As much as I love Autumn, the lack of sunlight tends to make me a bit melancholic at times. I have a few comforting rituals to turn gloomy Autumn evenings into something cosy. These ideas work for me every year, if you're also in need of some cocooning, maybe they work for you to!
Uplifting aromatherapy. I love burning essential oils. My favorite scent is tangerine (which can be expensive so I often replace it by orange), orange and pine. Try mixing some tangerine or orange essential oil with a couple of drops of pine oil. It smells like christmas presents!
Louis Prima. What about some soothing New Orleans swing jazz? Louis Prima's rocking tunes and funny lyrics always make me smile.
Roasted sweet potato with red pepper and rosemary. This simple dish makes me feel better even thinking about it. It's easy, comforting and homey. I first made it by accident, from some leftover ingredients I had lying around. I've been making it ever since.
Preheat your oven at about 180°C. Peel and chop the sweet potato into thick chunks. Chop the red pepper into large pieces. Add a generous amount of olive oil into a baking tray. Toss in the sweet potato and pepper together with some sprigs of rosemary and some seasalt and freshly ground pepper. Leave in the oven for about 45 minutes or untill the sweet potato is cooked. Serve in a big bowl with some rice...perfect for eating in front of the TV, while watching all three Godfather movies in a row.
The Godfather. Every now and again, I'm in dire need of a godfather fix. Epic drama, cool characters, the bad guy is actually the good guy and Al Pacino looking devastatingly handsome. Need I say more? And if you know the story by heart already, you can start detecting the little details Francis Ford Coppola put in. I always try spotting the oranges and the related events that occur when an orange shows up on screen. It's fun, try it!
Well, this is how I brighten up the gloomy cold evenings. I hope this inspires you to make your own feel-good rituals.
The last time we visited Paris, we went to Duc des Lombards, a stunning jazzclub with live music. Listening to the music, sipping some champagne...we still often reminisce about that evening. 
