Thursday, October 25, 2012

An old friend

To me, writing is like a great friendship: no matter the time or distance, when reunited it is as if no time has past. So I am paying my dear friend a visit today.

This morning we woke up to 3 inches of snow with the "promise"of more powdery white stuff this evening. For many, this forecast would be a disappointment, met with sadness, or even as a a giving up of the freedom of summer. But for me, I needed this change. The holiday-themed magazines are coming in droves, the commercials are changing with the seasons and of course, our food cravings are changing with the colder weather. Winter is gently knocking on our door, whispering, "I am around the corner."

The change in weather today was like an advent for me: the glorious inevitability of winter and the changing of seasonal foods is coming. Today I was struck with the deep hunger for making Braised Lamb Shank with Toasted Orzo with a Port and Red Wine Reduction, Roasted Baby Carrots and a Rustic Apple Tart for dessert. I happily cooked all day for clients but in the back of my mind was the hope and the guarantee of the all-encompassing aroma of braised lamb. It literally knocks me off my seat, it smells so divine.

The word advent means "coming" and it seems entirely fitting with this seasonal shift: the leafs are changing, the nights are cold, the days are shortening all meaning that winter is in front of us. This has been an incredible year with a definite "coming", a wonderful, yet scary change for Mike and me in March. Perhaps, the change in the weather ignited that we are one season closer to our new reality of parenthood. The certainty of change is ahead but there is something calming, nurturing and safe about familiar aromas, tastes and recipes. Is there anything better than the smell of baking cinnamon with the vision of softly falling snow? Today, I am comforted even amidst the unknown. Cooking has calmed my nerves. The smell of braised local lamb and the aroma of baking apples and cinnamon all mixed with the beauty of snow has made for an incredible day.

Some days might feel overwhelming or the anticipation of the future perhaps seem too much to handle, but I am sure that everyone has something that grounds them and makes them feel comforted. Cooking, writing and the familiarity of a wonderful recipe has done exactly what it is supposed to today. I begin my evening feeling assured and yet enlivened all with the house smelling extraordinary. Thank you, old friend.