New Fall Cooking--My Thoughts Turn To Soups And Stews

And Not Much Else Going On...


Well, fall has finally arrived here on the Georgia coast--it's 57 degrees F outside right now at slightly past 4 AM in the morning.

The change of seasons makes me sad in a way because we really don't get fall foliage changes to enjoy like the rest of the planet, but then again I know that we're only facing temperatures down into the upper 20's a couple of nights over the next four months before beach and pool weather returns.

I hope that I'm still here when the time changes next spring, but employment opportunities abound and on a wild hair I'm even being recruited for a couple of executive engineering positions in locations around the Southeast (by the way...one in Pensacola...Roy.)

Meanwhile, I've been cooking my butt off over the past month or so, doing Pizza every weekend and recently experimenting with Beef Stroganoff and two different versions of Chicken and Rice-one based on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup and the other based on more exotic ingredients including saffron.

Both preparations still need a little work, so I'll keep working.

The local grocer has a bunch of seafood and other meat on sale, so I think that I have a big shopping trip in my future to add inventory to our deep freezer and prepare for more cooking exploits later this fall. Shrimp, crab legs, whole chickens, and beef parts...you sell it...I'll season it and later serve it up on a platter or in a bowl.

I've finally figured out that you can make a soup out of anything, as long as it is edible to begin with and you put something in it to add a few layers of flavor.

For instance, you can take a couple of cans of Black Beans, toss in a little can of Green Giant yellow corn, a can of chicken or beef stock, add a dash of cumin, red pepper, salt, pepper, and if you can find it a few tablespoons of Goya Recaito and some Goya Mojo, then cook it all down for a half hour or so and then sit down with a bowl full of your concoction and some tortilla chips and act like you're in Mexico instead of Atlanta or Cincinnati.

I'm starting to believe that I can make a bowl full of water, tree limbs and leaves taste good if you give me the right seasonings.

Well, maybe not...

Any way, Missy the Turbo Pup and Pat and I are enjoying the cooler weather and the bikes are coming out of the garage with greater frequency, and now that the beach leash laws have been relaxed in the off season Missy the Turbo Pup is enjoying romping around without a rope attached to her neck.

It's really nice to get the government out of your life and live on what is probably the last piece of underdeveloped Atlantic coast in the entire United States, in spite of what all of the long time locals and nay-sayers say.

I feel some new photos and paintings coming on...

Y'all have a nice day now...if you will...

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