Something about cold weather gets me in the kitchen.
I’m telling you, the cold weather hit today. We had a little rain, it was cloudy, the temperature dropped, and suddenly it was officially sweater weather.
And apparently sweater weather for me also means: TURN ON THE OVEN.
Partly because I wanted to bake. Partly because I wanted some heat in my house.
But once that oven came on? I was off to the races.
What can I bake? What can I cook? What needs cinnamon? Who needs brownies? ALL ABOARD THE BAKING TRAIN.
There is something about this time of year—right around Halloween—when I become completely obsessed with being in the kitchen. I get excited about all the fall fruits and vegetables. I start thinking about pies and chilis and soups and lasagnas and casseroles. All those warm, heavy, comforting foods my body starts craving the second the temperature drops.
Give me something bubbling on the stove and something baking in the oven, and I am one happy woman.
And this year I’m even more excited because, over the past winter and summer, I’ve learned some really good, fresh recipes to bring into the colder months. I learned to make some delicious soups and dishes from the cooks at my Sedona retreat. I’ve been seeing all kinds of beautiful things being made at Amor with fresh eggplant.
I’m thinking ratatouille. Roasted vegetables. Big pots of soup. Warm bread.
Oh my gosh.
I LOVE FALL.
I love baking. I love Thanksgiving. I love feeding people.
So naturally, the minute this little cold snap hit, I started thinking about what everybody loves.
My niece, nephews, and sister-in-law love my cinnamon coffee cake. They also love my dark chocolate, chewy fudge brownies.
So obviously, I made both.
Because why make one thing when the oven is already hot?
Then I remembered: it’s Saturday.
Which means FOOTBALL.
There is always somebody playing somebody, but honestly, who’s playing whom is not important to this story.
What is important is that football means football food.
So I thought, Ohhhh, I’m going to make them the ham-and-cheese Hawaiian roll sandwiches.
You know the ones. Those warm, buttery little sandwiches that come out of the oven all melty and delicious and disappear approximately four seconds after you put them down.
They get SO excited about those.
And that might actually be one of my favorite parts about cooking for people: the face.
You know the face.
That first bite when somebody’s eyes get a little bigger and they go, “Oh my God. This is SO good.”
Or when someone texts you later just to say, “Those brownies were amazing.”
Or the kids come back looking for seconds before they’ve even finished their first serving.
There is something so satisfying about watching someone enjoy something you made with your own two hands.
Maybe that’s part of why I love cooking so much.
Food is one of my love languages.
And fall gives me about a thousand different ways to speak it.
Football food. Tailgating snacks. Finger foods. Appetizers. Chilis. Soups. Casseroles.
Holiday parties. Thanksgiving.
And eventually, the Super Bowl—the Olympics of snacks.
There are people to feed, parties to cook for, recipes to try, old favorites to bring back, and entirely too many reasons to turn on the oven.
So bring on the sweaters.
Bring on the cloudy days.
Bring on the football.
Bring on the cinnamon, the brownies, the bubbling pots, the casseroles, the Hawaiian rolls, and every delicious thing that makes the house smell like somebody loves you.
The oven is on. The baking train has left the station.
It’s fall, y’all.
