Bees busy at early hours today, alone in their network, warning distance they say….. excerpted from Wellfleet Wonders, Circa March 1987
Yesterday and today are two of those soothing, clear and wonderful days when the air has an intense power to invigorate. I don’t know why this is but the temperature, humidity (lack of) and clarity and color of the sky have the power to send me into overdrive. Suffice it to say I would have been doing a lot of physical work if I didn’t have such a bad back. But, I can’t complain because I just heard that a friend injured 5 vertebrae in her back and that is much, much worse than me!
I would love to do a study of the pleasure centers of the brain to see what happens when one awakens on a day such as yesterday and today. It is not just the pleasure center, there is some sort of activation of the “worker” center as well – as, I don’t know about you but I feel like tending to my gardens, closets, and a sense of orderliness comes into focus – like get my “to do'” list cleaned up and re-set. These are the kind of days I would like everyday! (I know you aren’t surprised – this is Santa Barbara weather.)
Well anyway, I did get a few things accomplished yesterday – like working on replacing my kitchen cabinets, and counter tops, took some great pictures in the yard and thinking about a whole lot of recipes. In my developing quest to learn about the history of food, I began a book called, Sweet Invention – A History of Dessert by Michael Krondl. I have already learned a lot about the history of sweets in India and some interesting information about the cultural history of sweet treats in the Western European hubs of great pastry – but I will save further discussion of this until after I finish the book. As you can see from last week, I am bound and determined to study the anthropology around food customs as well as the great archeological finds around the world relating to cooking, foraging, and feeding the human race. There are more than a few depictions of men and women carrying and cooking, the fire and the social norms around dining found in caves around the world. More on these subjects in the near future.
I have already scoped out a few garden centers as at this time of year I fall in love with purple flowers – asters and whatever else I can find out there. I don’t know why I have a fascination with purple flowers. As you can see, my Morning Glory crop is actually better than ever and I have been working on capturing a great shot with a bee in it – this is not too easy to do with a sore back. But, I am going to keep on trying. I get really determined about these things when I have no business doing such.
Anyway, this day makes me think of Pot Roasts (saw Jacques Pepin make a wonderful one with Julia Child over the weekend), Roast Chicken, and rich and spicy cakes like Gingerbread. Over the weekend, I became obsessed with the King Arthur Flour Baked Pumpkin Donut recipe. I am sure to get into lots of trouble with that one. This looks like a great recipe which can also be made into muffins. I also had a superb Grand Marnier Souffle at Jeanne & Gaston in NYC. In my email yesterday I found a recipe for Apple Cider Muffins. I am a sucker for any recipe with freshly ground nutmeg in it. I just love this fragrance and subtle, warm taste in anything. So, I am really overly-anxious to get into my Fall cooking and baking. It’s a great time to experiment with lots of wonderful earthy flavors and dishes. I especially love cooking with pears and apples. One of my favorite recipes of all time comes from Earl Peyroux – Pork Chops with Apples. I made this last week and it came out the best ever. I used to watch Earl’s PBS show back in the 1970s. Earl, unfortunately is no longer with us, but I did get some great recipes from him and thru my friend Barbara – who wisely left NJ and now lives in Arizona. (Am I dissing NJ?)
The point I am so poorly trying to make here is that the seasons, aka the weather, so profoundly influence everything about my life. Today, I found my self wondering if I would get bored living in Santa Barbara where the sun shines 300 days a year and the temperature is usually in the 70s. I guess if I really miss the snow and cold I could fly back here and visit the bad weather, right? I’m not so sure I would get so desperate.
Sorry for two, but love these!
This is the time of year to enjoy everything about life in this part of the country. The colors are exquisite in the landscape – even though we are not into the leaf season. Just look at the colors in these photographs. Everything is clear and crisp – wonderful.
Today I am going to research chocolate and spice combinations. I think these are intriguing. One such great recipe is David Lebovitz’s Warm Spiced Chocolate Cake. Check this out! Will keep you posted on this.
Mantra for today – go on your merry way today with the weather as inspiration. Do whatever the weather inspires you to do – go for a brisk walk, sit in the sun, garden, breath in the fresh air, make good food, believe in all that is good about today – 9/11/12 – in spite of history and all that is dark and evil, the sun comes up yet again, and there is a new day, urging us to go forward…..