In the Kitchen

 One of the blessings of moving to the mountains is being closer to my in-laws and having them over for Sunday dinner. 

At 86, I think my MIL is tired of cooking. She was such a wonderful cook and many of our family favorites have been passed down from her. I couldn't cook when we married and I tease her that she shared so many recipes because she wanted to ensure I fed her boy well.😂

My mom was a great cook as well and growing up, I often  heard, "feed your husband." 😂

So with grooming from both sides of the family, I had to step up to the plate. 😂

Thankfully, DH is not picky so that has made it fun for me to try new recipes. With the move, I haven't done that lately, but, I got a box of Jonathan apples a few weeks ago

And my dehydrator has been busy making dried apples...lots and lots of dried apples. We've been snacking on them, the kids each get a gallon bag stuffed with them, and I make some for my FIL

Apple pie has been on the menu

On Wednesday our low was 37° - it was cool and wet and baked apples were requested

I should have gotten another box because we all love homemade applesauce, but with apple season being in the middle of the recent move, I didn't feel ready to tackle that, but I made these Pumpkin Pie Spiced Snickerdoodles last Saturday 

DH smoked a chicken on Sunday. I made baked beans, fried okra, jalapeno poppers, and our favorite mac & cheese to go with it when my in-laws were here. Summer Berry Pie for dessert!

So, no new recipes to share today, but I feel like we're finally settling in and I'm feeling incredibly spoiled in this new kitchen.

- even if I still walk around opening drawers and cabinets looking for things. Half of them are empty because previously, I had a small kitchen and I don't have that much stuff. (the door on the top right goes into the mud room - the one to the left of the fridge is the pantry)

And yes, that is a tv above the door to the pantry. I do spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but I certainly don't need a tv in there - the previous owners left it - I doubt I'll ever turn it on+. I love the huge windows (that need to be cleaned on the outside - those wooden windows are HEAVY and I need DH to help me remove the screens so I can wash the windows)

I also didn't have a pantry in the house we just left and I'm excited to have one here. With shelves on all 4 sides, I've got a ton of room. I may or may not open it often just to look at it. 😂

I think I'll have to start thumbing through those cookbooks and try something new soon. So, I'm still cooking, but it feels REALLY odd to not be fixing meals for a crew of cowboys for days on end. After 38 years, I've been programmed to cook for them during spring branding and fall weaning and shipping. I certainly don't miss stumbling into the kitchen at 2:30 a.m. to start breakfast though! Still, it's going to take some reprogramming, because I was up at 3 this morning without an alarm, thinking I had overslept. 😳