I spent a lot of time in airports this week, more than usual.  In fact, I was in the Denver airport every day this week.  I hit Albuquerque, Rapid City and now have landed for about 9 days in Canton.  So great to be home, and so great to have one of those midwestern, fall weekends when it rains and stays cloudy all day with a little chill in the air.  Just enough to wear a light jacket.  It seems that we go from shorts to full on wool coats, so it's nice to enjoy a little "crispness".  I spent most of Saturday with my mom and sister, and today I spent some time in the kitchen with my nephew, Jacob.  For dinner tonight I made Jager Schnitzel, Spaetzle, Fried Cabbage and a caramel apple cake for dessert.  It is so great to spend the day in the kitchen.  I was purusing my mom's collection of cookbooks and "rediscovered" one that had belonged to my grandma.  The Woman's Home Companion Cookbook.  It's copyright date is 1942.  It's filled with about 900 pages of recipes and tips for just about any occasion.  I loved to read the tips knowing that they were written all those years ago....it has table setting instructions for formal or informal dinners, but one of my favorite sections is Formal Dinners..WITHOUT a Maid.  
     "Giving a party without a maid can be done with charm and a certain amount of style if you go about it naturally, avoid confusion and don't attempt more than you can accomplish easily."   

It also talks about how this book was meant to be simple and easy to follow, but thumbing through the recipes, it strikes me that by today's standards, they are not simple enough.  I think it's important to make these kind of recipes once in awhile.  Not every meal has to be made in 30 minutes or less, with 5 ingredients or less and feed your family of 4 for the entire week....I'm just sayin.

One other thing that strikes me about this book is that this edition was published during a war.  It was definitely a different time.
     "As this edition goes to press our country is still at war.  Rationing is in force and shortages of many foods have developed.  In a fine spirit of patriotism American homemakers have adapted themselves to the changes.  Their minds are open to new ideas; foods they have never served before are now appearing on their tables.  So, though you may have to wait until the war is over to try some  of the recipes in this book, there are literally hundreds which will add interest and novelty to your wartime menus.  If, for example you haven't enough sugar to make Fruit Torte, there's a delicious Cabinet Pudding using only two tablespoons of that precious ingredient; if you can't obtain a sirloin steak, there's an appetite teasing T-bone steak, Family style; if your busy schedule doesn't allow time to make yeast-raised orange bread, there's a quick one that uses baking powder.  Refer to the chapter on nutrition often.  It will tell you how to plan meals that will keep your family in top health.  A healthy nation is the best contribution our homes can make to our war effort."

I think about our nation today, what a different world it is. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering....I'll post the recipe for Cabinet Pudding in the recipe section.

Wow, what a busy couple of weeks.  Vacation was done and then the fun really started.  I had to finish packing  up my apartment, move, work and try to reorganize my life in a very short time span.  While some of the "putting away" still continues, for the most part, things are beginning to settle down.  Settle down, just in time for Fall.  As you may or may not recall, Fall is my favorite time of the year.  It's the change that you feel in the air, the sort of new beginning.  I think I still equate Fall with the return to school and that always meant a new start, a year of possibilities that could be endless.  The difference however, between then and now is the speed at which the summers pass.  I remember being a kid and spending endless summer days playing with my friends, when the days seemed to go on for much longer than 24 hours.  Now, I blinked and summer was over.  While it's sad to say good bye to summer, the one thing we can enjoy is the bounty of fruits and vegetables provided us with to create some great , fresh meals.   Last night's dinner was my adapted recipe for Risotto with 3 colors of peppers and portobello mushrooms.  Tonight I'm making some hearty braised short ribs  with garlic mashed potatoes.  Check out the INSPIRE section for the breakdown on your own Harvest Dinner.  Happy Fall!