Cooking fun

Yesterday I made two different pestos and a large batch of chicken stock.  For dinner last night, I tossed noodles, roasted chicken breast, and fresh broccoli and tomatoes, with the almond pesto.  Today I used some of the chicken stock to make a creamy soup.  It was another yummy dinner, spicy pumpkin soup with bavarian pretzels from the bakery.

For awhile, dinners around here had been a bit redundant.  But the power tools (food processor and submersion blender) are back in action and I'm, once again, having fun cooking.

Re-Thinking My Garden

Yesterday I harvested 75 percent of my basil.  So, this morning, I made two different pestos.  First I made almond pesto because I had a surplus of blanched almonds.  I then made traditional pesto, using pine nuts.  Turns out, I prefer the almond recipe.  That's a nice discovery since pine nuts are so expensive.

This morning's production confirmed my decision to grow more herbs next year.  As far as anything else, I'll just do two fruits, tomatoes and pumpkins.  This year, most of the vegetables and fruits were not worth the effort.  The few herbs I planted, however, yielded nice crops, producing more than I could use immediately.  But I recently learned how to freeze herbs, so now I'll have "fresh" basil and thyme all year for soups and sauces.

So, next year, it's herbs over fruits and vegetables.  I love having a plan.

Truth About Missouri Weather

Today was supposed to be our annual visit to the local pumpkin patch until both grandsons were diagnosed with strep throat yesterday.  I always hate when they're sick, but it was especially too bad this time because today was beautiful. The sun was shining and temperatures never got above 70 degrees.

Now we're facing another week of temperatures in the low 80s.  That's just too hot for this time of year.  I'm ready to wear long sleeves, pants, sweaters, or jackets everyday.  It was so much fun over the weekend.  I wore jeans with a cardigan or jacket everyday.  And I wore my new faux leather jacket with ponte knit slacks to the Repertory Theatre last night.

It's just too bad we can't count on the return of many sunny days in the 60s in the near future.  But, unfortunately, odds are better we'll quickly pass the 60s and plummet into the 50s and 40s, barely getting a taste of true fall weather.

And that's the truth about Missouri weather.  We have four seasons, but spring and fall are way too short.

Welcome October!

Jonah harvesting pumpkins
from grandma's patch.
He's a serious gardener.

We had a lot of warm days in September, so I'm especially happy to welcome October today.  Even though it's predicted to be in the low 80s several days next week, we now have to be nearing the end of much more Indian summer.

Fall in Missouri is such a beautiful season.  Yesterday I noticed the leaves are changing colors.  And, since we've had some rain, lawns are going from brown to green, again.

With the start of October, I'm also getting more excited about our upcoming trip to Ireland.  This week I got out the luggage and picked up our Euros pack from AAA.  I'll now be mentally rehearsing my packing strategy until the night before we leave.  I sometimes wish I could travel like Jim, leaving all the details to someone else.  But, unfortunately, I know I would never be comfortable not doing it myself.

So today I welcome October and look forward to all the fun it brings.