Unmistakably Autumn

The past few days have been unseasonably warm here. I can't complain, though. We've been trying to soak in as much of the warmth and sun while we have a chance. The trees have shed so many of their leaves, they litter the sidewalks and the sunlight filters down through the branches casting red and gold light on the day. The air smells of the fallen leaves, going back to the earth. Even though the days are warm, it is still unmistakably autumn.

Last weekend was much cooler when I went to the farmer's market. It was a chilly Sunday morning and the market was like a ghost town compared to the aisles packed with people during the summer. There were fewer vendors, too, but everyone of them still had piles of vibrant produce. As I loaded up my bags with tastes of fall: apples, squash, cauliflower, leeks, my favorite fall recipes started coming back to me. I am looking forward to making them again and also finding new ways to enjoy the autumn harvests. I posted many of these recipes here last year but I couldn't resist taking a look at them again.


Apple Cranberry Galette
Pumpkin Ice Cream
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Cranberry Salsa
Butternut Squash Soup
Pumpkin Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

When the weather gets chillier it will be nice to be able to warm up by the stove. I'm dreaming of a fall pizza, maybe like this autumnal pizza or this shiitake pizza.. I've been browsing for some new recipes to try. I am always so eager to start cooking with squash, apples, greens, potatoes and other veggies that are still going as the weather gets cooler. I realize, though, that even during the winter our menu will still be made up of these cool weather vegetables so there is no need to rush into cooking all of my fall favorites. Luckily there are enough fall flavored recipes out there to last well into spring. Here are a few more that look good to me: balsamic and parmesan roasted cauliflower, maple pots de creme, dinner rolls baked in a jar, butternut squash with browned butter and thyme, pumpkin mac and cheese. 

In my travels on the internet, I see a lot of interesting, intriguing and inspiring things. I wish I had more time to get lost and absorbed in the maze of the web, but I have so many other things to do away from my computer. I've decided to start a little list on my side bar of things that I have read or seen that are inspiring to me and that I want to share. I hope this will help me to look at few things each week in greater depth and to pass the inspiration along.