Happy Fall!

Autumn is in full swing here in Belgium. The temperature has dropped, there is the smell of chimney smoke in the air, and the leaves have turned lovely shades of russet, burnt orange, deep red, and even bright yellow. Quite a contrast from the winter-one-day-summer-the-next schizophrenia that we were accustomed to in Colorado. Like our summer, our fall has been busy and with a wonderfully-full social calendar. We recently spent a long weekend visiting friends in Amsterdam, and have been checking out some interesting beer sites and cafés here in Belgium (more posts to come on that topic for sure!). Inspired by the season, I have also been cooking a lot of autumn-flavored dishes and couldn't resist sharing a couple pictures of that too.


Fall colors along a pretty canal in Amsterdam.


Outside our favorite "brown bar" in Amsterdam, the Café 'TSmalle


We've visited 'TSmalle many times, but this was our first time sitting upstairs.


Ruthie Foster playing at Paradiso -- such an awesome show in an intimate venue!


Dinner at a restaurant specializing in traditional Dutch food. Heavy, but good.


While Troy and our friends went to work, I spent Monday exploring Amsterdam on my own.






Rembrandt's house.


Some great shops where I did some Christmas shopping.


Back in Brussels at Le Cercle des Voyageurs, a neat café/travel library.


Troy sporting his new Orval apron as he grilled up some pork chops.


The purple dish is a recipe from my new 'La Gueze gourmand' cookbook for "Choux-Rouge aux Pommes avec Rosé de Gambrinus" (aka Red Cabbage and Apples stewed in Raspberry Lambic Beer). The other dish is the wonderfully-name "Happy Rice" from my 'Autumn' cookbook. Bon appetit!