Are you?
I fight the end of summer. I rail against the shorter days and the loss of light. I shiver just thinking about dog walks on ice covered sidewalks. Another year of shoveling snow? How much I wonder. As I do that, more and more as the days move on, I find myself putting the big fans we use all over the house away. I realize that I'm cleaning our little fireplace and ordering more fireplace gel. Earlier this week, I pulled out a few sweatshirts and put sox on for the first time in months.
And, then there's the garden. If you are grower, you know how hectic and sometimes worrisome this time of year can be. I start obsessively checking the overnight temperatures - I still have tropicals and succulents outside. I force myself to start pulling out the plants that are done - the peppers, most of the tomatoes, the eggplants and some of the herbs. I start realizing that waiting until the end of the work day to start fiddling in the garden won't work any more - it gets too dark!
And there's lots of chopping and cleaning and putting away into the shed. Our bird feeders going back up. The outdoor kitchen is putting on its winter covers. And the furniture will eventually - not yet!! - get stacked and covered.
Meanwhile the colors all around us are gradually going to reds and golds and browns. I guess I agree. I don't think I would be happy in a never changing 80 degrees and sunny. Without Fall and Winter, I would seriously undervalue the miracle of Spring. I shall enjoy the passing of the seasons.
Recipe: Garden's Bounty Savory Bread Pudding
At this time of year, many of us have already done our canning and freezing and yet we are still harvesting from our garden beds. This recipe makes great use of those stubborn vegetables and herbs that hang in there and keep growing well into the Fall. I didn't have any zucchini but you can use practically any combination of fresh veggies in this dish. It can definitely be classified as comfort food, too.
Ingredients
About 8 ounces of hearty bread, ideally a day or so old, chopped into cubes
A mix of fresh vegetables: cherry tomatoes, cut in half; a couple small tomatoes chopped; a small eggplant with the skin on chopped; a sweet pepper, chopped; one or two garlic cloves, minced; a small onion - I used a red onion - chopped; and, if you want a bit of heat, a small jalapeño, diced.
1/4 cup olive oil
One cup of Basil, packed
Seven eggs
One cup of whole milk
One and one half cups of grated parmesan cheese
One Tablespoon of butter
Salt and pepper
Technique
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Use the butter to grease a large, shallow baking dish
Pour the bread cubes into the baking dish and spread them out
In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic for about 1 - 2 minutes, until they soften
To the skillet add the chopped eggplant and cook for about 2 minutes
Then add the chopped red pepper and the jalapeño and stir and cook for about 2 minutes
Lastly, add all of the tomatoes, again stir well, and cook for about a minute
While the above ingredients are cooking, whisk the eggs and the milk together with the salt and pepper
Sprinkle the grated parmesan over the bread cubes
Pour the contents of the skillet over the bread cubes and cheese
Stir well to combine everything
Pour the egg and milk mixture over the dish, stir gently to moisten everything and evenly distribute the egg mixture.
Put the baking dish into the oven and bake, uncovered, for about 40 - 45 minutes.
Remove and check that the custard is set - put a toothpick into the center - it should come out clean
Let the dish set for about 10 minutes prior to cutting into squares for service.
Enjoy.
Savory Bread Pudding
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