Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Autumnal


Autumnal. It's my favorite word, hopelessly overused, used way before and beyond appropriate times, completely perfect. This past weekend we went to Michigan for our now annual autumnal getaway, apple picking, foliage admiring, breath watching, and we were not disappointed.This tree does not exist in Chicago, not where we live. I forget how much I miss the space and the yard and the trees, and then I quickly remember when faced with these amazing autumnal images.

Once again we stayed in our little camping cottage, fool me once, and this time, no heat. None. And without warning so I did not pack accordingly, we had only pajamas for sleeping, not pajamas for igloo camping. Do they make pajamas you can plug in? Sherpa lined PJs? Foolishly we brought just one coat each when clearly we needed at least two. I considered warming the bedding with a blow dryer and then realized I had not packed a blow dryer, nor a bed warmer. We even left Eleanor Roosevelt, the best bed warmer around, in Chicago with her very best friend Amanda. We were cold.

So we made a fire in the backyard, because you can do that in Michigan, huddled around and warmed our hands, made s'mores, and then dashed inside to find it quite cooler than outside. Kate pointed out that if we only had a house with a fireplace, well things would be much better. I considered setting fire to the entire place but was talked back to reason by the ever sane Jack, wearing a sweater and a fleece, a towel wrapped around his ears and bundled under a really ugly comforter. We made microwave popcorn for the warmth.

The temperature on our autumnal getaway weekend last year was a record 90 degrees. We spent the first day at the beach, in the water. Our pictures from apple picking are of very red faced children in shorts and t-shirts, which was actually a nice picture with the red apples, but that is not the point. Who knows? Next year it might snow, which will ruin the vibrant color and chase all the leaves from the trees but we'll love it.There are over 60 pounds of apples in my kitchen. Monday's breakfast was scrambled eggs with apples and cheddar. For dinner I made scallops, couscous and carrots with a curry sauce, and apples. Tonight? I'll be incorporating apples into pasta, maybe pumpkin ravioli. Very autumnal.

5 comments:

PJS said...

we have to take them to the renaissance festival in KC next year!

Anonymous said...

Ally: Applesauce. Freeze it and send me some.

Karen @ BonjourBruxelles said...

60 pounds!? Motherlode!

(you could make an entire village of those dried apple-faced people but I think I prefer the challenge of a hearty dish with apples....pumpkin ravioli avec la pomme sounds devine)

northsidefour said...

Scary apple faces, perfect! Hadn't even considered them, I could start carving now...no, back to the ravioli idea. Avec la pomme sounds so much better.

Anonymous said...

I hope you are able to procure Honeycrisp apples where you live. They are the most delicious EVER. I think they were "born" in the midwest, so you should have access.

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