I’ve got some good things for you Girlfriends!!! MUSICA
Oh, how I’m loving October! 🍂 Weather has totally changed on the island, summer is a thing of the distant past. We’ve had two Nor’easters recently, wild wind and rain out of nowhere . . . ferry boat was stopped, we’ve been cut off, out here alone, leaves flying by the windows. My favorite. Light the candles, make a fire, cook, and cozy-in to the quiet. With Jack. And Joe.💞
Look at me! After three months of an out-of-order broken wrist, I’m painting again!
I wasn’t sure I’d still know how! I’ve started working on the 2021 calendars (yes, 2021 😜, try not to think about it). As you can see Jack has been lending support. I’m still going to Occupational Therapy once a week, working to get all that luv-lee flexibility back. But I’m sooo much better. Lifting little weights! See that writing up there? Now look at this:
This is a shopping list I wrote with my left hand a couple of months ago! I told my brain, “MAKE A ‘G'”, but my brain said, “Is that a right turn or a left?” This took HUGE concentration! I kind of liked it!
Still eating healthy, and still loving it. Doesn’t that look delicious? Well, it was! Best words I ever told myself about losing weight? “I don’t care how long it takes, I’m doing it.” Very powerful. As they say in the Biz, “It’s a Lifestyle Change.”
Here’s a wonderful little healthy snack. If you are a homey cottage-cheese lover like I am (and many aren’t for good reason ➡️), there is nothing nastier than the milky wet cottage cheese you find in so many grocery stores. So I have something new for you to try. Look for Friendly Farms Cottage Cheese. It’s heavenly. Sturdy and creamy. Not drowning in milky wetness!! Available in tons of places. Perfect to put on crackers, or, like above, on buttered, toasted Ezekiel Bread, sprinkled with seeds, nuts, salt and pepper! Sprouts taste good on it too. It’s a treat!😋
Yes, it’s that time of year for Carrot Cake! Lots of Birthday’s around here lately . . . and Saturday is Rachel’s Birthday! 😘😘😘 Sending love to you Ray ~ I really wish you could help yourself (all of you!) to a piece of this! I won’t be a bit surprised if they figure out how to do that someday! Wish they’d hurry! You can wish Rachel a Happy Birthday here in the comment section, OR, write her on Twitter, HERE!❤️
You’ll recognize the recipe for the three-layer carrot cake I took to Jaime’s house for a birthday party . . . I forgot how good it is! Everyone loved it!
If you’ve never tried to make a carrot cake, you really should! It comes together so easily, and it’s filled with fruit and nuts! Right, Jack? Right!
Here I am at the party, sitting on the floor in front of the fire, among my oldest and dearest, toasting Joe through the crowd as he takes a nicely blurry photo of me!
In this one, I have the camera, so you can see what my view was from my floor position. People putting their rings around the candles, so everyone gets to make a wish.
My cake came in last and I was too busy cutting it to take pictures! I’ve made it lots of times, but usually, I just 
put frosting between layers and on top. This time I made extra frosting and did the sides. Decorated with chopped (green) pistachio nuts, a marigold from the garden, and strips of carrot peel I rounded at top with a knife, and made pointed at bottom. Isn’t it cute? I thought it looked like a happy circus cake! There were zero leftovers, no crumb went unattacked! You could do this!!!😘
The fans would love it! This recipe also makes amazing cupcakes. You can tint the cream-cheese frosting if you like.
All home-sweet-home this time of year. Hovering between 50º and 60º most days now. See our wisteria, so insidious, sneaking its way around everything, will crawl under a window and into the house if we aren’t careful! But very gracefully!
I love being a homebody. Garden is changing so fast . . . but we still have a few herbs, some nasturtiums, kale, lettuce, and a couple of tomatoes growing. A few rose buds and marigolds. No freeze yet, so we’re milking the garden for all it’s worth.
The wind blew our yard full of leaves . . .
And, btw, that Carrot cake recipe (and cupcakes) is in the book on the table! (Heart of the Home 30th Anniversary Edition.) If you make it, cool the cake before you put the frosting on!
Look at this! Fun with food! Joe cut into this radish and look what he found! Good enough to sell on eBay! (No, we won’t😅) Had to take a picture of it! Love the tail! Crazy radish bug!
And yes, Casper is back in his high spot, in the guest room on the second floor . . . looking out . . .
Over the neighborhood . . . he’s become a tradition, lighting up this window every October for years.
Cheering a stormy day, a harbinger of Halloween . . . he’s got a perfect view.
