Browsing Tag

fall

Thanksgiving Snapshots

November 23, 2017
Californian Persimmons. Photo by Lori Rice. | FakeFoodFree.com

I know it’s more common to look back at the year and reflect on December 31st. This year, though, it feels more appropriate to do it on this day that is so strongly associated with pausing to consider what we are thankful for. 

The more I dive into the world of photography, the more I find feelings of gratitude creeping up inside me.

For me, moments are easily forgotten. When I take a second to photograph that moment and then flip back through what I’ve captured, those memories instantly become real again. It’s as if I’m there. 

And I’m thankful all over again. 

I’ll let these images speak for themselves. They are simply moments from this year that fill me with all kinds of gratitude. Some involve travel, others are in our backyard. Some involve a hint of my work, others leisure, and many food. 

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Roasted Mixed Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary

September 22, 2017
Roasted Mixed Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary Recipe | FakeFoodFree.com

It’s finally here! The day that I can say, “It’s fall,” and no one can tell me it’s not fall yet. I get a little snarky about the whole issue. 

Fall is a frame of mind for me. It has to be. 

We now live in place that stays pretty well hot until nearly the end of October. Fall is my favorite season. If I don’t celebrate fall despite the heat, well, I just might go a little crazy flipping through all those pictures of leaves, apples, pumpkins, sweaters, and boots in my social media feed.

So I make a mental commitment that fall starts on September 1. 

That being said, wow, have we been having real deal fall weather this week! I woke to 55 F yesterday and rain! We’ll be back up in the 90s next week so I’ve been enjoying every second of it. 

Running mid-morning, reading outside, and…turning on the oven!

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Fall Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

October 11, 2016
Fall Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Vinaigrette Recipe | Fake Food Free

 

I totally cheated. 

I was walking through the supermarket and it was about 11:15. Lunchtime was quickly creeping up on me, but I knew that I’d have to dive back into recipe work for clients the second I got back home.

I needed something quick to make, but I couldn’t get my mind off the piles of winter squash all around me in the produce section. 

I wanted roasted squash. On a salad. With other fall-like things. 

So I went over to that little section with all the pre-cut veggies. And there it was. Little cubes of butternut squash ready to pop in the oven. 

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October Snapshots

October 7, 2016
October Snapshots | Lori Rice | Fake Food Free

Do you ever have those days when you are convinced that no one gets you? 

I do. And they’ve been happening a lot more frequently. 

But it’s okay. I do it to myself. I’m a nerd in the true sense of the word when it comes to food, fall and farms. I think this is why social media was invented. Way, way back in the day, there was someone sitting around who felt like no one got them. So they decided to find a way to surround themselves with people around the world who did.

That has to be factual, right? I’m sure it’s documented somewhere. 

For example, just the other day I came across the largest, most gorgeous persimmon tree I’d ever seen. It was full of fruit and towered around me in every direction. It had to be years and years old. It was next to a store and when I checked out, I gushed to the cashier about how beautiful the tree was. 

She looked at me like I was an alien. 

Nope, didn’t get me. 

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Four Favorites September

September 30, 2016
Four Favorites September | Fake Food Free

We are well into fall and I couldn’t be more excited about it. And by well into, I mean I have all kinds of fall in my heart. Mother nature and her 95+ degree days clearly does not. Despite them, cooler mornings do hint that it will feel like fall soon. 

Another end of the month has rolled around and that means another edition of my four favorites where I share a brand, book, blog and break that I brightened my month. Satisfy your sweet tooth, brush up on your writing skills, fill up on comfort food and take a hike.

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Pear and Ginger Stuffed Delicata Squash

September 26, 2016
Pear and Ginger Stuffed Delicata Squash Recipe | Fake Food Free

Butternut squash and I have been familiar with each other for quite some time. The standard pie pumpkin? We go way back. Even the kabocha and I have shared many moments together.

But I have to admit that the Delicata squash and I are embarking on a fairly new relationship. 

To date, I think I have purchased one. As in a single squash. It’s been so long ago that I don’t even remember what I did with it. 

I know it sounds crazy. With a winter squash obsession like mine one would expect I’d be an expert at working with them all. 

Well, I’m getting there. It’s finally the Delicata’s time to shine. 

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Autumn Spiced Slow Cooker Chicken with Apples and Onions

September 15, 2016

This simple slow cooker chicken is coated in savory spices and served with sweet apples and onions for the perfect fall meal.
This post is sponsored by Petaluma Poultry – Home of ROCKY® and ROSIE® Chicken.

Autumn Spiced Slow Cooker Chicken with Apples and Onions Recipe | Fake Food Free | Sponsored Post

Like many people, my introduction to poultry was in the form of the boneless, skinless chicken breast. Now, I have nothing against these chicken breasts. They still serve a purpose in my kitchen. Since I started this blog over eight years ago and got much more adventurous in my cooking, things have changed.

I’ve become more open to the versatility and the full flavor of other parts of the chicken.

I also didn’t mess around with graduating up to bone-in, skin-on parts. Nope. I jumped right into using the whole bird.

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Pear and Red Walnuts

October 7, 2015

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pear and Red Walnuts Recipe | Fake Food Free
This butternut squash dish is not sweet. I repeat, this dish is not sweet.

If you are like me, no matter how many versions of winter squash you’ve made or been exposed to, your brain still thinks of nutmeg, cinnamon and maybe even maple, when you envision the rich, orange, tender squash.

Okay, I’ll admit that this does contain cinnamon. But cinnamon is one of those interesting spices that can swing sweet or savory. It this case, it’s savory. 

The secret to this recipe is some heat. You don’t have to burn your mouth off, but use at least a medium spicy chili powder. I could even see a chipotle chili powder working. When you use these deeply flavored spices you get a beautiful balance of slightly sweet squash, with earthy pear, a bit of heat and crunchy walnuts. 

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Bourbon Poached Persimmon with Vanilla Custard

November 24, 2014

If you are looking to try a new dessert this holiday season, you can’t go wrong with bourbon poached persimmon. The seasonal fruit is spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, anise and clove, then served with warm vanilla custard sauce. 

 Bourbon Poached Persimmon with Vanilla Custard | Fake Food Free 

My heart belongs to pumpkin pie, but I’m  not at all opposed to trying a new dessert for Thanksgiving. Since I hold pumpkin pie in such high regard, though (my grandmother’s version, specifically), it’s always so hard to choose what to try. 

Since no other pie can compare for me this time of year, and I save cookies for Christmas, I decided to do something completely out of the ordinary for me — poached fruit. 

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Turkey Red Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries

November 18, 2014

These lettuce wraps make a quick and easy seasonal dinner. They are filled with my favorite fall ingredients and served in beautiful red leaf lettuce that is full of nutrients. This post was sponsored by Coastline Family Farms. 

   Turkey Red Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries | Fake Food Free

Don’t mind my deer-in-the-headlights look. That is just my reaction to how quickly the end of October and most of November have flown by. I’ve been finding myself staring blankly from time to time trying to get my brain to catch up to the date.

 It’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s been a reason for it – events. Lots of awesome, new experiences, meet new people, have fun while learning, eating and drinking, events.

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