Warmth

With the change of seasons and falling back of the clock, I get a warm visitor everyday around 3:30 in the afternoon. The sun comes shining through my window and falls on my bed, creating a cozy spot for me to lay down and catch my breath (or sleep, if it comes). I enjoy these brief moments while Karis naps and the sun stretches its rays, the light moving slowly from the foot of my bed up to my pillow and then no more as the sun falls below the neighbors tree line. There really is nothing like a nap in the sun to recharge a tired me. And if you can't find the moon in the sky, ask Karis where it is. She'll likely reply that it is napping as well, as she did the other day. It's her first joke, and I think it shows promise of many more good jokes to come.

My dinner table has been home to a few culinary adventures lately. Last night we ate quinoa, a grain similar to rice or cous-cous. As it cooks, a tiny germ sprouts and comes spiraling out of the seeds, making it sound more like a science experiment than a side dish. But if you cook it in chicken broth and season with fresh herbs and a splash of balsamic vinegar, a tasty side dish it becomes. It's also a healthy dish, boasting all 8 amino acids making it a complete protein, whatever that means (anybody really know what that means except scientists in laboratories looking through microscopes?)

This afternoon, Karis and I broke open our first persimmon. I did a little research in my Joy of Cooking cookbook and learned this variety is ripe when firm and a bright orange color. I love how cooking takes it's cues from the seasons. Persimmons, which are commonly baked into holiday puddings and breads flavored with cinnamon, taste sweet with spicy undertones. Tiny flecks of brown dot the orange flesh making it seem as if it gets a generous sprinkling of cinnamon while still growing on the tree.

Karis bit right in before I could stop her, and I remembered the label says "Eat like an apple." It was as if she'd been eating them for ages.