I wob him. When we go into downsize mode someday and sell this house, I hope the people who buy it will want Casper too! Because I know he will want to stay.🎃
There is something in October . . .🍂🍁🍂
Out on our walk, the bittersweet is wild!
Such a magical vine . . . invasive, they say, but what a way to go! We’ll be decorating around our front door with it!
The woods are prettier every day . . . we’ve had lots of sunny, crisp, and breezy days . . .
And the rainy days just make it better!
We just make a fire! Last night, girlfriends came over after Mahjong, we sat on the sofa and talked in the quiet, listened to the fire popping, clock ticking, wind blowing outside . . . 🍂🍁🍂
What’s up at the Studio? We’re getting new things all the time, I can’t quite keep up. Doing our best to make our web store one-stop shopping where you’ll find lots of little special things filled with ❤️ ~ with the holidays coming up so fast, it’s that time again!
Just in ~ our brand new Winter Dream Charm ~ like any starry night, you can make a wish for dreams come true.
And these too, precious house cut-outs ~ one of which is now sitting on my stove shelf. I tried it all over the house, on a window sill with my rusty birds, on the mantle with a candle behind it, there’s no bad place! It’s going to be gorgeous with my white Christmas trees!
SO, something else . . . There’s a new article featuring guess who? Me! in Edible Vineyard (the 2019 Harvest Issue), a wonderful island food magazine produced through the Martha’s Vineyard Times. It’s available everywhere here on the island . . . and I have to say, every article in it is interesting! Really well-written. Kind of like the New Yorker of food! I don’t know if the paper is selling them, but I’m sure you could ask.
On October 26, I’ll be speaking and signing books at the 
newly renovated and beautifully restored Carnegie Library on North Water Street in Edgartown, MA, from 2-3 pm, sponsored by the Vineyard Trust and Edgartown Books. It’s free! And they have a gift shop! 😜 I’ll bring signed copies of Edible Vineyard to give out! Come join us! And guess what? Kellee and Sheri will be there (Joe too!). They’re coming to stay with us for a few days next week, to get a little taste of New England fall!🍁 💃
The Edible article was beautifully written by Alisun Armstrong, photos by Lexi Pline. Quotes from the Fairy Tale Girl and Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams. Recipes from the 30th Anniversary version of Heart of the Home and my Autumn Book.❤️
No reason for this photo, just loved the colors!
This too! I told you it was a huge Birthday Month . . . I also had a Birthday Party for Martha . . . this was the table setting. Very simple, purple flowers (Johnson Brothers WindsorWare plates) and plaid napkins on old bedspread, with hydrangeas from the garden.
Colorful! Girl Party! This whole lunch was scarily done without a recipe. When we were in Hudson, I tasted some fantastic things, spicy 
sweet-potato fingers with minted lemon sauce and a Coconut Cilantro Chutney (with hot peppers and garlic and ginger). I wrote down what I could, so I could try making it at home. I was nervous, realizing too late that this might not be the smartest way to do a birthday lunch, but it turned out GOOD. I served it with deviled eggs, minced red onion, and smoked salmon, and toasted walnut bread ~ with homemade Basil Ice Cream and Lemon Polenta Cake for dessert. My wrist allowed me to do everything except Joe chopped the onion and got that pretty green ice cream out of the freezer container! Pretty darn good!
And then there’s this! Because I couldn’t find them on the Island, I had to make them. Since they’re not here, I imagine you may not be able to find them either, so I thought this recipe could come in handy, for Apple Cider Donuts! They’re easy! They bake in the oven like a cake! You have to have them!🍁
So Here’s what I did . . . first off, on the stove, out of sight, is a pan filled with Apple Cider (the plain, non-alcoholic kind) boiling down to a syrup (don’t worry, I’ll put the recipe at the end of the post). Then I buttered the donut pans with melted butter and set them aside. Don’t have donut pans? Stay tuned . . .
I lightened the flour by stirring it with a whisk so I wouldn’t have to sift it. Then I measured it out lightly and put it in a medium bowl . . .
and whisked it together with baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
In another large bowl, I whisked together egg, milk, vanilla, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
whisking . . .
. . . adding in the reduced cider . . . whisking until it was blended.
Then, because it’s too difficult to get the dough neatly into the tiny donut pans with a spoon, I poured the batter into a plastic bag …
. . . then squeezed the messy thing down to get most of the batter in the bottom of the bag,
then I twisted it up at the top, and cut off a tiny bit of corner, so the batter would come out in a controllable manner.
. . . and Voila . . . into the oven they go!
While they baked, I melted some butter and mixed together sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon for coating the donuts when they were done.
And here they are, hot from the oven. I slipped a tiny spatula around them and they came out like buttah.
