(Post by Tracy)
Last year, during our first year as Southern California residents, I expected to miss my family and friends a lot, and I did. However, it wasn't really as bad as I had imagined (except when dropping them off at the airport... that still sucks). We are fortunate to have family and friends who are able - and willing! - to travel to see us, and who welcome us in when we travel to see them. It felt like we never went more than a month and a half or so between visits one way or the other with one of the families or a friend. It was manageable, and it was fun to share our new SoCal home with loved ones.
What I didn't see coming was what really hit me hard: I had never given thought to missing the change in seasons between late summer and fall. Especially being a fall baby, I feel a special kinship with the onset of fall, and since my birthday is in November, the fact that November has All Souls' and All Saints' Day and is the month when we pray for the dead, I have always felt a calming spiritual connection with that time of year rather than seeing it as only a sad or somber month. It isn't a depressing month for me (my birthday is smack-dab in the middle), but it's always been a great time for me to reflect on things ending (as the leaves also fall) and look forward to new beginnings. It's like a time for spiritual cleanse for me.
I was very much looking forward to living in our new climate when it would be January, February, March, April... but I hadn't given any consideration to what September, October or November would be like. And when we were in October, and the temperature finally dropped from mid-90's to mid-80's, I started to see that this wasn't going to be the fall that I was used to. Last November was the first time I felt a sense of mourning during that somber month, and ironically, what I was mourning was the loss of fall. The trees on my way to work still had their green leaves, my sweaters were still packed away in plastic bins in the closet, and I felt really sad in my heart. I missed the chill in the air and the vibrant yellows and burnt oranges that trees put on display like one last Hurrah! before falling to the ground as winter begins. I felt like Los Angeles was playing a mean trick on me, and by the time I went back to the Midwest (Cleveland) for Thanksgiving, fall was, as far as I was concerned, over, and winter had already really begun.
So this year, I am determined not to let the L.A. fall get the best of me. While perhaps not the most eco-friendly thing to do, I have to admit I've been making fall-type foods since August, using the oven and stove and heating the kitchen to about the same temperature it still was outside (mid to high 90's). Finally last Sunday it was a beautiful, sunny, low-70's day, and I felt excited to wear my blue jeans and a light sweater after church.
So when my October issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine arrived in the mail last week, you better believe I dove right into those Autumn recipes, and last night I thought I was in Heaven as my kitchen smelled like a mini-Thanksgiving feast!
Monday night: Tuna Noodle Casserole (The picture from my iPod turned out very yellow, but imagine it in your mind! And look for it on page 86!)
Tuesday night: Chicken Barley Soup (Look how tasty it is in the picture... Mmmm... On page 16!)
Wednesday night: Left-overs (yum)
And finally, Thursday night: (drum roll please!) Braised Chicken with Butternut Squash and Cranberries (page 74), served over Citrus-Cilantro Couscous (page 109).
It smelled so delicious before anything was even cooking - chopped squash, onions, nutmeg, fresh sage, cranberries, orange zest - I made Tom come back into the kitchen to "smell this again!" so many times that he started just telling me from the living room that he believed me and that he was very much looking forward to eating it when it was done!
Trust me when I say that that look on his face is Tom's look of extreme excitement! Also, I guess I'm going to have to start using my real camera to photograph food. The iPod pictures make it look like my main ingredient in each of these was curry. Just trust me when I tell you these were delicious. I can't find any on the Martha Stewart website, so I'm guessing maybe they don't put recipes up until the following print issue comes out. Until then: try this one (which is the one I baked in the oven on the 98-degree day and was so worth it) -- Wild Rice-Stuffed Acorn Squash, so delicious and I promise mine looked just like the picture! Plus it's a vegetarian option.
Ok, about time to wrap it up here. So to summarize, I'm faring much better so far this fall (and yes, I do realize we are only technically about a week in). Also, I'm not complaining, because we are actually flying tonight back to Chicago for the weekend for what will certainly be a beautiful fall wedding. The forecast says sunny and 54 for Saturday, 65 for Sunday. I'm packing sweaters and couldn't be happier.
Finally, when my birthday rolls around this year, we're taking a mini-vacation to Santa Barbara, Southern California's Wine Country. The weather will no doubt be beautiful, and if I can't have my changing leaves, I'll easily take some tasty wine as a consolation prize!
Happy Fall, Y'all!
