As the seasons change, so does my cooking. Fall has moved from colorful leaves to bare trees; from hints of cold to white frost covered mornings. These hints of winter affect my tastes. This time of year I start to crave hearty food, bean soups, beef stews, bowls of chili. Meals that warm you up from the inside. You've probably noticed that in the blog - there have been a lot of pressure cooker recipes over the last few weeks. That's what I'm cooking, and other than the big holiday blowouts (Thanksgiving, here we come!), it's time for my cooking to move inside.1
Part of why I'm writing this is an excuse to wax poetic about Fall. We had a clambake at my parents' house yesterday, Dad and my brothers were raking, and I was watching my nephew fling himself into a leaf pile taller than he was. The sounds of dry leaves being raked, and the smell of the big pile of leaves by the street...I love Fall.
Part of why I'm writing this is an apology. I worry about my lack of focus in this blog. It follows my whims, and Fall is one of my big shifts - from outdoorsy grilling recipes to indoor comfort food. The other shift is in the Spring, when I start to get cabin fever and the grill starts calling to me again.2 The problem is, I feel like I lose readers ever time the seasons shift. Summer readers, used to grilling recipes, tune out for the winter; Winter readers, following pressure cooker recipes, tune out for the summer. On top of that, I keep reading Internet marketing gurus who say I should have laser-like focus, choose a topic, and stick to it.3
But, I'm not going to change. I think cooking should follow the seasons. A pot of stew, full of meat and root vegetables, sounds great in the cold of November…but seems horribly heavy in the heat of July. My writing reflects my tastes, and my tastes change. And, right now, I'm looking forward to a big pot of turkey noodle soup. I hope you'll stick around to read about it. If not, oh well. Spring will be back soon enough.
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Winter Grilling
Grilling in the Rain
Spring Grilling Fever
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Josh F says
Mike, I don't have a pressure cooker, a rotisserie or Sous Vide, but I still follow your blog and I have for years. I'm a dad who cooks and I love your passion for cooking. Just like you my seasonal focus has shifted as well. My favorite kind of cooking is soups and stews and those kind of hearty meals, but I still love grilling in the summer. Just follow your passion and and do what you love and people will follow.
Matt Heinz says
Mike, the diversity of your recipes and your passion for a variety of food types is why you are always must-reading for me. Please keep doing what you are doing, in all seasons!
Jonathan says
Love your website, recipes and blog. I enjoy following you through the seasons. I live in the NE and I'm buying a pressure cooker this year!
Chris says
My cooking focus changes with the seasons, much like yours, so I like your seasonal approach. If I need a rotisserie technique in January or a stew recipe in July, I know I can search your blog for past articles.
Lynn says
Do your thing! I enjoy reading your posts and don't feel you aren't focused. You write about your love of cooking be it on the grill, in the PC, or whatever. I've learned new things from you (sous vide...won't do it but now I do understand it). Im reading your emails and blog for all the seasons, my attention varies too.... So, just a be you....
Dave W says
Keep on doing what you're doing!
Cry says
Mike, I applaud what you write about in your blog and the changes through the seasons just adds to the interest in reading your recipes and comments about your family life. Unlike you, I live in South Florida where we seldom experience seasonal changes. Here it is the beginning of the second week of November and it is still 88 degrees with high humidity so even though I would love to get into the comfort meal mode, my wife wants me to wait. Don't change a thing!
Mike V says
Oh...how much grilling I would do if I lived in Florida...