In September

September is out and October is in.  As I write this I keep wondering where the month went.  I feel like I was cheated out of a good summer because we had a lot of rain and not enough sunny days.  My only hope now is that we dry out so that our leaves get the chance to give us a glorious show of color.  What I don't want is a freak ice storm, early snow or some type of Hurricane like in years past.  Let's just have a good, simple Fall season with no surprises.  Pretty please.

The month of September had some nice surprises for me which I shared with all of you.  Old favorites were rediscovered from my archives and new recipes were created.  I do like going back through my previous posts to see what was done several years ago and I especially love going through the tens of thousands of photographs I've accumulated since the early blogging days.  It's amazing to me to go through sets after sets of photo shoots, because I can see what I created at a certain point in my life.  Just between you and me, I once in awhile encounter some disaster photo shoots which had a recipe or two that failed.  Those were quickly scrapped and never published!  Maybe I should have a blooper post sometime.

A look back at we had here 'In September'.

Iced Coconut Cookies

These cookies rank high on my list of favorites.  I seem to like just about anything with coconut in it, so to have a tender cookie that's packed with flavor and cloaked with a tangy icing is a real treat.  Today, as I was having my tea, I realized that the cookie jar was empty.  Not a cookie to be found in the house and here I bake just about every day!  A dire situation to be sure.  If only I had had some of these wonderful coconut cookies, but I did not.    

Make them if you adore coconut just as much as I do.  You're going to love every bite.

Bialetti Espresso Maker

For someone who has a lot of kitchen implements, tools and gadgets, I was without a stovetop espresso maker until this past month.  It's very simple: I love my Bialetti!!  Every single week I've been treating myself to several cups of espresso.


What makes it even better is using my favorite espresso (a locally roasted coffee) whenever I feel like it.  Soon you'll be able to have that very same espresso in your own home.  Wait for it, you'll see!

Exercise, Nutrition & Wellness

This particular post written by a reader is certainly informative and well thought out.  Although I don't consider myself the type to keep a strict diet or exercise program, I still find it necessary to eat in moderation and to get some form of exercise every single day.  It just feels right to me.  Go through this post and see for yourself if you want a kickstart to better health and overall wellness.

Gifts from Kenn

What can I say about the gifts I received from Kenn?  I absolutely adore everything he sent me and I use several of those items on a daily basis.  As I write this (I'm in the kitchen), I can see those little jadeite buckets filled with some essentials sitting next to the stove.


It's refreshing to me when I come across this kind of generosity.  I am thankful and grateful that I have such nice people in my life.  Again, THANK YOU Kenn for just being you.  These little gems are going to be cherished for years to come!

Martha by Mail ~ Cake Decorating Booklet

This wonderful little cake decorating booklet from the former Martha by Mail catalog is classic Martha. When the catalog was around I never did get to buy one of their cake decorating kits only because I already had those tools.  However, I probably should have just to get this little booklet.  Thirteen years later, give or take, and the little booklet has finally found its way into my home.


That reminds me that I have other booklets I need to scan for future posts!

Lemon Honeypot

The morning I reposted the lemon honeypot I was going through some of my very first photographs I began taking for the blog.  These particular photos jumped right at me as I was sifting through them.  I thought to myself: was it almost three years ago that I did this?  Again, how time does fly.  At any rate, it's nice to know that this classic idea is still popular.  Enjoy making a lemon honeypot when you have your tea and cookies and use it all up in a day.  It's a nice thing for someone who's under the weather.

Autumn Arrives

Let's be honest here.  When I wrote this post on the first or second day of Fall, the temperatures were chilly for this time of year.  Today, however, the temperatures have shot back up into the 80s for the entire week and the humidity has also returned.  Seriously!


I'm hoping that the warm temperatures dry everything thoroughly.  The camera is loaded and ready so that I can start taking photos of the leaves when they begin turning.  Near one of my kitchen windows I can see some trees with yellow leaves already.  It's amazing to me when I see this.

Pumpkin Pound Cake

I need to make this cake again and keep it for myself.  I'm almost tempted to convert the cake into a loaf and make the rest of the batter into muffins.  However, I do like that particular bundt pan that I used for my photography because it's so shapely.  The dilemmas of baking...


A friend recently told me that they had made this cake and that their house smelled wonderful.  Yes, the aroma of this cake permeates the entire house while it bakes and while it sits in your kitchen.  Bake one soon and enjoy its spicy pumpkin flavor.  Just make sure you have a cup of tea or a cup of coffee when you do portion out a slice.  You're going to love it!

You may not know just how busy I've been trying to get something very special up and running for you this past month, but luckily, the hard work is paying off.  Lots of exciting things are coming your way in October and I can't wait to share them with you when I'm ready.  It's a new chapter here at Good Things by David, which will hopefully help you create sweet things and make your surroundings even more inviting.

Here is to good things in October!

~David