On the Cusp of Something Wonderful

Grill Fest 2007, as fabulous as it was, has come and gone.
And that has both Peef and I yearning for our next great cooking adventure. Fortunately for us, we are on the cusp of something wonderful. Something called Fall.

You may (or may not) already know how much Peef and Lo get excited about autumn. If you're not familiar with our grande affection for fallen leaves and apple crisps, snuggley sweaters and wind-swept walks, then you're in for a treat.

One of the things that usually marks the beginning of fall at our house is the resurrection of what we call "cooking days." These are days when we devote ourselves to recipes that require uncommon amounts of time and dedication. Cooking days not only result in the creation of fabulous meals; but, they also give us a chance to bond over one of our very favorite activities. As an added bonus, even in the wilds of Wisconsin we have farmer's markets that continue through the end of October. So, we'll be keeping pace with our weekly trip to the market. And we'll be bringing home all sorts of goodies -- including autumn apples, winter squash, and any other goodies on which we can get our hot little hands.

Cooking days are aborted during the summer months. NOT because there is any lack of desire for lovely dinners, but because we try to devote ourselves to meals that require LESS work in the kitchen. After all, it's a waste of time and resources to heat up the kitchen when it's 90º outside. Wouldn't you agree? We do, in fact, do quite a bit of cooking during the summer. After all, we have access to ALL the lovely food from our CSA box, the farmer's market, and our backyard garden. But, it's simply not on the same level as what we do during the fall (and even winter) months.

Fall is also a great time of the year because we fill it up with wonderful things like visits to apple orchards, whole days dedicated to composting leaves for the vegetable garden, and hours spent searching for JUST the right pumpkin to adorn our home during the harvest season.

Lo has been inspired by something Jess said on her blog just yesterday.

Embracing the scholarly and serious attitude of September, I've decided that the best cure for my confusion is honesty. Honesty with myself and other people, when it will be For Good, even when it will be hard. This isn't to say that I'm not honest already--I like to think that I am a very honest person--this is more like active honesty. Honesty that seeks out nefarious confusion and badness and makes short work of it. Antibacterial honesty. Scrubbing bubbles honesty!

Being a bit OBSESSED with honesty myself, I can't think of a better plan. So, in the spirit of autumn, let's dedicate ourselves to antibacterial honesty. You on board?