The quality control crew was happy as a clam this afternoon!! I went down to the bakery to test out a few of our latest fall treats and meet up with blog reader Lauren!
The Apple Streusel muffin was amazing, as was the Praline Scuffin with its toffee bits!
Also tasted a corner of our Pumpkin Bar, which should be renamed Pumpkin Cake Bar because it was just like cake!
Lauren, you so didn’t hafta! She claims to love putting together gift baskets and brought me one heckova basket filled with treats from her hometown –
Including this gorgeous bowl!! And pumpkin
I guess she doesn’t think I eat enough? [Or perhaps she knows I eat too much!?]
I left the bakery after a while to get some things done at home – including a late afternoon snack of yogurt + Hungry bar!
Then I hopped on my bike to head over to Buford Middle School for their Fall Harvest Festival!
Because were in charge of the bread! The festival featured a variety of snacks, including 3 soups that 3 different cooking clubs made from scratch. Our bread was a great complement.
We ran into garden gurus, Faith and Tate! The Buford garden is quite impressive. See more about it in this post where we did a biking tour of Cville gardens last year!
Soup tasting, plus a big slice of bread tasting = dinner #1.
Faith and Tate graciously invited us back to their home for dinner.
They are hosting 3 Norwegian friends of theirs they met (one of them) on a tour in Nepal a year and a half ago. You know how you always say “If you’re ever in the States…come visit us!” Well that happened! These three gals are doing a tour of states through a handful of organic farms and a program called WWOOF. They were loads of fun to get to know. [Hi to Natasha in the background!]
We sipped some vino –
And dug into leftover Enchilada Pie that Faith made last night. Hound her for the recipe, it was excellent!!!!! Layers of corn tortillas, tomato sauce, kidney beans, kale and sweet potato and cheese!
Plus salad and toasted Honey Whole Wheat topped with homemade pesto and the most amazing store-bought feta spread!
Matt and I pooped out early – tomorrow’s a work day but ends with a cool event!
Angel7 says
Gotta love Mexican food!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
What a nice gift basket from Lauren! So thoughtful.
Faith’s enchilada pie sounds so good. I love layered anything. 🙂
Sana says
Your blog readers know you 🙂
lynn @ the actor's diet says
i love gift baskets! i’m putting together one now…
Christine @ Oatmeal in my Bowl says
I know a couple of virtual friends who have helped via eco vacations/work with WWOOF. How very cool. And what a fun night! The enchilada pie does look fantastic. Yeah for Vino, pie and new friends!
Cool event? Look forward to hearing more.
Christina @ Just Running says
Wow, that sounds like a whole day of AWESOME.
Christina @ Just Running says
P.S. – Love the title!
The Healthy Hipster says
Praline scuffin, she says? That sounds INCREDIBLE. Favourite ice cream flavour meet favourite baked good.
Rosie says
Hi Kath,
I blog but I don’t want to be linked here which is why I’m posting this anonymously. I wonder…don’t you think it’s weird how many of your readers idolize you? Esp in the gift giving and what seems like going out of their way to meet you? It’s so strange to me! It makes me a little uncomfortable to watch. I’m genuinely curious to hear your thoughts.
Christina @ Just Running says
OMGeeeez, haterz! Someone is jealous she wasn’t gifted beers!
Joking and gifting (because I agree it’s kind of weird everyone brings Kath presents) aside, wouldn’t you go out of your way to meet another blogger if you enjoyed what she wrote?
How do you expect Kath to address the gifting issue on her blog? I’d like to hear what she thinks, too, but she can’t say she thinks it’s weird without offending everyone who has given her gifts. She wouldn’t publicly criticize her readers for being weirdos who idolize her and shower her with gifts even if she did feel that way.
I know it looking like I’m white-knighting, but I really am just curious about how you expected Kath to answer this.
Leah says
How is Rosie’s comments hateful? While I agree with you, how is Kath supposed to respond, why did you call her a hater? Not all necessary, IMO.
What is wrong with some of the commenters here that respond to any comment that is not gushy with the label of hater/negative? Blah. blah. blah. Boring.
I think readers bring Kath gifts not because they idolize her, but because they want her to link to their blog. I think personally its a cheap promotion for their blog. Kath posting about it on her blog has created (probably not intentionally) a culture of “oh if I visit Kath, I better bring her beer or sunflower butter to get my call out/mention”
I wonder if this generous spirit of giving is reciprocated by Kath? I would think she would maybe send them home with a loaf of bread as a nice gesture.
Christina @ Just Running says
Did you see that I wrote ‘joking aside’? People usually do immediately call someone leaves a comment that doesn’t agree with or praise the blogger a ‘hater,’ so I was being funny. I’m sorry you missed the joke. What is wrong with some of the commenters on here who don’t get jokes?
Thanks for trying to unsult me with a blanket statement though. 😉 I think you would call that blah. blah. blah. funny.
Christina @ Just Running says
*someone who
Kori says
My sister and I visited and stayed in Cville for our birthday weekend last summer. We did not bring Kath and gifts, but we definitely did want to meet her and dine at the bakery. We don’t idolize her in an unhealthy way, but we do look up to her for all that she is able to accomplish and because she is a genuinely nice person. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I believe that if others feel like giving her little gifts, then there is nothing wrong with that either. Why be a pessimist and believe that they are only doing so for recognition?
