Struggling to stay warm...

I finally broke down and dug out the sweat pants. I only have two pair and so I alternate. This time of year, where I try to transition from shorts to sweats, is a difficult time. I struggle to stay warm enough to not ache from the cold seeping into me. I turn up the heat and it costs a bunch to run that furnace, it really adds up quick, so I dress like it's only 65 degrees inside, or less.

Truth be told, it is probably only 69 degrees (Fahrenheit). Sometimes the thermostat on the furnace (gas) will say it's 72 degrees but the digital thermometer in the middle of the room says it's only 69 and my body claims it's only 65. Tough adjustment to make.

Keep in mind that the majority of my developing years was spent in a mild climate, where it rarely got too cold and rarely got too warm. This is what my body is acclimated to and having moved to high desert (really bad choice) I have had to work hard and trying to survive the weather here where it changes from very hot summer to very cold winter with little time in between. There is a short growing season for the garden too.

So when the weather gets like this I have to really work at trying to figure out how to manage.

One thing I have learned to do is drink hot liquids (tea, decaf) and cook hot, comfort foods to keep the body happy.

So - it's soup season. And it's baking season. You aren't going to believe this but I learned to make air-fryer biscuits so I would not have to run the oven in the summer time. It gets way too hot here for that. But this weather makes me want to turn that oven on and bake something. So I am thinking apple pie. Pie crust is easy, but trying to figure out a healthy filling is going to be a challenge. Often you can add a banana to a recipe as a substitute for sugar but I don't think that will work for an apple pie.

Oh --- the Rosemary Chicken Dijon turned out to be quite tasty. Let me know if you want the recipe. It's a bit different than my usual.

I will post this week's menus tomorrow. In the meantime:

There was a king once who was 12 inches tall. Terrible king, great ruler.

tsk tsk -- get it?