When the weather turns colder...

When the weather turns colder, my thoughts turn to fall cooking.

When my thoughts turn to fall cooking, I start craving soups.

When I start craving soups, I make chicken stock.  [Super, super easy, if you've never done it, please give it a try, you will not believe the difference it makes.  Put a chicken (or 4-5 lbs. of wings/necks/backs) in a pot with several carrots, some celery (with leaves) an onion or two, some salt and pepper and some thyme.  Fill the pot with water, and let it cook for hours and hours.  If you want the chicken to be usable in recipes, take it out when it's cooked, remove the meat and throw the bones back in the pot.]

When I'm making chicken stock, I figure I might as well make chicken stock.

While I'm at it, I make two pots of stock and fill the freezer with quarts of it.  Yum.  Liquid gold.

While I'm cooking and craving fall foods, I look over at all the apples still sitting there from our trip to the apple orchard a couple of weeks ago.

When I look over at the apples, I decide to make Jacob happy and use some of them to make caramel apples (I used heavy cream instead of water because...duh!). 

When I decide to make Jacob happy and make caramel apples I realize that caramel apples are gluten free and I can make them for piano dessert too.  That makes me happy.  I like desserts that are easy-peasy and delicious to boot.

While I'm making stock, and caramel apples, I realize I still haven't really put a dent in the apply supply so I decide to make applesauce too.  [3-4 lbs. apples, 1/2 cup sugar, juice of 1 lemon, 2 strips of lemon peel, 1 cup of water 6 or 7 red hots--cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until apples fall apart and sauce is done.]

While doing all of this, I had lots of help, because that's what I really do during the day.  Here's one of my cutie-pie helpers.








While I'm in the kitchen anyway, I may as well make bread, right?  Comfort food continued.

Finally, at the end of the day, the caramel apples were done.

The bread was cooked.  [So, so easy, and absolutely delicious.  I can not wait to make this bread again.  If you're looking to make bread, you should seriously try this recipe.]

The applesauce was finished, and it was all delicious.  So were the homemade chicken and noodles from the chicken stock and chicken meat.

It was a day that left me tired, but feeling really accomplished.

And then I turned around and looked at my kitchen.

*sigh*

Just keeping it real.  : )