Fat Jeans Fall...

The week that was...

"Cocooning"
October 7 - 14, 2013
Project 52 (42/52)

Twas a week of cooler Autumn temps, closing my windows (I even caved in and turned on the heat), shutting out the world, and reacquainting myself with a forgotten domain in my house...the kitchen.  It looked vaguely familiar to me as the territory I traverse to pull out a protein bar from the pantry en route to the sun room.  But there is something about the cooler temps, the leaves morphing from green to multi-colored hues, and the diminishing daylight hours that instigates an end of the year cocooning process for me.   Which results in a re-establishment of my friendship with the refrigerator, oven and stove, and yes...the dishwasher.  It's also a time of the year where my Things distant memories are jogged with the memory of "Oh yeah!  Mom DOES cook!".  As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to my kitchen...absence DOES make the heart grow fonder, the grocery bill higher, and my jeans tighter.

Just like summer is eternally linked in my mind with spending my days on the go, soaking up the summer rays...fall is the time for me to hunker down with home, comfort, and FOOD.  Some of these foods signal Fall to me just as much as that annoying smell I have to pass thru at the supermarket display of those odoriferous pine cones in mesh bags scented with beau coup cinnamon (WHEW!)...

1.  Chili.  Gonna get Forrest Gump-ish on ya, there's:  Chili con Carne, Beef Chili, Texas Chili, Chili with Lentils, Vegetarian Chili,  Hot Dog Chili, White Chicken Chili, Turkey Chili, Chili and Nachos...and my new personal favorite that I just made this week Pumpkin Chili with Chicken.

2.  Home-made chicken stock.  NOTHING says "home" to me like walking in the front door and being greeted with the aroma of chicken soup in the air.  Honestly, I think I like making home-made stock more for the smell because I can't tell ya how many times I've put that big stockpot out in my garage fridge to cool and then completely forgotten about it!  But it smelled good while it lasted.

3.  Chex Mix.  Worcestershire Sauce and butter?  'Nuff said.

4.  Wawa Pumpkin Spice Coffee brewing.  A girl's gotta drink something while creating masterpieces in the kitchen.

5.  Spiced Rum Hot Apple Cider.  A girl's gotta drink something AFTER the Wawa Pumpkin Spice Coffee is finished!

6.  Grilled Cheese sandwiches.  Personal fave?  I WOULD say Havarti with a schmear of apricot preserves.  But I only eat that when I want to impress people.  Truth-be-told I'm kinda a purist....so it's white bread and Velveeta.  And it HAS to be cut on the diagonal puhleeeeeeze.

7.  Soup, soup, soup....or stoup, stoup, stoup.  Not a huge Rachel Ray fan BUT, her whole concept of Stoups (soups that aren't quite as thick as stews) is kinda clever.  My fave?   Stuffed Cabbage Stoup, but ya GOTTA use the smoked paprika folks!

8.  Rouladen and Spaetzle.  My traditional birthday dinner growing up.  What is it?  It's home.  Yep, I get visions of my mom and Oma making this dish whenever I make it myself.  I don't have a recipe to share with you as I just make it from memory. Basically it is bacon, onion, mustard and chopped pickles (I've been known to omit that last ingredient) wrapped in a thin slice of beef, tied shut, browned, and then braised in a beef broth and wine mixture for a couple of hours.  Spaetzle are the German equivalent of small gnocchi.  And this is why us Germans are "strong like bull".

9.  Chicken Pot Pie in all it's wonderful and creative variations.  But not until AFTER the temps drop below 60.  Otherwise, it's just WRONG!

10.  Bolognese Sauce.  I think my hips grow just smelling this on the stove.  Probably the red wine I drink while making it doesn't help.


Not sure why caterpillars cocoon and morph into beautiful butterflies.  Yet when Fall comes I cocoon I morph into fat jeans.  But that's okay.  My kitchen thinks I'm kinda wonderful.  Probably because it likes me paying attention to it.  Kitchens can be fickle like that.

Here's where I'm linking up today ..."The Party's On"

Please join me on Sundays for Song-ography.

This week's song title is American Author's "Best Day of My Life"