Ratatouille and Italian Sausage Potpie with Cornmeal Biscuits

I made this for supper last night and right this minute I'm mighty sorry there weren't any leftovers!  This was a stellar one-pot supper, my favorite kind of recipe for a weeknight.  Healthy, aromatic, and very satisfying.  Dan asked me to be sure to "put it in the regular rotation," which is high praise indeed.

Do try this while there are still some summer vegetables in the stores!  I used basil instead of parsley, and frankly, I can't imagine it with parsley, or without the basil.  I want to make this again before my basil fades away with cooler temperatures!

The recipe is from The New York Times. There are far better pictures of it here, because that blogger was smart and took her pics while the sun was still up.

Caitlin's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are happiness on a crisp fall day. By all means, serve them with a pot of hot tea (Earl Grey or Stash Chocolate Hazelnut tea would be my top picks to pair with these muffins). And some happy fallish music. Like Haydn -- maybe the Surprise Symphony. Or maybe James Taylor's October Road. Mmmm perfect. Or Mark O'Connor's The American Seasons. Luscious. Oh, how does one choose?


Caitlin's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
dash ground cloves
⅔ cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream*
3 T orange marmalade
⅓ cup oil
1 cup cooked pumpkin (canned is fine)
1 cup chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients well. Combine wet ingredients and stir into dry mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients disappear-- do not overblend or muffins will be tough.

Line muffin tin with paper cups, and fill. Bake 20-25 minutes.


*I'm obsessed with my new homemade yogurt cheese maker. Why did I not know about this glorious stuff before? So I'm going to try yogurt cheese as a substitute for sour cream next time I make these muffins. I'll let you know how it goes.