Hi everyone! We recently got back from our trip to West Virginia over Labor Day Weekend. It was SUCH a nice time away! I am quite sad that it is over. I am also pretty much convinced that West Virginia is the most underrated state in the U.S…beautiful mountains + forests + waterfalls, scenic driving, hikes, not very crowded…what more could one want? WV is the only state entirely within a mountain range, so all the driving was constant beauty! Shoutout to Alec for handling the mountain driving like a pro. I would’ve been done for without him!

A few highlights from the trip:

Long Point Trail in New River Gorge with an amazing view of the New River Gorge Bridge at the end of the hike.

Maryland Heights Loop with a stunning overlook of Harpers Ferry.

Driving along the Highland Scenic Highway through the Monongahela National Forest was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was a beautifully sunny day and the views were amazing! Hardly any other cars in sight throughout the entire drive.

Did we have any tasty food on the trip, you may be wondering?

YES!

When I was looking up a few potential restaurants to go to on our trip I saw that Kelley Farm Kitchen had rave reviews… in fact, it was rated the #1 place to eat in America by Yelp reviewers in 2021! (*Mind blown*). Would you have thought such a place would be found in West Virginia?? One of West Virginia’s many surprising wonders, let me tell you. As providence would have it, the restaurant is located within walking distance of the Air BnB we stayed at in Harpers Ferry so we had to give it a try! The restaurant is 100% vegan, and while I am (as you know) not vegan, I love any and all good food, meat/vegan/vegetarian alike! Alec and I both ordered the shoyu ramen bowls with fresh veggies, featuring house-made broth, the best wheat noodles, and a medley of fresh veggies and tofu. I ordered it medium and it had my mouth on fire! Would definitely recommend giving KFK a try if you are ever in the eastern WV area! It reminded me a lot of Juicy Kitchen!

The first two days of our trip we were camping and packed all of our food ahead of time, including overnight oats w/ fruit + nut butter + honey enjoyed at the top of the same New River Gorge overlook shown above. We attempted to go out for a sunrise hike, and despite the perfectly sunny weather forecast, we were met with thick fog and no sunrise to be found! Still a nice morning nevertheless.

I enjoyed some amazing chai tea with homemade cinnamon date cashew milk with breakfast at our campsite at Spruce Knob Lake (Spruce Knob is the highest point in WV). Sign me up for all of the morning creamy and caffeinated goodness!

I was trying to think of a good dinner to pack that could be eaten cold since I knew it would be hot outside anyway and didn’t feel like using our camping cookware too much since we weren’t backpacking and would thus have access to our cooler. I came up with making this rainbow peanut noodle dish in advance which worked out well! This dinner was eaten on our tent platform’s deck in Fayetteville.

The last night of our trip we got ice cream and sat outside with a perfect view of the sunset. I ordered red velvet ice cream with Oreo crumbles and red velvet cake bites. A delicious and memorable end to the trip!

Meanwhile, back at home – some summer and fall cooking + baking: 

Back at home I have been busy bouncing between making a few last summer-produce-based recipes and diving into all of fall’s goodness! These were peach cardamom muffins from my favorite Rise and Run cookbook. To be honest, it wasn’t my favorite recipe from the cookbook so I would probably stick to other muffins I enjoy more in the future!

I had a lot of zucchini that I was trying to decide what to do with and ended up making this zucchini mac and cheese. Would definitely make this again! In the fall and winter, peas, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts could be easily subbed for the zucchini. Or whatever other veggies you fancy!

Roasting up a storm with plenty of veggies and sweet potatoes. Drizzle in avocado oil, season generously with salt + pepper, and roast at 425 F until cooked to your liking! I believe we ate these with some sunny + runny eggs for dinner. Simple and nutrient-dense!

I hadn’t made a fruit crisp all summer so really wanted to make one before summer ended! The idea for a peach, mango, and strawberry crisp randomly came to mind. It ended up being such a good combo! The trick is to not use too many strawberries otherwise they will overwhelm the peach and mango. Served with vanilla ice cream a la mode. What is your favorite kind of fruit crisp or cobbler??

The seasonal salad at JK is currently a blistered shishito salad with organic spring mix, Tantre Farm blistered shishito peppers, cherry tom, roasted corn, avocado, aged white cheddar, spiced + roasted chickpeas, and a house-made smokey chipotle vinaigrette. One of my favorites! The dressing is amazing! Also excellent with grilled chicken or tempeh.

Saturday morning post-yoga brunch of lemon blueberry pancakes with a drizzle of maple, a juicy fruit medley, and my current drink obsession (50/50 blend of iced coffee + homemade chocolate cashew milk). The best way to start the day!

Slow-cooker pulled chicken with a carrot + cabbage Asian sesame slaw and salad on the side. SO GOOD! As part of the sauce, I used TJ’s organic barbecue sauce which is surprisingly amazing! I already have plans to make this BBQ pulled chicken again soon. Recipe courtesy of @ambitiouskitchen!

One of the best salads I have made in a long time – also a recipe from one of my favorite sources, Ambitious Kitchen! Mixed greens with chopped cuc + cherry tom, freshly shaved corn on the cob, chopped peaches, pepitas, feta, and a delicious tahini dill dressing. Lunchtime never sounded more appetizing!

Dinner of shakshuka and homemade sourdough, both fresh out of the oven. Have you given shakshuka a try??

Kicking off the fall baking season with my all-time favorite pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I had a leftover can of pumpkin in the pantry from last fall so I eagerly made a batch on Labor Day. Pumpkin + chocolate is THE best duo!

This fall I also want to try these maple brown sugar cookies and this gingerbread pear upside-down cake. I also have plans this weekend to try making brown butter sourdough chocolate chip cookies. When we were in WV we split one from a local bakery and it was hands-down the best cookie I have ever had! I doubt mine will fully compare in amazingness but we can all dream!!!

Everyday Enjoyment: 

• Agricole Farm Stop: I made a stop to Agricole in Chelsea, MI, to deliver some JK items and will definitely be going back soon! So much delicious produce, teas + espresso drinks, baked goods, meats + dairy, and other items (candles, beautiful dish towels, postcards, etc). I picked up some fresh + local peaches and tomatoes which were amazing! I am hoping to make more time to explore more local Farmer’s Markets this fall and places like Agricole in Chelsea and Argus in Ann Arbor.
• Trying to rush less: It seems like ever since college I have struggled with self-imposing a rushed and hurried feel to my days. I AM SO SICK OF THIS. I am trying to make a conscious effort to slow down more, have less on my plate each week and day, and in general go about my days without rushing and running at too fast a pace (unless, of course, it is actually warranted on certain occasions). TBD with how this continues to evolve… this is a continual work in progress!
• All things fall: Fall is definitely my favorite season! I love the colors, crisp and sunny weather, sunrises and sunsets, foods, college football, cider mills + pumpkins, and general feel to the season as we head towards the holidays. This fall in particular I am looking forward to hopefully getting into a more consistent work schedule, heading to the Charlevoix/Petoskey area for a camping trip (at hopefully peak fall color season), college football Saturdays, and hopefully slowing down a bit more as described above!!

What are you looking forward to this fall?

What foods have you been enjoying as summer transitions into fall?

Enjoy the rest of your week!