For this first time around, I used a basic recipe and methods combined from my three go-to cookbooks of the moment: Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food, Isa Chandra’s Vegan with a Vegeance, and the standard Joy of Cooking. The ingredients don’t vary much, but I like getting a few different opinions on techniques and timing–especially when it comes to yeasts.

Once the dough was prepped, I headed to the refrigerator to gather toppings from what we had on-hand. First, a pie with herbed potato, carmelized onion, and goat cheese with a thin spread of tomato. And second (inspired by Antonio’s in Amherst), a spicy Mexican pie with black beans, avocado, diced jalapeno, and goat cheese with a splash of hot sauce!

Any suggestions for your own favorite (and maybe unusual) seasonal pizza toppings?

I know everything looks cuter and sweeter in “mini” form (these babies were certainly a hit!), but then again pie is delicious at any size. This one with its pumpkin filling is not too sweet and tastes like autumn–full of spices, brown sugar, and a hint of molasses. Perfect topped with some fresh whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg.

Lots of mini pie crusts ready to go! The perfectly pinched edges are Mischa’s specialty.

Then each mini pie is filled with spiced pumpkin goodness, and baked until the crust is golden brown and the filling just starts to crack.

Mini pies for breakfast, lunch, and dessert. Yum!

Pumpkin Pie Filling – dairy free!
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp all-spice
2 cups pumpkin, pureed
1/2 Tbs dark molasses
1 1/4 cups soymilk
2 large eggs
+ 1 unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 425F. In a large bowl, mix sugar and spices. In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin, molasses, soymilk, and eggs. Add wet ingredients into dry, and stir to combine. Pour into unbaked pie crust (or mini pie crusts!). Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350F and bake until center is set – approximately 45 minutes. Share with friends, and enjoy!

nicole, one of my very favorite people, traveled back to Los Angeles with me, and is sharing a bit of my LA life this week. we both love our breakfast pastries (check out our croissant diaries project!), so this morning we feasted on croissants from my neighborhood bakery, fruity jams, and creamy coffee. mmmm, how i love breakfast–especially on a weekday morning with a little something extra and special company!

i found a bunch of yummy variations of this soup at tastespotting.com, my new favorite place for recipe ideas. the website catalogs recipes with drool-worthy photos, and you can search their database based on ingredients that you have in the kitchen–perfect for finding new inspiration for your seasonal produce! dreaming about summer squash fritattas, apricot jams, tomatoes and basil, raspberry muffins…

listening to: four leaf clover by badly drawn boy (listen)

:: image from lillieinthecity / flickr

i had my first sip at the ferry plaza farmer’s market on saturday morning. manual dripping isn’t the most efficient setup for a busy day at the market, and the coffee line gets a bit long–but wowww, it is worth the wait. in fact, we waited twice when we couldn’t resist going back for a second cup. and then an hour before leaving the city on sunday night, alex and i searched in vain for one last fix. it’s that good.

i’ve lusted after bodum french presses for a long time. but after seeing blue bottle work their magic with a manual drip (and drinking many cups of yummy manual drip in the past few months), i think the beehouse ceramic dripper may be swaying my mind, heart, and tastebuds…

:: image from lillieinthecity / flickr