I dipped them, tops and bottoms in melted butter, and laid them into bowl with the sugar and spice . . .
Spooned over sugar, pressed it in, until they were well coated. Pushing Joe, get away. no touching. Oh, poor baby, okay, eat one. Gimmie a bite.💋
I wrapped the rest of them in an old linen bridge-table tablecloth, put them in a basket and walked over to lowely’s for Mahjong . . . we start with tea, and yesterday, with donuts still warm from the oven!
The recipe made six large donuts and ten small ones. So, who wants to make donuts? Leave a comment, we’ll have a drawing, and the winner will receive the exact tins I baked these donuts in! Two tins, used once only, they’re festive, they have red bottoms, together they make six large donuts and a dozen little ones . . . there are more in our web store, just in cases. And I’m including a package of holiday recipe cards!
I’ll toss in a signed copy of Edible Magazine too…
So that’s it . . . sunshine through blowing leaves, through kitchen windows, sliding across the stove, weaves through sugar-donut fragrance, skips along the floor, over the table, dancing fairy-like over a bowl of apples, and shimmers onto our walls.
Our world sometimes feels upside-down, we can feel overwhelmed by daily happenings, making ends meet, meeting the needs of our beloveds, drains energy, there’s no rest for the weary or the worried! Dreaming of a better tomorrow? Let it show in everything you do. Let the things you value in life shine through, home, family, friends, the little things that make life sweet. Do stop and smell the flowers, run and catch a leaf in mid air. Watch an old movie with your petty pet. You’ll feel better, I promise. Kisses and blessings on you and yours. Take a deep breath . . . ahhhhh.
Don’t forget to leave your comment for the drawing! HERE is a little chart that shows you how to sign up to get this BLOG delivered to your email address.❤️
A P P L E C I D E R D O N U T S
Makes six large donuts and ten small ones.
Set out 1/2 c. whole milk and one egg to come to room temp. Slowly melt 1 1/2 c. (12 TB. or 1 1/2 sticks) butter (you’ll ned some to grease the pans, some for donut batter, and some for the topping). Put 1 1/2 c. non-alcoholic apple cider in small saucepan. Bring to boil, then simmer until liquid reduces to one-half cup. 👀 Watch it. Takes about 15 min. Set aside to cool. Use a pastry brush, butter the donut cups.
Preheat oven to 350º
- 2 c. all purpose flour, whisked to lighten, then measured
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 egg, room temp.
- 1/2 c. whole milk, room temp
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 TB. melted butter
- 1/2 c. reduced apple cider
- 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
- 1/3 c. granulated sugar
T O P P I N G
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- the rest of the butter, put in shallow wide dish.
Preheat oven to 350º. In a med bowl, whisk together first 7 ingredients. Set aside. In large bowl, whisk the egg, then whisk in the rest of the ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and whisk until smooth. Fill a large plastic bag with batter. This is messy. Once filled, hold it at top and squeeze batter down, twist the top so batter is pushed into bottom. With scissors cut a tiny corner off the bottom of the bag (not too much, you can always cut it bigger). Squeeze the batter into the donut cavities, filling about 2/3 full. Bake 10-12 min until they spring back when you poke them (I baked the small donuts slightly less time). Let cool 5 min in pans, Use a small spatula to loosen each one and turn them out onto tea-towel-covered cooling rack. While they are baking, make TOPPING: in a small bowl, mix together first 3 topping ingredients. Put the rest of the melted butter in a shallow dish. When donuts are cool enough to handle, dip tops and bottoms in melted butter, put them in the sugar mixture and spoon over generously, patting them so the mixture will hold on. Eat! Lovely in a cloth covered basket to bring to tea! Excellent with a cup of coffee!
*You can make your own PUMPKIN PIE SPICE for the topping, just add 1/2 tsp.nutmeg, 1/4 tsp.ground ginger, and 1/4 tsp. ground cloves to the cinnamon.
Cider donuts sounds delicious. We make cider every year… This will be a new way to use it.
So happy to see Casper in his spot!!
These donuts look so good! I have seen recipes but not tried it yet. Thank you for sharing and definitely worth trying. Happy Fall!
I LOVE apple cider doughnuts and Fall! I came in 2nd in our neighborhood pumpkin contest this year and my 12’ tall sunflowers were champions! I attribute it all to composted horse manure! (And TLC)
I was just thinking of you today and hoping I’d find your blog post…as always, you never disappoint. I really enjoyed it…I love your attitude about embracing bad weather…I need to work on that! Of course, donuts might help! LOL. Thanks for all the fun news…glad to see you are back painting. Scary times for you I am sure…so glad you can do what you were made to do and what you love.
