Scheduling time "off", cool news

This week I noted on my calendar that I should "do nothing but catch up on life." I wrote and meant that. Literally. And I've stuck to it, and frankly, it's been fantastic. I have finally transferred all summer clothes to my storage bins, reintroducing myself to my winter duds as I drew them out to make room. My closet looks as if some Container Store enthusiast whipped through, so tidily hung are the hangers, so pleasingly organized are the shoes. This will last for no more than a fleeting moment, but for today, I'll take it. I also cleaned out the boys' drawers and closets, removing all that they've outgrown or would render them icicles now. Extremely satisfying, y'all! I raked all the leaves in the front yard to the median in anticipation of the leaf sucking truck DC sends round once a season to collect. I've also got a two week schedule in place so that I can calmly prepare for several upcoming catering jobs and our own Thanksgiving. I have not succeeded in finding my dining table and wonder if I should just give in to the fact that it's been repurposed as a desk/storage area.

So, guess what happened today? The instructor from whom I took my most recent writing class asked me last week if I'd contribute to her blog, Woman Mother Writer. She posted my piece today, and I'm very flattered.

And with that, it's bathtime. Not mine, mind you. The kids'- duhn-duhn...cue the scary music!

DC sunset

Momo potatoes = comfort food on a cold night

This fall in DC has been absolutely spectacular. Though we've had some fits and starts to it temperature-wise, cold nights seem to be easing in as the norm. I welcome them. There is nothing like hurriedly putting on flannel pjs -you're hurrying so your buns don't chill, you know?- and diving into bed, pulling the blankets snugly up to your chin and relishing the cold air against which you'll cocoon yourself. Dozing in a nice, low-60s room is the absolute best. And, as I write each year, these lower temps always shift what I want for dinner. Light and summery fare just doesn't cut the butter after the sun sets; hale and hearty is the way to satiety!

Nanny's oval roaster has been sitting on my stove top with the utmost patience. I look at it each day and wonder what ingredients to throw in first. And though tonight I didn't use it for more than boiling my russets for a few minutes, it reminded me of Nanny and of a dish created by the salad chef, MoMo, in her and Papa's restaurant. I never knew MoMo. In fact, the restaurant was long closed by the time I came along, but Momo potatoes have been in my family's culinary repertoire since its invention.

It is the humblest of dishes, nothing fancy in terms of ingredients or looks. But it's delicious and comforting, food for the soul as well as the hungry body really. Potatoes, bacon, onions and cheddar: four rather inconspicuous supporting actors. The sum of those parts, however, is thoroughly sublime, a grand total I've enjoyed countless times in my life.