Nice baking smells in my house!

Mmmmm.......  My house smells like fruit, and pumpkin and spices!

I made the cobbler first.  I'm not a pie eater, but I do love to bake, and I had to sample a little when it got done.  I have to say that the crust is excellent!  Thomas should be pleased.  Then I made, not one, but two pumpkin cakes.  I figured I'd better make one for us, too.  Haven't sampled it yet, because I haven't made the sour cream icing yet.  The cakes are still cooling.

I didn't take a nap, after all, but I have a feeling I will this evening.  My throat is really starting to bother me again.  I've been drinking orange juice all day and sucking on cough drops.  I'll probably end up having to go to the doctor -- again!

When I was making the dough for the cobbler I decided that I would make something for dinner that I haven't cooked in a long time -- fried chicken!  We rarely have anything fried anymore, but sometimes you just have to have good old Southern fried chicken, don't you?  I think the Crisco made me think of it.  I always use Crisco shortening for pie crusts, and although I use canola or olive oil for most things, I can't stand frying chicken in anything but Crisco.  You just can't get better brown-and-crispy-on-the-outside-juicy-and-tender-on-the-inside fried chicken than when you use Crisco.  You also must do the frying in a cast iron skillet.  At least, that's my humble opinion, and I do a pretty good fried chicken.  (Nothing humble about that, huh?)  Actually real lard makes great fried chicken, too, but that is a definite no-no, even once in a while!

I am slowly, but surely, making my way to everyone's journal entries.  I'm trying to comment in at least one entry in each journal, so if I haven't commented in yours yet, I'll get there!  I'll probably be back later, so 'til then....