I have an interesting bit of information about apple cider. I was our local Landis Valley Farm Museum’s Harvest Days and learned that if you boil down apple cider long enough you get molasses. Now I know why Johnny Appleseed wanted everyone to have at least one apple tree in their yard. They do sell awesome apple donuts here in Lancaster but only in the fall. I think they would make an awesome addition to our Christmas morning treat tray. I think I may need to practice a few times 🥣. Thank you for the recipe 💕
We have a wonderful donut shop, Neil’s Donuts, here in Wallingford, CT. Crispy on the outside, yet soft and moist on the inside. But yours look scrumptious, I must say!!!
Living in Michigan, apples are plentiful as are apple donuts! They are very very yummy! One of our favorite fall treats! Happy Fall, it’s my favorite season of the year!
Here in Boise, Idaho, we have a cool fall-into-winter day, dreary with a little sun. The wind is blowing and the leaves are changing colors and falling. You lifted my spirits reading your blog and seeing the your pictures of wonderful food and friends and Jack, of course. It would be so fun to bake doughnuts and eat them while reading about you in the magazine. I have my fingers crossed.
It was so good to hear from you. I am so glad that you are able to paint again. I can sympathize. I can’t paint but I do dance and it took several months after my knee surgery last year till I could dance again. I’m back now better than before because I can Cha Cha again. So paint on girl friend and enjoy the feeling as we will enjoy the results.
Hooray! 💃
I enjoyed this pist so much. Most likely because I love fall and everything about it. The cool air, colored leaves, apples, pumpkins, squash, etc, etc. Glad you are painting again and working on thingsyou love, not to mention cooking. Love those donuts. You go girl.
I have been busy quilting in my happy place. Made a Halloween quilt.
Yours truly, “I’ve only just begun!”
Karen Carpenter
A roaring fire, a pot of tea, something warm from the oven; leaves vibrantly ablaze in the garden, overpowering the last pastel colors fading on stems; birds flying south and others stopping here thinking they’re South; it must be autumn, the very name exudes orangey color! Thank you for this invigorating column that brought out live images of fall! You can almost taste those cider donuts, so lovely; and the carrot cake, my oh my. So happy you got your writing/drawing/stirring hand back!
I’d forgotten how much I love carrot cake until I saw your pictures. What a perfect treat for this best of all seasons. I wish Fall came more than once a year! Thank you, Susan, for helping us celebrate it.
Here in Florida it has dipped down to 59 and we feel so refreshed! Love reading every word, every time. Thank you for always brightening my days. 🌸
I’ve never been a cake donut fan, but am embracing them now that I’ve gotten to be gluten intolerant. I’d love a shot at converting your recipe to GF and using the same sweet pans you did for your warm and yummy mahjong treats!
Thank you for infusing my raw blustery day with such warmth!
I appreciate you 🙂
I love the wonderfully cozy descriptions you share with us in your blog. Thank you! I’m a native Texan living in deep east Texas but I love New England & I’m also an Anglophile. I look forward to each of your blogs because for awhile I’m “on vacation” every time I read them. I’ve got to make the donuts so I’m going to need those cute donut pans. 🙂 Happy Autumn to you, Joe & Jack.
You made my mouth water with your carrot cake and cider donuts. I guess I will be baking this weekend. Have a great day.
Ohhh…how I love all things Fall! I miss the apple orchard where we used to live and fresh made cider, and apple cider donuts! Thanks for a the scent of the Fall kitchen cause I can almost smell it from here!!😀
Hi Susan!
My husband and I were in Martha’s Vineyard this time last year, and I recognized your house by your ghost in the window and pumpkins over your front door. This year we are entertaining guests from England. They are here for my son’s wedding two weeks from tomorrow! I do plan to make those doughnuts!
Happy Autumn!
Terry
Fall is arriving slowly but surely in our little corner of the world. We had rain and wind earlier in the week. Today was sunny and chilly. The leaves are changing and we are tying up loose ends as we prepare for Winter. Loved your posting…My husband loves your carrot cake recipe and we are looking forward to making those apple cider donuts. Thanks for your words of encouragement, I needed those today! Happy Fall!
Oh my. Those donuts sound so perfect for a crisp autumn day! Yum!
Oh, the cider donuts sound delicious! I can almost smell them. So thankful your wrist is almost 100% better and you can paint again. Your blogs touch my soul and remind me of important things… Thank you!
