CHAPTER NINETY :
I have already told you that I think September is the right month to make a fresh start.
Most of the time, Summer has given us the opportunity to cool down, to pamper ourselves, laze in the sunny afternoons, well, you know, all the trifles we can't do the rest of the year.
So, yes, when September comes, we feel just like a marathon runner on the starting blocks : carbo-loaded, determined not to shy away any longer, ready to challenge ourselves and craving for a new way of life.
In October we are usually still in the mood (a perky one,of course !). Foggy mornings and chilly evenings haven't got the better of our sunny Summer memories ! We flutter about cheerfully and hopefully !
And then, without warning, November is on ! No need to flick through our diaries ! Just peek through the window : the sky is overcast, shy sunbeams play hide and seek, and leaves swirl off the trees.
Overnight things get different. Our " joie de vivre " fades away with lightning speed, and, as days go by, grumpiness is more and more in the air.
Whose fault ? The increasingly early sunsets ? The miserable weather ?
Well, don't ask me : sorry, I don't know everything !
But remember : I am a perky busy bee, so what matters in that dull and grey period is to keep in a state of well-being through thick and thin.
And then, what's better than to adopt the motto :
" A healthy mind in a healthy body "
You see, whatever the season, my inner food-lover always has the upper hand !
My secret to fight under-the-weather blues and move full steam ahead ?
A comfort soup a day !!
No kidding ! That's the cosiest and heartiest dish for Autumn dinners !
The fragrance of a pumpkin soup simmering and filling the kitchen always delights me, and, I guess, delights my guests, too !
Except once, perhaps ...
You already know that I am a poor cook (chapter 49 : Add a pinch of humour and Bob's your uncle),but making a pumpkin soup is no fuss !
So, why on earth, did I decide on one Halloween Day , to change my usual recipe and treat my friends with something more original ?
A pumpkin soup made directly inside the pumpkin !
The hardest part was to carve it out,but fortunately Dearhubby lent me a hand.
Afterwards I followed the instructions step by step, and everything went on smoothly. I just had to bake my Halloween soup gently.
As easy as ABC !! Once the thermostat was set, I could get ready for my guests quietly.
I even had time to indulge myself with a warm bath, to languish in and soak away the ' cooking stress ' (yes, preparing meals for my friends always turns me into a bundle of nerves !).
Once out of the bathroom, and while dressing, I was a bit puzzled and disappointed, cause there was no smell of pumpkin in the air.
Well, after all, the kitchen door was closed, and perhaps the soup baking in the oven was not as fragrant as when simmering in a pan ...
It was a top-rated and reviewed recipe, so no need to worry !!
Then, I took time to do my hair as well as I could (no picnic as I told you in chapter 84 " A bad hair day "), slipped into my shoes and trod to the kitchen.
As soon as I stepped in, I noticed it was scorching hot inside ! No heating on, so maybe the oven ??
Well, I had no time to think it over, cause my guests were about to arrive.
I had to take my creamy soup out of the oven, otherwise they would burn their tastebuds !!
The oven glass door was blurred, so I couldn't see how my pumkin was behaving inside.
I pulled the door, but it didn't open.
A second attempt : no way !!
Then ,I caught sight of a red light flashing on and on .
Jeez !! Instead of setting the thermostat, I had hit the self-clean button ...
Nothing to be done till the lock completed its cycle and came back to the unlock position, which meant 60 minutes later !!
And then, my poor pumpkin would be in such a bad condition that it could not even be turned into a Jack-o'-lantern !!
Wallowing in self-pity ?
No time ! The knell, I mean the doorbell, was ringing !
I pulled myself together, opened the door,and said,as cheerfully as I could :
" Welcome to our Halloween party ! Trick or treat ? Well, no treat today, but just a trick : I have ruined the first course, so you'll have to do with the main course and the dessert, but anyway, don't worry,neither is home-made !! ".
That's all for this week, my sweet pumpkins (a bit familiar, isn't it, but we have known each other for long now ,so...)
Don't forget : life is a one-time offer, so use it well, and be perky !!
