baking revival

I love the beginning of fall for a million reasons, but right now my favorite is baking. Instead of the oven increasing the hideous heat in our house, it now makes the cold morning tile a little cozier. Hot food sounds good when you haven't spent the day sweating. This weekend I made cream scones and chocolate sugar cookies. Shannon roasted a chicken, made a pumpkin bundt cake and used the leftover chicken for a pot pie. It was all lovely and puts me right in the mood for even more hearty wintery fare: tuna noodle casserole, lasagne, beef stew, pies. I want to stock my freezer with pastry crusts and cookie dough while I'm in this baking mood. I want homemade pizza crust and fresh rolls for dinner. Really though I've been needing to get back to cooking and baking because weekday lunches are just that much better when there are leftovers.

Next week is my birthday and instead of buying a cake, I might just make one. My grandmother's carrot cake springs to mind, fragrant with ginger and cinnamon, sweet from the carrots and walnuts, topped with rich cream cheese frosting. Or maybe I need Shannon's chocolate stout cake with a decadent fancypants buttercream. Ooh or maybe I need an almond cheesecake topped with blackberries. Decisions, decisions...