Oh how lovely! Happy Autumn! I love FALL – and cannot wait for my trip next week to some of my favorite places in MA…Rockport, Salem, etc. to experience cooler weather, see all the lovely New Englander’s fall décor, see the fall foliage, go antiquing, finding cider donuts ;)…
Thanks for the sweet post.
Wonderful thoughts about the wonders of fall.
Love you, Susan! You are always a breath of fresh air! Happy Autumn!
Susan, such a lovely post, especially the last paragraph-h. Thank you so much for that. Great to see Casper up in his window! And so good to know you survived the storms. Take good care.
well dear girlfriends, i have made susan’s carrot cake cupcakes and can promise you they are every bit as delish as they look! i halved the recipe as it’s just me eating them…used my texas size muffin pan and got 6 texas-sized cupcakes! nuts and raisins and all….soooo yummy! i ate one and froze the rest lickety split and took one out each day….the last every bit as good as the first! no doubt the donuts are as well….
Thank you for the good review Grace!!! xoxoxo ❤️
Susan, you know I’ll leave a comment even if there is no drawing! Ha!
Your posts are too wonderful not to! My respite for a suffering week. But I would still love, love, love to win this drawing. 🙂
Before I forget and start rambling, many blessings and well wishes to Rachel on her birthday. May the year ahead be one of peace and love.
As usual, there is so much I love about this blog. But I’ll try not to drone on like I normally do. I do have to say that your ghost in the window is so cool! I love this idea and to make it a yearly thing, the kids in the neighborhood must love seeing it every year. I hope the next owners keep Casper too. Don’t ghosts stay with the house?
Oh and that Winter Dream Charm. I can’t wait to save enough for it. I love it already!
Keeping this short, but wanted to say hi! Stay well. Glad to see you’re back to painting.
Blessings to you, Joe and Jack.
~Maureen, one of your west coast girlfriends
You’re so right, ghosts DO stay with the house, and that will be EXACTLY what I tell the new owners when that time comes. I hope I like them!
Would love the donut pans! Loved your whole post. Carrot cake for my birthday Nov 4!!
Susan, So glad that your wrist has healed. It is tough having to do w/o a body part. So enjoy all that you share thru your writing and artwork, Housebound . Husband’s cancer wound doing better but suddenly I have hip bursitis. painful to move around. So your blog always brightens my day but especially right now. Thank You:) Gail
Sending love and best healing wishes for you both Gail. xoxoxo
I’m eating a store bought individually wrapped powdered donut as I am reading your blog. I never eat these but they were calling my name. (I bought them for my son’s breakfast) I was thinking bad these are for me (and my son) being processed and all and then I got to the bottom of your blog post to read about my favorite kind of donut! And to think they were baked to boot! How I would love to give that a try especially with all the good energy and love from your home. ❤️ Crossing my fingers! Xo
I do , I do! I love donuts! So glad you are on the mend!! Thanks for all you share!!
Oh if only I could be in your kitchen! Maybe some day I’ll try to bake again.
What a lovely autumn post! Just the right mix of traditional, decorating, garden, seashore and food. Thanks for brightening my day! So glad your wrist is healing and you’re nearing normal again.
You never cease to amaze me! Back to watercolors right after your wrist finally heals, walking everywhere, and singing October’s praises. AND figuring out how to make Apple Cider Donuts? You are my new best friend! We had these for the first (and only) time when we visited family in Delaware. Now, there is hope for this Florida girl to be able to share the yummy goodness with my friends down here. Thank you for doing all the work – and then sharing it with all of us!!
My pleasure, in more ways than one! xo 🎃
October is my favorite month and Autumn is my favorite season. I LOVE the leaves turning colors – and the cooler, drier weather is very welcome after the hot, humid summers we have here.
I didn’t know I’d hear from you today, but coincidentally just this morning I took your Autumn book off the shelf for some ideas. We live in the mountains and the houses are spread far apart so we don’t get any trick-or-treaters (we just buy and eat the candy ourselves! need to be more disciplined, as you have been !). Since we won’t get to enjoy visits from little ghosts, princesses and superheroes, we are having some neighbors over Halloween night for dinner and a Halloween-themed movie. I was reminded of some good ideas for that when I looked at your book – so, thank you!
Glad your wrist is much better!
Ann
How wonderful it is that each season has its own special joys! Thanks, Susan, for reminding us. Alice
Cider donuts and carrot cake! Mmmmm! I love reading about your autumn weather and leaves. We have that in southern CA, but fires too, so not as relaxing. So glad your wrist is better!
