The Annual Desire For Fall Weather To Arrive

 Every year as September rolls around, I start really wanting crisp, cool days, chilly nights, and golden light through changing leaves.  I start craving spiced hot cider, and hot chocolate, and I start baking bread.

Never mind that the weather is still in the 90s and sunny, never mind that the trees are all still green, I want it to be Fall.  I want my Autumn, and I want it NOW.  

I have changed the wallpapers on my phone and my tablet to Autumn scenes, I baked bread yesterday for no other reason than that the recipe looked so good, and I really wanted the house to smell like bread baking.  (Extra bonus, we had friends coming over, so we had a chance to SHARE good bread, still warm from the oven.  This is not a small thing!)

Bread is such an essential part of human culture.  Every culture has their own sort of bread.  It is always comfort food.  Christians everywhere gather around a table, some every Sunday, some less often, and share bread to commemorate the Last Supper, and Christ's sacrifice.  For Jews, unleavened bread is central to the Passover celebration.  The sharing of bread with others is central to many cultures and religions. 

Flat breads are used in many Asian cultures as utensils as well as sustenance.  Naan and pita both can be used to scoop up food, or contain it for easy eating.  Bread is served as part of a meal at most restaurants in the U.S., and some places are famous for their bread, prompting many online recipe blogs to post versions of the recipes.  One of those restaurant breads is the one I baked this weekend.  I found the recipe on Pinterest.  (Dear old Pinterest, the place where we browse and get ourselves into trouble with the recipes and ideas we find.  I am especially guilty of running out to buy some exotic liqueur because of a cocktail recipe I found on Pinterest.)

 This is a photo of the Kindred's Milk Bread that I made this weekend.  It is every bit as delectable and addictive as the author of the blog where I found it states.  There is something very satisfying about this crunchy crusted, soft-centered bread.  It makes you feel good to eat it. I have found that the leftovers do well reheated o a sheet pan in a 375 degree oven for about 8 minutes or so, gets them crusty and hot again, just like when they were fresh out of the oven.

I have also found recipes for other breads on Pinterest, and I have also made Naan Bread this week.   See photo just below of a piece of home made Naan bread.  It is soft and delicious, and if you size your little loaves with care, you can fit them in the toaster for reheating when you're ready to eat them. 

I make my own hummus these days, too, using garbanzo beans, or cannellini beans, or Great Northern beans, whatever I happen to have a can of.  I also add whatever sounds good out of the pantry or refrigerator.  Today I used cannellini beans and olive oil, of course, with Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt, a few green olives, some of the tomato jam we made with some of this year's tomato harvest, a couple of hot cherry pepper rings, and some banana pepper rings.  It came out slightly spicy and slightly sweet.  It isn't very pretty, so no photo of the hummus.

The cocktails I make these days seem to be golden colored, too, as though my obsession with Autumn is permeating my entire life.

Cocktail Maison

Aperol and Elderflower Margarita

The French Blonde

Chambord Manhattan

These are photos of the most recent cocktail recipes I have tried, all of them recipes I found on Pinterest.  See below for another effect of my Pinterest adventures:

The Current Liquor collection, not including beer and a bottle of Asti Spumante

I even bought a bunch of candy with Autumn themed wrappers.  Yes, I wanted some candy (and put it out to share with our friends who came over), but the wrappers are just what my Autumn craving soul wanted.

So many people dread the Fall, the dying off of Summer's abundance, but to me, Fall is an abundant season.  It is the season when Summer's bounty is safely gathered in, and stored up to be shared in the lean, hard, cold days of Winter to come.  It is the time to recognize all the love that surrounds us, in the people we break bread with, both at home and at church, and in the abundance we have of warm, soft sweaters, and throws, and our soft beds.  We in this land are truly, for the most part, abundantly blessed.  This is also a good time to think about how we can share a little of that abundance, so those who may not have enough can make it through the lean times, and feel the joy of the warm sun on a crisp day.  Any small, kind act can cause huge ripples out in the world.  Autumn is a good season to resolve to share more warmth and kindness.  Share as you would share warm, freshly baked bread with someone.  It makes the bread taste even better.  Share a drink, if you know the person has no issues with alcohol.  A person will often tell their bartender things they won't even tell their therapist.  Everyone needs to unload a burden now and then.  Just be sure, if you agree to share that burden, you don't speak of it to anyone else.  Trust is important, too. It is a blessing in and of itself.

So, Fall is on its way, whether you love it as I do, or loathe it as a couple of my friends do.  The cicadas are winding down, the days are getting shorter, The sun is moving ever so slowly to a different slant on the land, and I have put all the gold, red, yellow, orange, and brown things out around the house to be enjoyed.  I have also started writing again.  That's a Fall thing with me, too.

Whatever you feel about Autumn or Fall,  I wish you a warm and abundant season, aware of your blessings, and blessed to be able to share a bit of those with others.