Moving into fall

Fall, autumn, is my very favorite season. I don’t know if it is a result of fond memories of going back to school (yes, I was one of those kids that always loved school) or whether it is the beautiful colors that come along with the season, or if it is that I know that I’ll be able to start to make all of the slow simmering, roasting foods that signal the coming of cooler weather. Whatever it is, I love the gradual descent into shorter days and cooler weather.

Here in Colorado we are not there yet. This Labor Day weekend brings upper 80s and full on sun. A quick walk on the trail this week showed that there are no fall colors yet and news programs indicate that the colors will begin to change somewhere around the middle to end of September.

Despite the slow arrival of my favorite season, I am taking mini steps to acknowledge the shift from summer to fall. My first action was to buy some luscious fresh figs. Not being terribly familiar with how to use them, after sampling a few and delighting in their sweetness, I decided to make a batch of fig scones. Scones are surprisingly easy to make particularly if you have a food processor. I’m not going to include a recipe here, you can find one you like I’m sure. I took a basic recipe and added the figs after the wet and dry ingredients were mixed. We live at about 6000 ft and although the recipe called for a 15 minute bake, they ended up taking about 40 minutes. Either my oven temp is completely off (I know I just need to check it sometime) or this was a result of baking at altitude. Either way they turned out beautifully and are now resting in the freezer waiting for a touch of cooler weather to be brought out to have with morning coffee.

These past few weeks we’ve been able to enjoy some local events, for me, hanging out at the local distillery and for the both of us, checking out the local music scene.

I was able to join first group of Branch and Barrel Distillery’s member’s club, The Shaded Grove. The distillery creates fun events for members and the latest event was a single barrel tasting to determine which barrel should be released next. They always do such a good job at these events and it’s a joy to spend time with other bourbon lovers who joined the club.

After finishing the bourbon judging, I headed over to meet hubby and a friend at Tailgate Tavern. Though it’s not our normal hangout, they have live music all day Sunday, and it was enjoyable to sit outside on a pleasant evening and enjoy a cocktail, the music, and good company.

The coming months bring numerous opportunities for travel so fingers crossed I can be diligent in getting those all documented here. We’ll see.