Oh, Susan, such a fun post and so perfect for fall! So grateful that your wrist is healing and you’re able to use it again. I’ve never tried donuts like this and will definitely try them. I love reading about how much you and Joe are enjoying your home as the seasons change. I’m at my lake home this week in Minnesota, and the colors outside are sooo spectacular. Life is good. Sending warm hugs to you, Joe, and Jack, Ruthie, in Minnesota
Susan the donuts look yummy.
Thank you for taking me on a wonderful Autumn journey. You’ve inspired me to go for a walk in the woods, cook something sweet, spicey, and delicious and maybe even make a cuppa and do some early Christmas shopping on line!
I love apple cider donuts almost as much as reading your “letters” (blog posts – they seem more like a letter from a sweet friend). Happy fall blessings to you dear Susan. And Joe & Jack. 🍁
Laughing out loud and sending blessings back to you!💐 I’m tickled your hand is back in working order! You go, girl!🎉
Susan, you make the seasons come alive! Fall has always been my favorite, and I have learned to enjoy all the little bits of joy that I am blessed with every day. Thanks for making that easier – your joy is infectious!!
We have so much! So lucky! xoxoxo 🎃
Always brightens my day when I see an email from you saying you’ve written another offering complete with pictures of good friends, nature, animals and food – can it get any better than that?
Love all of this. I love Autumn. To me, it’s the season of YUM. Great food, great weather, family (two-legged and four legged, and in my case flippered and shelled-we have cats and turtles), everything wonderful. Thanks for writing and sharing.
Oh to be enjoying your comfy fall weather.still warm here in Calif. And those wonderful cider donuts…I can almost smell them. So glad that your wrist is so much better.
Warm hugs,
Gail
Apple cider donuts are my favorite…love the pans too! Can’t wait to try your recior
What a wonderful post! My favorite season is Autumn, too. Love the warm paintings and thoughts. Would love to get some donut pans to try your recipes – they look delicious!
October is birthday month for our family and many friends so I appreciated this blog!
Oh darling lady, you bring us such JOY!
May you, Joe & Jack enjoy a perfectly wonder-filled weekend.
Love,
Melin
I grew up back east and Autumn was always my favorite time of year ! I do miss all the fun things I remember as a kid . You help bring back all those feelings as I think back to my family traditions back then. Cider donuts were a Fall specialty . We would take apples from our trees and go the a local Cider Mill and bring home liquid gold in big glass jugs !! If we didn’t drink it all fast enough it would to vinegar ! Have fun kicking up the leaves and carving your pumpkins !
I love being cozy and reading your blogs. Maybe if I had your recipe and your pans, I would be a successful Baker. I’ve made donuts before but they weren’t too exciting…lol. Have a wonderful Autumn!
Vicki W.
Dear Susan, every time you write down words and I read them I feel like I am having a conversation with a friend. Your heart loves so many of the things I love; tea, friends, old houses and ways, baking, walking in the woods, etc. Thank you for your words because they bring me joy and encourage me that there are still kind, gentle souls in this world.
Read the comments and you will see that it is more than true. xoxo
Love all the Autumn warmth you show here!
Hi Susan, Miss the Vineyard this time of year. We are working on coming next year… Cannot stay away too long!! We need our MV fix! The fall is always a beautiful time of year full of wonderful colors and light! The air has a crisp wonderful smell to it too! So glad your wrist is almost brand new!! So much fun to bake this time of year cause it warms up the house without turning on the heat! I love to bake with my grands when they are here. So much fun!!
Ahhh thanks for putting all that appreciation of Autumn into words….I feel it and now I can read it too! That’s the best part of sharing our corner of the world with you…those moments that you write about that echo ours…kindred spirits! I never thought about baking cider donuts…I’m lucky to live in Apple cider donut land up here in Vermont but I’d Iike to try it! You could make other kinds too! Have a wonderful evening my friend!
Susan you make my heart happy with every blog you post! No matter what type of day I’m having, changes to incredible with your blog! Thank you!
I was just wondering about your wrist today. I saw a notification for your blog and wondered if it would be typed or written. (Typed is fine – it is the words, not the format!) Glad to hear it is getting better and better! So frustrating how long it takes things to get back to normal when you aren’t a teenager anymore. Fall on your island is so pretty. Especially viewed through a window in front of a fire!
I love Casper looking out that window! I think of Fall as God’s beautiful entrance into Winter and your house and blog certainly reflect it. Thank you for sharing!
Lovely…….as always.
You are so caring and awesome! Blessings on you and Joe and Jack! So loved this post. Thanks. MeMarge, who just celebrated her 14th great-grandchild two days ago.
CONGRATULATIONS! 👶🍼
Cool temps, a warm home to be sheltered in, hot cider donuts—life is good.
