new city necessities : public park

When D and I moved, we left more than our house and friends behind. We left all our most frequented spots, including our favorite park.

On Monday, we celebrated D's birthday (and great new bike) with a ride to Jacob L. Loose Park in KC. It was such a beautiful place, and it reminded me that I've been missing out on fall for pretty much my entire life. Leaves don't really change colors in Texas or Oklahoma. One night in about mid November, they simply fall off their trees or turn a crispy brown. We had so much fun exploring this enormous place and I got my fill of watching teetering toddlers and spying on high school love birds.

During our excursion we ate a little picnic, and even though I don't usually talk food on this blog, I can't resist giving you the recipe for my friend Whitney's perfect picnic pasta.

All you need is...

pasta

a small tub crumpled goat cheese

cherry tomatoes

arugula

olives (optional)

olive oil

salt

pepper

Simply cook your pasta, chop your veggies and throw everything together while the pasta is drained and still hot, then season to taste. This is my kind of cooking- no measuring/15 minutes. It's perfect for a picnic because it's great warm or cold and of course super tasty.

I hope you enjoy your last few weeks of warmth (if you have any left)!