The sun has been shining here a lot lately, but not in a summery way.
It has a vintage, yellowy hue that reminds me of riding the city bus in
Boise in junior high, and of Saturdays spent outside covered in leaf
debris in my parents' front yard, and of late afternoons in the kitchen
decorating pumpkin cut-out cookies. It's days like these that push me
just beyond the cusp from wishing it were still summer to indulging in
tokens of the fall. (Oooh, someone should write that sequel to Legends of the Fall.)
Still, I have to make a serious effort in adjusting my attitude,
because darkness and cold create the harsh dynamic duo that threatens my
mood from October to March. And as soon as frost must be dealt with, I
know I'm in it for the long haul. Just this weekend, the storm clouds rolled in. Heaven help us.
So in the meantime, I'm obsessing over apples and squash and soup and warm spices, mostly because I forgot about all those things in the summer. Roasting, braising, baking, simmering: these activities make house warmer. Lighting candles helps, too. Then I nestle into the couch with some knitting and watch the shows I waited all summer to return. It feels a little better. It doesn't feel that bad.
This past week I was in charge of providing some food for a dinner meeting, and I used it as an excuse to make
this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I love apple desserts, and this one is over-the-top. It's beautiful straight out of the oven with its spiky, golden apple crown. The best part about it is that there is a second layer of apples in the middle. And it makes the house smell incredible.
(Photo cred to Joel, with my edits.)
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