That would be great to have a recipe for cider donuts bc I have only eaten them once at the orchard store, after picking apples. They sell out so fast, still warm from the oven! Lol.
I love FALL. The colors, the fragrances, the brisk wind.
and cider and donuts!
I love Autumn most of all. We just vacationed in New England for the first time and it was beautiful. Fell in love with it! We’ll be going back next year. Your home is always so cozy and festive. Always inspiring.
Our rainy days in northern Michigan have moved on to you and Joe…most of our neighbors have gone to Florida for the winter…we stay here and have begun the “hunkering in”…I too can smell your donuts right through my ipad…
I can feel Autumn through your post. Love it!
Apple cider donuts! Autumn in one bite!😊
Yumm doughnuts, I need some. Thanks for sharing.
Love seeing all of the Fall things. Miss seeing them in Arizona. I truly enjoyed reading about your trip to Hudson. We used to visit the Hudson Valley several times a year when we lived in NY State. If you ever have a chance try to go in early December and visit the wonderfully decorated mansions. Glad to hear your wrist is healing.
My mother used to make donuts, such a wonderful memory. But they never lasted with 5 kids, they would be gone as soon as they were done! Loved reading this blog post. Like we all were right there with you.
LOVED everything about this post ! Autumn is my favorite season ( my car’s name is Autumn !), and October is my favorite month !!
Hello Susan,
Happy fall! The beginning of snuggle-up weather. And happy birthday to all! So happy to hear your wrist is healing well! Your words bring such a breath of fresh air (especially after just watching the evening news, which I usually avoid).
Love, love, love the cider donuts, can’t wait to make them! I’ll borrow Mom’s pan which had been Grandma’s (maybe was Great-Grandma’s (?) since the house has been in the family since 1903). The carrot cake looks delicious too.
Thank you for sharing your positive attitude, and yummy recipes, with all of us!
Lynn
Happy Fall, Susan!
Reading this makes me so happy. Fall and winter are by far my favorite times of the year. I am a homebody too, love to do needlework, knit, read and relax with my two new kittens, Bluebell and Poppy.
Thanks again for the wonderful post!
Bluebell and Poppy! I haven’t seen them and I want them already! xo
I love Autumn most of all. We took a vacation to New England for the first time in early October. It was so beautiful, we fell in love with it and will being going again next year. Your home is always so cozy and festive! It’s inspiring! Happy fall! Can’t wait to try to make the donuts.
Oh, my how lovely. I do love cider donuts, well any homemade donuts.
I love reading your blog! It inspires me to bake and paint and enjoy my home. I made a couple apple cakes today and was too lazy to sift the flour like it instructed. I’ve never thought about just whisking the flour first. I’ll have to try that next time. Thank you for your encouraging words today.
Many recipes say that’s all you ever need to do, whisk, not sift!
Yummy! Happy Fall!
Lori in California
The “ hunkering in” has begun here in northern Michigan…we’ve had a few sleety snowflakes, but mostly days of rain-perfect for hot tea, a good book and cozied on the couch with an afgan…have you read “A Gentleman from Moscow?” I think you would love it…now to have a cider donut with my tea…
I have it, I haven’t read it yet. You think I’ll love it? I hope I do, I love to love books. But sometimes they can be so sad that they break my heart!
Hi Susan! Fall is my favorite. So cosy. I have been making your carrot cake for the last few years during the holidays. I have not found a better recipe and friends will attest to that! My friends husband asks, “Is there carrot cake? I love de careawt cake” (but picture a French accent as they are from France.)
I am glad you are back to baking with both hands! 🙂 All the best to you and Joe.
LOL! 👏
Susan,
Oh the donuts!!! And the carrot cake!!! And fall!!!! Thanks for the glorious post!
Looking forward to making the donuts – my husband will be in heaven! So happy your wrist is behaving! Happy Fall!
It has been a few years since I’ve written a comment. So much has transpired. Hubby had a really difficult year of very hard health challenges between 2017-2018. Lots and lots of hospital time. So you can imagine the healing miracle that occurred when I tell you that as of August 2019, WE sold our San Fernando Valley home of thirty-four years and moved to Ventura, California. The good ole SFV where my paternal grandfather grew flowers before and after WWII is so different now. Thankful for the young family that loved and bought our home to create their own memories with their three little boys…just like we did with our two sons back in 1985.
We have downsized and bought a newer home near our son, DIL and their four kids…our precious grandchildren! Also, close to our church family. We love it here and feel so blessed to be amongst agricultural fields and the ocean! Yesterday, went antiquing in Carpinteria and Summerland with new girlfriends! Blessed beyond words! It is appropriate that I return with this comment when you mention your Autumn book. That was the starting point of my following you, loving transferware, the color red, and just all things Susan Branch.
