A couple of days ago, I woke up excited for my morning run and there was no mistaking it- autumn had decided to rear the drizzly tendrils of it’s rainy mane.  In Seattle especially, this comes with a touch of bittersweet irony every year since our summers are just so painfully short.  Because that particular run happened to be 9 miles, I felt justified in eating to my heart’s content when we were able to snag a last second reservation later that night at Cascina Spinasse - best seats in the house at one of the hottest newer joints in town.

I ordered the Tajarin al ragu(Tajarin being Piedmontese dialect for tagliolini) as my primo piatto, and it was without a doubt divine, but it got me thinking about what I truly love to ruminate on when it comes to steaming plates of pasta, and that is the element of fai da te or, do it yourself!

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I am often inspired to create a menu based on what’s fresh and seasonal at the local market.  Alternatively, I may come across a recipe in a cookbook, on David Lebovitz’ blog, or via Cook’s Illustrated that is just too tantalizing to pass up.  It has happened in the past that I have been inspired to serve or make a particular beverage by the aquisition of new and interesting glassware. Case in point the four glass jugs of different batches of limoncello currently distilling in my library.  My thumb still hurts just thinking about peeling all the lemons that went into those, but who can resist adorable little vodka shooters peeking innocently out from the freezer beckoning “fill me, Linda, fill me with ginger-kumquat infused limoncello!”

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