Also I would think that if you have a question to ask Kath that would not be appropriate for her to answer on the blog, then you should email her. That’s just using common sense.
I know that negative comments are just a fact when it comes to blogging, but I am always so amazed at how a wonderful post can be nit-picked to the point of causing controversy. If Kath receiving gifts makes you uncomfortable, then why do you continue to read KERF?
S says
I enjoy giving gifts to many of my friends. It gives me a thrill! I consider Kath to be a friend, despite the fact that we’ve never met. She is inspirational, funny and generous, sharing so many details about her life with us. She gives us little gifts 3x a day, every day, faithfully! I give gifts not for recognition, but because it gives me happiness to see her using/enjoying a gift I gave her..just like any other friend. I’m happy to see in this post that she ate yogurt from the pretty bowl I gave her last year. It brings a smile to my face every time:)
Keep it comin’ K!
KathEats says
I don’t think they idolize me – I think they are my friends. I feel the same when I meet bloggers that I follow in person – and sometimes I bring them gifts! I don’t think it’s much different than meeting up with an old friend you haven’t seen in years. I talk to everyone online everyday, so it seems natural to me that if they are in Cville, they’d want to connect. Not everyone brings gifts (in fact, few do) and most who bring gifts don’t have a blog. Or if they do, they don’t even tell me about their blog and I find it through emails or Tweets.
Katie @ Peace Love and Oats says
That dinner looks great! As do all the treats from the bakery! Do you all (or the company) make anything gluten free?
KathEats says
No we don’t. We grind our wheat flour in the store, so contamination is a big problem
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
The enchilada pie sounds great. Love recipes like that that you can just do in one pan and probably get planned leftovers out of.
The Praline Scuffin with its toffee bits = oh yeah!
And how FUN that they actually re-connected with a girl(s) who they had met and threw out the if you’re ever here…and then the people actually took them up on it. Wow. Now that’s a cool story! I get you all had a blast chatting and swapping life stories!
lynda @ healthy hoboken girl says
what a fun night, Cville seems to have so much going on, such a beautiful community!
What’s not to love about Virginia?!!!??!
Happy Weekend!
[email protected] says
Faith’s enchilada pie looks amazing! As does that red wine…So glad it’s Friday! Have a great weekend! 🙂
Kaila @healthyhelperblog! says
What a busy but FUN day!!!! I love having dinner with friends!!!
Brittany says
Sounds like an awesome day! That pumpkin bar looks delicious, I need to make some myself 😀
Marie@feedingfive says
I think it’s great that you meet up with readers (bearing gifts even better). You give of yourself and your knowledge (hard fought and expensive knowledge) everyday on this blog. From ideas to recipes, organization skills to recommendations. Most people are so confused as to what eating healthy actually is and to see it visualized every day on your blog is priceless. I read a few different health blogs and hands down yours is the best. You truly practice what you preach and I think many people are just grateful for the inspiration.
Lauren@ Oatmeal After Spinning says
I couldn’t have said it better, myself!
Kori says
Ditto!
KathEats says
Thanks Marie!
Health Bee says
Wow, that sounds like a great day! BTW, love the hungry bar.
Kelly @ Foodie Fiasco says
Mmm. That enchilada pie looks soo good!
khushboo says
Faith’s enchilada pie looks excellent! This post is total food porn 🙂
Alexia @ NamasteYoga says
these enchiladas look amazing!
I have WWOOFed in New Zealand a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. I stayed at a small farm, built irrigation systems for fig trees and fed the animals on the first farm and worked in the woods, planted a garden and cleaned a guest house at the other one. I was in pure nature and had the best time ever. its such a good way of exploring a country and people who live in it.
KathEats says
So cool!!
kathleen @ the daily crumb says
that’s my kind of gift basket! what a fun dinner with friends 🙂
Lauren@ Oatmeal After Spinning says
Glad you liked the basket! And the above comments about idolizing and self promotion seem very silly to me- nothing more to read into other than a simple gesture from one foodie to another. I happen to get great joy from sharing things that I love with others. And I have to say, Kath, that I’m really interested to see what kind if amazing recipe you come up with using Freekeh!
Kori says
I believe that you put a wonderful gift basket together and that it was very thoughtful of you.
KathEats says
Loved it! Sorry to spoil the fun with the above.
Karen says
What a fun and delicious looking Friday night you had! Kudos to Faith and Tate for their hospitality…they seem like super cool friends!
~Christy @ wonderofallthings says
What a cool organization WWOOF sounds like — I’ll definitely be poking around in that website some more…
Amanda says
WWOOF sounds awesome. I’m looking forward to learning more about it. Such a cool concept!
And those pumpkin bars…they look divine. Love that you put a little frosting on them!
Molly @ RDexposed says
I like sharing good beers with friends esepcially ones that aren’t distributed in their neck of the woods! Should for any reason I travel in your neck of the woods, I already know I’d have to drop off some New Glarus beer for you fellow beer lovers. 😀
Meagan says
OMG that tortilla pie at the end looks so good. SERIOUSLY. I could demolish that thing now!
Jess says
So, a plane trip from Auckland, New Zealand to Charlottlesville would be a little over the top just to get a scruffin, yes? Slightly? Then why am I still tempted!?
Julia H. @ The Petite Spiel says
My roommate baked something that’s probably similar to that pumpkin cake bar this past weekend, and the entire pan was finished within 18 hours. Not even exaggerating. Pumpkin is irresistible.