It's beginning to look a lot like...

Autumn.
Anyone that hasn't grown up in Miami will think I am crazy, but I can feel a change in the seasons. When I get in my car, it only takes 4 minutes to cool down, instead of the 10 it took a month ago. I am not greeted with a humidity bath when I step out my door. It's just comfortably warm. And I hear Macy's has put up their Christmas tree already. That's right- even before Halloween. You can find some Miamians wearing long sleeves (I'm not there, yet). But I have begun cooking autumn/winter food. On Saturday, for a Heroes marathon, I cooked Chicken Pot Pie and a Peach Cobbler. It was supposed to be 'Odessa, TX'-worthy. Really, though, it was just a craving I'd been having. And then I was inspired by a recent (20th anniversary) issue of Cooking Light to make their best chicken dish from the last 20 years- Roasted Chicken with Onions, Potatoes and Gravy. I think it came out pretty close. Except for the fact that I went crazy and added squash! Oh, and I used limes instead of lemons inside. Let me tell you what though, rubbing seasonings just under the skin has to be one of the GROSSEST things I have ever done... in my life... ever. I gagged a little. But it was worth it, because cooking a whole chicken (and gravy, veggies, and biscuits to go with it) is no easy task.

I'm really into cooking American food right now... you know, good ol' Southern stuff. I might throw together a pot of chili next week. That is, if it gets down to a nippy 85 degrees. Heck, I could even start wearing a jacket and start listening to my favorite Christmas CD that I have occasionally listened to in June (yes, Christmas music in June). It's that good. Andrew Peterson "Behold the Lamb of God". You'll thank me.