Written with much thankfulness…Charlene H
So happy to hear from you Charlene … loved your little catch-up … sounds perfect!!! You did it and look how happy you are. Just perfect!
The donuts look scrumptious and I can smell the apple cider and spices. Would love to try my hand at making them as I am not a baker but I think I could make these! Thank you, Susan.
Your post came at a wonderful time. Truly needed to refocus and smell the leaves. Thank you
You inspire me (and many others 😁) with your message of going out a doing all things that make me happy, and inspire others to do kind and generous things with our own generosity. So, many thanks Susan for the inspiration- and beautiful warm home filled photos and inspiration!!
October is always wonderful – wedding anniversary, my birthday, Halloween, the change in weather and leaves and wardrobe. You just made it even better! Thank you for sharing your life with us!!!
Love this blog and cider donuts-so easy and good. Here’s hoping I win!
Susan you make everything sound so lovely and delicious. I am missing Fall in Indiana this year. We discovered in August I had a serious brain tumor. I can rejoice and tell you they removed the benign tumor and I am recovering at my sons home in Houston. My son, daughter, husband and their families have been so wonderful to me. I am so thankful for my blessings this Fall. I wanted to tell you that a very creative friend of mine made me a “Casper” very similar to yours. I have always adored yours! We went back to one of your articles in Oct 2017 where you gave us detailed pictures and narrative. I hope to send you pictures of my ghost soon. Enjoy the remainer of your beautiful Fall. Love Sonja
Benign! One of the best words in the English language. Congratulations. Get well soon. I would LOVE to see photos of your Casper. I was wondering if anyone ever tried it. I bet it turned out great!!! Happy Happy every single day dear Sonja!
donuts … love, love, love donuts!!!
What is better than a donut?
Susan, I fell in love with you, your books, your painting, and Martha’s Vineyard when I ordered your book, A Fine Romance, in 2014. My husband bought me paints and brushes so I could try to learn to paint and do your fancy lettering which I adore! Tomorrow, Larry and I will be coming to Martha’s Vineyard for a week! I am so excited!! Fall in Martha’s Vineyard will be glorious! We will drive by your house and wave to you, Joe, and Jack. The donuts look delicious. So thankful your wrist is better!
Have a WONDERFUL time Barbara, I hope the weather stays nice for you!
There’s something about Autumn that wakes up our senses and reminds us to live. It is my favorite time of year, and I wish I could hold on to each day and stretch it out just a little bit longer!
As we gear up for Halloween, memories of hearing the story Little Orphant Annie reminds me that “the gobble-uns’ll git you if you don’t watch out!” (by James Whitcomb Riley). So enjoyable to recall fond memories of hearing the story around a cozy fire.
Thanks for inspiring all of us to cherish the Heart of the Home!
We’re finishing up our 3 week visit to the Cape and Yarmouth. We’ve had a grand stay….even with the 2 Nor’easters! Yes….a lot of wind! I got to taste Apple Cider Donuts at the Mashpee Mall…..oh yummy!
Lucky, our weather performed for you! xoxo
I do NEED a donut pan – seriously. And a piece of carrot cake, please.
I love autumn, and yes, even winter! Not a fan of the heat, so I look forward to this time of the year… AC at rest, no blowing, no noise… heat making the radiators crackle, candles lit, soups and stews bubbling on the stove… and yes, all the food markets and local farms are making delicious cider donuts – warm, sugar coated, and smelling of those delicious fall spices!
Oh, to hear you may sell that lovely home of yours is sad to hear, but completely understandable… a house that size becomes harder to handle and upkeep as the years go by. I’m sure your new downsized home will be as lovely and cozy as your current home, of that I have no doubt! Do you think you will stay on the Vineyard, or will you go back to the west coast?
I think we are solid east-coasters now (well Joe was BORN here!). New England owns my heart. The old houses and the history. I love California too, but I think this is my place!
I’m so glad! I’m a born New Yorker, but my dream is to live in New England when I retire. I think it’s the most beautiful place in the world…
Oh, Apple Cider Donuts, well, any donut in my book is good! Is it donut or doughnut, seen it both ways, will have to check to see why the different spellings. Thank you for lightening the day from all the dreariness that is happening right now in the USA. Gotta remember to breathe, and you my dear are a breath of fresh air.
Thank you Barbara Jean!
Autumn is the best time for apple cider doughnuts! A nearby bakery sells cider doughnuts with either chocolate or a maple frosting, talk about yummy!