farm anatomy: a farmy giveaway

julia rothman's new book, farm anatomy, is the kind of book you just want to curl up with. add a woolly blanket, a mug of tea, and a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie and you've got the perfect recipe for passing an hour or two on a cloudy autumn day.

when storey publishing sent me a copy of farm anatomy to review a few weeks ago, i knew exactly what recipe i'd make. i set to work whipping up a batch of julia's oatmeal crisps to savor bite by delicious bite as i flipped through the pages of her colorful, farmy tome. {recipe, here}.

equally wonderful for those already intimately accustomed to the finer facts of farm life and for those who would rather admire farm life from afar, julia offers cheery illustrations and simple how-tos in her delightful new book.

see other posts on the farm anatomy book tour, here.

enter to win a signed copy of farm anatomy by leaving a comment telling us your very first farmy memory. the winner will be randomly selected. please make sure to leave contact information or a link to your email in your note! congratulations to the winner: brooke of wily wiley!

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chocolate mint.

lately i've been enjoying quiet cups of infused chocolate mint in the early afternoon. rich and warm and perplexingly chocolately. what's your go-to cup for a weekday afternoon?

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sidewalk stories.

sun-dappled pumpkins.

just when i thought that pumpkins on stoops was a thing reserved for suburban cul-de-sacs and sleepy new england villages, my neighborhood pumpkin brigade proved me wrong. happy october.

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cider.

it's cider week in new york.

born from glynwood's larger apple project, cider week means a whole slew of events, tastings, and programs to celebrate the hard ciders brewed in new york's hudson valley. the idea behind the project is pretty simple: "saving orchards with cider."

i'm not sure we'll make it to the events happening around the city this week, so james and i are celebrating with a few bottles of doc's draft, brewed by warwick valley winery and distillery in warwick, new york. we've been enjoying their original hard apple cider, but i couldn't help but to tuck a bottle of their pear and black currant ciders into my shopping basket, too. so far, so delicious.

what about you? any cider fans out there?

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oatmeal.

it's been an oatmeal kind of a week.

oatmeal in cookies. oatmeal in apple crisp. oatmeal in my cereal bowl, warm and salty-sweet.

here's the thing about oatmeal. it's cheap. one of those bulk items you can fill your bag with and still walk away from the register feeling mildly like you've gotten away with something. less than a dollar will get you enough of the stuff for a whole week of baking and cereal-making. 

breakfast this week has been simple: rolled oats, stirred together with milk over a hot stove. a  pad of butter, a sprinkle of salt, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a hefty handful of raisins makes the perfect breakfast for a chilly morning. as my dad would say, it sticks to your ribs.

{coming soon: an oatmeal cookie recipe as part of this book tour. and in the meantime, a post for those of you who would prefer to simply smear oatmeal over your cheeks}.

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billy button.

the only remaining flowers left from a bouquet delivered to my door last week. craspedia, otherwise known as billy button. just about the cutest name for a flower that there is. no?

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coffee or tea?

on a recent morning, james and i whiled away an hour in one of my favorite neighborhood haunts. while our laundry spun in the washing machines a few buildings down, we sat and enjoyed a warm breakfast. the chill in the air was just enough to justify a second steaming cup of something and in the end, i couldn't decide which one i thought was prettier. coffee or tea?

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comfort.

apples. cinnamon. brown sugar. butter. flour. and oats.

the simple ritual of turning the apple in your hand, peeling away the ruby skin. the sound the knife makes as it slices through the white flesh of the fruit, the gentle thump of the apple cubes hitting the bottom of the dish.

there's nothing quite like apple crisp when it comes to comfort food.

after an incredibly busy two weeks, all i wanted was a weekend in our apartment to stir a pot of bubbling soup, to listen to the hiss of the apple crisp in the oven, to sip red wine around a table with my family.

many thanks to the amazing bloggers who wrote such lovely stories about the time they spent at the event i've been preparing for the past five months. sweet satisfaction.

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