more healthy dose of crushed red pepper. There's a lot to be said for the anticipation built by something cooking away in an oven. So many of my favorite recipes (a simple roast chicken, for one) are best suited for the cooler months. So there's that. As our mac attack baked, we were treated to a sliver of glorious late-day sun off the deck. When the sun is as limited as it is out here in the Northwest, you come to appreciate, nay, relish every moment of it. It's kind of nice, because it forces you to seize the moment.

With a few slices of Tofurky italian sausage (take it from me—it's important to give Tofurky its own pan and a healthy glug of evoo to ensure a nice crisp; crowd it with other elements and like someone who's been at the same job/office/company for too long, it gets a little too comfy, loses its edge and goes soft) and some sweet grilled onion and farmers market peppers on the side, we had an easy fall meal.

The kind that goes really well with, say, a nice smoky glass of pinot noir. Or a dark, creamy stout. And some good company. Whatever you may have on hand. Our Friday night might have already put you to sleep, but in so many ways, it was just right.