fall feasts

fall is tentatively here in milwaukee. the weather has gotton cooler, though we will still have a few warmer (low 80s) days to come before the real stuff hits. i, for one, have been loving it. ignoring even the fact that i am far more comfortable and do not need to ac the bedroom to icebox level temperatures to sleep, fall is my favorite time of the year. the weather is unbeatable - cool, crisp, utterly delightful. the air always seems to smell of grass and burning leaves. the leaves actually change up here in the north, and it's been awhile since i've seen that glory. halloween! and last but not least, of course, is the food.

just when i am getting antsy about wanting to cook something new, fall comes. roasts, root vegetables, apples - heartier fare, including the inexhaustable selection of soups one can make. i was never a big fan of soups, probably due to eating canned soups, which taste like tin, salt, and overprocessed bits which were perhaps at one time vegetables (i have my doubts). don't get me wrong, my mom made some fantastic homemade soups, but with 4 children and a job, not every soup was homemade. i avoided soup for a long time. then a few falls ago, i decided to make soup my food project. for those of you not familiar, bryan and i generally have a food project of some sort going on. bryan began inventing these to get me to eat things i normally wouldn't. so i decided homemade soups in the fall was something we must be missing out on. i found some really good recipes which we've added to our permanent arsenal. and now, i always look forward to being able to incorporate them back into our menus.

i'll be making a roasted tomato soup this week. rather than a cream of tomato, it will use fresh roasted tomatoes, with some basil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. i plan on serving that with a swirl of crema and truffle butter grilled cheese sandwiches. i'm slightly irked at the moment that i can't make my own crema (is it really too much to ask to have access to a cow?), but we'll chalk that up to hormones and i'll live. it will be a relatively simple and decidedly delicous meal, i think. let's just hope the weather agrees and stays cool. :)

some other menu plans...

a spanish shrimp dish, with garlic and parsley. i will warm olive oil in cazuelas with garlic, parsley, and salt, then essentially poach the shrimp in the warmed oil. i am thinking i will serve this with a rustic "bruschetta" of sorts: slices of ciabatta type bread, rubbed with olive oil, and topped with slices of marinated tomatoes (i am thinking olive oil and sherry for the marinade, maybe some fresh oregano from the herb garden), and roasted slightly; these i will top with some homemade queso freso, which, if i am lucky, will melt on the roasted tomatoes just enough to become warm and soft.

i will be having a homemade pasta marathon this weekend, to start making freezer meals for when the baby comes. with all that fresh pasta laying around, it would be a shame not to eat some. so i'm thinking of making cannelloni tomorrow night, with italian sausage. i'll have some fresh red sauce as well, and of course the requisite bechemel. apple crumble for dessert, since bryan has been craving a crumble, and the smell of apples in the fall is indescribable.

i am slowly compiling more menu items. i like to savor the hunt.

unfortunately i won't have much time for active food projects this fall and winter, so i'm hoping that in the next 6 weeks i'll be able to throw caution (but not the budget) to the wind and spend more time in the kitchen (which should be easier now with the cooler weather). we'll have all sorts of yummy things stashed away in the freezer (every weekend from now through 10/20 is planned out for meal making), and the holidays are coming... i'm sure even with a new baby we'll find a way to make sure we get through the fall and winter with minimum help from the chinese take out place down the street. :) we'll also be working to plan out our garden for the spring (bryan has it completely tilled), which should be fun. it will be a blast to have our own fresh veggies next summer. and perhaps i'll even be able to convince bryan to get a few fruit trees and bushes next fall (there is little better than spending an hour next to a blackberry bush eating ripe, sweet, juicy blackberries in the summer - it is high on the list).

now, i think i shall go reward myself with some chocolate for coming up with some delicous menu ideas. chocolate is way better than a pat on the back.