A few of my favorite things: Fall 2008

• The first snowfall of the fall/winter
  Our first snow just happen on Sunday and made the drive to my parents' house 2 hours north of St. Louis a treat. With just the snow, bare trees and the asphalt of the road everything appeared black and white.

• Old Ball and Mason jars
  At several auctions this summer, my mom procured lots of antique Ball and Mason jars. I nabbed some of them to store nuts and spices in the kitchen.

• Family pictures
  Recent looting of my parent's photo albums turned up some classic family photos. A quick trip to the photo center made professional-looking copies mine for the taking. Mpix.com has also been very impressive for our soon-to-be classics.

• Baking
  Lots of baking plans on the horizon including some recent favorites (pecan tarts, shortbread cookies) and perhaps some new recipes.
  
• The MoonRise Hotel
  I am really excited about some of the concepts going into this hotel, including the front facade. It is is a re-creation of the funeral home facade that once occupied the space. It is also rumored the front facade will house a clock that tracks moon phase rather than the time.
  

• International supermarkets
  Stops at the Asian markets on Olive and J's International on Grand have turned up some great ingredients to start working with and new candies to try.

• Crossword puzzles
  Don't know why, but I am really digging crossword puzzles right now.