Fall

I hate to say it, but it's here. In case you haven't read my previous post about why I hate fall, it's because winter is the season after it. That's all. No fault to fall itself, I just don't like winter.

Last week and this weekend have been unseasonably cool. So cool, in fact, that last night Stein and I put plastic bags over the basil and thyme in the garden in case of frost. And even though the temp is supposed to reach the 80's this coming week, fall is here. Stein keeps talking about fall clouds lately. Clouds that are big, and low, and dark on the bottoms. It has been great sleeping, though. I love to be cozy under the covers while the air in the room is cool. I sleep best this way.

Whenever fall arrives, I get very nostalgic for Chicago. I think for a lot of reasons, really. One reason is the start of school. Since I spent 14 years (including pre-school and kindergarten) starting school in the fall in Chicago, it's a big part of my life. Another reason is the north shore. Why the north shore, you ask? After college, I worked for a SCUBA diving manufacturer in a northern suburb in Chicago. It was a family owned business, and therefore had a little craziness surrounding it. A lot of my lunch breaks were spent driving around the north shore looking at the amazing mansions dotting either side of Sheridan Road along the lakefront. It was always a getaway for me, one that I mimicked many times while I worked for Einsteins and had to travel to Evanston, Glencoe, and Highland Park to visit stores. There are a ton of trees along Sheridan, and the colors of fall are always spectacular, even if it's a rainy, dreary day.

We are going to Chicago in a few weeks for the U-M/Northwestern game. I will get my taste of fall in Chicago when we trek up to Evanston for the game. Hopefully some of the colors will be out so I can get my fill of fall in Chicago.

On another note, fall always makes me crave comfort foods. I love the foods of fall and winter. Stews, soups, pot pies, lasagna, meatloaf. Heavy, hot foods. Today Stein made meatloaf and it was out of this world. Here's the recipe so you can enjoy it too:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_20044,00.html

We had garlic cauliflower "mashed potatoes" with it. Just steam some cauliflower and combine it in the food processor with your favorite mashed potato fixings. It's low carb and the taste and texture is pretty similar to mashed potatoes.