Moments like these are next to none anymore. Contented cooking in a ray of sunshine. Time felt like it held still for just a bit today. I found myself at home with just Chaz, who is a tad under the weather. On the top of his to-do-with-mama list: make something with that pumpkin, and build a train and marble track. This I can do!
It was a perfect session of dump this, pour that, sprinkle a bit of this, mix and bake. Yup, this is how I like to cook, sans recipe and measuring devices, too.
{we made muffins here, but another recipe we have made and enjoyed recently are these pumpkin muffins, adapted to be gluten free and a few chocolate chips added in! yum}
Conversation was sparse but we both could tell this was the best place and time to be together, right now.
Chaz: "Tree bark, mama?"
Me: "Tree bark?"
C: "Yeah!"
M: thinking for a moment, I respond...."cinnamon?"
C: "Yeah" (dummy, he's thinking, of course, cinnamon - it's perfectly well suited to pumpkin). He proceeds to add many shakes to the batter, more mixing, a bit of finger dipping and licking.
C: "Mama, do we have a motor-whipper?"
M: "A motor-whipper?"
C: "yeah"
M: "Nope"
C: "Well, we need a motor-cutter"
M: "a chainsaw?"
C: I'll put a motor-cutter on my Christmas list, she'll give me one for sure, so I can cut up that tree that fell down in our yard"
M: "she? Santa?"
C: "yeah, she'll give me one for sure".
These moments in the kitchen, when time seems to stand still, are so precious.
Speaking of being in the kitchen, I have been there a lot these past few months. In all honesty, I am ready (but not) to be done preserving and such. The days are shorter and cooler, I can feel the holidays nipping at my heals and the sewing machine and knitting needles are pulling harder and harder. Soon, soon.
Really, I can't complain. We have been eating like kings. I am awe struck by the bounty of our local waters, woodlands and fields. After our first rain of the season a friend stopped by unexpectedly to gift us some foraged chanterelle mushrooms, which we promptly sauteed with white wine and garlic. Yum! And, thank you. A day or so later another good friend traded us the use of our pressure caner for a huge hunk of Albacore Tuna he had just caught, geesh, what a trade. Travis has enjoyed several successful kayak fishing trips, bringing home rock fish and ling cod. We traded some applesauce for picking lots more apples. We gifted and were gifted soups of the season, tomato and butternut. Of course, we are still feasting on tomato this and tomato that as well as lots of pesto. I'm sure I forgot something, the point being I have laughed out loud (with disbelieving joy) at our good fortune in this bountiful season, many times in recent days. I am grateful.
From tree-bark, to motor-whippers, to motor-cutters. It was a lovely morning in the kitchen.