Where are you October?

Every October I forget. Some of it is willful. I force myself to think that soon I will be able to wear sweaters all day. I put tights on to go to work imagining that instead of wanting to rip them off as I walk in between buildings in the afternoon I will be grateful for their warmth. I have lived in the south for almost twenty years and I still don't like the weather. I have gotten used to it, but I do not like it. 

It is the time of year when psychologically I want to start baking and souping and stewing and breading, but instead hot air still bustles in through our open windows and I sweat when I eat my oatmeal in the morning. I do what I can to fight against it though. Like this morning I decided to buy brats and put them in the slow cooker so that by dinner time we could trick ourselves into thinking it was October in one of those northern places. This Betty Crocker recipe did the trick. She is never glamorous but always sturdy. 

Then, after I fed my hungover nephew, I pushed my almost 20 year old stand mixer to its max capacity. As the dough hook went round and round, it started making a sound that wasn't quite natural. By the time it was done, it was smoking. I don't think it's a good sign. But this recipe for Cheddar Beer Rolls  is a good sign. More sophisticated than beer bread, but still easy because the mixer does all the hard work (despite the smoke).

Now I am sitting on the back deck as the sun sets on the other side of the street. A giant tree was just taken down in my neighbor's backyard. The air is changing and cooling. It's what makes the day time bearable. Well that..... and this roll. 

Cheddar Beer Rolls