More in Love Than Usual: Celebrating Fall

My "Random Meanderings" tagline is falling in love with life all over again every day, and today I'm definitely more in love than usual, because I'm celebrating today's weather change!

It's downright chilly here in the desert.  Overnight, the temperature shifted about 25 degrees lower.  This morning, it was a chilly 45 degrees when I checked the thermometer, which means it was a few degrees cooler than that just a couple hours earlier.  Now, it's one of those gloriously bright sunny/dark cloudy days with a brisk, cool breeze that cuts through your clothes.  I see dark rain clouds to the north, racing along the mountain ridge.  It's Fall!

Aren't the changes in season awesome?  As I'm wont to do with all things of Nature, I see the seasons as an integral part of my life, as much a marker to my years as the sun and moon are to my days. Seasons wake us up, get us to notice things with fresh interest, tell us it's time to relax, let go of what was, and happily anticipate what's to come.  That's as it should be, as we should be, throughout all our days.

All the seasonal changes are great, but for me the Fall change is an especially happy one.  Besides the memories it evokes of playing in the leaves and taking Sunday drives into the hills for bushels of apples from the cider mill (what yummy scents!), it heralds the true end of the desert's "endless" summer.

It's when daytime temperatures can still reach the 80s but take all day to get there and then plummet as rapidly as the sun sinks in the sky.  It's when we play outdoors in our t-shirts and shorts and then get all cozy and snuggly in front of the chiminea in the evening.  It's when I prance around in my red/black/yellow plaid flannel shorts and velour flip-flops and give the birds extra seed in the feeders.  It's when my fuzzy slippers find their way out from the back of the closet and candles grace the fireplace.  It's when the windows are cracked just a bit for the fresh cool air and my mind turns toward reflection more than usual.

It's also when I make soups!

This one was a first.  I made it the night before last and it came out great.  Tonight's leftovers (those are always the best!) will be even better, perfect for today's cold snap.  I never follow recipes, so all I can give you are a list of ingredients and general directions.  I'm guessing at the quantities, because I never measure, either, but I'll tell you this: my husband and I love strong flavors, so I use a heavy hand with seasonings.  With that in mind, just start slow and taste test as you go.  You can't go wrong.

Curried Lentil Soup

olive oil
1 bunch celery
1-1/2 C. carrots (fat slices)
1 lg. onion
1 lg. serrano pepper, seeded, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 lg. beefsteak tomato, chunked
4 cloves garlic, crushed
---
cooking marsala
---
2 pinches kosher salt
1/4 C. dried parsley
1-1/2 T. garam masala
2 T. curry powder*
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
several good shakes of the can of powdered ginger
---
2 cans vegetable broth (because I didn't have any fresh)
1-1/2 to 2 C. lentils (doesn't matter which kind; mine were green & orange)
water

*I bought one of those cellophane packets, years ago, and just filled an unlabeled jar, so I don't know the basis of this blend.  It's mostly a deep, golden yellow and is more "soft" and "round" than sharply pungent.

1. Cook the vegetables in a hefty pour of olive oil, cooking until the celery and onion are nearly translucent, the carrots a little tender, and the tomato starts to fall apart.

2. Whether or not anything sticks to the pan, I "deglaze" it anyway, for the extra richness of flavor---yum!  Toss in a glug of the marsala.

3. Add all the seasonings, stirring them to coat all the veggies.

4. Add the broth and lentils and your preference for the amount of water.  I made it thick, based on Zeenat's post about the common cold.

5. Cover and simmer on low until the lentils swell and pop.

6. I served it with a tiny dollop of sour cream in the middle.  My husband had a giant dollop. ;)

I hope you like it!


With love, to you from me,

~ ~ ~

There was a reason I've gone so out of blogging character with this post, but I didn't realize it until fellow blogger, Barbara of Blogging Without a Blog, reminded me of the wonderful fundraiser at Patricia's Wisdom.  Patricia's thoughtful idea is to host "an online POTLUCK of HARVEST FOODS."  She'll compile posted recipes in an e-book, and all funds raised from the sales will be donated to the UNICEF Children's Fund, to help supply food and medications to children in need within our global community.

She's looking for "food you absolutely love, that melts in your mouth, that was made out of real food and that makes you feel satisfied and nourished," essentially, food that:

• reminds us of getting back in touch with Nature and the rhythm of life.
• encourages us to think about Earth's bounty and how blessed we are for it.
• lets our hands feel the shape and texture of ingredients while our imaginations remind us we could have grown them in our own gardens.
• helps us remember how fortunate we are to have access to and are able to enjoy the wealth of whole, nourishing foods available to us while others are not so blessed.
• reminds us of our responsibility to work with the earth, so we all---human, animal, Nature---may continue to enjoy a lovingly symbiotic relationship that ensures the well-being of all.

My special thanks to my two Facebook friends, Carla and Barbara, who ignited the fire that inspired this post.  You have enriched my life.