Weekly Crumbs Vol 21

How was your Halloween week?! Ours was good, but I am officially ready to retire scary movies until next year along with not eating anymore Smarties for a very long time. Bring on the turkey gravy, an abundance of casseroles, and the will to resist listening to Christmas songs until December 1st 😁

Here’s our week in a nutshell:

1) Halloween

I kept my Halloween costumes this year as effortless as possible. For a party, I wore overalls, a straw hat, and scarecrow makeup! And for Halloween day on Wednesday I threw on clothes I already had, a pair of nerdy glasses, and taped Smartie’s all over my pants. “Smartie Pants”! I somehow managed to win our office costume contest which was surprising since I came up with the idea that morning!

2) Duck Confit Lasagna

Have you heard three words more glorious?! We made duck confit for the first time this past week and then decided to make it even more decadent by putting it into a lasagna. I didn’t take a picture of the finished product because we were so busy inhaling it, but I am DEFINITELY making this again and shooting it for the blog!

3) Date night at Toro Bravo

I have been dying to go to Toro Bravo and we finally went on Saturday for date night! We had a two hour wait, so we went next door to Secret Society and had sazeracs and a charcuterie board before getting called back to Toro Bravo for one of the best dinners we’ve had since living in Portland! We drank a pitcher of the homemade red sangria, had their “kisses” which are small individual bites, radicchio salad, the best braised lamb flatbread, and a giant pan of incredible sausage, chicken, and seafood paella.

4) Planning a Friendsgiving menu

Since I want to do a lot of Thanksgiving recipes for the blog, I figured the best way is to cook everything next weekend, have a photoshoot, and celebrate with our closest friends for a Friendsgiving! I’m thinking bloody mary’s while cooking Saturday morning, making an epic fall cheese/charcuterie board for an appetizer for when our fraands arrive, copious amounts of wine (bon appetite said go with Poulsard), turkey of course, turkey gravy, of course, roasted brussels, a yummy rustic stuffing, a cheesy potato gratin of some sort, and mini carrot cakes for dessert. And a pie. There has to be a pie.

5) Recipes I’m dying to make

• This Hasselback butternut squash

• Cauliflower Curry! I love making one of my favorites meatless occasionally.

• White Cheddar and Kale Risotto sounds like the Fall meal of my dreams.

• These cute pizza bourekas

• Shrimp & cabbage tacos – when you need a break from Holiday food!