I can finally start getting into the idea of fall, because you see I found my sweaters. They were in a box in the garage of our new house and I was refusing to believe that fall was coming, refusing to think it was going to ever be cold outside, refusing to cook for fall. Now that I’ve got my apparel in order, I’m ready to appreciate the changing colors of the leaves and ready to heat things up a little in the kitchen.

This weekend, my parents and my sister came to visit. We didn’t spend a lot of time cooking anything elaborate; tapas for friends on Friday night and a big family dinner on Saturday. I didn’t even cook dessert; we just bought Magic Brownies and Pecan Blondies from Zingerman’s - no need to find the perfect brownie recipe, people, just order these. The big news of the weekend is that my muscle bound sister slung a bunch of boxes around and my mother unwrapped all the kitchenware and organized my cupboards; my father helped, too (thanks y’all!). This is a good thing, because I was having a block about getting started, especially since we moved from a very large kitchen into a much smaller one. Where to put everything? Thanks to mom, I didn’t have to make any decisions and she put everything away in the perfect place - of course she did, she’s my mom, right? This reminds me of the last time I was at her house for lunch and she was making sandwiches. She said, "How do you like your sandwich?" and I just stared at her for a couple of seconds and finally said, "I like it how you make it, you’re my mom."

Now that the family has christened the house and the kitchen is organized, I can get down to the business of making plans for cold weather cooking. I decided to start by replenishing my supply of preserved lemons. I realize I’ve given you this recipe before as an addendum to something else, but I don’t think you’ll mind me repeating it. I found these wonderful tiny lemons at Trader Joe’s, but any lemons will do and when Meyer lemon season rolls around, try using those. These take about three weeks of marinating before they’re ready. I’m still looking for the tagine and the couscoussier, but I know by the time I find them, it’s going to be good and chilly outside. I’ll put a pot of d’jej m’chermel on the stove, slip on my favorite sweater, and curl up on the couch with a book and a glass of wine until it’s ready.

preserved lemons

• 4-6 lemons, preferably organic, scrubbed
• 1/2 cup sea salt
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Enough boiling water to fill your jar
• A sterilized jar, with a tight fitting lid, large enough to hold the fruit (to sterilize, boil in water or run it through the dishwasher right before using)

Take each lemon in your hand and make vertical slits from the blossom end to the tip without cutting all the way through the fruit. Place the lemons, salt and lemon juice in the jar. Add enough boiling water to come to the top of the lemons. Put the lid on the jar. Place the jar in the refrigerator for at least a week before using the lemons. When you want to use a lemon, use a clean utensil to fish one out, not your hands. Will keep in the refrigerator for six months to a year.