Smells of Fall

Yesterday was our first "cold" day this fall. When the forecast foretold temperatures in the low 70s after a week of 90s, I made a plan. Right after breakfast, the kiddos and I set out on our bikes for the grocery store. We needed just a few items to supplement our pantry and make it the perfect fall baking and making day. Halfway to the store, I realized Dave moved the bike lock from my basket over the weekend. This almost thwarted our plans, but the amiable security guard at the store let us park our bikes just inside the front door. With list in hand, we quickly made our way through the mass of aisles. Laden down with goods (and with small bellies full of donuts), we soon sped back home.

Once home, I opened the windows to let in the breeze and cooler air before setting to work in the kitchen. First up was potato leek soup. This staple in our household was Eamon's long-time favorite until recently. After much chopping and dicing, a slow simmer on the stove released delicious smells throughout the house. While the soup cooked, I began two separate recipes for banana muffins. For some reason, we have been slow on our banana eating and have a lot of muffin-worthy bananas. As those breakfast treats baked, I made some bacon on the cast iron griddle. Initially I thought I would just add those slices to our lunch salads, but then I remembered I had brussel sprouts from the farmers' market. I immediately chopped the brussel sprouts for lunch. Slow roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper, they were perfect tossed with the bacon and a little balsamic vinegar. Last up was a batch of sugar cut-out cookies. We were going to make ghost and pumpkin cookies until I discovered our lack of cookie cutters. Apparently I donated them in one of my cleaning and purging sessions early in the summer. Set in the refrigerator to chill, the dough will be perfect for cookie making as soon as I borrow some cutters.

Throughout the day the kiddos meandered in and out of the kitchen satisfying their hunger and curiosity. The plumber visited to repair one of our showers and quickly commented on the delicious smells in our home. One friend came over, and two kiddos left to play at other homes. We made side meals together and shared our food with others. There were requests for poppy seed muffins and cakes as well as plans for more hearty, cold weather meals. There was bike riding, game playing, painting and crafting too. Truly it was a perfect fall day.

(I leave the cupboard doors open while I cook and bake. It drives Dave crazy. I am worse in this house because the cupboards are sometimes hard to open. Apparently my grandmother did the same thing when she was in the kitchen. I take that as a good sign.)