After we went apple picking the other weekend, we had a bunch of apples in our kitchen. Imagine that. I spent a few days slicing one up and dipping it in almond butter, but I really felt like we couldn't go through fall without a dish that at least somewhat resembled/tasted like an apple pie. So I made this Paleo Apple Pie-ish Crumble. That's the scientific term for it.

It tastes just like apple pie without the sugar or grains. And it makes your house smell like the holidays.

Ingredients:

Four cups sliced apples

One tablespoon agave nectar

One teaspoon vanilla

The juice of half a lemon

One teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl before transferring to a buttered casserole/pie dish.

3. Top with Paleo crumb topping:

2/3 cup almond flour

1/3 cup arrowroot powder

1/3 cup butter, cubed

Two tablespoons honey

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until topping is browned. (You can broil it at the very end if you like.)

  

It was beautiful this weekend. Stubborn leaves finally changed color, and long walks were taken outside around Normandale Lake. It was sunny every day, Rob picked out his wedding ring, and we had a great lunch at one of our favorite places. We folded laundry on Saturday night and then went out to a concert at ten followed by omelets at midnight.

On Sunday morning we slept in and addressed the last of our save-the-dates. We talked about our rehearsal dinner menu and I made Paleo crepes for brunch. It was cozy and uneventful enough to be one of those weekends where you feel comfortable and settled in.

We've mostly established a routine here, but sometimes it still doesn't actually feel real. I said, "Sometimes I forget that we live here" as we talked about ice skating sometime this winter, which is rapidly approaching. It's been unusual spending autumn away from Virginia this year. This season I love so much feels different here. I'm grateful for it all the same.

  

I don't remember when November became my favorite month--it must have been one of my undergrad days at Longwood. When you start something in August (be it school or moving to a new city), it takes until about now for you to really hit your stride, I think. The days get a little shorter, but your home feels a lot cozier, and the weather starts doing that thing where you almost feel like it's winter, but are still enjoying fall.

I guess being someone who feels so ambivalent about transitions, it only makes sense that this time of year is my favorite. I may not always care for uncertainty and change, but I do like dreary skies, morning fog, and chilly afternoons.

November begins the year's homestretch--we have two more months to make 2013 everything we wanted it to be. And if we just want to bake and drink tea and read instead, then that's just fine, too.

Happy November, friends, and happy weekend.

Last year's little ode to November.